I’ve written about this before, but once just isn’t enough. This is from the book Almost Christian by Kenda Creasy Dean following Christian Smith’s fine work.

1. A god exists who created and orders the world and watches over life on earth.
2. God wants people to be good, nice and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
4. God is not involved in my life except when I need God to resolve a problem.
5. Good people go to heaven when they die. (– Kindle location 267-276).

Kenda’s words are bracing, straightforward and clear. Well done. I’ll have additional thoughts on how to address this beast later, but getting this parasite clear in the microscope is very helpful.