Poirot

'There's plenty of judgement but very little kindness emanating from you'

Closer to the mark their is plenty of demonisation to anyone who speaks plainly on moral issues. You are homophobic if you are against 'gay'marriage, you are hateful when you call abortion murder and judgemental when you point out Government lies. You and Lexi might speak nicely most the time but their is a forked tongue often behind your messages. Personally I prefer people to say it as it is rather than hide behind weasel words.

Funny enough Jesus said that

(Luk 7:33) For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, He has a demon.

(Luk 7:34) The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!

In other words it did not matter how Jesus message was given (by a wowser or by Jesus) excuses were made to reject the truth.

Not fair... runner's doing his best to set an example.

Speaking of Genesis... I could never work out in the Adamic and Noahic traditions how many generations it took before there was no incest any more?

And did this include the giants and where did they come from anyway?

Speaking of which, where did they reappear from after the Flood? Were they hiding on the ark, or what?

Twenty years of bible study and more questions at the end than answers. Plus I never could find out where the contents page was and wondered how some people were so convinced they had the complete text anyway, let alone insisting on a literal belief based on a poor medieval translation of mistranslated Greek, etc. etc. etc.

I admit its influence led to lots of great music, art and architecture though... BUT tele-evangelists!

If you wish to paint the Biblical text as fiction then do not present your own unscolarly bias of the text. Id rather read a scolarly opposing view or interpretations of the text than self imposed fiction.

There are many religious people who seemingly want nothing else than for me to agree with them and follow their religion. I also would like people to change their minds and have them follow my belief system, as I believe that an atheist society would accomplish much. The problem is that they offer explanations that I cannot accept and I don’t see this changing. Likewise any evidence I offer is rejected.
I suppose a question here is appropriate. If you had to boil it down to a single factor, what is it that makes you religious? Is it fear of death/nothingness? To quote Mark Twain “I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”.
Is it a means of explaining the unknown? Surely the search for knowledge is much more satisfying than chalking any piece of knowledge up to our big friend in the sky.
Anyway a favorite quote of mine is the following:
"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." Stephen F. Roberts

the cat/quote..:""I suppose a question..here is appropriate.
If you had to boil it down..to a single factor,
what is it that makes you religious?""

not the stories..nor the promises
im confused that you claim religious...[what is that]
i love god..and learned much from the study of many religiouns

[found generally just a love of god..shared..is enough..
but as for ''makes you religious''..

[i detest the ritual/creed/saintly ones..proffits and
texts..that have become more important than the living good[god]

""Is it fear of death/nothingness?""

there is no fear[energy cant be created NOR destroyed]
we are flesh animated by energy..that which is our memory..is our E

Mark Twain""had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”.'

pre his being born..[so he says]..
but death isnt 'conveniant'..its inevitable
]except dead aint dead..its transmutaion of E


""Is it a means of explaining the unknown?""

what?...dead..or dead not meaning morte?

""Surely the search for knowledge
is much more satisfying..than chalking any piece of knowledge..
up to our big friend in the sky.""

thats the trick..those who cant concieve
an eternal living loving good..so god [E}..is in all living things..

sustaining ALL living things..to live..
every living creature..[in fact..*where life is*..[the life sustaining good is..!

life's prime cause=E

""athiests..just believe in one fewer god than you do.""

thats simple..i like it..
but by being simple..dont imply a rule..to live by..anywhere near as powerfull as..'love god by trying to love 'other'[that love you gave to the least[ye gave to good[god]

""When you understand""

good..[god]..in everything
you just might find the good in you

many ''excuses'..for athism..refute things religions do!

ignore thy brothers sin..[ignorance]

..but dont reject the one true good
sustaing you..[we]..us/your[our]..lives

what does it hurt to believe
ONLY in the supreeem unity of all good..is god made whole..[holy whole]

<<There are many religious people who seemingly want nothing else than for me to agree with them and follow their religion.>>

Beware, TheCat, you may find that you are more religious then them!

How foolish it is to ask someone else to follow your religion: everyone's religion is unique; their religion leads THEM towards God, which is well and good, but why should the same acts and the same thoughts lead you as well?

It is like you want to meet your friend at a certain place and they tell you: "Go 35.2Km in a 14.33 degrees north-north-east direction". However, that's only how they get to the spot from their place and as your house is elsewhere, your path is different. If you went 35.2 kilometers in a 14.33 NNE direction, you would end up nowhere!

Belief is only one religious technique among many. It suits some but not others, so watch it - perhaps your atheism leads you closer to God faster than their belief leads them.

<<If you had to boil it down to a single factor, what is it that makes you religious?>>

You had enough of the world and its painful illusions. Feeling sick of the lie of existence and tired of appearances, you turn to search for the ultimate, unchanging Truth beyond.