I was in the middle of replying to a post by Cpt_Pineapple when I got into a flurry of writing. What resulted was a very rough and in-need-of-revision essay. I am posting it here because I would like some feedback and discussion about my thoughts. I will eventually turn this into something for my recently ignored Way of the Atheist series, but for now it's too rough.

Once one has used the finger to indicate the moon,

one no longer has use for the finger.

Oh wait, I remember. To counter the other million topics I get nowhere  arguing in.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/1999/09/16/texas990916.html

  About 150 people, mostly teenagers, were in the crowded church when Ashbrook started shooting.

Witnesses said he yelled: "What you believe is bullshit" and "stay still." They said he smoked a cigarette as he calmly reloaded his gun and kept shooting.

He then rolled a pipe bomb down one of the aisles that exploded a short time later.

Well here you are, you clicked on the title of this post out of outrage or curiousity, but sorry to disappoint, thats not what this post is about  

Hey all, My Name's Matthew, *stands up in front of the room of people holding coffee cups ans stale donuts* .... and Im a christian. Now, I don't take that term lightly, but I believe there is a strong difference between a true christian and a "religious" christian, with all spiritually and biblical arguements and such put aside I am going to give you guys a brief history of my life up til now so you might see where Im coming from. 

What am I missing?

I'm one of those people who thinks.. "I believe/feel there is a moral, so I act consistent with what I believe/feel is moral."

Circular, indeed, perhaps. However, I am a simpleton.

I was, however, challenged today regarding this position.. and now, after some thinking, I'm still confused with the person's position that "what is moral" is "rational" or "has rationale." In other words.. there has to be a basis for it, otherwise it's just "faith" and "faith" is meaningless in a discussion regarding morality.

WARNING: SEXUALLY EXPLICIT VIDEO

THE REAL ATHEIST'S NIGHTMARE

Tell me you don't agree... bwahahahahaha!!!

A theistic friend of mine from my hometown of Manchester who I do not consider to be intellectually bright put this absolutely ridiculous idea to me last night.

We were debating matters of religion and we got onto the subject of the soul. This is (roughly) the conversation:

"But Jacob there is actually physical evidence of a soul."

"Well there's physical evidence of the brain."

"No, not that. But right, there was this guy right who was weighed just before he died and then again a few hours afterwards and after death he weighed two pounds less."

This has been a question I've always wondered but was never really able to get a good answer on. Why should anyone worship a god(s)? Here is where I stand on it and I want to see someone provide some reasons as to why you should worship anyone/thing.

1. If God loves everything, then why would me worshipping him have any effect on anything? If he loves everything, then I'll get some reward in the afterlife anyway.

2. If God hates everything, then why would me worshipping him have any effect on anything? If he hates everything, then I won't get any reward in the afterlife anyway.

I don't have cable TV, but heard some radio DJs the other day talking about how they watched this prgm as skeptics, the prgm hosts on the Sci-fi channel were skeptics, BUT, the end result after tons of research was--the hosts were not as skeptical.

 Has anyone seen this or any thoughts? I'm intrigued by this stuff and keep going back & forth. "No way, not real!" to, "Well, maybe. Shit, I dunno." Ahhhhh!!!!!!!

The “...Ist’s” and their “...Ism’s”

It is interesting to study the groups of people who place titles on their belief

systems concerning the unknown. My favorites are the “...ists” who believe in their “..isms”. 

I've seen this used throughout the site. However, Christians are only opposed to embryonic stem cell research.

What about others such as adult stem cells? I have yet to meet a Christian that wants to end those.