Smiles - still not convinced it is not a side track, since to me it is actually a subsequent debate.

Once one has decided that there is a supernatural element, unless one just wishes to sit feeling smug and do nothing about it, it is logical to try to understand it better. And I fully agree, the mere existence of the supernatural does not evidence one creative force, let alone a God as is understood by Christians, and most certainly does not support that faith nor any other.

I use the term faith as opposed to religion, because to me they are two different things. Faith is focused on the supernatural and my relationship with it, religion is about manmade interface between myself and the supernatural.

In an attempt to understand it is foolish not to look at what established faiths offer as understandings. I have looked at some, but most certainly not all, and have listened sympathetically to adherents of those faiths. In each case I considered the logic and completeness of the faith, and tested it against my experience. I do not believe that this is the place to post why I believe other faiths which I have looked at to be wrong. That statement in itself will have upset some people, and I hasten to stress that it is just a statement of my own personal belief.

I do however think it is acceptable to say that I think Christianity is right, (and TDS, if as mod of this forum, you wish to edit this post, please do not hesitate to do so). My personal journey to faith included initially rejecting all established churches since the religion and tradition masked what I have come to accept as the truth.

Tom, I know you reject the bible, and apart from giving some either inaccurate or misleading statements regarding its date, depending on how you interpret what you say, you give no evidence for it being wrong. Having stepped away from established churches I looked at the explanation of the supernatural as explained in that series of texts. I looked at it in the same way that I looked at other faiths, with a completely open mind. The difference is that it made logical sense to me, and matched with my experience.

Eventually, and that is after a degree of challenging of myself and the texts, decided that for me, the Christian faith was the truth and decided to embrace it. I remain analytic in my study of it, but can only say, that for me, the more I discover, the more it makes total sense.

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I have not seen the film to which you referred, so cannot make an observation on whether it is propaganda or not. To me, propaganda is something which encourages someone into a blind acceptance of something as fact. That I believe to be wrong. I do not accept that it is wrong to use literature, whether on paper or on the screen, as a means of encouraging thought. As a teenage I was inspired by the Isaac Asimov books, they triggered my imagination and encouraged my interest in some sciences, but I would not say that was propaganda, just positive use of a media. Without having seen the film you mentioned I would not like to say whether I believed it was doing more than offering Christianity as a possible explanation.

cariad