Sorry to butt into a conversation that has little to do with me, but this post of yours actually sums up my basic views of theism in general. That's something I have never found anywhere in under 5 pages of ranting.
In my opinion, arguing about religion is more or less pointless. Most internet people who are theists are firmly rooted in their beliefs and will not stand for any other viewpoint, though some are willing to compromise if provided with sufficient evidence and reasoning. And then there are the few who are willing to completely and calmly listen to and think about the words of others, who I find the most respectable (Pwnemon happens to be in this category of my favorite theists). Many internet atheists will likewise refuse to accept any religious argument, though admittedly they have a far better argument against theism than theists do against them.
I am an atheist, though I guess I'm in the "religious closet." My family really couldn't care less about religion. I find that there are generally no cases where an argument for a religion can even compare to an atheist argument, let alone beat it.
Now, if you read ANY of this post, then read this:
Who are we to say that the Bible isn't just someone's bright idea, akin to the Harry Potter of ancient times? We do not know everything about the early history of Christianity as we sometimes imply.
One thing we can do is compare the Bible to secular records and see if they match up. And while this can't obviously provide evidence for everything, we can check and see if it can even hold any salt. For one, there are records of a tax on the people of Rome a little over 2000 years ago.
Something else I'd like to point out is the "seven deadly sins." All seven (perhaps not extravagance/luxury, but purchase of items is mostly a human invention) of these "deadly" actions or emotions are felt by nearly ever animal species on earth with more brains than a gnat. All "deadly" sins are instinctual.
The seven deadly sins are nowhere in the Bible. That was something made by the Anglican? (I think it was Anglican, I can't remember which) church. However, you could probably find other things that you would call "instinctive human nature," and I will attempt to explain that. Of course sin would be instinctive human nature, as sin is part of our birth through Adam. When you're born, you have the instinct to sin. That's why God had to send Jesus to be our salvation.
I am done ranting for now.
... And yes, I do realize that my writing is fragmented and mixed up. Yes, some sentences belong in other places. But hey, it's 1:00 AM where I am, I'm tired. Plus that's how I've always written aything.
