I have a challenge for all Christians. If there is a single person in our nation, who is a true believer in the teachings of Christ, who can give me a single tangible piece of evidence that the Bible and other religious writings are based on fact and not fantasy, I will convert.

I don’t want to hear from hypocrites who only claim to believe in Jesus Christ. I will not listen to anyone who lives with anger and hatred, or is judgmental of his or her neighbor. I will take the time to read fact or science-based evidence from those who accept all mankind as children of god, regardless of their personal beliefs, sexual orientation, or religious persuasion. These people are true believers and not self-serving and pompous individuals who deny freedom of thought and a search for the ultimate truth.

At present, there are more than 65 million Americans such as myself who deny the need to belong to religious cults; and we’re growing each day. We do not feel the need to receive instruction from other men regarding spirituality or how to lead lives of compassion, tolerance, and morality.

For anyone to convince me to believe that religion would positively affect my life, they must accept that science is truth. They must believe in evolution. They must accept historical fact related to the life of Christ other than those exclusively stated in the Bible. They must believe in modern day science which claims that climate change caused by man is destroying the world’s ecosystem. Science cannot be ignored in support of religious fantasy.

I consider myself a Constitutionalist. I believe in every word of our most sacred document, but I believe that it is a living document which must be applied to 2016 differently than it was in 1789. Therefore, I believe in the first amendment. I believe in freedom of religion, but I also know that it guarantees the rights of us who do not accept religion as our guide to living a life filled with love, goodness, kindness, compassion, tolerance, and understanding.

The first amendment guarantees that the American people will not be forced to suffer the tyranny of a single religion. One of our nation’s two major political parties is attempting to institute a single religion, Christianity, as our nation’s only religion. This idea is included in the party’s platform. This is not only unconstitutional; it is a reason for revolution.

I was raised Catholic. Before I decided to renounce the Vatican and its rule by fear, I was filled with guilt for believing many things opposed to the instruction of my parish priests.

Today, I know that I continue to attempt to become more spiritual. It’s not that I don’t know how, there is always a conflict between personal needs and the feeling that I fail to do enough for my fellow man. But I don’t need someone to give me direction; the concept of right and wrong was given to me at birth.

This challenge is real; but it cannot include the words “faith,” “belief,” or the phrase “word of God.” No one can prove to me that they have actually spoken to a divine being.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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