Love you Angie, thank you.

Only because you happen to be so confused as to what labels fit you...you agno-atheist-libroconservahomo.

Thank you Myth, a reboot would be nice.

Threats of hell will get you know where Annie Jenkin. I know well what faith is, which is precisely what I've refused to allow it to run my life.

Tana,

You've pointed out precisely why I've chosen to take a more educational approach. In the past, when I was still an angry ex-christian trying to right all the wrongs that the faith caused me, I was bitter and spiteful toward people...I'd prefer now, and moving forward, to educate people into a better understanding of our own history...

Plus, you'd think that with the background that this nation has - what with the slavery, the smallpox, the trail of tears, that believers would be quick to say "heck no, nothing Christian about that!".... I digress.

Thanks, and it was printed btw.

Laurence

I hate to break the news, but if you are wrong and some other religion is right you are just as likely to be leading people away from heaven as I am.

What I do is important, it helps people think critically about their beliefs - I wouldn't have to if the Church would help out with that, unfortunately in most churches thinking and asking questions is largely discouraged.

You can say that as soon as someone offs themselves because of the "damage" I've caused.

I understand full well what the purpose of depravity is, it's the problem to which you are selling a solution to. Without depravity the whole kit-n-cabootle of Christianity isn't even needed.

Depravity is like the vacuum salesman coming into your home and showing you how much dirt your old vacuum is missing so that he can sell you on the new Improved vacuum.

My point is that Depravity is a great lie and because of the ease in which one can interpret the New Testament to include a long term struggle against carnality and one's own depravity - often surrounding things that are unavoidable human tendencies that are perfectly natural and unharmful, ie: homosexuality - can and OFTEN does end in severe depression and self hate is a damaging institution that your religion would not exist without.

We don't HAVE to will ourselves to moral, we simply have a tendency toward it because of the beautiful process of evolution that we've followed - along with our societal norms which push us collectively toward an agreement as to what IS or is NOT moral. We are inherently moral by and large, but only those that modern psychology would label psychopaths need to be kept away from society as a whole - you know, people like Soloman and King David...

There are, for the record, secular programs geared for atheist addicts...that work, and as someone that has been counseling for over 10 years now I can assure that I'd rather provide someone with a real fix for their problem than some saviour that is no better than a psychosomatic manifestation of what SHOULD result in the submission to Christ - because even those most deeply rooted ideas fail eventually.

Occult has been an area of special interest to me for a number of years. I'd love to compare notes some time. There are many places that are overlooked by the Church At Large - victims of Ritual Abuse (which was my focus during my ministry) is probably the one most dear to my heart.

Yes, I am judgmental of Christians and Christianity - a religion and a people seemingly intent on ensuring that all people submit to their god and their own version of morality. I think this judgement and negative discussion fits the crime if you consider it's impact, in fact I'd say I'm rather easy on the faith - as most of us are.

If you don't know many compassionate atheists it's simply because you don't know many atheists at all. Despite our minority status we spend an incredible amount of money on charity...I can name a few atheists that have given billions to charitable causes on their own...

I'm not sure where or when atheists have slaughtered Christians or outlawed their faith either, I mean, you could always pull out the few communist extremists, but they didn't kill in the "name of atheism" - they simply were nutjobs that killed anything that wasn't part of the status quo. You certainly aren't being persecuted in this country, no matter how much you wish you were....don't forget that you, christians, are a majority in this country - you control the vote, you control the laws of our states and nation, and you control the most spending capital of any group - if you are being oppressed in any way it's coming from the inside, not from us.

Myself - and most atheist activists, just want your morality to be your own and to have nothing to do with mine. I don't want you to attempt to force me to live according to your holy book (that most of you never read) or to prevent my friends from pursuing happiness with their same sex partners. If anything we are simply intolerant of the idea that the majority gets to rule.

And mockery? I've heard Christians mock more people's beliefs than any atheist group...what do you say about Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses or Muslims? You find their beliefs to be silly and misguided - just like I find your beliefs to be.....