SOME OF MY FAVORITE WORDS ALL PUT TOGETHER.... "The worlds problems evolved from un-enlightened morality makers. Those who through fear and intimidation have frightened and herded the masses into unquestioning obedience perpetuating the fleecing of their mental, spiritual and physical worth and have caused wars upon wars throughout the ages." ~Dwayne Sheffield*************************************************** ************************************************************ *********** A REMINDER... Reason and Ignorance, the opposites of each other,influence the great bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive in a country, the machinery of government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself; and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it. ~Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man********************************************************* ***** "Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning." ~Bill Gates******************************************************* ***** IF I COULD INDULGE MYSELF FOR JUST A MOMENT....I do, in fact acknowledge that someone by the name of jesus may have lived and may have been a prophetic leader. Hell, I could tell you that oranges were going to start falling from the sky and the hole in Bush's ass was going to go supernova, but that doesn't mean it's really going to happen. Why not simply think of it as a modern day figure head? Why see jesus as anything more than a guy with great people skills and public speaking ability? We have lots of them these days and our current leaders or public faces have far more followers. I can't think of a better way to get people to follow you than to threaten them with "My dad can beat up your dad". Back in jesus' time, people were completely ignorant...followers(sheep). This is what they knew. There wasn't organized education. There wasn't mass media or even a way to know what the rest of the world consisted of aside from believing what they were told. That's why he may have made such a great impact. Everyone was illiterate and mostly poor. We know that even in this day and age many of the poor tend to follow rather than lead and are content in it. If, in biblical times someone were to promise the poor, illiterate peasants and farmers a better life(in this one or the next)or healing by his hand, what is the alternative? They would surely embrace it rather than continue to suffer. With the small size of the population at the time, surely anyone preaching a better way of life would have been revered. When you dig deep into the bible, it is so easy to point out inconsistent ideals and writings. So many people had a hand in its writing that it was easy to spread and it did, like fire. Through out the ages, people have had a hard time fathoming their own mortality. They see the impact death has on them by others dying and can't imagine it for themselves. We, as human beings have such a profound lust for staying alive that we instinctively fight the acceptance of death. It is the lazy person who would believe that things simply go on in the clouds rather than getting it right this time around. It's all just a cruel game and the greatest marketing strategists in the world couldn't have done a better job than jesus' team did. So in conclusion I would like to invite all of you believers to...JUST GO TO HEAVEN ALREADY!!!!!!