OK I have been busy. Today I do not believe that Israel sponsor terrorism. I do not that some in the goverment celebrate the terrorism that happened 50 years ago before Israel was a state the situation was the opposite. But to say you do not care if they do or not is a bizarre after your previous posts.

There is also no proof that the existance of belief in a god didn't originate itself with consious thought.

I wouldn't. Well if got specifically came and told me exactly what to be like i'd give it a shot. Actually I probably wouldn't, cause i've read too many stories and would think it might be Satan anyway. Sicne if got wanted me to act a certain way he could always just create me that way.

Still I'd probably try whatever in good faith assuming it didn't seem like it was hurting anyone.

Even then though who knows how it could effect people. Kinda like that one story where the guy trys to sell his soul for infinite money, but instead he just tells the guy he can't change his clothes, has to wear this ugly green jacket satan gives him and he can't shave for a year. That's a good story.

Anyway, the guy agrees of course, cause he's like "Infinite money and i don't go to hell? Score!" and finds out he can pull gold out of the jacket anytime he wants.

So one day he's walking around with his fat cash but no money, and he runs into this poor farmer and his three daughters, and the guy is like, literally about to lose his house to debtors. So the bearded guy, apparently being a nice guy aside from being willing to sell his soul for money pays the guys debts. The guy is happy and says he gets to marry one of his daughters. So he picks one of the three, and she's all sad cause she's going to have to marry this grizzly adams wanna be in an ugly green jacket who smells like cheese, and the two sisters make fun of her. He says he'll come back in a year.

So he builds up his fortune with his infinity gold, gets a sweet house, the year passes, he takes off the jacket, gets a nice suit, and a haircut and he goes back, and surprises her, and shows that he was the same guy, and takes the daughter away with him much to the chagrin of the 2 jealous women.

Guy wonders to himself why satan made the deal, hears a knock at the door, and says "Why would i want 1 soul when i could have 2... and he shows off the two sisters... who apparently hanged themselves due to being jealous over their sister marrying some rich handsome guy.

The story is full of all sorts of plot holes, but I find it a pretty funny story. The least of which being... even if you wern't going to sell your soul to the devil... i'd guess doing any sort of deal with satan would be considered a no no. Then you've got the fact that the two women just killed themselves, i guess because they were wrong when they thought their sister was going to marry some weird looking creepy guy are they really that jealous?  If so, what were the chances that they wouldn't be ending up in satan's backyard anyway?

Also, why wouldn't satan of just took his soul too? Then he could of had three souls.

Have you all forgotten what the Bible prophesied that the hearts of many would wax cold in the last days. Knowledge will be a big contributor to many peoples hearts waxing cold. Alot of people's God on this website is their "intelligence", which is deceiving them and they don't even realize it. We live in a world where the Devil is the prince of it. The Bible calls him the "Deceiver" Revelations refers to him as " the one who decieved the nations" Alot of you are following in your Father's footsteps (the devil). Why was he kicked out of heaven, because he rebelled against the authority of God and wanted to put His throne above God's. " I will ascend above the most high" And you here today are reflecting the same actions by putting yourself above God. Belittling Christians because you are "above our thinking". Because God is "beneath you", and it's only for the ignorant and unlearned and weak minded. But, he said in His Word the he uses the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak to overcome the strong. He his a revealer of secrets. No amount of this world's wisdom and understanding can obtain it. But it's only through the power of His spirit. For it is written "eye has not seen nor ear has heard nor has it entered into the heart of man, unless it be revealed by the spirit of God." (true wisdom and understanding) Paul said if you want to be wise, become a fool for Christ. Please seek him while it's still day, because night cometheth when no man shall be able to work.

In Him

 I agree that science and religion shouldn't be mutually exclusive. If a God did create the universe, then it would've had to create it to adhere to the scientific principles that govern it. However, what you said is more like your opinion rather than actual evidence. You can't say because science exists it's evidence a God created it. If there's Christmas presents under the tree it doesn't prove Santa put them there.

While we're talking about science and religion, let me throw this out there. All matter is made up of vibrating energy. At the beginning of the universe, all energy was condensed into a single point before the big bang. Essentially all matter is made up of the energy that came from that single point. Looking at creation like this, we can see that all things within the universe are connected and are fundametally the same at their most basic levels. I've heard Christians say that God is in all things. I like to look at this point of energy as "God" since all things came from it and all things are made from it. Just one idea of many.

 Great Caesar's ghost! Awesome post! But yeah, for some people it would make a difference, for others it wouldn't. It's kind of funny that you say you would doubt the knowability of god because of your ingrained suspiciousness when the situation I posited was one without doubt. Is your name Thomas?

Probably the most cunning part of the bible.  The writers more than likely forsaw that their book would not rule forever, so they added a piece where "Non believers" propigating would foretell revalation, good way to whip the followers in to a ferver and scare people back in to the religion

Fear is the worst of all motivators.  It causes people to do things not because they are the right things to do but because of the fear of some retaliation or punishment.

So intelligence and knowledge are negative things? I'm not looking down on anyone for their beliefs, but when religion starts telling me to take blind faith over critical thinking, I have a problem. If I were trying to sell you a dog, but I said it was invisible and impossible to detect in any known way, would you buy it? That's what organized religions seem like to people who don't follow them. It's hard to convey why you don't believe in something someone else does without sounding arrogant. I'm sorry if any of this sounds like belittling to you. It's not meant to.

I never understood why a loving and infinitely forgiving God would throw you into a pit of eternal suffering for something as simple as not believing in him during such a short time as your life (when compared to all of eternity). This also brings other things into question as well. Not all religious people are morally good, and not all non-religious people are morally bad. So would the religious person be allowed into Heaven over the non-religious person just for having faith? If life were a test of the goodness of a person, why would faith in the existence of God decide if you get into Heaven? Faith has nothing to do with how moral a person is. Or perhaps life is a test of devotion. In that case, wouldn't God make his existence a little more obvious?

 It's a difficult hypothetical to answer.

I live my life with certainty that God does exist. I enjoy studying many things, including science. And, like many scientist in the world, I believe there is undeniable evidence of design in almost every naturally occuring system (biology, chemistry, astronomy, geology). I also enjoy studying the bible and the history related to it. With what I have learned I am sure of god's existence, and live my life according to to the teachings in the bible. (as a side note, following the bible stringently is vastly different than what "mainstream christianity" is now)

However, if all my research led me to the opposite assurance, I would have felt no compulsion to change my lifestyle.

It's also important to note that I do not worship God out of some morbid fear of eternal damnation that mainstream christianity preaches. I have taken the time to study the God of the bible and understand God in a matter that compels me to worship him out of love.

There are many things about mainstream christianity I take extreme offense to. I feel that they have done God a great diservice at least and more than likely blasphemed his name by painting him as a vindictive tyrant that wants you to fear him or he will throw you in hell. Or when a tragedy happens, it's always Gods fault or desire. That's not the person Jesus spent 3 years traveling all over the middle east talking about. Modern day christianity has done such a poor job about actually teaching people about god that I am willing to bet that here in this thread there are more atheist and non-belivers that have researched enough to now god's personal name than professed christians.