Interesting topic and I can see a certain validity to every post here.

Myself, I am a Christian and like many others, I was raised that way. But as an adult, I realized that I was not about to have someone dictate my religious or non-religious views. I would find out for myself. So that I did. I read as much as I could handle regarding various theologies and scientific thoughts about the origin of man and the purpose and/or meaning of life.

The one thought that kept coming around was this; if there is no God, if Christ did not walk among us and die for us, then there is no meaning. None. If man just 'happened' to appear on earth through some astronomical percentage play and there was no life before and no life after then why are we here? What's the point? Why do we have laws? Why do we love? Why do we hate? Why do we create? If there is no God then wouldn't the end all be anarchy? Why wouldn't we kill any and all who oppose us (on a personal level?) You know, if someone cuts you off in traffic, why not jump out of your car and go after him with a ball bat?

We don't, not because we're basically good creatures - we don't because of fear. Either fear of our fellow man or fear of the law. Mankind on its' own is a horrible thought. Mankind under the eye of God provides hope.

And no, I cannot explain why horrible things happen in the world. And no, I won't throw out the platitude that 'God works in mysterious ways.' We're talking about man trying to understand the thoughts and direction of THE ONE. The one who controls all. The one who created us. Attempts to understand God is like a garden slug trying to understand a nuclear reactor. Just because he can't doesn't nullify the existence of the reactor.

I've always felt that it's a combination of the two prevailing theories. Evolution and Creation. Who's to say that God didn't set the thing in motion? There are verses in the bible that refer to a millenium being like a day to God. When man wrote that God created the Earth in seven days, can we say that God's day and man's day are measured the same? How does a strict Creationist explain fossils and carbon dating? Sure, we can see examples of adaptation in nature (and in man if you look). Call me crazy but I think that God may look upon the earth and man as something like a terrarium that he set up and kinda kicked into motion.

As an aside, Karl Marx is the one who wrote "Religion ... is the opium of the people" in Critique of the Hegelian Philosophy of Right in 1841.

It was not a condemnation of religion as many people think. Look it up on line and give it a quick read. Marx was an interesting guy. Crazy as a loon at times but right on track in other things...

Just a thought.