That billboard is BRILLIANT!

My last name is "Molebash", so ever since I was a child people have asked me, "Did your ancestors bash moles????" I now reply with, "Yes, just like your ancestors bred with each other."

BOOM. I win.

CD - Harry Connick, Jr.'s "Blue Light, Red Light"

Tape - The Ghostbusters II Soundtrack

Record - I don't remember ever having a record. We had a record player in the house, and I remember listening to lots of John Cougar Mellencamp and Johnny Cash when I was young. But I don't recall having a record of my own.

Here's the thing with the Ashley-Break-Up: I half-respected Brad for taking Ashley aside and letting her go rather than leaving her hanging at the rose ceremony. But what the heck was he expecting when Ashley got upset?! I think he was expecting her to jump up, give him knuckles, grab his hand, and then skip together down to the limo where they'd exchange hugs and kisses before waving gleefully goodbye to each other. Dude, you just broke up with her on national TV. It doesn't matter how much you "respect" her, she's still gonna be cheesed. She doesn't want to hold your hand. She doesn't want to give you a hug.

Here's the thing with the Ashley-Break-Up: I half-respected Brad for taking Ashley aside and letting her go rather than leaving her hanging at the rose ceremony. But what the heck was he expecting when Ashley got upset?! I think he was expecting her to jump up, give him knuckles, grab his hand, and then skip together down to the limo where they'd exchange hugs and kisses before waving gleefully goodbye to each other. Dude, you just broke up with her on national TV. It doesn't matter how much you "respect" her, she's still gonna be cheesed. She doesn't want to hold your hand. She doesn't want to give you a hug.

Remember back in high school when you would break up with someone and say "let's just be friends"? Did that ever work out? No, it didn't. It didn't work when you were 15, and it still doesn't work now that you're 38.

First of all - I'm not sure why your previous comment hasn't posted. It's approved on my end, but it's obviously not showing in WordPress for some reason. Fortunately, your second post is basically a variation of the first, so I'll just go from there.

To avoid getting into a long, drawn-out discussion, I'll give you my short answer: I try my best to take the Bible literally where it's intended to be taken literally. Do I believe God created the heavens and the earth? Yes. Do I believe it took him seven days? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. I don't think it matters too much.

Same with Revelation. Do I think there will be a tribulation before Christ returns? Yes. Do I believe it will be marked by serpents and four horsemen and locusts? I don't know. Maybe those things are metaphors for junk we're already seeing. Maybe those things will literally happen in the future. Honestly, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the end of days, so I can't really speculate.

I know where you're trying to lead the conversation, though. If I can't take a couple books literally then way accept any of it literally. That's a fair argument, I guess. Personally, I don't really struggle with whether or not books like Genesis and Revelation are metaphors. It's not really a linchpin issue for me. For me, it's all about Jesus. If someone finds Noah's ark resting atop Mt. Ararat, big deal. All it proves is that somebody built a giant boat and it got stuck on a mountain. But if someone found the bones of Jesus - that would rock the world, I think. It would certainly rock my faith.

I guess the argument is compelling for me because - unlike modern-day religious martyrs - the disciples (along with Paul) are often accused of inventing Christianity. If that's the case, then they died for a lie of their own creation and that makes the pill a little tougher to swallow.

As for the Bible as a book of metaphors, I don't have a good reply for that one so I won't waste your time trying to defend it. All I can say is that I'm not convinced by the arguments for atheism. And because of that, I re-evaluate religion. When I do this, Christianity winds up making the most sense to me despite the stuff I can't explain. I imagine that is not a satisfying answer for you, but it's an honest answer. :)

Thanks for sharing, Indigo!

Wow. Interesting thoughts, Stephanie. I watched a semi-good Christian movie a few years ago called "Joshua" that sort of posed the idea of Jesus arriving during modern times. It was kind of a cute little movie about Joshua and how he affects the lives of some folks in a small town. But I think you're on to something a little more realistic. According to the Gospels, Jesus was a revolutionary who ticking of the government at the same time He was ministering to people. So I imagine there would be a lot of upheaval if Christ were walking the streets today. It'd probably be a little more dramatic than how it was depicted in "Joshua", anyway. :)

Thanks for sharing!

Sweet! Thanks for the tip!