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     CP wrote --   
      
   > People whgine about "contradictions." I point out how tghe Bible is varous   
   authors & books. & how even in one book of "sayings" you'll have both: "Look   
   before you leap" & "He who hesitates is lost"   
   >    
   > Nopt a contradiction, as both have their own application.   
      
     Agreed.   
      
   > To the whingers about geographical & cosmology evidences, I point out that   
   the Bible was not written to be a sciece textbook following modern rules of   
   scxientific method.    
      
     I like to think of it as things being explained as the people of the time   
   could understand.   
     Its like with children.   
     When explaining something, such as "why does it rain?" its phrased was   
   they understand: water evaporates, goes into the sky, forms clouds which when   
   full of water, rain falls out.   
      Not some long lecture on air pressure,  atmospheric conditions, and   
   methods of meteorology they can't understand.  This comes later as they know   
   more.   
      
   > That was the key problem with imperialistic religions: they broke away from   
   the original "invitation" model & switched to "Obey or suffer & die at our   
   hands" model.   
      
     It has always been that way.   
     The ancient Medes and Persians when they conquered a country did away   
   with those peoples gods and replaced them with the ones of the Medes and   
   Persians.   
     The only empire that didn't do that, on a regular basis by force, were   
   the Romans.  They sometimes accepted the conquered peoples gods along with   
   their own. Rome: your god for X is so-and-so, our god for X is something else,   
   same god different name lets get   
     At times the church was a bit over ambitious, believe or die.   
     The Muslims also made converts at the edge of the sword and still do.   
      
   > A simple misunderstanding of the early mistranslation "make disciples of   
   nations" that clearly should've been rendered, "Accept seeking students   
   without concern for their nationality."   
      
     Make, nor force.  :)   
     Its one thing to show one is better than the other, another to say do it   
   my way or else.   
     Joe   
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