Choosing a faith

Not if we are called to be stewards of the people rather than just the planet and nature.If the planet gets lost, the people do not HAVE to go with it. We just have to keep polishing (and kissing) Brass as long as the Admiral is watching. Carry on, Sailor.

Personally I dont believe that any human is preprogrammed either way. God allowed onlky for the possibility of evil much the same way that our nervous system allows us to feel pain if we touch a hot stove. (or He doesn't exist...take your pick. )I think we need to take the whole gang fishing and forget EvC for awhile. Of course if we invite Percy he will bring his laptop and there ya go!

Compassion? Empathy? Common sense?My point is that pedos were never preprogrammed to be pedos either.Decisions are based on experience.We become the decisions we make.

Its only my belief, but I believe that God created the possibility of evil and that Lucifer actualized it, fell out of communion, and became Satan. We should no better than to actualize any evil that we perceive or encounter. Step away from it and go about your day. We humans are technically capable of stepping away from God, Jesus, or organized religion, but the crux of the argument is that we humans are capable of stepping away from evil and embracing good. We are never preprogrammed to embrace either. (though you may argue that we are in fact preprogrammed or biologically evolved towards embracing good...for the benefit of the "Greater Good." )

I am not capable of raping a baby. Other humans (hopefully only a few mental cases) are tempted to rape babies but are also capable of overcoming the temptation. No human is condemned down a certain path, though we are fully capable of rationalizing a path that is not for the greater good. Raping babies is not my weakness nor temptation so i'm safe there.

Critics will argue that neither atheists nor believers *know* what there was in the beginning. The key argument here is knowledge vs belief. Again, you cant speak for *all* or even *some*atheists and evolutionists. You are putting up a strawman argument.Address Tangle. Dont lump him in with a large anonymous "group".

Who made us the arbitrator of what God or gods were required to do?

Not only will the evolved apes ever conquer the universe and essentially proclaim themselves the source of all humanistic good, but in the end they will exterminate themselves. *poof*

Jesus "violence" was justified if He is who He said He was. To Him, hawking T-Shirts in the Temple courts was as bad as hawking them in the innermost court.Imagine T-Shirt stands jammed around and in the altar. All to often, secular critics take what they see as evidence that Jesus was imperfect and human. (In my belief He was without sin and human.) The whole purpose of a Temple is to worship, draw near to God and be in communion with other worshipers, not to sell hot dogs, T-Shirts, and Christian books. The sellers figured the outer courts were safe to conduct commerce. They were already polluting the worship by selling doves to slaughter for atonement. (or whatever)

Mark 12:1-12 is as plain as day. Who owns the vineyard, after all? The same one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The ones who leased the vineyard had just cause to fear the heir. WHO was the capstone the builders rejected?

Have you ever stopped to read what dwise1 posts? Are you so arrogant about your faith that you feel it your calling to scold everyone who disagrees with you?If God is so powerful (and I believe He is) God Himself will one day reach each and every member of this forum without your constant scriptural lectures. If you feel so strongly about lecturing, why not start with me? Everyone else lectures me, and I take it like a man. Lets see what you've got.

Maybe.Then again, I believe that one does not simply choose their gender as if they are trying on a new pair of clothes.Of course in our progressive society they can and do.I am against any minors doing this.Once we become adults, we have every right to change ourselves...but there is no guarantee that one will automatically become better.

I don't even know what "troll" means without looking it up.It seems that you like to complain and control however.The only one around here worse was jar who lived to frame issues and squash his opponents points.And then I have Percy who treats me like a child by turning off my ability to make links. That really pisses me off.How about you people quit trying to control me. Criticism should be constructive and not punitive.

Nah I disagree. You assert as if what you say is factual but it is inconclusive. You hand-wave beliefs away as if they were simply something you outgrew, and then attempt to frame me the same way. The reason that GDR and I dont change our tune is because
we have more emotion invested in our belief than to simply treat our beliefs as a scientific experiment. See how you are?

Do you ever trust your emotions? Ever? Do you need evidence to prove that you love someone?