EveningStarNM - The problem is that people live in fear of things that they don't understand and will turn to damned near anything for comfort.  They'll use mind-altering chemicals, sex, thrill-seeking behaviors, and/or religion all in an effort to distract themselves from their fears of, among other things, the ultimate end that we all must face.

You're absolutely right, people will use anything they can to forget about the harsh reality of life even just for a moment. But the difference between thrill seeking behavior, drugs, or sex, is that those things don't force you to conform to set of beliefs that fly in the face of the facts. They don't force you to adopt certain principles at risk of "being eternally damned to hell". If I use drugs, I couldn't care less if others used them or about "enlightening or saving their souls" if they don't do as I do, whereas religion says all non-believers are going to a bad place and thus if you love them you will make them join us.

Look, we all need to look past the strawman argument that the fundamentalist intelligent design advocates try to push, that is that Darwin vs God, Religion vs Science whole thing. Thats NOT the case AT ALL. There IS NO CONTROVERSY. I don't believe in science so much as simply accept it. If Jesus popped out of the ground and walked on water tomorrow, I would admit that Jesus exists, he has the divine capability to defy the laws of physics, and that there really is a god. But so far, the evidence proves to the contrary. There are plenty of scientists and smart people (such as Ken Miller) who are religious. The difference is that they can focus on their work without worrying about contradicting what the pastor said, or what it says in the bible. The same kind of christians who don't mind gay people or gay marriage, thats what we're really against here, the fundamentalists who want to force their own belief system onto everyone.

by wohodude100 on 06/18/2009 10:56:45 AM EST

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