True.  Though in a larger sense religion does have some tangeable correlations with morality in studies that have been done with thing such as charity work, etc.  However such a correlation could always be caused by confounding variables of course.

Some of the most immoral people in the world also were atheists.

Jeffory Dahmer actually stated the reason he went through with his urgers to murder and kill people was because he was an atheist and thought that if there was no higher power judging his actions he may as well kill people because... who cares?

What if it was Harry Potter and the Qur'an? How about a book about Greek Mythology or Wicca?

Would you find it just as strange?

To me, everyone one of those texts, if someone told me were real, would be equally unbelievable. 

In regards to my first post, we're getting off topic. Here are my main two points:

1) It is perfectly normal and expected for Christians to believe that the Bible is an infallible book; this is a cornerstone of Christian belief, an absolute necessity. If you don't believe this, then you are not a Christian. End of story.

2) The Bible is not something that you can take away tidbits from and not believe the whole thing. It's everything or nothing. Either you believe that it's a holy, perfect book containing God's instruction for mankind, or you believe it's an entirely laughable book of lies. There is no middle ground. The Bible itself claims that "all Scripture is God-breathed." (2 Timothy 3:16) If this is not the case, then the Bible is lying about itself, which would make the Bible such an absurd book that no one should take anything in it seriously. This is why it cannot be a mere "metaphorical text intended to help us lead better lives."

Similarly, many people claim that Jesus was a good teacher, but that he certainly was not the Son of God. However, Jesus claimed many times that he was the Son of God; this is why he was crucified in the first place. What kind of "good teacher" would tell his followers such a ridiculous lie? Either you believe Jesus is what he says he is, or you consider him one of the most devious and/or deranged people who ever lived. There is no middle ground. Just like with the Bible.

First off, Jesus never said he was the son of god. Point in the bible to where he said "I am the son of God" and not some metaphor that people construe into meaning it (I mean you can't use metaphor just when it suits you).

yes, this is way off topic, but I must ask...

How are we to take a book seriously, that tells you if your gay, commit adultery, or even curse at your parents, you are to be put to death? You can say Jesus died to move you from gods law to gods grace, and thus the last few thousand years you no longer have to do that.. but for the time from Moses until Jesus, your same god ordered people to do such a thing.

We are supposed to think that this is real? Come on now.

If you can't remember the scripture off the top of your head, it's here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+20&version=NIV

9-13 are the ones I mention, but the rest are not too nice either.

Oh please, let's not quibble over technicalities. Jesus might have never literally said "I am the Son of God," but he does say the following:

"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

-John 17:1-4

This passage is clear; there's nothing metaphorical about it.

I'm not going to argue every little point from the Old Testament; there's plenty of research on it that is available online. Why God has chosen to deal with mankind in such different ways (also known as "dispensations") throughout history is beyond me. I don't pretend to know. As a guess, maybe it is to demonstrate that, no matter what system man operates under (be it law, grace, or whatever), man will always fail ultimately and is always in need of the grace of God. In any case, He is just.

The thing that is by far the most pertinent at this time is the story of Jesus and the salvation he offers. Everything else is secondary.

im sorry but your post annoys me.Why do you think that you should be able to judge whos a christian or not,and if you DID beleive evrything ,then you refuse to believe in science ,instead beleiving in something some people wrote 2 thousand years ago.I was a christian but i always beleived in evolotion and in fact the pope accepts the facts of evoloution.Now i am being sickened by the actions of some christians and mainly just religous people in general.It seems its done more harm than good in the end.

Who the hell watches fox news for anything other than comedy? If you want real news go to Al Jazeera English, BBC America, and NPR.

I wonder if she knows South Africa is a country yet or still thinks it means southern Africa.