Well, this is a debate that no one can win. The best you can hope for is a draw. One of the issues that I have with organized religon is that it [U]can be [/U]very exclusionary and that is a very, very dangerous thing. I have been at odds with my own faith over things like that. For example, alternative lifestyles. The church says no way. But you know what Jesus said about it?

Nothing. Not a single word.

So why then does the church take the position that people who practice this lifestyle are doomed and can never be loved by God? It makes no sense to me. And there are hundreds of other issues like this.

But they also preach a religious dogma, philosophy if you will, that calls for us to be kind to others, to help others and to love one another. That's a good thing. Regardless of how the message is brought out and by whom, it's good stuff.

Now I believe in a soverign diety and I'll tell you why. Oh sure, I was raised that way, I read the bible, I attended church camp...etc. But I like to think for myself so I set out to find God. I wanted to know for myself and not based on something someone else told me. I read a lot of religious materials, talked to a lot of people...etc and still nothing. Then one night, I took a hike into the woods. I walked for a while and came to a clearing. I laid down on my back and stared up at the night sky through the canopy in forest cieling. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and I could see what felt like to the very edge of the universe. I asked myself one question; "Do I really and truly believe that this, all of this just happened?" And after thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that there is simply no way that the vastness of the universe or the tiny intricities in the human body just happened. That settled it for me. I have never doubted it from that point on.

Now I cannot prove the existence of God to anyone any more than anyone else can prove to me that true love exists. You really have to take both on faith. You can't hold either one in your hands and you can't buy either one at the local Kmart. It comes down to faith.

It's clear to me that everyone who has posted to this thread is intelligent and articulate about their positions. No one is right and no one is wrong. Relgious belief is an intensely personal issue and one that each and every person has to decide for themselves.

Okay. That's enough out of the likes of me...I hope I didn't offend. I just wanted to throw my two cents in. So I will now hop down from my soap box and continue on my way... :D