first off, 9/10 isn't something you can extrapolate for all cases/questions/scenarios based on one survey.

i'd imagine that most smokers think they won't get cancer. typically, when someone engages in a risky behavior, they don't really consider that they are at risk.
for instance, if i rode a motorcycle, i wouldn't necessarily be afraid of riding it, or think i'd be in an accident. however, i'm not happy at all knowing my son owns one. you don't worry about yourself in those types of situations. smokers know full well the risk, and decide to engate in it anyway.

and it is both words and deeds that tell me what people are like. i mean, if people really believed-why do people willingly break many of the ten commandments on a regular basis? why do people struggle so hard to live longer, if they really know heaven and a better life is waiting? why would people say 'i'm going to church just in case'-if god is all knowing, wouldn't he know they're just hedging their bets??

i used to smoke- i never took the dangers into thought. and i didn't quit because of warning labels, i quit because i no longer wanted to pay the price, which was about to jump.

Why do so many people ask for last rights on their death beds? Are they taking the lie of believing in God to the grave?

Why do people go to confession? Adorn their lawns with the Virgin Mary? Hang crucifixes in their homes? Get married in the church? Give their money willingly to the church? Raise their children with the belief of God? Baptize their children? Memorize the stupid song 'this little light of mine' not to mention kumbaya.

Quite the charade a good portion of this country is engaged in if your assumptions are correct.

lol
yes, a great many are playing charades. why do they do it? it's what they're supposed to do. maybe they find reassurance from those actions. i'm sorry if this is a struggle for you. some people have death bed conversions, many are hedging their bets (and it's last rites, not rights). then there are folks like my mother in law, who is many, many things....including a hateful, racist, bigoted homophobe...who has a statue of the virgin mary on her front lawn. she is in church on every sunday and holy day...why, she even showed just how 'nice' she can be by repeatedly asking the visiting priest from nigeria to dinner. the first time she asked, he said no. same as the second. so she figured she was 'safe' and kept asking..well, he felt more comfortable after being there a bit, and accepted. so then, she showed how she really felt when she apologized to the others that were coming because he'd be there!!!! lmao. they were all appalled. yeah, her true colors came out.
it was the funniest thing i can remember in some time. she never asked him again after that.
if you sleep in a garage, you don't start calling yourself a car, do you? but because many go to church and play the part, they call themselves christian-and they really aren't. matter of fact, a study showed evangelists are more prone to be racist, divorced, bigot, etc. so yeah, that's one of many reasons religion gets a bad rap.

Jerry Sandusky went to church every Sunday.. Just sayin.

Support group.

I really never thought I was a part of a minority group who believe in God.

What an epiphany I've had!

Even though in my heart and mind I believe in God; I don't always act as a perfect Christian so I really don't believe in God. :zz:

And I'm back with the majority even though I maintain I believe in God

Jeez I just thought of 9-11. By the thought process followed here, it was one big lie by the media. The hijackers didn't kill themselves for Allah, they drank, missed prayers etc. etc. so they didn't believe. They were just plain bad, evil, men and just happened to falsely call themselves muslims.

I get it now the muslim men who mistreat women aren't bad because of their religion as most are lying about it and don't even believe. In fact they aren't even worthy of being called muslims.

Sorry all, I was wrong all along about their religion. It's their culture!

wow, i'm glad you had that revelation. it's spot on.

It's still tough though as I still really truly believe in God despite my actions at times!

Forgive me but i laughed...:)

So it took all this time for Dell to get around to revealing this thread is just more attempted justification for his bigotry and hate of Muslims?

Probably more important if God still "believes" in you, despite your actions at times.

you're making a simple mistake. i'm talking in generalizations, and you're taking it personally. obviously there are people who believe.

yes, it's easy to laugh at my monster in law. she's a hideous human being.

Unless you act like she's hideous everytime you speak to her, and your husband, kids everytime you speak to them about her, you really don't believe she's hideous. ;):zz:

Just sayin touche!

Maybe the husband and kids say the same thing....jus sayin..:)

and maybe the dinner she spoke of was the last supper?

I hope it was.......

i haven't spoken to her in a long time. haven't seen her since.....i think eric's graduation. that was over two years ago.
and they live less than an hour away. my daughter lives in the same town as her, never goes to see her.

she's a singular monstrosity. everyone stay away. sad really....

and she can't cook, so it's funny about the last supper. we always wondered every time we did eat there if it would turn out to be our last meal.

Good to hear as I have a couple such people in my family. A step grandma I haven't spoke to since 1976 and a sperm donor I haven't talk to or seen since my wedding OMG 22 years ago.

Though my belief in God is still in question the aborting of these two from my life is not. :)