MadMax, I'm sorry you feel this way and apologize. While I am a non-practicing/believing Catholic (12 years of parochial school will do that), I have seen enough wrecked lives completely turned around in a positive manner by religious conversion to ever rule out the existence of a higher power. When pressed hard, I can handle it from this perspective: the first law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can change shape. What is that energy? I have the utmost respect for those like yourself and rhester who live your faith and belief to the betterment of this world. With results like you display, whether god's existence is a physical reality or an ephemeral dream is irrelevant. By belief alone he exists within the reality of believers and that is no less real than our physical plain. It is shameful and disrespectful that people of faith are subjected to the scorn and ridicule that is thrown around on the board. Unfortunately, there are many who will make their ultimate determination based upon the fringes and extremes rather than those they see living their faith in a manner that benefits us all.
