We Want To Believe

Aliens, nuclear war and talking dolphins; this book is a study of the weird and wonderful world of the Posadists.

From the first episode to the latest feature film, two main symbols provide the driving force for the iconic television series The X-Files: Fox Mulder's "I Want to Believe" poster and Dana Scully's cross necklace. Mulder's poster may feature a flying saucer, but the phrase "I want to believe" refers to more than simply the quest for the truth about aliens. The search for extraterrestrial life, the truth that is out there, is a metaphor for the search for God. The desire to believe in something greater than ourselves is part of human nature: we want to believe. Scully's cross represents this desire to believe, as well as the internal struggle between faith and what we can see and prove. The X-Files depicts this struggle by posing questions and exploring possible answers, both natural and supernatural. Why would God let the innocent suffer? Can God forgive even the most heinous criminal? What if God is giving us signs to point the way to the truth, but we're not paying attention? These are some of the questions raised by The X-Files. In the spirit of the show, this book uses the symbols and images presented throughout the series to pose such questions and explore some of the answers, particularly in the Christian tradition. With a focus on key themes of the series--faith, hope, love, and truth--along the way, this book journeys from the desire to believe to the message of the cross.

In I Want to Believe, Mel Lawrenz ignites a latent desire in all of us--the desire to believe in something bigger than ourselves. Lawrenz takes an honest dive into topics that are true areas of tension--doubt, rebirth, faith and action, and the essence of Christian faith. A fresh and engaging style draws readers into an unexpected conversation in which they receive concrete, concise descriptions of Christian faith in principle and in real life, and are shown contrasts with other faith alternatives. The chapters are skillful interweavings of narrative, illustration, and biblical reflection. Throughout the book, readers are assured that doubts are part of believing and that hardships in life do not contradict faith. For believers and seekers alike, I Want to Believe will fan the flame of faith and affirm the quest for believing.

Sean Murphy invites you back to the year 1971 to his early childhood in the south Boston suburbs, where he is exposed to the chilling secrets of the dark side of an unsuspecting Catholic priest. Sean and his sister Janie become perfect witnesses to untold stories of black magic and murder. Scare tactics, manipulation techniques and threats of their entire family being murdered keep the children from exposing the truth. Will the children survive this chaos? Based on a true story.

Includes music.

When it comes to life, we want to get it right. As the only son of child and family psychologist Dr. James Dobson, Ryan Dobson grew up in the hot spotlight of what felt like Christian celebrity culture, with his dad’s proponents and opponents alike wanting to know if “Doc” actually practiced what he preached. As a teenager, Ryan was curious about that too: sure, his parents talked a good game, but would they back up their beliefs with action? Like many adolescents, Ryan pushed the limits on his parents’ boundaries, seeing just how far they’d stretch. He questioned their faith, their rules, their values, and their “truth,” determined to sort out life for himself. The journey wasn’t a pretty one, but it was beneficial in the end. Because once Ryan held up his parents’ core principles to the intense gaze of scrutiny, he discovered how right they’d been. In Wanting to Believe, Ryan discloses the key messages imparted to him by his folks, sensible parents wanting to pass down truth to a stubborn son, covering topics like faith, finances, responsibility, identity, marriage, parenting, and the power of our words. With irrepressible wit and wisdom, Ryan admits how he violated the hard-won lessons he’d been handed . . . and how he wound up loving them as his own in the end. Through Ryan’s words, you’ll also discover that when what you preach is true, and when you’re faithful to practice what you preach, you can more readily honor God with your life, which is the goal of every follower of Christ.

Revised and Expanded Edition. In this age of supposed scientific enlightenment, many people still believe in mind reading, past-life regression theory, New Age hokum, and alien abduction. A no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, with more than 80,000 copies in print, Why People Believe Weird Things debunks these nonsensical claims and explores the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. In an entirely new chapter, "Why Smart People Believe in Weird Things," Michael Shermer takes on science luminaries like physicist Frank Tippler and others, who hide their spiritual beliefs behind the trappings of science. Shermer, science historian and true crusader, also reveals the more dangerous side of such illogical thinking, including Holocaust denial, the recovered-memory movement, the satanic ritual abuse scare, and other modern crazes. Why People Believe Strange Things is an eye-opening resource for the most gullible among us and those who want to protect them.