-----Original Message-----
From: "Karen" <karen_kemi@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:02:29
To: Barbara Anderson<MBC-Andy@msn.com>
Reply-To: karen_kemi@yahoo.com
Subject: And now I'm done. Lol

Wow... That was long. Did your homework or what?

First off Devout doesn't necessarily interpret the same way in Christianity that it does in other cultures religions. Devout is in English meant to say... I am a open and worshiping Christian believer or something to that extent. In other cultures it takes on whole other contexts, depending on how dated the religion is of course and what the worship is and the basic principality of the religion.

You talk about Atheism being close minded, but didn't say why... Second off I am a cross between atheism/Science/Deism... I believe in a creator that's the difference with my religious belief system. I am also a believer in other religions... I like to take the best out of every religion that is within intelligent reasoning and form my own base religion off of that. Too many people inherit religion and have no reasoning for it except that it is within their comfort zone for faith and spiritual guidance, because it is all they have known. If you were born in the middle east you would not be a Christian... there is no way. So your placement from birth as I was saying has a lot to do with the complacency that people experience.

By the way close minded is not stepping outside of the bible to confirm your own belief system to be true by best comparison. How do you know your religion is right if you never experience any others, or at least take anything away from observing other cultures/religions.

Also back to my analogy of why god would send anyone to hell if he is already pre-disposed to knowing the integrity of man. He created us right? Why would he gives us that ability to sin to only punish us for it after what your belief system calls "death?" Makes no sense unless there is some grand reason why a being would create something to only punish it later... Is this a mercy thing? Should one feel complacent to being predisposed to live around and wallow in sin?

I can't help but think as the years of so called sin grow more and more... This so called wrath of god is going to dissipate along with the religion... just my view point on Christianity and other religions. I like some of the morals instilled by the Christians, but to me it seems like there is nothing in Christianity that i can't get in another religion... Can you really respect a religion who's historical connotation is beyond negative. Seriously people have died over this religion in the worst ways. I can't stand behind the religion or the Holy bible, but I can take bits out of it that I really like, much like Ghandi did when he studied Christianity. I have to say the best interpretations I ever got from the bible were from Ghandi hands down. he created a religious view off of the passage, If any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. - or something like that as far as the quotations go.

I like that you came with a bunch of bible passages, but I will never be the person to argue your religion's literature. That is the founding principles to your belief system and it would do me no good anyways. I can however appreciate the wording of such passages like...

"Matthew 7:13 enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and many are those who enter by it."

It is a well written passag