Maybe he meant no disrespect and I'm willing to give the benefit of doubt, but I've had run-ins with atheists over the use of "X" and they admitted they used it disrespectfully.

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

I'm quite sure how you've "eliminated" Islam. Last I checked, some branches of Islam were pretty strict about theirs being the only "correct" religion. Doesn't that put it in the same boat as "Christianity"?
And, in a number of those religions you mentioned, I'm not sure that a concept of "heaven" (in the Christian sense) exists.

Also, I think there's probably a note-worthy distinction between someone believing that "they have the only answer" and someone just thinking that the answer they have is right. If you think you have the only answer, then everyone has to listen to you and anyone who doesn't is "wrong". If you just think you have a right answer then anyone else who's answer works out to be the same as yours is right too and the only people who you think are "wrong" are the one's who's answers are mutually exclusive with yours.
But the fact is that some claims of different religions are mutually exclusive. That means that someone (or possibly everyone) is wrong. I have trouble taking seriously the viewpoint that every religious answer is just as good and true as any other; two mutually exclusive statements can't both be true.

But, that said, some sects DO seem pointlessly and aggressively strict in their condemnation of other people's beliefs.

This site, thetruereligion.org - News claims that Islam is the true religion so like you, I'm not sure how it was eliminated.
I'm also unsure how Judaism was eliminated. Here's their 13 priniciples:
Basic Beliefs of Judaism

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

I'm sure it depends on the sect in question just as it does with Christianity.
All those labels ("Christian", "Jewish" and "Muslim") seem to have become too wide-spread and unwieldy to be terribly useful these days.

Christianity also lacks hell. Or should I say `it lacked.´ In the bible there are clear refrences towards sould being lost into nothingness, but hell..no. There is no fiery pits of untold sorrow and pain which consumes the sinful and devoures the lost ones.
These ideas were incorporated into christianity in a time when church needed to compleatly subdue all manner of independent thought and innovational aspects of human mind.

As most religions do.

Ideas are simple, principles are simple, but how they work in everyday life of `people of the cross´ is a compleatly different thing.

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En uneksi. I do not dream.

I don't have much time but here's one reference to hell that comes to mind:

Luke 16:22-28 (King James Version)


22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

I like your attitude here, it shows a humbleness not often found. I am curious if you would vote for laws to restrict the rights of homosexual people--denying them the right to jobs, housing, marriage rights (the legal rights of marriage in US law).

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The apocalypse is coming... we're gonna need more ammo.

Could it be that it was done to mirror the respect shown to them?

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Obama's New "57 State Patriotic Pin":

Mayhap - perchance.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

Wow - fascinating info! Which rather makes me wonder if Naraka is a mindset rather than a place. Perhaps more and moe of our population are needful of Naraka - and that is what the hell is going on out there!

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

I believe Islam allows salvation to any monotheist - though I assume that Muslims get a higher level. Just like the Mormon church allows heaven to any Xtian, but mormons get a better level of heaven - and, of course, those they convert to Mormonism after death. (Must be one helluva shock!)

While I can see a philosophical difference between the belief that you have the only answer - and you havethe right answer - in effect it seems frequently the person arguing would say there answer is both only and right.

I actually have no problem with the idea that all of the answers are equally right and equally wrong - but I tend to see them as something closer to tribal rite. So what is correct for the Hopitah will not be correct for the Dineh. There are many different types of people with many different lessons to learn - hence the need for many paths to the light. I believe there is one light - and virtually all religions contain certain teachings in common. For example - every religion has at least one version of the Golden Rule. It makes sense that it would need to be worded diffrently for different groups.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

Where does it say you have to be Jewish to get to heaven - or even that being Jewish is better than any other religion? That's a statement of tribal beliefs - you can join the tribe, but it won't get you anything special.

I dealt with Islam in the last posting. While they do seem to believe that theirs is the highest monotheistic religion - they allow for salvation for Xtians and Jews - other followers of the book.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

It sounds to me like you have internalized the wisdom that Christ brought to the world!

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

If you want to get technical, nobody was ever named "Christ", that's Greek for "anointed", and has anyone ever met a Jew named Jesus? Thats Greek for Joshua.

Yasouah ben Miriam, became Joshua the Anointed, or Jesus Christ.
If he were here right now, he would have no idea what "jesus christ" meant.

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“ The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state.”

Adam Smith , The Wealth of Nations 1776

"We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics"
FDR's second Inaugural Address

First, I object the the "gay rights" phrase (not that you used it here, but in general). Gay people (or black people, or retarded people) have the exact same rights as everyone else. We are all entitled to own ourselves, and we can all enter into any contract which we please. It does not matter what others say. Marriage is nothing other than a contract.

I don't believe that the government should involve itself in ANY way in marriage. Gays should be able to marry, three people should be able to marry, etc. In fact, if you ask people who are against gay marriage why the government should be allowed to regulate marriage, a common response is, "Well, if we don't limit marraige somewhere, then three people can all marry eachother. Then insurance will cost more." Now, to me, this is a rather shallow reason to be against something, but let's look at it. The purported problems that this brings are not problems at all, but can be solved by the private sector. If a company has an employee that has two wives, the company can say, "Ok, I will insure you and ONE of your wives. That's it."

However, I should point out as a note, that gay people (as with straight people) do not have the right to force someone to preform a wedding ceremony. If I was a minister, I would probably refues to preform a gay wedding (or a three person wedding) because I believe that it would be immoral for me to do that. Forcing me (or anyone else) to do perform the ceremony would be slavery.

As for the other rights you mention- housing and jobs, I have two oppinions depending on what you mean by rights. If you are talking of a positive right to a job or housing, I would favor laws that do abridge this "right." This is because no one has a positive right to a job or house. If I own a business and I do not want to hire a gay person, I have a right to do that. Same with housing.

I do not favor any laws that would make it illegal for a gay couple to buy a house or for a gay guy to get a job. Just as it is perfectly legitimate for a person to refuse to sell a house to a gay person, it is equally legitimate for a person to sell a house to a gay person. Any laws abrdidging this are immoral.

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"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
-Thomas Jefferson in his first inauguration address