Whee..I just finally got time to read all 7+ pages of this & catch up!

I'm glad to see it's "ending" with a bunch of Humor. (As a Saggitarian, I guess My Opinion Counts..? Heh!) I find it amazing that a Discussion of Kids' Morals more or less ends up debating the relative Merits of Christian Religious Belief.

It actually took 3 full pages before Bob Cushing mentioned "The Golden Rule"...the one "Universal" "Law" that's gonna make or break Mankind's Survival, JMO. It's really at The Core of whatever passes for "Morality"...in ANY era. (It's also fairly easy for a Parent to make kids AWARE the Rule exists..& there's really no "Need" for corporal punishment..PM me & I'll tell ya a simple method an 80-yr-old Dutch Lady told me that I've tried for YEARS to get Ann Landers to publish & cut down the US's Child Abuse stats.)

Pastor Skip's mailed me a Bible..& I started with Genesis. Says God created the world in days. I'm immediately AWARE the Bible has got Something Wrong with it...in view of The Facts as We, Today, Know Them. (Please do NOT contradict me. I've already READ Both Halves back in College/KNOW Many a Chapter had MULTIPLE Authors, Changes, MIS-Interpretations {Like "Virgin" REALLY meaning "a woman of MARRIAGEABLE age"...tho Mary WAS only 14 at the time...heh...}{And the EARLIEST description of Jesus had him having 4 brothers & 2 sisters, BTW...})

In fairness, I'd like ALL Christians to read Chapters 1 & 2 on James Michner's "HAWAII" for a little Historical Perspective on how Christian Values affected Day-to-Day lifestyles on that little part of God's World.

As a former (Childhood) Christian, current Deist, I'd like to remind "The Faithful" that MANY a founder of The U.S. of A. was a Deist. Moral Folks. Like George Washington. & In-Betweeners (Christian Morals, anyways) like Benjamin Franklin. (His being "In-Between" got us help from those "Sinful" Frenchmen & REALLY Liberal Dutch Bankers to GET this "One Nation Under God" Underway.)

The Christian Church has delayed MORE Scientific Progress than it's ever helped. Among Galleileo's discoveries was the Pendulum Clock. BUT he was having too much trouble with The Inquisition to ever get it built during his lifetime. His notes went off to "Decadent" Holland, where Scientist Christian Huygens had a Dutch Clockmaker, Simon Coster, fabricate the First-of-Many..heh!

Today they mess with Stem Cell research. All in The Name of God.

Now, first off, I DO believe in God, having met The Deity first-hand behind a 6" wide tree as a Vietcong was approaching my Night Position....& (Prayer-Answered) NOT having to kill him. I also believe in Reincarnation, having held my wife's hand thru 2 births and my mom's as she passed. So I have, what to me, is a "Logical" Explanation of both beliefs..I've Experienced Them.

The more I READ, the Less I Believe in What Others Tell Me. I make up my Own Mind. I answer only to God himself/herself/whatever MANifestation YOU wanna Give The Deity.

Like the Islamics, I consider myself a MONOTHEIST. (& they hate Christians because You "Believers" somehow have a 3-Some goin' on there..which they consider UN-Holy.) (Which I'll bet MANY a Christian CAN'T really Explain?) I tend to concur with the Hindu Parable of The Blind Men & The Elephant: Each has a "feel" for only PART of The Reality. & perhaps, NONE has the "Total Picture" THO "Everyone's Partially-RIGHT."

In defense of Big Jim, & other "Infidels" like me, Here's the concluding Verse & Chorus of a Song I wrote, "HONK IF YOU LOVE ATHEISTS":

"Now, I think God is Non-Denominational
He speaks Swahili (& Persian, Too)
& The Atheists He sent are Motivational
(If they Get To Heaven, it ain't up to you!)

So..Honk If You Love Atheists
Honk for Folks Who Got Their Doubts!
They're not out to Change Your Minds
OR Convince You You Been Blind..
Their Honesty is so Hard-to-Resist, So
Honk If You Love Atheists..yeah..
Honk If You Love Atheists!"

(C) 2000 & Somethin'/Stan Good/BMI

Yours for "The Golden Rule" & Healthier Kids,
Stan
<www.CDBaby.com/TampaStan/2>