sigh I might as well mention this too, in the spirit of sharing. Treelocus, the real name for God is not Jehovah. That is a mispelling because at the time, no one really understand the grammar of the language it was in. Since then they have though, and the real name for God is Yahweh. As a matter of fact, in the bible, it's supposed to be Yahweh. The jews, which are afraid of saying God'...more

sigh I might as well mention this too, in the spirit of sharing. Treelocus, the real name for God is not Jehovah. That is a mispelling because at the time, no one really understand the grammar of the language it was in. Since then they have though, and the real name for God is Yahweh. As a matter of fact, in the bible, it's supposed to be Yahweh. The jews, which are afraid of saying God's true name (perhaps so they can't say his name in vain), stopped using it. I would suggest though, when you pray to god, pray to his real name, as in the bible God says to literally call on him by name. Just thought I'd share. Funny how many people don't know this. My mother, who is a devout Christian, has told me this for years before I looked it up myself.less

also, I'll mention for fun: some of the symbols that the church, over the centuries, has taken from pagan myth. 1)The devil as a goat with a pitchfork: This is taking the greek(?) satyr(goatman), Pan(mischevious), and turning him into the devil so that people would stop paying homage to him. The Pitchfork is really taken from the god of the sea, Poseidon, who wielded a 3 pronged trident. 2)...more

also, I'll mention for fun: some of the symbols that the church, over the centuries, has taken from pagan myth.
1)The devil as a goat with a pitchfork: This is taking the greek(?) satyr(goatman), Pan(mischevious), and turning him into the devil so that people would stop paying homage to him. The Pitchfork is really taken from the god of the sea, Poseidon, who wielded a 3 pronged trident.
2)The witch, old with a pointed hat: In the early days, pagan villages had what they called a 'wise' woman, who they'd come to for advice, herbs, and what not. She was usually very old, and as a sign of her high position among the village, wore a pointed hat. I believe they may have been villainized as a witch b/c they may have resisted the idea of conversion to another religion. It's really interesting what kind of symbols that most people take for granted are actually from something else entirelyless

lol it's about time someone noticed that halloween wasn't exactly a catholic holiday to begin with. It was I believe , Celtic. It was the equivalent of the Latin " day of the dead" They believed that once a year, there deceased friends and family would come back to earth. They would leave food out for them on their doorstep to ensure not only the spirits happiness, but their ow...more

lol it's about time someone noticed that halloween wasn't exactly a catholic holiday to begin with. It was I believe , Celtic. It was the equivalent of the Latin " day of the dead" They believed that once a year, there deceased friends and family would come back to earth. They would leave food out for them on their doorstep to ensure not only the spirits happiness, but their own protection. It was really not that horrible of a superstition, just kind of silly. Later, after the Catholic church came and was trying to incorporate the pagan people to christianity, they would take bits and pieces of their own superstitions and make it a 'Christian' thing. This helped them to convert more willingly. It really isn't a secular holiday at all, but a long forgotten pagan holiday. Now, it just represents the best of our spooky nature, the scary movies we love, the spooky ghost stories , etc. I personally love Halloween, for it's festive nature. And yes, Easter was originally Esther, after the greek goddess of fertility. Hence the rabbit, being a symbol of fertility(little buggers reproduce faster than most animals).less

Orel Roberts and his family are the very worst examples of profit ministers. They aren't doing what they do out of love for their God, they are doing it for money and power. It's a shame when someone that many people look up to are actually criminals and bad people, but it happens a lot. Even as a non religious person, I hope that they change the name of the University and find a honest ...more

Orel Roberts and his family are the very worst examples of profit ministers. They aren't doing what they do out of love for their God, they are doing it for money and power. It's a shame when someone that many people look up to are actually criminals and bad people, but it happens a lot. Even as a non religious person, I hope that they change the name of the University and find a honest and good hearted Christian to run the school, for the student's sake.less

also, i'll add this: that the majority of scientists in the U.S. and U.K. are Christian. Also, the majority of the scientists in both places are evolutionists. This is NOT an atheist philosophy, and ID is NOT just saying their is an intelligent designer. It all comes back to ID movement being dishonest period. NO, the earth is NOT 6000 years old according to SCIENCE, no, we did NOT appear exa...more

also, i'll add this: that the majority of scientists in the U.S. and U.K. are Christian. Also, the majority of the scientists in both places are evolutionists. This is NOT an atheist philosophy, and ID is NOT just saying their is an intelligent designer. It all comes back to ID movement being dishonest period. NO, the earth is NOT 6000 years old according to SCIENCE, no, we did NOT appear exactly as we are now according to science. Science doesn't comment on God either for or against him. All of these Christian scientists seem to be able to find their belief and science and evolution compatible. IT'S NOT A CONSPIRACY.less

I can't believe Ben Stein actually was so dishonest while making this movie. He DID lie, and told a number of scientists that the movie was named Crossroads, and was a neutral look at religion and science. Instead, Ben stein changed the name, and made it into an anti darwin, pro ID campaign. I should stress to all Christians not to be fooled by it's name. A Christian almost has to belie...more

I can't believe Ben Stein actually was so dishonest while making this movie. He DID lie, and told a number of scientists that the movie was named Crossroads, and was a neutral look at religion and science. Instead, Ben stein changed the name, and made it into an anti darwin, pro ID campaign. I should stress to all Christians not to be fooled by it's name. A Christian almost has to believe that everything was intelligently designed, it's pretty much a requirement. However, the actual movement of ID is in fact young earth creationism, stating that the earth is 6000 years old, man walked with dinos, and there is no such thing as evolution. They first started out as 'creationism', and when they realized that the 6000 year old earth and insulting Darwinism wasn't working, they changed the name, and edited some of their real beliefs to attempt to get into schools. If you are a Christian who accepts evolution, but believe God is directing it, you should call yourself Theistic evolutionists. ID is a dishonest scam to try to force evolution out of the schools, when it is the only and best scientific explanation for the diversity of life on earth. Thanks for readingless

lol the problems with children dealing with sex younger has nothing to do with Atheism. especially considering that less than 10 percent of the country professes to no belief in God. Also, notice that this isn't just afflicting 'atheist' children, it's afflicting Christian children too. I would place the blame of this on our media culture. Simply because kids see these things o...more

lol the problems with children dealing with sex younger has nothing to do with Atheism. especially considering that less than 10 percent of the country professes to no belief in God. Also, notice that this isn't just afflicting 'atheist' children, it's afflicting Christian children too. I would place the blame of this on our media culture. Simply because kids see these things on tv, on movies, or hear about it in music, they will find out what it means. That they know adults do these things, they want to imitate adults ( it's like a perverse way of dressing in your mother's clothes). If you want to change this, you have to not only clean up the pop culture kids deal with everyday, which means making sure young kids don't listen or watch that stuff,(notice i said young kids, older kids have to grow up and learn this stuff sometime or their maturity will be stunted), and parents HAVE to talk to their kids about this stuff. That I think, is the main problem. We don't stress to our kids the consequences of irresponsible sex, of it being an 'adult' thing, of it being a natural thing but not something their age is meant for. Parents are too terrified to even say the word sex, much less sit down and talk to them about it. You can't censor it from them, they will find out about it no matter what. The best you can do is set a good example, and teach them good morals and responsible behavior at an early ageless

I agree with you JC. I don't see how mormans can pretend to be biblical christians, when half of their beliefs conflict with the OT and NT. Traditional biblical Christians would be thought of as Protestants and Catholics, or the branches off of catholicism like Anglican or Calvinist. They follow the OT and NT , even if they do it in different ways. With Mormanism, you have a completely new bo...more

I agree with you JC. I don't see how mormans can pretend to be biblical christians, when half of their beliefs conflict with the OT and NT. Traditional biblical Christians would be thought of as Protestants and Catholics, or the branches off of catholicism like Anglican or Calvinist. They follow the OT and NT , even if they do it in different ways. With Mormanism, you have a completely new book that contradicts the main Christian doctrines. It's kinda silly... reallyless

Daniel Jacob- do you really believe that Atheists don't have any moral inclinations? That we really just think that no ethics really matters? Basically, are you saying Atheists can't be good without God? Well I certainly find this offensive, as I myself am an Atheist. Yes, I accept evolutionary science, but I in no way am a social Darwinist.(meaning i don't act like an unintelligent...more

Daniel Jacob- do you really believe that Atheists don't have any moral inclinations? That we really just think that no ethics really matters? Basically, are you saying Atheists can't be good without God? Well I certainly find this offensive, as I myself am an Atheist. Yes, I accept evolutionary science, but I in no way am a social Darwinist.(meaning i don't act like an unintelligent animal). Thanks to evolution, we have brains that help us think and make decisions. It also helps us when it comes to deciding things we should and should not do. Empathy for another is completely natural, and not just exclusively religious. If that were so, then the thousands of years before Christianity came along, we would have torn each other apart and never would have gotten this far. While morality isn't absolute, and varies from culture to culture, there are some aspects that pop up no matter where you live, or what you worship. Usually they will be things like : don't kill others, stealing is wrong, don't hurt people..etc.less

Ah, this is where things go wrong. Harry Potter is a FANTASY book geez. Also, Rowling makes her books free of religious or anti religious insinuations. In her world, magic is something neutral that can be used for both good and evil. The majority of the wizarding world use it for good. In her world, it has nothing to do with Satan, or evil origins. Kids will not go out and be witches or wizards be...more

Ah, this is where things go wrong. Harry Potter is a FANTASY book geez. Also, Rowling makes her books free of religious or anti religious insinuations. In her world, magic is something neutral that can be used for both good and evil. The majority of the wizarding world use it for good. In her world, it has nothing to do with Satan, or evil origins. Kids will not go out and be witches or wizards because they read these books. Let's face it, no one really believes in that stuff anymore except weirdo new agers. Next, if you feel you have to explain to your children about the magical world of harry potter, by all means, let them know it's fiction *as if a kid can't already tell that). About the homosexuality part: In the real world, there ARE GAY PEOPLE. That is something that people have to deal with. There is no reason that the wizarding world of HP should be somehow exempt from this. Also, by outing one of her characters, she's trying to break the chain of intolerance that most people have against them, and showing that just because you are homosexual, doesn't mean you can't be a good person, or a great figure and moral guide. Obviously, there is no mention of him being gay in the books, and it was only brought up when asked. It's not like Dumbledore now has a sick streak where he ogles harry from a distance. These books are about overcoming everyday problems young people encounter, teaches bravery, honesty, self sacrifice,friendship, and love. These are wonderful books for children, Christian or no.less

ah apologetics. I'd really like to see some that have been updated since the 1700s. It's useless to spout speeches and write books of apologetics, if it's the same as everyone else's apologetics. I've read many book on them, and have noticed that they are mostly the same. As to the whole 'proving or disproving God'..... it can't be done. You can't prove...more

ah apologetics. I'd really like to see some that have been updated since the 1700s. It's useless to spout speeches and write books of apologetics, if it's the same as everyone else's apologetics. I've read many book on them, and have noticed that they are mostly the same. As to the whole 'proving or disproving God'..... it can't be done. You can't prove it because God is supposed to be a metaphysical thing, and we can't disprove it because ...... it's a metaphysical thing. Case closed. You can argue about the probability of a God, or what good God may do for people, but that's about it. One way to draw a line is this: Science supports evolution. If you don't accept evolution you are already failing on one point. If you do accept evolution, then it's back to even ground. That is why Allistair McGrath is still used in the debate against Atheists on the existence of God: If he was a fundamentalist, no scientist or Atheist would bother, because it's rather absurd to debate with someone who doesn't accept modern biology. Since he does, no one can call fault to his beliefs, as they can't be disproved. I think, that the best apologetics I've seen so far are the " religion is good for civilization" and " science supports design" arguments. I don't believe them, but they are the best out there.less

I find that the whole idea of presidents wearing their religion on their shirtsleeves is disgusting. No president should have to pass a religious test to be elected. The president doesn't represent just the Christians- he represents everyone. That means the Muslims, Buddhists, New Agers, and yes, the Atheists too. This means that the government should be kept neutral- not respecting one relig...more

I find that the whole idea of presidents wearing their religion on their shirtsleeves is disgusting. No president should have to pass a religious test to be elected. The president doesn't represent just the Christians- he represents everyone. That means the Muslims, Buddhists, New Agers, and yes, the Atheists too. This means that the government should be kept neutral- not respecting one religion over another. This helps everyone who is religious not be oppressed by another religion(or religious sect), and protects those with no religion at all. Also, I find the religious pandering by the candidates to be incredibly insincere. They are doing it to get votes, not to praise their God. Even the republicans, who are generally very religious, seem to be faking it a bit. Also, I will say this: Is it me, or is Mitt Romney kinda spooky? He weirds me out a bitless

The fact that there are middle school children being given birth control and condoms isn't the fault of the school or government. I'd say that it is half and half parent and child to blame. The parents these days do not want to talk about sex, they feel it is something dirty and evil. The fact is, it isn't. It's something wonderful, but in my opinion, something meant for those ...more

The fact that there are middle school children being given birth control and condoms isn't the fault of the school or government. I'd say that it is half and half parent and child to blame. The parents these days do not want to talk about sex, they feel it is something dirty and evil. The fact is, it isn't. It's something wonderful, but in my opinion, something meant for those responsible enough to deal with the consequences, which in this case, would mean age too. The pop culture we have developed is overtly sexualized, and that's partly our fault too. In high school, it becomes more understandable that young adults would be starting out having sex, but in middle school it's ridiculous. My mother taught me this: I won't preach to you about being married before you have sex. Just make sure you care for the person, and are old enough to understand your actions. Be responsible. This helped me while other people were having sex in high school and others were looked down on for being a virgin. I found someone I loved, and no I didn't wait for marriage, but I certainly didn't do anything in school. Instead of preaching abstinence, we need to be preaching responsibility. All abstinence education does is make kids NOT go to a doctor and get protection b/c they are afraid of being harassed. Middle schoolers and High schoolers will still have sex, no matter what you preach. You can only hope to help them not ruin their lives by making sure they don't get pregnant or wind up taking care of a child they are not able to. This will require contraception. If you want to change things, talk to your children, educate them to be responsible young adults. Also, anyone who says that people should deal with the consequences of getting pregnant don't know anything! How furious that makes me! Do you know what you are saying!? It is NOT ok for a young girl's life to be ruined because her family didn't educate her on the consequences, or because she was young and foolish. Having a baby will change, and possibly ruin, that girl's life! To squirm at paying taxes to help her get her life back is the most selfish thing I've ever heard. You should be ashamed. If it happened to you, you'd sing a different tune. Especially if you were poor and you and your child would be raised in poverty.less