From: DaveInLakeVilla@webtv.net   
      
   'After all, if you remove the scare from the religious "scare 'em and   
   save 'em" routine, what remains? If there's nothing to be saved from, if   
   there's no lasting fear invoked by the religious threat engine, what's   
   the point of be- ing saved from something you're not all that afraid of,   
   anyway?'   
      
   REPLY:  You need to be saved from y our many personal sins before you   
   stand before a very holy and moral Creator ;  the Creator made it   
   possible for you and everyone else to have total forgiveness thru the   
   shed blood of the historic Jesus Christ the Son of God.  God reached   
   down to you , and its up to you if you want to reach back.  If youre   
   unsure that youre a sinner, take this brief test :  Have you ever lied,   
   stole, cheated, looked down upon a minority, used Gods name in a   
   slanderous fashion, committed sexual immorality, etc ???   Yes, you are   
   a sinner like the rest of mankind and need a loving Saviour who gave his   
   life for you.  God simply grants what you desired while here on earth ,   
   but for eternity :  Greater distance from him or greater closeness to   
   him.  Each will make their own choice.  So...its not a 'scare tactic' ,   
   its all about a Creator who loved us so much that he chose to enter   
   history and die for  your sake.   
      
   'Certainly, that cuts to the core of religions, '   
      
   REPLY:  Perhaps youre not aware that Atheism is a religion to (??)  :   
      
   Atheism is religious in the sense that it is a comprehensive worldview   
   which seeks to explain the 'why' of existence (IE: Materialism and   
   Naturalism). Because it has its own creeds, their own 'scriptures',   
   their own 'clergy', and thier own closely knit groups for organized   
   discussions / agendas , it is correct to label atheism as a religion   
   (even if the particular individual is not a member of any atheist   
   organization per se). . This may not be well recieved amongst atheists   
   because a major reason for thier apriori philisophical bias against a   
   personal Creator is due to the stigma associated with being religious in   
   society .   
      
   Consider these facts about atheism and its religiousity  :   
      
   1. It is highly organized thruout this nation. There are many large   
   Atheist Organizations that would love a greater constituency.   
   2. There are even Atheist Camps thruout the nation with a well   
   publicized large one in Ohio.   
   3. They meet regularly to discuss local and national agendas which   
   include the ridiculing of Theists and Christians (when they themselves   
   know that every design requires A Designer and Human DNA requires a   
   Programmer., et al....   
   4. The Atheist Organizations collect dues regularly just like Churches   
   collect free will offerings on a Sunday to cover overhead, expenses,   
   activities, and material distribution.   
   5. They have very large national Conferences yearly just like Church   
   Denominations do. A very large one was held last year in Colorado.   
   6. There are active Internet Atheist NG's to educate followers in the   
   sheer impossibility of matter and naturalism accounting for the many   
   many complex designs and engineering of our Universe, Solar System,   
   Planet, Human Bodys, DNA, et al...   
   7. They collaborate to build up each other in their freewill chosen   
   lifestyles the same that Church Members build up one another in   
   following and obeying Christ as a lifestyle.   
   8. They want macro evolution theories taught as 'scientific fact' in   
   public schools without ANY time for Creationism ; whereas Creationists   
   want both to be presented so students can make a clear and concise   
   decision based on rationale and what REAL science has discovered.   
   9. Most National Atheist Organizations have logos, flags, and   
   banners...the same that national Church Denominations have   
   ..and 10. They have Museums located around the Country that show well   
   prepared artistry on fancy posterboards how apes gradually turned into   
   cave-men that turned into modern man (despite the fact that no   
   observation has ever occured for macro-evolution , to which even Prof.   
   Richard Dawkins (the Atheists Guru) freely admits . Normally included in   
   the Museums are the various dogmas associated with natural causes and   
   natural explanations...even for incredibly complex designs as well as   
   for highly complex informational messages as are found in DNA molecules,   
   molecular motors of cells, etc.. which can ONLY occur from intelligent   
   sources ( Footnote : The utter impossibility of macro evolution bringing   
   such messages about from materialism/naturalism has been totally   
   nullified due to irreducible complexity ).   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)