[silver_pilate]

Well put, Jim. I, for one (and I know I'm not the only one here), completely agree with you.

Unfortunately, there are a large number of people who claim to be Christians who really have no idea what it means to be so. I can't count the times I've asked someone if they were a Christian only to have the response, "No...I'm a Methodist (or insert any other denomination)." That very response tells me that they know very little about what being Christian means. Christianity involves a personal Spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ, and through him, the Father...reguardless of your denomination.

It involves accepting things on FAITH. I, for one, HAVE studied the Bible. I have searched my own heart, mind, and experiences, and have found Truth in the Bible, and I find it offensive that people call me weak-minded for believing in something other-worldly (I'm not necessarily referring to any comments made here...but rather things I have heard from those claiming to be athiests).

I've had people tell me that I use religion as a "crutch"...that I can't accept a world without some "blind faith" in a "mythical" God. They call ME weak minded for believing in God, and yet they use the name of my God in curses everyday.

I ask who it is that has the weak mind...one who can rationally believe in something unseen, or one who flatly refuses to accept something that he/she doesn't understand? There are a great number of things in this world of which we have no understanding. There are things that exist that science cannot explain. Science itself is based soley on theories. Even scientific laws stand only as long as they are not disproved by the newest crunching of the numbers. And yet they tell me that God cannot exist. Yeah....

Anyway, I've had the fortunate opportunity to study both the scientific and the spiritual aspect of life. Many people think that science and religion contradict each other. On the contrary, I believe that they work hand-in-hand. I've been there and done that in science. I've been through the entire human body with a scalple, scissors, and forceps. If it's there, I've seen it, touched it, held , or cut it. And in all of my experiences, everything I've seen has only served to strengthen my beliefs.

Well, anyway...I've probably said way more than I needed to say. I merely wanted to express my opinion on the matter of religion and not leave Jim to pick up the whole bill by himself. I, like Jim, am not going to try and "convert" you (unless you wanna talk....if so...give me a call). You are free to believe as you wish to. That is the beauty of America, and that's the main reason why we haven't torn this nation apart with religious/ethnic wars as has happened in certain other regions of the world. This post wasn't meant to attack anyone...just to defend what I believe.

--nathan