" Plase don't tell me what I need. You are just what is wrong about religion. You push it to people that don't want it. Go censor some literature or bomb an abortion clinic or murder an abortion doctor. "

" OK, so study your Bible...and what? The world would be a better place if people STOPPED studying dusty old contradictory religious texts from 2,000 years ago and start paying attention to doctrines like Humanism and it's beautiful, inclusive message! (Which basically empowers Humanity with the role of creator/solver of the world's problems, and urges an end to divisions based upon Religions) If there is one thing which has been proved by the ongoing “works-vs.-faith” debate between Larry Maguet, Virginia Van Ostrand and I, it is that, once again, Bible scripture can be selectively quoted to reinforce any assertion or position, with directly-contradicting, equally-opposing verses. This was amply demonstrated by all parties. But the net sum of the “works-vs.-faith” argument, as argued from Van Ostrand’s and Maguet’s side, is both morally hollow and treacherously misleading in how it undermines the accepted basis for what both Society and conventional belief has already determined what makes a person “good”. In their view, it is only one’s unswerving faith in “Jesus” and his imagined presence (which assumes the Christian faith), which renders a person “good”—as if one could NOT be good if one were, say, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, or—God forbid—a non-believer! Can someone tell me how this view is NOT arrogant, xenophobic, proud, and exclusionary to a great mass of Humanity? In its worst expression, this compels the most ardent to self-segregate themselves from, and hold in contempt, others not of their ilk. Is this REALLY something that we should be still teaching children in this so highly polarized age? Furthermore, good morals come from good parenting, period. Without that, telling someone who might otherwise be a borderline sociopath that all they need to do to be “saved” in the end is to profess a belief in Jesus is just plain irresponsible and dangerous. A study recently published in the academic “Journal of religion and Society found that “ within the U.S. the strongly theistic, anti-evolution south and mid-west have markedly worse homicide, mortality, STD, youth pregnancy, marital and related problems than the northeast where societal conditions, secularization, and acceptance of evolution approach European norms” If this is what people are teaching their children, is it any wonder why?! Larry, people don't call Christians "hypocrites" because you fail to READ the NT; they call SOME of you hypocrites because you fail to LIVE the NT! You need to make time to make the world a better place, not to just waste your time trying to save your own butts by being "approved" by burying your noses in some dusty old book...I find it PROFOUNDLY disturbing that you would advocate studying the Bible over "absorbing the world's wisdom"! It's the only world we've got, Larry--make the most of it! The more you learn about it, the more that solutions present themselves! If people would just STOP wasting their time on their knees in prayer and put their "moral rectitude" into ACTION, the Bible would become even MORE obsolete than it already is, because being kind and helping each other as Human Beings--whether or NOT they are all "believers"--was, and is, the TRUE INTENT and message of "Jesus Christ". "