Spirituality and Religion
The Evangelical Underpinnings of GriefShare
Turning to spirituality when facing painful situations is a natural meaning-making process, and the well-known support group GriefShare has provided help to millions of people, perhaps including some of you. Healthy religious coping in difficult times includes respect and support for diverse beliefs and practices, especially when working with vulnerable populations like grieving individuals…
Read MoreWhere Were the Angels?
This is the text from a talk I gave at the “POLITICS OF DEATH” conference, University of Utrecht, Netherlands, which took place two days after the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School on 8/27/2025. You will find the complete post on my Substack at this URL: https://drterridaniel535413.substack.com/p/where-were-the-angels Please subscribe!
Read MoreOppressive Religious Upbringings
The Shadows of Oppressive Religious Upbringings by Phillip Orr Many thanks to blogger Phillip Orr for these important insights. “Unhealthy religion occurs where a sect or denomination holds tight control over the emotional freedom of its adherents, insisting on a prescribed lifestyle, tied to unquestionable theological ‘certainties’. Unhealthy faith communities can be found in…
Read MoreReligious Roots of the Israel/Palestine Conflict
From one of our favorite podcasts and brilliant biblical scholar Dan McClellan… If you are interested in learning about the religious roots of Israel’s justification for the destruction of Palestine, here is a very clear explanation. It’s ALL based on biblical mythology: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/genocide/id1681418502?i=1000645842041
Read MoreThe NONES
In my first semester at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, where I earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in pastoral counseling, I took a class called “The Spirituality of the Nones, Dones and SBNRs.” I couldn’t have wished for a better introduction to a progressive seminary education. That was 2017, and since then, the…
Read MoreDoes the Hebrew Bible Sanctify Mass Murder… and Disregard the Resulting Trauma?
by Terri Daniel, DMin, CT, CCTP Excerpted from the Grief2Growth Podcast – Nov. 9, 2022 . At the 2022 Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, attendees had the privilege of listening to a presentation by grief counselor and religious scholar Dr. Jamie Eaddy. She made a point that was mind-blowing to me, and as a…
Read MoreRapture Anxiety
By AJ Willingham from CNN September 27, 2022 Thirteen-year-old April Ajoy had a sense something wasn’t right. It was quiet in her Dallas house. Too quiet. Her brothers were gone. Her parents were gone. On her parents’ bed, a pile of her mother’s clothes signaled something terrifying. Ajoy’s mind began churning, trying to remember, trying to…
Read MorePondering the Death Penalty
In the wake of the recent trial for Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people in the Parkland, Florida school shooting, debate about the death penalty has reached new heights. He was sentenced to life in prison, and there is a loud outcry from those who feel that he should be put do death. The ACLU…
Read MoreLeaving Christianity is a Lot Harder than it Looks
by Clint Heacock, PhD If you are in the process of deconstructing your belief system, and possibly thinking of leaving your Christian faith behind, be aware of one sobering reality: it is potentially far more difficult than you might think, for a variety of reasons. Disentangling oneself from one’s religion can be incredibly difficult and…
Read MoreWhat the Bible Says About Abortion
by Dr. Terri Daniel Ooops. I did it again. I got caught up in a stupid argument on NextDoor.com. But my response was so good that I just had to share it here. Some guy posted about how “God said” something about some issue or another, quoting some scripture passage that he felt made a…
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