Enkidu the Atheist wrote:

Why not simply *forgive* mankind outright? An all-powerful, all
merciful God ought to be able to handle something so simple. I teach
eighth grade and have two daughters. I manage it a couple of dozen
times a day.

Why not simply pass all of your students without any of them doing any
of their required work? What have they learned?

To what end? If forgiveness is so important, if mercy is God's
nature, why not just forgive mankind outright?

To the end of understanding that sin is wrong and that one should try
to live a life as free of sin as possible. I'm not perfect by any
means. I sin every day, but I do try.

Only because you don't think, you just believe. That's part of the
sickness that is Christianity.

That's a very unfair statement to make when you don't even know me.
Being a Christian requires quite a bit of thought and study. Science
more and more doesn't seem to disprove a creator, it *begs* for one.

That's not forgiveness or mercy, it's payment for service rendered.

All you have to do is accept that Christ died for your sins. How is
that a payment?

Your family cries in airports? Why?

Because people are going away for a journey and they will be missed
while they are gone. Sorry that you seemed to miss the point of that
one.

True, if God exists. But why pray? To ask God to change His Devine
plan, a plan laid out before the creation of the universe, just for
you?

To ask God for the strength to change the change the things that I
can, the strength the accept the things that I can't, and the wisdom
to know the difference. Cliché, I know, but that's what prayer should
boil down to. I pray for the wisdom to make good choices, and the
strength to accept the trails that I face in life. Some people pray
for their lotto numbers to come up. That would be a poor thing to
pray for.

[snip Bible crap]

Just a note that you snipped would have been fine. I would have
inferred that you think the Bible is crap by your posting handle.

You have lost your life to a lie, working toward that which is not,
and missed every opportunity to understand that which is real, to
base your efforts on achieving real progress, real goals. And, given
free reign, you'll have burned a lot of heretics at the stake.

I have lost nothing because I have worked toward a goal of living a
life of being happy, having a comfortable home, a loving wife and a
caring family.

Your live the life and values that you want to live,
and leave me to mine.

My overall goals are the betterment of my
neighbourhood, town, province, country, and world. As I stated, I
strive toward those goals by charitable giving, good works (I will be
going down to do work in the hurricane zone in a few weeks time), and
by mentoring), and in other ways as they are presented. I am totally
confused by your last comment. I don't feel the need to burn anyone
at the stake. Granted that has been a horrible feature of so-called
"Christian" movements in the past, but we can find negative things to
say about any group if we are looking to insult.

Then your God is worthy of the contempt we hold Him in, and we will
tell Him that. We are not groveling cowards.

Then I'm sure that you will get your chance to do so.

Enkidu the Atheist wrote:

Why not simply *forgive* mankind outright? An all-powerful, all

God ought to be able to handle something so simple. I teach

and have two daughters. I manage it a couple of dozen times a

Why not simply pass all of your students without any of them doing

of their required work? What have they learned?

To what end? If forgiveness is so important, if mercy is God's

why not just forgive mankind outright?

To the end of understanding that sin is wrong and that one should

live a life as free of sin as possible. I'm not perfect by any

I sin every day, but I do try.

Only because you don't think, you just believe. That's part of

sickness that is Christianity.

That's a very unfair statement to make when you don't even know me.
Being a Christian requires quite a bit of thought an study. Science
more and more doesn't seem to disprove a creator, it *begs* for one.