Of all the reading material that people leave around my workplace, Living Stones News, a local Christian tabloid, has to be one of the most bizarre.

Although I don't agree with a lot of the paper's agenda, I always read Living Stones, because if there's one thing that impresses me about the power of religion, it's the power it has to get people to talk about things they never otherwise would.

Take this month's issue for example. The lead story is about a man who is trying to overcome his addiction to porn and masturbation. The whole time I was reading it, I was trying to imagine any other local publication, such as the Reader Weekly or the Ripsaw approaching someone and saying, "What we'd like to do is write a feature article about your outrageous masturbatory habits. We want to use your real name, and have a big picture of you on the front page burning a porno mag." Do you think anyone would go for that?

Most of the lead stories in Living Stones are about sex, drugs, or something equally lurid. There's this article where a couple talks about their infidelity and drug addiction. This man attempted suicide 12 times. And then there's the man who gave up overworking, drinking and fist-fighting.

As I said, I don't agree with most of this paper's world view. Take the porn guy for example. All along the article talks about his obsessive Bible studies, but it never mentions that perhaps that obsession contributed to his obsession with normal bodily functions by casting them in an evil, forbidden place. The rejection of moderation is never a healthy thing in my opinion, and this is just one of the sore spots I have with this paper.

Still, slanted though it is, the honesty in these stories is refreshing compared to most of the canned crap being published these days. And I can't help but imagine someone attempting to print similar stories without the Jesus angle, in a more objective journalistic spirit, without judgement or political purpose. Who's doing those interviews?
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