Greetings Derek,

First of all let me apologize for all that fussing with Dean Welsh.  I agree that some dialogue is rather pointless and Mr. Welsh seems to be the kind of guy who's never wrong about anything, if you know what I mean.

Second, what sort of game do you hunt in Montana anyway?  I'll bet it's better than what we have here in west Texas (deer, turkey, quail, coyotes, wild hogs, havalinas...every now and then you'll see a cougar or an elk).  Those damned liberals in Washington claim that you can't hunt with an AK-47, but I do...of course I've got the long-barrelled RPK version...which is a lot more accurate than the standard short barrel AK.

Let's see now, about the scientists who may or may not be atheists.....I would agree with you that there are probably certain circles in the scientific community in which an atheist would be respected more than a theist.  However, what these individuals divulge to each other and to the public might not be consistent.  In other words, even if they are atheists they might be afraid to admit it publically.  Is that deceptive?  Of course it is, but they might have a lot to lose after all.   Most scientists work for large corporations or for universities...both of which are likely to be owned or controlled by people who are religious and don't like to see anyone in their ranks proclaiming their disbelief.  You and I both know how difficult it would be for a known atheist to open a local business and be successful....especially if he had a competitor who was say, a deacon.  Of course we are both only speculating about this matter, but you have to realize that not all scientists are as brave and tenured as the late Carl Sagan was.

About disciples dying for Jesus, I would like to know more about just how many of the 12 disciples gave their lives for Jesus, can you inform me of their fate?  However, because a person believes in something strong enough to die for the cause does not automatically mean that his beliefs or the cause he gave his life for has any validity or truth.  You and I both know that there are dozens of organized religions in this world that worship many different Gods....and many of these people who have a different religion than the one you and I were taught to believe in would gladly give their lives for their God....it happens almost every day in the Middle East.

Your explanation of Jesus' statements about what the faithful can do was pretty reasonable....except that Jesus didn't say that those "gifts" would be given to only a few followers...but he said that they would "follow them that believe"....to me, Derek, this simply means that all believers should possess these powers or abilities.  Therefore, I find them not only to be ridiculous and impossible but also a false promise.   If I was a Christian, I would expect those gifts because Jesus says in plain talk that if you believe then you shall be able to do those things.  I guess I'm expecting too much honesty out of the Lord, huh?  For me, there are too many strings attached.  You see, he didn't say that it was a matter of faith...he simply said "those who believe"....to me, you either believe or you don't. When I was a believer, I was a total believer, when I became a doubter, I doubted all.

About whether Jesus existed, The references you listed are very interesting, I wonder if they are truly objective sources of historical fact, or if perhaps they are the writing of persons who were sympathetic to the Christian movement....or perhaps their writing were altered during the middle ages when the Catholic church basically controlled all books and knowledge.  I certainly cannot prove that a person named Jesus of Nazareth never lived, but I'm still not convinced that he did live...but either way, I still can't make myself believe in all the supernatural nonsense in the Holy Bible.

By the way, I've been getting a lot of email lately about our website. Although you are my favorite Christian penpal, I have been trying to answer the other letters, but I find it to very time-consuming.  In the future, I'm going to abbreviate my responses to the average letters and include all respondants in the list of recipients of the "Bible Riddle of the week" emailing.  However, our dialogue can continue as long as you like.  I may send you the riddle of the week, but I promise not to include you in any more skirmishes.

What's my newest question?  Oh yea, about the Who Made God riddle, it's a good one you have to admit....since the creationists are always asking if a fine watch or car or human body could just occur...without design?...and I ask them : could God just occur ...without a designer or a builder?...since God is much more complex than a watch, car, or anything we know of , right?  You see, I'm not trying to determine how the universe began, I'm simply pointing out the fallacy in their argument...that things don't have to have a designer.  If they do, then God is included.

Anyway, here's my new question:

Why do you think the God of the Old Testament was so evil (he admits to doing evil), bloodthirsty, and barbaric....and in the New Testament, Jesus is tolerant of many things that the OT God would kill over?  I think you know what I'm talking about, but I can provide many examples if you like...or read Randy's article in My Case Against Christianity titled "The Truth About the Bible"....there are many scripture that reveal the vile nature of the OT God.....he commands his people to kill innocent women and children, to take the young female virgins as their sex slaves, to enslave heathen tribes, and much more.   Why the change in temperment?

Sincerely,

Greg H.