Belly I agree with just about all of that. I have never been able to see how anyone could believe in any of the religions.

I can't agree with that little bit about people not having any say. They never did. It is only during the short period since WW11 that some people have had any say, & even then not much. How long have the majority of Oz people wanted to see reduced immigration numbers, & how much have they reduced?

Of course the church was one of the main instruments of control & oppression of the lower classes, run as it was by the third sons of the gentry. It provided a good living for this dispossessed of elite, & control of the populous simultaneously.

End of times? Perhaps, with the ratbag clerics of the middle east, with or very close to, having the bomb.

However, can anyone doubt that we would have gone to war with Russia, if it had not been for that bomb. The fact that there could be no winner in such a war has had a moderating effect on us, that no religion ever managed.

With any luck, even those middle eastern clerics will be less attracted to suicide, than those of their flock who they have encouraged to go out in a big bang of gore & glory, & the same moderating effect will prevail there, too.

Perhaps I have Islamic tendencies myself. There is nothing I can do about it, so I accept my fate, don't worry, or even think about it, & get on with enjoying my life.

The Scriptures speak more about the second coming of Christ than the first. Only the deceitful and those who deny history question His first coming. Whether it is this year or 30 years time should matter little to the believer. If he or she is about their Master's business the timing matters not.

I find it amusing that many mock and doubt Christ's return as foretold and yet they believe the ridiculous idiotic predictions of the warmist High Priests who would of been stoned long ago if they had sprouted their garbage in the name of science.

It is likely that Israel and Iran will be at it this year. Thankfully God will ensure His purposed are worked out despite the stubborn, proud heart of mankind. Thankfully also worldwide many have humbled themselves and bowed their knees to the King of Kings who will return.

The saddest part about HIs return will be all the mockers who have had plenty of warning to repent of their godless lives. Instead they choose a few years of pleaure sitting on their puny thrones.

Dear runner,

Repent of one's Godless life? Repent for using one's reason? Repent for not believing in superstitious mumbojumbo?

If one has lived a caring, compassionate life and has done one's best to fulfill one's potential one has nothing to repent.

If a person has been unkind, selfish, has not used reason but has been subject to superstition and has been intolerant of those who don't believe what he pbelieves then I suggest that person has something to repent.

You should repent for being prey to superstition and being intolerant of those who do not share that superstition.

I actually thought of Runner on Sunday night, when 60 Minutes
broadcast a programme about Jane Goodall and she pointed out that
as long as you test for blood type, you can give a human a blood
transfer from a chimp.

Runner must be shocked that in his veins flows the same blood
as in chimps veins :)

It is as I expected, developing in to an interesting thread.
I predict it will make the 100 posts.
StG yes agree,Hasbeen with you too, Anthonyv, nice to see you still about, like your posts.
As the matter has been raised I too very much so, keep to almost every teaching I was given from the Bible.
While no believer I would fall at the feet of its authors for the great wisdom they built in to it.
And yes signs point to events predicted long ago.
But, some of those predictions came and went, we keep changing the meaning and time of past predictions.
The human mind however can do things we still do not under stand, in my view some can predict the future.
If we except man can write brilliant books, not just religion, go to the moon, find our very building blocks that made us.
Why do we think some can not see SOME future events.
Some predictions for this year include things that have been seen happening already.
A local, makes one prediction each year been right every time, says NSW will have its first terrorist bomber this year.
prediction or informed guess?

Earlier I suggested contributors seek evidence, particularly in science, when making comments.

Scientific theories are as stated by Anthonyve in his comment.

Theories accommodate new discoveries much in the way Newtonian theories on motion and energy were shown by Einstein to be the low velocity situation in Einstein's later relativity theories which have now withstood thousands of experiments over more than 100 years.

Evolutionary theory has now become the underlying theory of all biology research and, since the discovery of bacteria and viruses, improved hygiene and the development of vaccines, antibiotic and other drugs have saved and extended millions of lives. Other developments since modern science got underway 450 years ago has provided more comfortable living for billions.

Any changes from now on in evolutionary theory will be minor adjustment only. Like the theories of gravity, electricity, mechanics and thermodynamics etc., evolutionary theory is now almost written in stone.

If runner or anyone has have any evidence to the contrary they should produce it rather than babble on using the 2000 year old writings of people who understood little.