Hey thought I might respond to you and state first off that your a better person than I am because at least you stand up for what you believe. And also I would like to say that I can judge no one because when someone truly believes something with a pure motive they are at least real to themselves 

Well, I'm sorry to say that I am a Christian. I say that in apology for the people that believe in Christianity for other reasons than that God has been proven to them. 

Now how do I start? Do I name the geniuses who believed in God, Isaac Newton, Einstein. Or do I name those that did not, Jessie Ventura, Stalin.  How about the fact that every civilization believed in a God or gods and none where atheistic.  No, I will not do that I can neither vouch for those people or be them. Besides just because everyone believes it, doesn't make it right.  I mean that last statement fully. In my darkest hour I would never let a crowd sway me 

All that I can vouch for is pure facts and data, and that I am sure is all you will listen to. I guess I will start with man. I will not argue that man is not an animal because he is. I will not argue that he has a soul because that can't be proven. But there is one distinguishing trait that man has, no not love, animals love, no not intellect for there are other animals just as smart. But that God is reflected in man. How? well for that we must look at what God is defined as GOD in all religions "well mostly all" = A being who created merle to create. The production of something not for survival or to put bread on the table. Just because he can. 

In genesis, "and you seamed pretty knowledgeable about the bible so correct me if you must" that God breathed him self into man and not into any other being. Correct?  Well, you might notice that the difference between man and animal is that we create like God. I'm not talking about tools or houses. No, I'm talking about the billions of people that write poetry and do art and dance and generally create because they can. 

Hey your right that argument could easily be disputed so lets look at something that has nothing to do will man or the bible.. Lets get as simple as we can rationally get. Past human behavior and even the probability of evolution "Which by the way dose happen" and get down to what makes up everything. the particles that make up every thing are atoms and I'm sure that you learned in school and even later on that atoms have a very distinguishing trait a very simple and totally fact based truth and trait. And that is that ever electron, proton, neutron and subatomic particle are identical to all other particles of the same kind. It has been proven the every single hydrogen one, "that is one proton and one electron" are the exact weight and size every trillion times they "physicists" measure them with computers and other devices. What dose that imply?  That There is no accident that could have created such infallible perfection. It's as if every electron was printed by a mold, a perfect mold and that says infallibly that there was design and by definition it was intentional so if anything one has to believe at least that there is a big mold press in the sky that created just because he could and by the definition of all cultures that is a God.
"if a very drab one" 

The funny thing is that those arguments aren't the ones that sway me.  Facts and numbers do little to give me hope. It is only when I am alone and in a quiet place that I get my proof of God, only when i am in children's church singing with ten five year old kids that i see a God that is more than just a big particle factory. for it is then in those moments when there is no mass hypnoses that I feel him there. Not nostalgically but physically. When a wash of something comes over me something real my friend, something unbidden that makes this two hundred and thirty pound seventeen year old
cry like a child and feel the most powerful thing I have ever felt the most real thing I have known. It is then that my racing human brain stops rationalizing and all my questions are answered in a peace of mind that I wish the world had. It is then that all the love that I never had from my family and others comes to me and I feel free and bound by no man or law. 

It is then that I know there is a God, and wish that someone like you could feel it. Before you die trapped by the prison of thinking there is no point in life.. 

Sorry for the length. I know you get hammered a lot.

Ronald McVicar

Ignore the other address this is not my screen name write back to this address if only to tell me you got this letter.

                                ronaldmcvicar
 
 

My Reply:

Thank you for your e-mail.  I am assuming you visited my website, happiness in slavery.  I wanted to start off by saying that my lack of belief in deities does not make me any better than the next person.  Indeed, many people are good people despite their religion. :)

As far as geniuses who believe in Gods, yes some do.  Newton, as you said, believed there was a God and was christian.  Einstein believed in a more deistic God, as do many others, such as Thomas Jefferson.  Incidentally, I am not atheist because wonderful people like Carl Sagan and Richard Dawkins are.  Likewise, Jesse Ventura did not say he was atheist, but rather, was against organised religion.  There is a big difference between the two.  Yes, Stalin was atheist, but Hitler was not.  I'm not sure what that proves though. 

I don't know if there have been atheistic societies.  Of course, atheists and agnostics and deists have been around for ages, but are a minority in the population and therefore don't usually 'control' the society.  Again, I'm not sure what that proves and I'm glad you agree that just because a bunch of people believe it, it must be true, although I think maybe you believe that to an extent because you did in fact bring it up. 

As far as facts and numbers don't give hope, I think you nailed it.  That's one purpose religion can serve, amongst many others.  It seems emotion plays a big part in your belief.  Well, to each his/her own.  I don't necessarily have anything against someone believing there is a God.  I know that, for many, it helps them to conquer a fear of death, etc.  What I do have a problem with is people using religion to hurt and control others.  Incidentally, the feeling you describe watching kids in your church...a wave of 'something' coming over you, crying, joy...I felt that at the last Cure concert I went to. :)  As for your family not giving you the love you needed, I am sorry to hear that.  That is indeed very sad. 

>>"Before you die trapped by the prison of thinking there is no point in life.."<< 

I'm not sure why you would think life has no point for me.  I quite enjoy my life.  The existence of a God would not change my life at all.  You don't need an infinite amount of something (i.e. life) to make it valuable.  My 'point' in life is whatever I make it, like anyone else. 

Again, thanks for your e-mail.