As baby, her parents used marijuana to sedate her. Her father was shot during a drug deal. Her mother abandoned her and her sister. As an adult, her infant son endured heart surgery. It would be understandable if LaDonna were upset with God. “But God is good”, asserts the 24-year-old Texan. This is her extraordinary journey, guided by tragedy and faith.

“I came from a physically and mentally abusive background. I spent the majority of my life in some form of addiction - drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, stealing, lying, cheating - if it was wrong, it had my name all over it. Deep seeded depression was a way of life for me.
Every relationship I was in […]

“I was an addict living on the streets in San Diego. I was pregnant, homeless and strung out. When I overdosed and didn’t die, I felt sure that something greater exists. I prayed that somehow God would help me change my life and that this baby would not die - even if she wasn’t healthy. I begged ‘please give me a chance to love and raise her […]”

“Now I am single, raising one of my four grandchildren, the child of our teenaged son….The divorce was devastating for our son and me. I barely survived - and only by the grace of God. Our son, unfortunately, turned his loneliness onto girls, and now we are all paying […]”

“I am going to be a Rabbi, and I don’t believe in G-d. I believe in Judaism, in our shared history, culture, and experience, but I don’t believe in a creator, in sins and repercussions. I believe that G-d is what binds people together, positive energy, inner morality and goodness. I want to be a Rabbi to connect the community together in a positive way, but I feel like a hypocrite[…]”

“I was not raised to believe in God; there was no mention of deities in my house. But I spoke/prayed even when very little (I had no idea of WHO in my head) and in middle school, was strongly drawn to explore religion. I felt strongly that Jesus was a psychopath, not God and Son […]

“My stepmother used to beat my sister and me and starve us. She called me stupid constantly and always made sure I knew I was worthless. She stuck my sister and me in the basement for days on end while her own kids were well fed […]”

“I was supposedly barren, but had a baby at age 38. She was the last thing I ever wanted and the best thing that ever happened to me. She shouldn’t be…so I feel like she has to be here for a reason. Therefore, I must be here for a reason […]”

“I do not really believe God exists, but I will not say for sure one way or the other. I really don’t care. Either way, it would not effect how I go about living life.
In my teen years, I was forced to go to see a famous religious speaker. I knew then that religion […]

“I spent my whole life feeling ‘less then’. My family was poor. I was ethnic in an all-white environment in the 70’s….The world seemed biased according to race, sex, education and social caste. And then I read in the Bible that in God’s eyes, “all have fallen short of the glory”. With the Holy Spirit’s interpretation, I realized all are equal. And although many do not have the same starting advantages, because of God’s love, we all have the same potential.”[…]

“I can’t believe in the g-d I was raised to believe in; s/he just couldn’t be cruel enough to dose me with so much emotional pain early in life.”
What defined your religious beliefs? “Mental and emotional abuse by a stepmother who is devout Baptist.”
Surprise aspect of my beliefs? “I am superstitious. For example, I won’t […]

“I believe in the infinite, personal God who is there. I believe in Heaven & Hell, but not Milton’s heaven and hell, and not the kind most people imagine. What is important to me is consistent time with like minded individuals, similar to that of a marriage relationship (people have to be together in […]