Bella is singing her song "mmm-aaa went the lil green frog" hence her name for him - "aaa"
She LOVES her froggy - who is now another "must" in the bed with "Lamby", "Rosco", and "puppy".

Bella loves her rocker from MaMa and her sweet puppy her "aunt" Cindy gave her from London
Bella loves to sit in the big rocker with her books. This one, Pop and Grammy gave. The Blanky was Jeremy's from long ago, and the sweet "our little princess" tile was a gift from the Parkers, Thanks, guys!

Setting the record straight.
Over the past several months I have been asked about my opinions on the book The Shack. In the first few chapters, where Young sets up the story, I was intrigued with the topic--an allegory on God confronting our pain. As I continued, I wrote a lot of notes, theological notes, out in the margins. There were some good things said, but after further consideration of the book's message, theology, implications of this theology, and the response the author has given regarding criticism of his work, I must say that this is one book where you need to throw the baby out with the bath water, as it is a book that exemplifies Galatians 1:6-8:

"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel of heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!"

You don't have to read my review, which was written back in February of this year (and was supposed to be limited to 100-150 words!). However, just in case... I thought I would put it below for those that keep asking. Keep in mind that it was written for a forum of theology students).

For those of you whom I have had conversations with concerning this book, it shows the importance of truth--Ephesians 4:14-15.

You may also find the response on this blog helpful.



Critical Analysis
The Shack | Jeremy W. Lucarelli | February 2008

One of the most difficult things to understand about being a Christ-follower is how God uses our pain. Many quilts and little cards remind believers that “God works things together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose,” but it is often a struggle to recognize this love in the midst of the deepest pain. Young’s work of fiction, The Shack, speaks to this age old question--the problem of evil—and is one of the most popular and most-embraced books of this past year. Before listing my comments, however, it is noteworthy to point out that this book is theological fiction and, therefore, it is difficult to determine what the author means by what he says.

Young is depicting how real, genuine faith is vastly different from the going-through-the-motions, lifeless religion. There is an emphasis on the faith of Mack, the main character, transforming the way in which he lives his life. After encountering God, allowing Him to do some pretty tough surgery on the pain, Mack’s life is changed. Young indirectly deals with the problems of the health, wealth and prosperity gospel by showing how God allows pain and suffering in the lives of believers.


Eugene Peterson states that this book is the “Pilgrims Progress” of our generation. Yet, there are many dangerous implications in the book. Evil, according to Young, is the result of the choices humans make. This includes both social and environmental evils, but Young never concludes that the problem is sin. In one of the many questions asked in the book, Mack wonders why God allows bad things to happen in the world. God gets angry at the accusation that these actions are because of Him or allowed by Him. Though angry at the accusation, the God character refuses to stop them from happening because in doing so he would violate the free will of his children (apparently everyone in creation is alluded to as God’s children, as opposed to those who have accepted salvation). The God character says, "When you love someone you never, ever, try to get them to do something against their will because that is unloving. Our power of free volition is the greatest thing we have and worth all the evils of the world." Anyone with children knows that this is contrary to everything God says about discipline and love. My daughter will not be allowed to touch the stove because I love her. If I allowed her to, the love I have for her would be questioned. Yet, beyond the human-ness of my illustration, the problem here is Young's impotence of God's sovereignty and providence (Job 1, Genesis 37-50, the lives of David and Saul, Romans 5, James 1:2-4, and the entire book of Isaiah).


As one can see, extreme caution is necessary when reading this book. As with all works of fiction and allegories, the propensity is always there to take the analogy or man’s words too far. The message of the book is encouraging--pursue the presence of God fully in the midst of pain. There are many dangerous implications that are built upon the bad foundation mentioned above. For example, the God of the Shack makes God into a weak father who wrings his hands wondering what choices His children will make. The book also makes God out to be primarily a responder, as opposed to the initiator that Scripture portrays. God is not so much the sovereign sustainer of the universe as he is the one who needs sustaining. Instead of being the sovereign God who masterfully weaves and orchestrates every aspect of life, God is belittled to the one who cleans up the messes as they come. A friend of mine stated that it makes God the lifeguard, sitting in the chair twirling the whistle and waiting for something wrong to happen.

The hamartiology (Doctrine of Sin) implied in The Shack is damaging as well. The main character asks God what he expects of Him. God says... nothing. He states that there is no law, there is no guilt. Guilt is always bad and never leads to a right relationship with God. this, also, is dangerous. Morality becomes subjective because the only sin is being away from God. Young negates the promise of the New Covenant in Ezekiel and Jeremiah--the law of God is written on the new covenant heart and the Spirit causes the individual to walk in the law. The only test for “walking manner in a manner worthy of the calling” is our emotional experience, so one could be living in habitual sin but be convinced that his relationship with God is okay. God, in the Shack, never calls the main character to take up his cross and follow Him and consider the cost of discipleship.

Another dangerous implication of The Shack is the view of Scripture. When Mack’s first day with God ends, he goes into his room and finds a Gideon’s Bible sitting on the table by the bed. He started to read it, but fell asleep after a few minutes. This was one of the only times the Bible is mentioned at all in the book. It puts Mack to sleep. The book follows the trend that considers dreams, visions and emotional experiences more solid and real than the very word of God that God has established and brought as high as His name. Young’s God character never points to His word as the authority. “In seminary [Mac] had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted, of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects... Nobody wanted to put God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that built edges?” This view of the Word of God is both dangerous and whole-heartedly against the example of sound doctrine influencing the deeds of the believer.

In addition to belittling the written word and the Spirit applying the word, many biblical ideas are belittled and questioned by Young’s God character in this book. One of them is the Romans 13 principle of all authority being established by God. Young’s God character states that man was the one that made hierarchal authority structures, not Him. Clearly against the biblical model of church leadership and God being the one who ordains the kings and princes.

There are many more theological problems expressed in The Shack, which are too great to go into detail in this forum. However, in addition to the above they include:

forgiveness - the entire book centers around Mack’s inability to forgive God, which shows that the book is somewhat man-centered, reversing man's great need to be forgiven and at peace with God through Christ.

salvation-very little of the book deals with salvation. It could be argued that Young is purposefully leaving this out for the sake of universalistic doctrine. The Jesus character says that he is not interested in making people into Christians and denies that all roads lead to him, but rather that he will find them on whatever road they are on. One could make the arguement that the main character's transformation was his salvation experience (where effectual calling met surrender) but this is not emphasized by the author.

politics, religion and law-the Jesus character states “These three are man-created trinity of errors that ravage the earth and deceives those I care about.”
Free will-though mentioned above, Young never addresses the consequence of those who choose to reject God. Plus, what about what Jesus said concerning the law--"I did not come to abolish the Law, but came to fulfill it." Or, what Paul says about the law in Romans 7 and Galatians 3? It wasn't the law that was bad, it was the weakness of man's flesh. The law was given by a good God in an effort to show the need for a Savior. After salvation, the Holy Spirit is given and the law is written on hearts of flesh, so that the true believer can carry out the law through the Spirit.

Submission-Young comments on the submission of the Trinity members to each other, but also comments on the God-head submitting to humans. Many have said that this book has taught them about the relationship of the Trinity, which is extremely sad.

Possible paganism-there is a scene in the book where the main character meets with Sophia, which suggests either a paganistic view of relating to god or Gnosticism.

The Shack was a poignant read, and the God of the Shack (Papa) has many things in common with God Almighty, but he is infinitely smaller and falls quite short of the glory and grandeur and love that is the God of the Bible. I appreciate the purpose of the Shack--administering compassion, but find some of the information falling short of the whole of biblical truth. Young expounds on the characteristic of compassion, but separates God’s love from His holiness, righteousness and justice. Therefore, the God of the Shack is not the God of the Word.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to figure out some of the shortcomings of the emergent church, as long as they read it with a critical eye. Otherwise, buyer beware--the twisting of truth located within is deception. Instead of trying not to put God in a box, as many have said in response to this book, people need to recognize what God says about Himself.

Sorry ladies, this one is for the guys.

A lot has changed since the time that we were considering what it means to be a man.
Many of us embarked on that journey alone. You can probably see the lack of male leadership within society today, but you are most likely more acquainted with the prevalent attack upon masculinity within both our society and our churches. Wherever you are in the battle, you know from waging your own war that boys are being attacked from every angle today. For most teenage guys (I hate the term teenage or adolescent) they are caught off guard and are naive because they do not have someone like Solomon warning them. Instead, everywhere they turn they see images that the world tells them are masculine, they see the broken lives of their own father's pursuite of those things, and they hear the siren's call that leads to death at a very young age. As you may also know, the Creator of masculinity has a lot to say on the topic of being a man and how one is to keep his way blameless. So, there in lies the dilemma--how to strategically teach and train this generation of boys on how to be a biblical men. In the time of their lives when boys are transitioning to physical men, they need to identify and feel a call to true-biblical manhood from their peers, teachers, coaches and most importantly, their dads.

For the past several years I have been developing an inductive curriculum for ages 11-20ish guys in my discipleship group. Through partnering with the dads, the Lord has developed a healthy environment for both the guys and their dads to discover what God says about being a man who radically influences his culture by living out the truth of God’s word. Through discipleship and mentorship, boys2MEN gives the opportunity for dads or father figures/mentors in their lives to initiate and equip their sons for the war of biblical manhood that exists today. To bottom line it for you, they are learning what God says about being a man for themselves.

This is where you come in...
I have tested/piloted the study several times with guys and their dads. All of the guys though are currently in the trenches. As you think back to your growth as a man, what do you wish that someone had shared with you concerning this topic?

Your insight is greatly valued.

Conviction central as I tie up the loose ends for a project in my Hermeneutics class. This week I've been delving into Luke 15:1-7, working with parables. The last part of the exegetical process is called synthesis. Basically, it is like getting your car fixed. First, the mechanic has to tear it apart, but then he has to put it back together. Here is a snip of the 12 page synthesis:

Sadly, yesterday I was almost belly laughing, rolling on the floor like a mad man when I heard this quote from Joe Biden. On the same day that he told us that Colin Powell should have ended all questions about Barack Obama's national security, Joe "gaffe" Biden comes along to tell Americans precisely why we should be scared of Obama as commander-in-chief:

“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”

“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you - not financially to help him - we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”

After my morning cup of joe this morning to get the juices flowing, I realized that this situation is no laughing matter.

(note, at the end of the candid conversation, Biden said something along the lines of "I guess I shouldn't have said that since the press is in the room")

It is most difficult to balance the precipice of non-conformity and cultural relevance as one seeks to live and speak the gospel message to any generation, though especially the one we currently find ourselves in. On one dangerous slope there is the abandonment of truth for the sake of numbers and mass appeal. One unguarded step tumbles towards a free fall in the canyon of ears tickled, which is closely located to the cavern of a wasted life. Yet, on the other slope is the sacred, hallow halls of the monasticm, where the truth of Christ's messages is rarely digested. As someone concerned with this balance on your terrain, consider Os Guiness.

The Idol of Relevance
by C.J. Mahaney 10/3/2008 9:47:00 AM Since we’re talking about Os Guinness, I pulled my stack of well-worn copies of his books off my shelves. And one of the most dog-eared, check-mark-littered, and highlighted copies is the book Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance (Baker, 2003).

The book is a piercing critique of the church’s uncritical pursuit of relevance for the sake of relevance. His argument: “Never have Christians pursued relevance more strenuously; never have Christians been more irrelevant” (p. 12). Guinness explains it like this:

By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching commitment to faithfulness, we have become not only unfaithful but irrelevant; by our determined efforts to redefine ourselves in ways that are more compelling to the modern world than are faithful to Christ, we have lost not only our identity but our authority and our relevance. Our crying need is to be faithful as well as relevant. (p. 11)

The gospel is good news. In fact it is “the best news ever” because it addresses our human condition appropriately, pertinently, and effectively as nothing else has, does, or can—and in generation after generation, culture after culture, and life after life. Little wonder that the Christian faith is the world’s first truly universal religion and in many parts of the world the fastest growing faith, and that the Christian church is the most diverse society on planet earth, with followers on all continents, in all climates, and under all the conditions of life and development. Of course, Christians can make the gospel irrelevant by shrinking and distorting it in one way or another. But in itself the good news of Jesus is utterly relevant or it is not the good news it claims to be. (p. 13)

Without God, our human knowledge is puny and perverse, limited on the one hand by finitude and distorted on the other by sin. That said, and that said humbly, three things can help us cultivate the independent spirit and thinking that are characteristic of God’s untimely people. In ascending order, they are developing an awareness of the unfashionable, cultivating an appreciation for the historical, and paying constant attention to the eternal. Each is crucial for effective resistance thinking. (p. 96)

Mere lip service to the importance of history will not do. We each have to build in a steady diet of the riches of the past into our reading and thinking. Only the wisdom of the past can free us from the bondage of our fixation with the present and the future. C. S. Lewis counseled, “It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.” (p. 104)

How then do we lift ourselves above the level of the finite and the mundane to gain an eternal perspective on what is true and relevant? The biblical answer is blunt in its candor. By ourselves we can’t. We can’t break out of Plato’s cave of the human, with all its smoke and flickering shadows on the wall. We can’t raise ourselves above the level of the timebound and the earthbound by such feeble bootstraps as reason. But where we are limited by our own unaided efforts, we have help. We have been rescued.…God has broken into our silence. He has spoken and has come down himself. And in his written and living Word we are given truth from outside our situation, truth that throws light on our little lives and our little world. (p. 107)

All of us have countless examples of the relevancy of James 3. The word of God speaks on the topic of the tongue throughout it's pages. Life and death is in the power of the tongue...

James was the first book I taught within a Christian school setting. Freshly out of college, ready to right the wrongs of mis-understood Christianity, I packed my bags and headed to the Windy City. I will never forget that group of senior Bible students at Gray's Lake Christian Academy. The Lord won't let me forget the contents of James. The message continues to haunt my mind and my will, as the Great Counselor continues to sow the seeds of repentance where James' message is concerned. This ground has been tilled again and again. Last year I taught James to a group of Juniors at Silverdale Baptist Academy. This past summer I walked through the book with several students from around the world. Several Sundays ago, our church began to walk through the book. We hit chapter one right when the stock market went crazy, considering it all joy no doubt.

While getting caught up on some blogs, I came across this. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a silent movie is worth an infinite number. Consider the message. Pick up James and study it inductively. Go to Proverbs and determine what God says about the tongue. It is a message I, a hot-headed Italian, am continuing to learn.

Our country continues to lean dangerously closer to the cliffs of socialism. The past two days on Wall Street and in the halls of Washington ring with a deceptive call towards the agenda that, while promising a quick fix, will prove to be a major power play in the next four years. To think that tax payer's money could intentionally go towards private investors share holdings is absurd.

In other news, the layers of Obama's agenda continue to be peeled back by a remnant of Americans, while others continue to kiss the feet of their messiah. Recently, even Louis Farrakhan prophetically commented that the Nation of Islam's messiah is here.

If only this were the sole radical endorsement for the anti-messiah campaign. Even Hamas leaders, who are vehemently opposed towards Israel, support Obama:

I just received this email:
Mr. Lucarelli...This is facebook... but all fun aside, I take great offense to the comment "common sense replaced righteousness and moral character in your view." Such a broad, solid statement for someone who has read a few paragraphs where I outline neither righteousness nor moral character. You have no idea about my views of either of those things. Your assumption that there are only two possible sets of values, pitted against one another, is a false dichotomy. However, it does add to the flavor of my sister's facebook wall. For that I thank you, because Jayme will have fun reading when she logs on tonight. -Andrea

My response:
It is unfortunate that you were offended.

With my citizenship in tact, however, I merely noticed the apparent contrast between what I said, "vote righteousness" and your subsequent comment, "...vote common sense, have Jeremy Lucarelli's citizenship revoked."

I thought I'd share a recent, random conversation over facebook. The names have not been changed to protect the identity of those involved. I will add, though, that there is a balance between recognizing what Daniel says: "It is He {God} who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings (Daniel 2)" and our democratic, civil responsibility as Christians. Here is the conversation, beginning with a someone I know saying that they are changing their political views:

Jayme just contributed $20 to the Obama Campaign :) GO CHANGE! 4:14pm - 11 comments

Jeremy Lucarelli at 4:16pm October 9
You've drank the kool-aid too?

Jayme Cloninger at 4:16pm October 9
No, I really do have a change of heart (no pun intended)!!

Jayme Cloninger at 4:20pm October 9
After the downfall of the market, I think it is time for another group to give government a try.

Jared Michael Burtner at 4:52pm October 9
so, you want to give socialism a try?

Ryan Galloway at 5:01pm October 9
With the Dow at 8000, I'd give anything other than Bush's economic policies a try :)

Jeremy Lucarelli at 7:06pm October 9
Talk to Dem. Barney Frank, Dodd, and Cox! Take a look into all rhetoric no action Obama's association with Acorn and how they pressured banks to make subprime loans. If you're gonna drink the Kool-aid, at least know what your getting into--pure socialism.

Andrea Cloninger at 8:50am October 10
Haha Jeremy Lucarelli ---> http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/keatingvideo --- Obama isn't the only one with ties to this mess --- purely ridiculous.

Jeremy Lucarelli at 10:33am October 10
Over, done, dealt with... he made restitution for something that happened over 20 years ago. Obama however continues to lie about his associations saying that Ayers was "someone in the neighborhood" though he served for 7 years on a board with him, kicked off his campaign in his living room, and received massive contributions for his campaign. Obama was a lawyer for Acorn, getting his ears wet with their fraud tactics. Now, look what happens--http://www.palestra.net/videos/play/16859

Jeremy Lucarelli at 10:37am October 10
Vote character and righteousness, not rhetoric--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H64yKJhB528

Andrea Cloninger at 10:53am October 10
I love how can forgive one side so easily... and the other? Well, you spoke. Ayers? Ayers blew up things when Obama was 9... ummm, yeah, k, thanks. Vote common sense, and revoke Jeremy Lucarelli's citizenship.

Jeremy Lucarelli at 11:43am October 10
Do you live in Ohio or North Carolina where voter fraud is rampant? If so, you should run for Sec. of State!

All sarcasm aside, this is what America is about--democracy. Free speech, responsibility, free elections, open debate, and fact checking. The issue is not how old he was or on the flip side, how long ago the Keating thing took place, but the current attitude towards it. You have one example that happened 20 years ago verses countless current examples—Ayers, Wright, Rezco, Acorn, Flager, Chavez, and Castro.

It is sad, however, to note that common sense has replaced righteousness and moral character in your view. The economy is a big deal--socialism vs. capitalism. Terrorism is also a big deal--one who aligns himself with terrorist vs. one who fights. Infanticide is a big deal too--one candidate who openly supported it in the IL corridors of law and a ticket who not only diametrically opposes it, but practically lives it. Talk about a great example of social justice!

I've been hitting the books hard this week. God's Providence, even in the way the content of my four classes has lined up, is overwhelming. Last weekend I had the privilege of being in Topeka, Kansas teaching others how to discover truth for themselves. The 2 day event was humbling and encouraging. In many of the pastors, elders, and lay people in attendance the light bulb went off... they caught the vision of inductive study... they were pumped. It was confirmed, again, by the Lord that I am called to equip others to know truth for themselves.

Fast forward a couple of crazy October days...
The credit crisis is close to home.
A friend of ours had a baby today.
Several other friends discovered that they were pregnant.
Sarah Palin rocked the debate.
Yet, one issue continues to loom: equal rights for the unborn.
While procrastinating from my Greek homework (which I am still doing in writing this) I went to one of the blogs I frequent--The Rebelution. Those that know me well are aware of my love for CO. More than the scenery, the idea of living the gospel and speaking sound doctrine in a pretty liberal place is appealing to me! One girl, motivated by her conviction that rights begin at conception is taking CO by storm. The following video is what I found on the Rebulution site: (For Facebook folks click here)


Colorado for Equal Rights Personhood Amendment from Personhood USA on Vimeo.

The following is an article from the Wall Street Journal (Online) by MOLLIE ZIEGLER HEMINGWAY entitled "Look Who's Irrational Now ." A friend pointed out the similarities between Romans 1 and "A fool says in his heart that there is no God."
You can view the original article here.

"You can't be a rational person six days of the week and put on a suit and make rational decisions and go to work and, on one day of the week, go to a building and think you're drinking the blood of a 2,000-year-old space god," comedian and atheist Bill Maher said earlier this year on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien."

On the "Saturday Night Live" season debut last week, homeschooling families were portrayed as fundamentalists with bad haircuts who fear biology. Actor Matt Damon recently disparaged Sarah Palin by referring to a transparently fake email that claimed she believed that dinosaurs were Satan's lizards. And according to prominent atheists like Richard Dawkins, traditional religious belief is "dangerously irrational." From Hollywood to the academy, nonbelievers are convinced that a decline in traditional religious belief would lead to a smarter, more scientifically literate and even more civilized populace.

The reality is that the New Atheist campaign, by discouraging religion, won't create a new group of intelligent, skeptical, enlightened beings. Far from it: It might actually encourage new levels of mass superstition. And that's not a conclusion to take on faith -- it's what the empirical data tell us.

"What Americans Really Believe," a comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows that traditional Christian religion greatly decreases belief in everything from the efficacy of palm readers to the usefulness of astrology. It also shows that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians.

The Gallup Organization, under contract to Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion, asked American adults a series of questions to gauge credulity. Do dreams foretell the future? Did ancient advanced civilizations such as Atlantis exist? Can places be haunted? Is it possible to communicate with the dead? Will creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster someday be discovered by science?

The answers were added up to create an index of belief in occult and the paranormal. While 31% of people who never worship expressed strong belief in these things, only 8% of people who attend a house of worship more than once a week did.

Even among Christians, there were disparities. While 36% of those belonging to the United Church of Christ, Sen. Barack Obama's former denomination, expressed strong beliefs in the paranormal, only 14% of those belonging to the Assemblies of God, Sarah Palin's former denomination, did. In fact, the more traditional and evangelical the respondent, the less likely he was to believe in, for instance, the possibility of communicating with people who are dead.
This is not a new finding. In his 1983 book "The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener," skeptic and science writer Martin Gardner cited the decline of traditional religious belief among the better educated as one of the causes for an increase in pseudoscience, cults and superstition. He referenced a 1980 study published in the magazine Skeptical Inquirer that showed irreligious college students to be by far the most likely to embrace paranormal beliefs, while born-again Christian college students were the least likely.

Surprisingly, while increased church attendance and membership in a conservative denomination has a powerful negative effect on paranormal beliefs, higher education doesn't. Two years ago two professors published another study in Skeptical Inquirer showing that, while less than one-quarter of college freshmen surveyed expressed a general belief in such superstitions as ghosts, psychic healing, haunted houses, demonic possession, clairvoyance and witches, the figure jumped to 31% of college seniors and 34% of graduate students.
We can't even count on self-described atheists to be strict rationalists. According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's monumental "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey" that was issued in June, 21% of self-proclaimed atheists believe in either a personal God or an impersonal force. Ten percent of atheists pray at least weekly and 12% believe in heaven.

On Oct. 3, Mr. Maher debuts "Religulous," his documentary that attacks religious belief. He talks to Hasidic scholars, Jews for Jesus, Muslims, polygamists, Satanists, creationists, and even Rael -- prophet of the Raelians -- before telling viewers: "The plain fact is religion must die for man to live."

But it turns out that the late-night comic is no icon of rationality himself. In fact, he is a fervent advocate of pseudoscience. The night before his performance on Conan O'Brien, Mr. Maher told David Letterman -- a quintuple bypass survivor -- to stop taking the pills that his doctor had prescribed for him. He proudly stated that he didn't accept Western medicine. On his HBO show in 2005, Mr. Maher said: "I don't believe in vaccination. . . . Another theory that I think is flawed, that we go by the Louis Pasteur [germ] theory." He has told CNN's Larry King that he won't take aspirin because he believes it is lethal and that he doesn't even believe the Salk vaccine eradicated polio.

Anti-religionists such as Mr. Maher bring to mind the assertion of G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown character that all atheists, secularists, humanists and rationalists are susceptible to superstition: "It's the first effect of not believing in God that you lose your common sense, and can't see things as they are."
Ms. Hemingway is a writer in Washington.