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^^^^ That.

   

For me there was that and scriptural inconsistencies that began the move away....I was raised Presbyterian, but I couldn't accept predestination and trinitarianism. The closer I looked the more inconsistencies I found.

   

I just find it silly to believe in a magic sky fairy personally.

The church being immoral is just a bonus.

   

Interesting the people you find who are 'spiritual', yet are not religious.

   

I think it would be amazing if there were such a $deity who understood all the mechanisms that are involved once a black hole formed, and it contained a new universe in which more black holes formed and created new universes, and so on. Such a creature would be so far beyond our understanding!

But the problem with religions is assuming we have any conception about such a being or it's thoughts and intentions, that making assumptions about it simply limits that being to our tiny understanding about the universe.

But, yea, watching people violate their own morality for the sake of self satisfaction, or engage in dogma prohibited behavior because they are inconvenienced by it, is just cake.

   

I think you'd find that most scientists are "spiritual" in their awe of the universe.

   

J.B.S Haldane, the famous Brit naturalist apparently responded to a question about what nature revealed about the nature of Gods mind. His response was that the creator had "an innordanat fondness for beetles."

   

The one thing I agreed with Pierre Trudeau about was that the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation. The overweening moralizing of the Republican party and the Christian right would be at least more acceptable if they actually practiced what they preach. But too many Republicans have been caught exposing themselves as lying weasels (most recently a certain congressman from Pennsylvania. Remember Clinton's adultery thing and the resultant investigations by congress? Now we know the Republicans in charge were adulterers too. The sanctimonious television preachers with their limousines and private jets disgust me.

Conservatism should be about solid government. Small government, granted, but government that does what needs to be done in the interests of the people. And there is a lot that government needs to do, like it or not, from ensuring our childrens pajamas don't burst into flames to making sure our meat is safe to eat and drugs safe to take. We need the military to be properly funded. We need roads that aren't cracked and broken and bridges that aren't ready to fall down. I'm not against government funding things which are in the interest of the citizenry, even if that means higher taxes. But you've got to show it IS in their interests, without a doubt, and that the private sector can't or won't do it. And that does not include stuff like buying crappy art that nobody would willingly pay for, or giving grants to 'arts' groups no one wants. I'm also as dead seat against government giving big grants for big corporate farms as I am against grants for professional sports teams. Hey, build your own damn stadium or leave!

   

Thanks for the kind words. My style tends to be a dry wit, and often irritatingly sarcastic, so we'll see how much you like it as we go forward. You may come to loath me.



It's very easy to believe Canadians and Americans have the same culture. And in many ways we do. Religions is one of those we don't. Religion is considered a private, personal thing up here. We had a prime minister for about nine years who was an evangelical Christian and he never said a thing about it in public. You wouldn't even know he went to church if it weren't for the sarcastic and suspicious media constantly reminding us and waiting anxiously for him to ban abortion or something. You wouldn't see him going or to campaign rallies calling on Jesus Christ or talking about how holy and reverent he was. It's just not done here.



One of the many ways in which the Left irritates me is how smugly superior and openly mocking they are towards observant Christians, if not actively hostile (you don't believe in abortion!? Are you insane!) while being benignly tolerant of every other religion. A Christian who doesn't believe in gay marriage is evil incarnate to them. A Muslim who thinks homosexuals should go to prison or be killed - meh, no big deal.



Any semblance to that sort of thing is purely coincidental. I went to Catholic school through high school. That being said, there is a lot about Catholic Canon law I disagree with. That includes the pronouncements of Popes Gregory 1 and 7, and a belief Pope Urban 2 was a scumbag who Jesus would have chased out of the vatican with a club like he chased the money changers from the temple. I also disagree with the council of trent, the first lateran council, and all other pronouncements related to priestly celibacy.



This is unrealistic because whenever humans get to interpret what is in any holy book there is going to be disagreement, and some of them are going to interpret it in whichever way suits their own beliefs. If that weren't the case we wouldn't have so many different Christian denominations.

As for socialism. I do believe that God helps those who helps themselves. I don't believe in endless help for lazy, shiftless people. Frankly, let em starve. That being said, and bringing this back to my original post, the Republican party hasn't, that I've seen, shown an ounce of Christian charity in the last forty years - except for their generosity to rich people and corporations. Not only is this not Christian, it's not even conservative. See someone is properly educated and you'll probably produce a lifelong taxpayer. Cheap out on it and you have someone on and off welfare and unemployment and paying little or no taxes. Education is an investment that pays dividends for the state, not just the individual. Same for those on welfare. Get them off! Not by striking them off but by upgrading their education and training them in a skill wherever possible. Again, an investment that will pay dividends.

   

The problem is men. We do have these tendencies. Much of religious teaching is concerned with getting large numbers of men to live in the same group without infidelity, theft or murder ensuing as they naturally would - hom sap crowd control.

   

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