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I'm an American living in Taiwan, and the past few mornings I have woken up to find tiny little brown ants crawling in my bed. They are not really anywhere else except the bed area and I have no idea why they are inside or how to get rid of them. Any help is appreciated!!

A little more information:

I have not noticed these ants anywhere else in the house.

I sleep on a bamboo mat on top of a mattress. The ants seem to really like crawling in the bamboo mat, but I don't know why that would be desirable to them.

My bed is by a window, but it is shut and locked so I don't think they got in that way. However, there are far more ants on the side of my bed that is by the window.

There was food in my room in a sealed bag, but I removed it two days ago and now I do not eat or drink anything but water in my bedroom.

This morning I woke up around 3 am and checked the bed for ants. There was no sign of them, nor did I see any before I went to bed last night. However, when I woke up again at 7:30 they were all over the bed again. I think they may come inside at dawn for some reason. There seems to be a fixed amount that enter the room every morning. If I kill enough of them they will pretty much disappear, so I don't think there is a continuous flow coming from the nest all throughout the morning.

My bedroom has been searched and cleaned twice already, and ant killer has been sprayed outside the window, but to no effect.

Any thoughts on what attracts them inside are greatly appreciated, because whatever it is I want to remove it so they will go away!!

How and why did you become a part of the religion you adhere to, and what is your faith based on? I don't know very much about Wicca or Paganism, and I've never really known someone who belongs to either, so I'm very curious to hear about it from real people.

And before anyone gets this deleted, it is a legitimate question and I enjoy a 100% restored question rate. This is about religion and spirituality, it belongs here, and there's no real reason for anyone to get rid of it.

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm going to ask it again. This is mainly for Christians and others who believe in hell, because I already know what the rest of you are going to say. ;)

Many Christians believe, or so they tell me, that the only ticket to getting into heaven is to believe in God and/or accept Jesus as your savior.

But it's no secret that there are good people out there who don't do either of these things. Philanthropists, healers, and charitable people who follow Christian principles without actually being Christian. You know - people like Gandhi. Not a Christian, but obviously a very good man.

So for those of you who do believe these people go to hell, I have one question: Why? Humor me, and ponder it for a minute. Why do you think God would have these people burn for eternity when they did so much good in the world? What's the point? I'm not trying to start a war; I am sincerely asking why you believe this. Any thoughts, guesses, etc. are welcome, and I hope I can get some intelligent and mature answers.

This is a sincere question; I am honestly curious. No mockery or insults intended (or desired in return).

Regardless of whether you believe the Bible is literal or figurative, why do you believe it is inspired by God? What makes you take it to be his word? I appreciate mature and informative answers.

First of all, this is an honest and sincere question. I am curious as to where this belief comes from.

Secondly, I know a lot of you are going to say the Bible, but I already know about that one. I'm interested to know if the belief comes from anywhere else, or if it's just the Bible.

So... is there anything besides the Bible that makes you believe that we will be judged by the Judeo-Christian God when we die?

Among my Christian friends, I have noticed a curious discrepancy among beliefs about who goes to hell. Some of them say anyone who is a good person makes it into heaven, while others seem to have this really strict checklist of all the things you have to do (or not do) in order to get into heaven. So I'm curious about the following scenarios, because they all seem to be in the "grey area" where I get different answers from different believers. Anyone who believes in heaven and hell is welcome to this question, not just Christians.

Out of the following theoretical people, who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? Try to answer all of them, and if you could back up your answers with some sort of reason for your belief that would be lovely. I know for a lot of these it could depend on other factors, but try to decide based only on the information given.

1. A very kind, caring man who takes many opportunities to give to the poor and work for world peace. He does not believe in Jesus or the Judeo-Christian God, but he is a very good person.

2. A child who died of starvation before getting a chance to hear about Jesus (or Allah, or Yahweh, etc.). Maybe he heard their names mentioned, but he had other things on his plate at the time and had no reason to take the mention of them seriously.

3. An atheist who really wants to believe in God, but can find no reason to do so. Maybe he's tried before, but deep down he always knew there was no evidence. He sought, but did not find, so he did not believe.

4. A devout Christian who goes to church every Sunday and some days in between. He commits a lot of sins, even perhaps adultery, but he always apologizes in prayer and considers himself forgiven.

5. A woman who has a relationship with Jesus, but never attends church. She doesn't think all the dogma or ceremony is important so long as she has this relationship.

6. A woman who attends church and believes in Christianity, but never cultivates a relationship with Jesus.

I'm sure there are a lot more, but those are the ones that come to mind now. Where is the line drawn, between who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? Your thoughts are welcome.

I ask because I consider myself an ex-Christian. I used to completely believe in Christianity, and now I don't. For some reason, some of the Christians I know find that REALLY hard to swallow.

Saying there is no such thing as an ex-Christian seems like nothing more than a cop out designed to make it seem like their religion is untouchable and negate the negative experiences some people have had with Christianity. However, I believe you can't negate them - they happened, whether certain Christians like it or not.

That being said, if you believe there is no such thing as an ex-Christian, I would very much like to know why. Best answer goes to the person who is the most informative without preaching or becoming judgmental.

Thanks in advance.

I'll be straightforward: I am not a Christian. But I have been attempting, for a while, to understand what makes people turn to something like Christianity. By talking to some of the ones I know and reading memoirs written by those I don't, I have so far noticed 3 basic ways:

1. The person has had an experience/experiences that he/she interpreted to be of divine origin;

2. The person thinks Christianity is a logical choice (The Lewis Trilemma, Christian apologists, etc);

3. The person was raised Christian and simply stayed that way;

Or a combination of these.

So, which one are you? Or if none of these apply to you, how did you come to your religion? Are these the only basic ways, or can you think of others? Though I am in no way considering converting, I am genuinely curious and would appreciate sincere answers.

I dream about death at least every other night. It manifests itself in a variety of ways - my death, a stranger's death, occasionally the death of someone I know, seeing the Grim Reaper, being in a graveyard, being buried alive, investigating murders, encountering murderers, killing people who are trying to kill me, etc. If it has to do with death, I've probably dreamed about it. I find it odd that I dream of death so often and I wonder if anyone has ideas as to why.

Extra info that may help...

To my knowledge, I have never had a nightmare about death, so I'm almost certain this has nothing to do with a fear of death (not a major phobia of mine).

I do not play violent video games or watch violent movies very often. I have nothing against them, but I'm more of a reader.

I find death very romantic (but it does not always happen with any kind of emotional stimulation within the dream environment).

Very rarely do I have a night where I do not remember my dreams, and those nights are only when I am sick or have not gotten enough sleep.

I have never experienced the death of anyone who was particularly close to me.

Thanks in advance.

This is mainly for Christians, but anyone can answer.

I want to know what your thought process is. Why do you believe what you do? More specifically - what reasons for believing do you have that are based on experience, and not hearsay or something you were just told?

I'm genuinely curious here, so please be serious. If you're going to be funny, you'd better be REALLY funny. :)

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on why someone would just not connect with family (someone being me). I've never been abused, had a mental disorder (that I know of), or had any trauma in the family. Does it just not happen for some people, or could there be something psychologically off about me?

Suppose that at some point in the future I were to get married, but not want kids. Would you say it is alright to use contraceptive medicine, or would you tell me to just not have sex?

I know many Christians think contraceptive methods are sinful, but if I just want to spend the rest of my life with one person and no one else are you really going to tell me that I am wrong for using them?

Yes, this is theoretical, but I could definitely see my life turning out this way so please just be honest.

If you're going to bash my religion don't bother answering. Rudeness never solved anything.

It is completely spherical and gold in color, and it has no markings except for a tiny black dot about the size of a period. The entire pill is slightly smaller than the average pea.

My friend gave me this pill, saying it would 'calm me down' because I was angry at someone. She told me to hold it in my mouth until I felt better and then I could take it out. I stupidly took it, and it immediately worked. My temper diffused and I felt very calm and serene, beyond the effects of a self-fulfilling prophecy. She tried to tell me it was magic, but of course I didn't believe her. I have looked it up several times in medical dictionaries and online and never been able to find out what it was - can anyone shed some light on this?

Long story short, I am a Christian who does not like to evangelize.

But it's more than just not liking it - I honestly feel like what I am doing is just not right. I always feel invasive and pushy, and like God is looking at me and telling to cut it out. You may know what I am talking about when I say that I get a very distinct feeling of wrongness, for want of a better word. I know the Bible says we're supposed to evangelize, but I'm not so sure that's what God wants me to do.

I've never really had a problem with feeling this way, but I am curious - does anyone have any thoughts on why this is? When I pray to Him or read the Bible with Him I feel more than fine, but when I try to witness it just doesn't feel right. Other than this, I feel very comfortable with who I am as a person and my relationship with God.

I am a Christian, but I've recently been finding that I'm not big on organized religion. Basically, I don't like church and I feel strange when I go there. The best way to describe it is that I don't feel like myself. I still try to follow God in everything I do, and I read the Bible on occasion, though I have a very questioning view of it. I pray in the privacy of my home. My religion is something that is very personal and private to me, and I don't like how I feel when I share it with other people. I was just wondering how accepting you, as a Christian, would be of someone with beliefs like mine - do you think church and absolute belief in the Bible are essential to be among those who end up with God?

Please, if you're going to rip on my religion, just don't answer.

I see this site posted a lot...

www.exposingchristianity.com

...so I decided to check it out. I was wondering if any other Christians have done so, and what you thought. I'll admit, I didn't read through every single part of the site because I don't have that kind of time, but the basic message of the site is that Christianity was supposedly stolen from other religions.Personally, that kind of 'proof' is not the kind that shakes my belief, because the reasons for my religion are not based on anything that site attempts to debunk. But I was wondering if anyone else had some thoughts about it, and if it affects your religion at all.

Thanks and God bless.

I have to have a colonoscopy tomorrow and that means I need to drink this absolutely disgusting liquid laxative called MoviPrep. It is literally the most disgusting stuff I have ever tasted in my life. Has anyone that has had to drink it before found a way to make it taste a little better? I feel like I'm going to throw up.

I was raised Christian, but I rejected it because I had no reason to actually believe in it. Later in life, my personal experiences gave me a reason to believe in God. But I have no reason to believe in hell, so I was wondering what reasons people who do believe in hell have.

I do not count the Bible as a reason, by the way. I believe the Bible was written by men, and should be looked at as a testimonial and not absolute truth. I won't go into details about why I interpret it that way, because that's not what this is about, but if more information would help then let me know.

I have noticed ever since I was younger that I do not love my parents. I thought it was a phase and would pass, but it has not. I was wondering, have any of you had a similar experience? Do you know what causes it?

A little more information:

My parents are what I would actually call good parents. They have never mistreated me or hurt me on purpose. They are both at home often. The only big problem I have ever had with them is the issue of my religion; I believe differently than they do and I sometimes feel like they try to change me. But I know people with worse family issues who still love their parents.

I do not hate them, and I do not think they are worthless or stupid, but I feel no real affection for them either. I do not even think they are bad people, in general, although I have always thought my dad was a weak figure in my life. I feel that I only am around them because I feel obligated to do so. I feel like they are just people that I happen to live with.

Whenever I hear someone talking about how much they love their parents, I do not know what they mean. I realize that I cannot relate to that feeling. Sometimes I imagine what it would feel like to love my parents, and I become very depressed because I cannot change my feelings. Has anyone had a similar experience?

2 hours ago - 4 days left to answer.

Additional Details

I also thought I would add that I seem to have no problems with my other relationships. I have always made friends easily. My issues seem to be with my family alone; there's something about the idea of 'family' that I just do not like and I'm wondering why.

I was just curious about this, because I see so many Christians turned atheist but not many the other way around. I was an atheist for 14 years before I started truly believing in God, has anyone else gone from atheism to Christianity? What made you change your mind? This is purely for my own curiosity, I would appreciate no derogatory remarks or slander.