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Originally Posted by Shaden  And damn you don't half stretch my mind. I like a good debate but keep in mind that I'm only 17 and a lot more naive then you could ever believe. I still believe Santa Claus exists - unless you want to try and shoot that belief down too  |
*chuckles* Well, I'm 21, and 17 was the time I was thickest in Christianity. I consider the word "Christian" to be a rather loose label; it's not particularly useful, especially these days. I was naive, too, and back then, I fought pretty hard on some message boards that creationism was in fact plausible. I lost, too, but that didn't shake my faith. What shook the label off me was other Christians. I was raised in the church, though like every other social group I have touched, I was never "in". (Though, also like every other social group, I became known as someone who was a touch more philosophical and knowledgeable than everyone else.)
I gather that you've had a rather good pick of Christians in making chance encounters. I would encourage you to note the reported motivations of Palestinian suicide bombers, and then ask yourself if you consider that respectable. You might; they certainly do.
I believe in deity. But I do not believe as most Christians believe. The reason for this is that I often feel I am the only one who takes the notion that God is not human seriously. They talk about God as if he were a replacement father or Jesus as a needed friend. People need friends, but I dislike the fact that they act as hypocrites when it comes to their religious beliefs, especially since it's a conversion ploy, not a doctrinal point.
I would encourage you to separate your beliefs from the religion they came from. Many Christians are very admirable people; other Christians are despicable people. And they run the entire gamut in between. There are many very good facets to Christianity, and it's worth picking them up, but few are intrinsic to the religion. I would suggest you read Joseph Campbell (former Catholic; terrible with words, so not easy to read) and spend time studying other religions, particularly Buddhism and Judaism. Try attending a Dalai Lama talk when you have the chance. Comparative religion (and comparative mythology) studies are worthwhile.
And far be it from me to shoot down a belief in Santa Claus. I once conceived a project to make him unquestionably real. I've scrapped it, since; an industrial engineering degree is
so not happening.