To say that Religion does not hurt at all is being naive. Have you not read the history of Religions, especially the Christian or Muslim ones? The Inquisitions, the holy wars, the witch burnings, the hatred of women (see new book out ‘Does God hate Women?) Let alone what goes on today in God’s name.

Religion gives people false hope, because most are frightened of death and what might or might not be beyond it. The gamble you talk of is Pascals wager, which is flawed in that if you believe only because it is a safer bet bet than not believing, then don’t you think your God would know your false reason for believing and hold that against you? We have no pre-birth memories either, yet we are here. Likewise after death it will not matter as we will have no bodily bits to percieve and analyse with. Therefore end of life as we know it. FULL STOP. Beyond that is just guess work, otherwise why are there so many different religions all over the world with so many different stories?

As for Gideon Bibles endless supply… if everyone actually read them instead of just cherry picking out the Gideons chosen verses, designed to make you feel worthless without Jesus, then more people would become atheists or at least agnostics. Unfortunately the Bible is so boring people doon’t stick with it, to uncover the disgusting divisiveness of the so called ‘Holy’ book.

See Sam Harris’ site for his dissection of the ‘good’ book, and also the Koran, and book of Mormon, just to show he is not being partisan.
http://www.reasonproject.org/scripture_project/The_Bible:Matthew_1/
Good luck Helen in your search for reality instead of escapism.
No Christians have been ‘there’ and returned either Helen.

Stop relying on a 2000 plus year old history of Jewish and Christian myths for lifes guidance.

Did you go to ‘Skeptics Annotated Bible’ site, as I double dared you to? Get Eliott to go there too.
Whilst most modern Christians (hopefully!) wouldn’t condone most of what these wicked Bible verses say. What worries me and most rational people is that Whilst they (the wicked verses) are still left in KJV, they can be pulled forth at any time and used indiscriminately, by any nutter, church or regime (such as the Roman Catholic, Jew Hating, Adolf Hitler did). I am reminded of numerous Catholic Inquisitions, Holy Wars, Witch Hunts or todays right wing Bible belt Pious Christians!!! Did you see the DVD ‘Jesus Camp’? Try getting them or any other extreme Christians to remove or sanitise one word of KJV and they will start World War III, which they nearly did by encouraging Bush, when he told the USA that God had told him to go to war with Iraq, when in fact the Bin Ladens all come from Saudi Arabia? (OIL pipelines are needed in Iraq not Saudi). These nutty people can’t wait for War on a global scale, because they think from reading(?) (instead of critically studying) their Bible it would herald Christs second coming. Help!
Anyway to answer your question.-
As I have said previously the first commandments have nothing to do with morality,
The second half of the ten Commandments are about rules for bronze age tribes.
5. Honour your Parents (remembering disobedient Children get stoned, I’m not impressed with such violence).
6. Don’t Kill (Unless it’s for God or the State (justified or Holy War and Capital Punishment)). Incidently if America is a Christian country, then why is it still following the Jewish Eye for an eye principle instead of following Jesus Christs rule of turning the other cheek???
7. Don’t committ adultery (another stoning offence FOR THE WOMAN).
8. Don’t Steal (Tell that to Televangelist Priests who get the poor to send money to spread ‘God’s word).
9. Don’t Lie (Tell that to Priests, Politicians etc.).
10. Dont Covet neighbours house, wife, manservant, maidservant, cattle, nor anything else of HIS (Christian America is the Greediest Nation on Earth).
If God is supposed to be all knowing then surely his rules would be all encompassing for all time.
Nothing Unique in those Ten Commandments that hasn’t already been said by other Religions and civilised Countries throughout all History.
Incidently the ten Commandments arn’t the only commands from God. Study your Bible properly and be prepared to be shocked! Slavery condoned, Woman hating etc.
First century rules are not adequate for 21st century people.
Why are there so many different sects and denominations, if the Bibles message is so clear. Each new interpretation of the Holey Bible springs forth yet another new money making venture. If the love of money is the root of all evil, then why do the churches never have enough? And with all that money, why don’t they pay taxes?
Why should I be taxed on something I don’t believe in, when schools and hospitals really need the money!
Of course it is not in Religions interest to have people over educated, because then they could learn to analyse the bronze age myths for themselves, and find them wanting.
In closing, I think the Bible should have a warning sticker put on it. NOT FOR CHILDREN.

And what are the other half of ten commandmants about?

RE: Elliott
It’s hard to disagree with a first person experience that he has. Plus the evidence from his life is even harder to disagree with.

You may be right. Elliott may have rejected them first, but it wasn’t cherry picked verses that chenged his life.

I think now he knows more about the Bible than you, me, or most Gideons for that matter.

Wish he were here to post 1st person comments. I would feel uneasy just giving out someone’s email address.

Would you want your child, parent, spouce to commit suicide?

The man I spoke of March 16, Elliott, had been rejected by those most dear to him. By his actions he rejected them first.

He found something that he says made him a new person who now enjoys living for something worth living for.

Eenough of my thoughts. The link below are his own words. I do know him personally.

http://www.gideons.org/ChangedLivesVideo.aspx?source=video_elliot