SPANKY we should not be too concerned with Frankie boy, it seems the views highlighted are not held by many here.
To believe or not to is every ones right.

Bronco Lane,
Great to see you are thinking clearly in the quote below by addmitting that thinking people know privately there is a God. "No any clear thinking person knows privately that there is no God." The use of the double negative comfirms your faith in the reality of God. Welcome brother as a believer! Then perhaps you are confused or uncertain and not thinking clearly so admitt that such confused thinking persons know privately there is no God.

Well that might identify the depth of your thinking, by the following quote that gives evolution of itself power and design capacity but deny God has anything to do with matter or DNA. Your quote, "No question we have evolved and magic did not happen to create us."

Evolution that denies design and cause and effect has more to do with fable, myth and magic than the reality of directional design that involves a superior mind outside the DNA of the creature or the ionic nature of matter.

Tell me Philo what one of the great numbers of Gods is he?
What if its one you do not follow, let us for a short time say it is not that one.
Would you execpt that?
Would if it was your God the rest of humanity be able to execpt the loss of theirs?
Why, yes have asked it without answer, has the one true God let so many beleave in the wrong ones?

God is in all the beautiful things around us, in nature and in the somewhat rare glimpses we get of perfect beauty in humanity.
Anyone who makes a conscious effort aily to be decent to others has a little of Him in them.

Philo, Christianity's insistence on Creation 5500 odd years ago and its denial of evolution are major hurdles for many. Doesn't the basic theology of Christianity, (God/spirit/physical) work better if Creation is timeless and we accept that God created life and life has evolved as it may?

This does not invalidate the basics of Christianity, nor the role of JC; even if it requires a non-literal view of much of the dogma.

On a different tact, can any of the non-believers advance an explanation of Life, of awareness of self, that is any more plausible than the religious answer?

Wobbles,

God, or equally the Gods, must surely be enjoying the debate.

However when Faith believers say they have the Answers well that's when I head for the grandstand [no pun intended].

The thought that we mere mortals,believers or not, who basically are a result of our reactive history and environment that is in perpetual motion, can honestly say they KNOW what is going on in the world and WHO is responsible for it's future is beyond me.

I believe they are deluding themselves.

Could it be the Gods decided it was time for another debate to see if we have any more insight into why we are here ?