>>>Jack, this new idea of something being "nothing" is not found in conventional science text books today. The definition is changing.<<<

The definitions of space and matter I refer to are found in science books and have not changed. If you want to talk pseudo-physics you may get more traction and interest by starting a thread.

>>> They are finding that the BIg Bang may have started from something rather than nothing. There are quantum elements that are being discovered.<<<

No expert in science says that the Big Bang started from "nothing." They say it started from a singularity. No information escapes from a singularity so it cannot be known.

There is a big difference between "We cannot know" and "In the beginning, there was nothing.



>>>There is no universal acceptance of this theory however research is being done on it.<<<

See above.

>>>Regarding the division found in religions, the character of Christ in the King James Version is ambiguous at best. The only model worthwhile in the entire book in my opinion is the Beatitudes which are hardly consistent with other attributions to Jesus. Still, this is mythology and not verifiable by any empirical means. Jesus' character is divided.<<<

The "Jesus character" is very consistent given that the descriptions are linear through time. First part of his ministry he was more aggressive and threw tables. Then he mellowed and became more forgiving and self-sacrificing.

>>>Do Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, or (fill in the blanks) hold other's values as sacred as their own? I don't think so. There are plenty of wars for evidence.

I would doubt any religious person would hold atheist views as sacred.<<<

You just said that they don't even respect the views of different sects in their own religion, didn't you? Why would atheists get special treatment?

>>>When we discuss religion, we are talking about different ideas even within the same religion which is not monolithic. <<<

Yeah. and there are different ideas in every other field as well. No human belief system is monolithic.