This doesn't entirely answer your question, but according to our limited observation of the universe, everything has a cause. Even if you accept the big bang theory something must have caused those events, so that 'cause' in a sense is God, the creator. But of course that cause could have been...
To answer the original question, freedom is simple and mundane. It means having a choice and options, no matter good or bad those options. If you have the choice to kill yourself with a gun, or by jumping off a bridge you still have freedom.
That's kind of an unfair question. The only evidence that Muhammed existed is the Qu'ran. But you would have a hard time explaining the early expansion of Islam without the existence of a charismatic figure. In fact it expanded quicker, and more aggressively than Christianity did. Whether he...
I think there is no such thing as spiritual enlightenment. It's just a power trip. If people say that Bob is enlightened that means that Bob, apparently is better than you are and you should do anything that Bob says. Everybody is in the same boat, and nobody is better than anyone else.
Generally scholars of religious movements came up with the term because 'cult' was being thrown around willy-nilly. I think the commonly accepted period of time for a new religious movement to graduate into full religion status is over two-hundred years. For example, the Baha'i Religion is...
I think it may be a question of both the forced celibacy and the culture of secretiveness in the church. So in some places people were doing some disgusting things and getting away with it because they could.
I think the idea that every word of the bible is true including 'and' and 'the' is the most harmful idea to arise over the last two hundred years. It's harmful to society because it promotes Creationism and anti-intellectualism harmful to Christianity because before this idea of literalism...