I know what you're talking about GreyOwl. I've wondered this very thing for quite some time.
I had a friend who claims to be a born again Xian, yet other than professing it at each and every chance she gets, she doesn't seem to act any different than I do. Yes, she goes to church semi-regularly and reads the bible and prays. She can become quite strident and upset if anything in a conversation suggests that god doesn't exist or isn't like she thinks he is. I have been offered Pascal's wager more times than I can count and until a few months ago have been the topic of many a nightly prayer. She might argue that premarital sex is wrong, yet it hasn't stopped her, she can become quite upset at the issue of abortion yet has taken the morning after pill. She claims humility yet doesn't show it. She can swear like a longshoreman and her conversation generally turns to some "hot" guy she thinks was checking her out earlier.
I have several other friends who if asked will say "Yes of course I believe in God, don't you?" and when attempting to engage them in a discussion of religion they have a few vague Xian views but have no clue where they came from. These friends have no discernably different lifestyle than I do. They do not go to church or pray on a regular basis, they do not act any different than I or any other non-xian that I know of.
All these friends will tell you that yes they believe in God, some will be quite vocal about it. I see no evidence that they are attempting to live their life in a way that I would think someone who believed would.
If I honestly thought that there was a devine being that had power over everything in my life and who could damn me for eternity, I think I would be terrified NOT to act like I was suppose to.
Asgara
"Embrace the pain, spank your inner moppet, whatever....but get over it"
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