Ask Surly Amy
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Religion
Ask Surly Amy: Emotional Abuse
Hey. Without going into too much detail, character limit I am struggling with some issues dealing with emotional abuse in my life. All the help that I’ve been able to find, though, has to do with getting right with Jesus, and the old chestnut, “God loves you, so why can’t you love yourself?”Are there any resources that someone who is…
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Religion
Ask Surly Amy: Wedding Bells
Dear Surly Amy, My fiance and I both come from religious parents. We’ve been clear with them that our wedding ceremony will not be a religious one. We recently asked my cousin’s boyfriend to officiate for us, but he declined citing that he “didn’t want to be disrespectful to anyone’s faith.” I had an extremely emotional reaction to this, as…
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Religion
Ask Surly Amy: You are Going to Die
Dear Surly Amy, My husband and I are atheists and we have raised our 3 children as atheists. As a youngster, my oldest forced my hand when it came to declaring myself as an atheist. He pushed me to examine my beliefs. He insisted we stop celebrating Christmas and rename it “Presents Day.” The guy is no hypocrite. I respect…
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Religion
Ask Surly Amy: Sad Panda
Dear Surly Amy, I’m pretty active in the skeptic community, and I used to blog about my atheism. I’m a 21-year-old gay atheist, formerly a Southern Baptist being groomed for the ministry. I’m also really depressed. Depression medications haven’t helped. Talk therapy gets me nowhere. I’m not suicidal or in danger of becoming a shut-in, but I just can’t seem…
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Ask Surly Amy: Atheism, Death and God Talk
Dear Surly Amy, We found out Saturday that my partner’s cousin is dying. She is 54, but mentally and physically disabled her whole life. She has always been cared for by her mother, who is now 75, so finding out that she is going to die soon is in some way a relief to her mom. She’s at home being…
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Ask Surly Amy: Secular Therapy
Hi Amy, I am going through my second divorce in 5 years. My first marriage lasted 18 years and produced two children who live with me. The second marriage lasted two years. My therapist suggested a divorce/grief support group. A search revealed many groups in my area. There is one problem; all of them are faith based. Perhaps I’m just…
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Ask Surly Amy: JINX!
Dear Surly Amy, Today, I defend my PhD Dissertation. Despite my adviser’s assurances and my own knowledge that I will do well I’m incredibly nervous. I was thinking about this last night as I was getting ready for bed. I spoke to my adviser earlier in the evening and she refused to make plans for after the presentation to avoid…
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Ask Surly Amy: Door to Door Religions
Dear Surly Amy, I’m a bad skeptic. OK, Let me back up. Today I got a knock on my door from someone asking to show me some pamphlets. He asked if I believed in God, and I said I was an atheist. He then asked if I would be interested in a different point of view, centred on design. I…
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