I kinda followed this post, and since I share bujins view, I've got one thing to add:
All those puritan, hard-core christians always talk about reading the bible and how true it all is .. when in fact they're not even reading the original texts. They only quote from the english translation. Now translations are such a tricky, sensitive thing ... there's so many things that can go wrong.
Just as an example, until a few centuries (?) ago, Moses was always depicted with horns on his head, because of an error of translation!
Now if you only trust in a highly subjective translation of the text, I say you can't really know what the truth is, and what's really in the bible.
Many things cannot be put into a translation of an original text, such as play of words, atmosphere, even the mind-set and thinking of the originators.
Now if you can't read that stuff in its hebrew or arameic original, I say you can't even prove what you read! For all I know, the translation itself can be faulty and influenced by the thinking and mindset of the translator(s) ... everything is!

I stand by bujins point of view, religion is one of the worst things humankind could create! There are so many religions, and almost each of them says that if you're not a member, you're going to hell.
So why do you think you're not going to hell?

ste

quote:

COPY FACTOR

A new monk arrived at the monastery. He was assigned to
help the other monks in copying the old texts by hand. He
noticed, however, that they were copying copies, not the
original books.

The new monk went to the head monk to ask about this. He
pointed out that if there was an error in the first copy,
that error would be continued in all of the other copies.
The head monk said, "We have been copying form the copies
for centuries, but you make a good point my son."

The head monk went down into the cellar with one of the
copies to check it against the original.

Hours later, nobody had seen him, so one of the monks
went downstairs to look for him. He heard sobbing coming
form the back of the cellar and found the old monk
leaning over one of the original books, crying.

He asked what was wrong. "the word is Celebrate, no
celibate!" Sobbed the head monk.

[This message has been edited by Xehupatl (edited June 13, 2002).]