I am also interested in science and the scientific method. And I realized I'm of a skeptic. as defined by this wikipedia article... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeptic

I've also read a lot of apologetics, church history, etc.

It's been a long road. I read a lot of Christian authors - Yancey, Billy Graham, you name them, I've probably read it, I went to a Christian college. and I started to realize that there is no way to evaluate all the different Christian denominations. There is no reason to believe that any of them is any more "correct" than any other. I also realized the same can be said of world religions.
I just see no real evidence of God.

I grew up in a fundamentalist church. I stated asking myself questions like, how is it that this small church has somehow "got it all figured out", when I was in high school.
How about you?

Good observations, thank you.

Trolling is generally posting in a thread for the purpose of being contentious with no intent to make any point. Just saying objectionable things without backing the claims up.

Whew! I thought it was the mods about to give me another warning.

Your response was well done, BTW.

I really liked this post. I share a lot of your views on Christianity, but more importantly, I admire the way you responded seriously and thoughtfully to an obviously inflammatory post.

Sure thing. Lots of people think they disagree with me on most issues (much more here that IRL) but either way, you're in good company. I fear most times what I actually think and what others think I think aren't the same thing. Evidently my frame-of-mind/method of presentation are a little off the beaten path.

Thanks, but as a word of advice, you shouldn't post anything that resembles a good point in favor of theism (or even objectivity, it seems) around here unless you're willing to endure the rash emotional response of a nearby atheist. Now if only I could follow my own advice...

Excellent post.

You're a sharp cookie! Every time I read a post of yours the insightfullness is striking.

I was under the impression that was what Agnosticism was about. I'm not into some of the behaviors from a lot of these groups, but if you're a friendly person, the hell do I care what you believe? Who am I to tell you you're wrong?

Oh? How so?

Well we got sworn in with Sata at the State Office in Lusaka and he insulted half the diplomats there. He also called me a Russian Orthodox priest because I have a beard. It was funny it us as Peace Corps volunteers but I don't think the diplomats appreciated being publicly insulted. It's stuff like that that makes me think that he may have a few screws loose or something.

What about the culture of CAR do you find especially appealing?

The situation in Egypt is awful right now. I'm glad that I'm not there right now but my family is still there unfortunately. People wanted real change and instead they got sold another dictator, and now they're realizing it and trying to overthrow it. It's sad but all too likely to happen in a situation like that.

No worries. I understand.

I had mixed feelings about Sata. He is definitely autocratic, prideful, and lacks tact. Those qualities aren't necessarily bad all of the time. Sometimes developing countries need strong leaders who aren't afraid to act autocratically to pass certain types of laws which may be required for growth. But I don't know if that is the intention with Sata; he could just be a tactless and angry old man. My only worry would be that he does something that destabilizes Zambia and turns it into another Zimbabwe.

What countries have you considered going back to instead?

Well I decided that I didn't want to move back to California after Zambia, so I moved to Texas instead. I like it here far better; it suits my temperament. I never learned Bemba in Zambia, I learned Lunda since it's more widely spoken in the far North West. Bemba is the more useful one to know though, right? What do you think about the politics going on in Zambia?

And yes, Egypt has been more developed for a long time. But there is a big difference in the historical factors in North Africa compared to Sub-Saharan Africa. It's very interesting with widespread implications in the modern world.

I live in Texas now. I was born in America and visit my family in Egypt every couple years. I don't speak much Arabic nowadays, since I don't often speak it. What Zambian languages do you speak? ChiLunda? And I agree that you'll see some positive developments in Zambia for sure, I think that it is stable and peaceful for business to thrive and lift up its people.

That's cool. It's interesting that you want to go back considering that you could likely get a better job somewhere else with a higher education degree, but it would set a positive example to stop brain-drain in Africa. I wouldn't say I'm bitter towards Africans, especially since I'm Egyptian myself. But I do have a more pessimistic attitude towards development in Sub-Saharan Africa ever since I lived there, but it's because of the complexity of the problems there and not just because of the people.

Haha oh Kitwe. I've stayed there a few times when going to NW Province. Yeah I was a Peace Corps volunteer there, specifically in Lundaland way up there near Congo. What are you studying in Canada?

That's cool. I lived in North-West Province and Lusaka for ten months. Where are you from in Zambia?