George, I think my understanding of Sagan's use of the word 'Cosmos' differs somewhat from yours.
Sagan very literally defined the word as "All that is, all that was and all that ever will be".
As material beings with limited perceptions, to us the Universe and all the galaxies and stars and matter should be all that is. Scientists now postulate there could be other universes we cannot perceive, in fact an infinity of universes. The split timeline theory postulates that new universes,-new timelines- are created every time anyone makes a decision.
Cosmos is a word meaning literally everything; including God, if such a being exists.
He/she/it may not be a part of our Universe, but -by definition- it is a part of the Cosmos.
This does not answer any questions of creation. Who created God/the Cosmos?
It is merely a definition.

David f
religious Darwinism as used referred to the common perversion of the term 'survival of fittest' Id has explained this is wrong but it made my point of big brother (1984 type) paternalism.

I argue that the 'missionaries' save the bodies but at the cost of the peoples perception of their souls and culture (sense of who they are in their universe).

Your cultural arrogance makes you assume that your way is better. We question that presumption.
I reject your notion that longer lifespan etc. is indivisible with non indigenous culture.
Most fundamentalist Christians, Muslims, Atheism etc. still use modern medicine and science to what suits their views in fact there is red cross and red crescent . Yet when it come to much older more stable 'spirit' cultures they are given Hobs' choice.
I note GY is silent on this.

horus>>..there must be more than one god,>>..is there more than one gravity?..more than one sun lighting up/earth..more/one universe,?...your body is made up of trillions of living-cells..[your body contains millions of micro beasts[yet you are still you]..the life force still has one'root'GOD

,,>>..holy/texts,..exterminating..rather than live with them.>>[YOU NEVER BELIEVED OR WROTE WRONG?]

what we have in the holy-texts is just people trying to give their version of interaction with the force..[they are teachers who give us shoulders to stand on,..its our choice to see them as more than they were..[or see them as being just like us,spirits having an incarnate life experience

<<“.no book..more true[or faulse than any other]”..reconcile such differences?>>when ape you can only do that ape can do,when child that a child can do,using words we can only decribe so much then its up to our works to verify or deney[in the city you need not look out for poisen-oak,or fear a lion eating you,..time changes,once you know how to read,..you learn to write..[simple progression]

<<Mohammed was the “seal of the prophets”..>>mahanoud also said to each nation is sent their own messenger..[he cant make claim for any other people,..he too was human not god..[may gods peace be upon them all]
http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/only_warner.html

or if that dont satisfy
http://www.google.com.au/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=gd&q=quaran%2Cno+further+prophets%2Fmessengers&hl=en-GB&rls=MEDA,MEDA:2008-36,MEDA:en-GB

i make no claim that every holy text is holy..[it is holy to those who chose to call it holy]..i read..to know more of my god,besides mahamoud didnt write anything down[it was spoken..till in time it was written]

just like new-test was[after the fact]your not reading his words but the essence of what he revealed,then we get into editing and translation[like when the bible was translated,revised etc,things must be understood in the context of the time they were written

feeding 4000/5000,.[see the lack handwash jars on the mount,wouldnt let any judeans eat..[the teaching for the decpiples clearly was;''see how fixed in their belief they are[but his deciples clearly didnt know the ritual[when they ate the shew bread..edited..same with the time when jesus came..[the judeans believed in a reserection day..[jesus reveals we die and ALL...[even a thief]..are born again

George

I am not sure how my comment invited the criticism of emotional baggage. I simply said that your re-worded statement meant the same as the original (just put the other way around). Perhaps your rush to re-word it might invite some self-reflection. This is where these sorts of conversations online come a bit unstuck. We are all guilty of taking the offensive or defensive position whether a slight is real or perceived.

I am sincere in my desire for psychological and philosphical discussion on religion. An online forum is probably not the best mode given the written word can be taken the wrong way dependingn on the articulateness of the writer and the predelictions of the reader. I guess we can just do the best we can given those restraints.

Reading back all the comments here, it seems to me that we all want the same things - goodwill towards each other, kindness, love, peace, forgiveness and acceptance for our differences as well as our similarities.

The difficulty comes in the difference between our beliefs or non-belief in a 'higher' entity or supreme being (a God/deity) in achieving these goals.

One Under God,

I think you may have misread the Koran.It does indeed say that God, over time, has sent prophets to all peoples.

BUT crucially it adds, their messages have been distorted/corrupted by their recipient peoples (including the Jews).It then goes on to say Mohammed is intended to supersede all those other prophets and that there will no other prophets after him.

So if you give credence to the Koran, you cannot hold all religions of equal worth

horus<<BUT crucially it adds,their messages have been distorted/corrupted...no-other prophets after him.>>YOUR POINT IS CORRUPTED...[as all holy texts have been corupted]

recall jesus was offered this realm..[if only he would bow down to satan[who is banned into this realm for eternity]

ok so we get jesus wont be comming back to satans realm?
he was offered it AND REFUSED IT

so the texts are corrupted that predict'some'saviour to come and save us...lol...[recall in the koran that mosus studied with satan,but couldnt question him..[yet did?]..

so from the quaran we KNOW of how satan works,he is a deciever,..but not as evil as people make him out to be[thats not to say that the most vile is not done in his name..[up to and including mass genocides[or corupting the holy texts]

recall in the bible,that the least amoung you will be greater than the baptiser?..[and that is saying something]..anyhow i wondered who was the least[judus, nope...in time i realised that sephant/lawyer;who dist ask eve did god forbid..well god didnt..[adam did]read the timming yourself[timming is everything]..well to finish jesus..did know who's realm this is

ok back to eve[adam as husband of eve could forgive a wife a foolishness[same as father.it was his rib],but adam/eve were bother and sister[ie the rib created a clone[adam as brother could forgive a sister a foolishness[so eve has been much wronged[but only satan knows..and now you]

<<..you give credence to the Koran,you cannot hold all religions of equal worth>>...lol..forgive my brother but thats a preumption..[god has no favourites amoung all us his children[and i follow no religion AT ALL]...i been rejected by them all..lol

i follow god,and chose to try to love his creation[because he loves it].. but really there are so many foolish generations..[but you guys are so eminantly lovable,when you really have passion..[god so loves our passion..[but we are huh?-man.[we all have feet of clay...hey..lol

AHH-men..lol

all so much like an ant carrying a rubber/tree-plant,but i see so much of the father shining out of each and everyone of you

lets all feel the peace..[our own god piece]..within[us all]

remember..you shall call him emmanuel]..god within us all