
First and foremost, I honestly do not believe that Jesus was anything
more than a man who lived and died two thousand years ago.  I know
your Bible provides wonderful stories of the things he said and did,
but I simply do not believe that he still exists as an entity that has
any bearing on this universe or the lives in it, and I similarly do
not believe that the god that you worship exists or has ever existed.

Period.

I view religion in general and Christianity in specific as a 'cultural
virus' that has been passed down from generation to generation because
people are often too afraid to think for themselves and claim
responsibility for their own fate, so they brainwash themselves and
their children into believing the popular myths, and it goes on from
there.  And eventually Christianity becomes a given -- if so many
other people believe in it, it must be right, no?

I don't believe in any "life after death".  I believe that when I die,
I die, so therefore it's up to me to try to bring meaning and purpose
to my life in the meantime.  I don't believe that it's a good thing to
humble myself and view pride as a sin -- pride, in moderation, is a
constructive thing.  I see nothing at all wrong with homosexuality and
nothing inferior about women, and my priests lost a lot of my trust
when they patronizingly tried to explain the 'faults' of these
opinions to me.  I don't believe in 'loving everyone', especially
people I've never met; while I try to show respect to everyone, my
love and admiration is something not easily earned, and I do not feel
guilty about denying my respect and consideration to someone who has
abused it.

If you want me to take your religion the least bit seriously, stop
trying to show me how the Bible "makes sense".  Start trying to show
me that this Jesus person is somehow still influencing anyone's life
here on Earth.
