I certainly agree the world would be alot better without people thinking others who dont belive as they do are beneath them. But building each other up through mutual understanding and respect i think would be encouraged.

Though I did propose my ideas from a christian stand point, my ideas arnt necessarily about god or being christian, so i really dont understand the hang up. Basically in the most simplistic way, Im saying " If we all work together and put aside our differences we can achieve more." and from what i can get from your arguments your saying..
"NO YOUR WRONG WE CANT WORK TOGETHER."????
Why Not ? Because I beleive in a god and you dont?

thanks i thought i was going crazy for a minute.

How is it clear? Im not expert for sure on worldwide cultures or theology but really for it to work wouldnt really only require a willingness to be open minded and tolerant of others cultural practices and beleifs? Perhaps an acurate understanding at least to avoid unecessary cultural offenses but even then that would be relative to location and exactly who we are trying to interact and grow with. What homework are you referring to? Perhaps I over generalized but its still fair to say that based on the need and common values of survival which are commonly threatned by mans own ignorance and intolerance that just striving to help each other to do that by striving tp over come hate, violence, crime, etc. And i dont know if ostracized is what i felt. Its just most people i know agree that working together and overcoming differences is a healthy goal to work toward. Meeting a room of people who were all giving me the impression it was a bad thing made me feel like i was taking crazy pills.

I totally agree with you that Islam gives Christianity a run. I lived in Various locations in the Middle east for over a year, And you on Target about Judism as well.

Honestly I wouldnt be ashamed to admit I have a crush on Jesus, In the same sense any other person might admire or Idolize a hero from another genre. I feel jesus, whether divine, human or fictional was incredibly profound and would be happy to die a fraction as influential. I would also like to add that ive done research and have found That Jesus very possibly was based (possibly in great detail) on other messiah like figures of earlier religions from egypt and other regions.

My eyes may be full of stars indeed quel qu'un but whats wrong with that?

I would like to post a thought from somone else from another thread, these thoughts are not my own but I share the sentiment.

"What our friend is saying at the root is that we should stop waiting for some god or hero to come and save us, but get up and start fixing things ourselves. Yes, it can be tiring, frustrating, sometimes infuriating. But although it comes from a Christian context, there is a popular proverb that is unquestionably accurate, "It is better to light one candle, than to curse the darkness."

For those who would rather curse the darkness, they will never find any relief from their inability to see until they get off their asses and light a candle. One candle = problem solved, or at minimum, ameliorated. If enough people light enough candles, then the problem will be gone entirely. If enough people get used to the idea of lighting candles, the problem will never come back. But we still will need the sun, the source of all life on earth and the source of almost all of our energy.

Why do atheists insist on such purity of language that they object to the idea of god even as a metaphor, a myth or a poetic expression? Sometimes I get the impression that the atheist fundamentalists want to ban any mention of god even in the context of a joke, a poem or an attempt to study and understand the beliefs of other cultures. Other cultures exist; we all know that. If we want to live in the same world with them, perhaps we should try to understand the beliefs they cherish. And we all share this nation with people of faith, of many different faiths as a matter of fact. Do you believe there is not point in finding out what they may have to offer? No human is completely without some shred of knowledge, even wisdom to share with the world. But too many hide their wisdom under a bushel of religion or blanket condemnations of other peoples' beliefs, culural assumptions, weltanshuangen, etc.

Belief in god, any god, does not necessarily involve belief in a religious tradition, as I have done my best to demonstrate."

Phewwww!! that ought to keep the fire burning! ha ha ;- P