> I wouldn't have gone in that direction if knivetsil had said, "I've always been a atheist! Disagree with me!" But the fact is that at one time he professed to be a Christian but now does not. If one is to *have been* a Christian as Christianity defines itself, this isn't technically possible. That leaves one of two possible explanations, which I presented in turn, both of which logically follow. I still think this was a reasonable course to take, given that the subject inherently involves not only how he sees himself now but how he did before, and particularly since, I reiterate, I was not trying to prove or be persuasive about anything except, ultimately, to continue this exploration of the subject and how that might be best done. My job, both as a Christian and as an answerer to knivetsil's call, was to report my perspective. I did that in a post that included logical arguments but which was not as a whole an argument at all, and it's up to him to evaluate it.

Sam's right. When I made my first post on this thread, I wasn't expecting anyone to come ready with a proof of God's existence. I just wanted people to talk from a different perspective than what I've been hearing elsewhere, and that's exactly what I got. While I may not agree with some of what Sam said, it has certainly made me think, and that's exactly what I need to do.

knivetsil