Thanks, Amos. Thats it exactly. Of course neither reason or faith are finite. As science expands, so too, do our unanswered questions.

Mrrzy - "The videa of Christ is the myth that the One God of Abraham will have/has had a son by a human mother..."

I disagree. What you say is true about Jesus the Christ but the idea of Christ was present before the story of Jesus. There have been many Christs (maybe annually) and there is reason to believe that sacrifice was the ritualization of the concept. What made Jesus so popular was the written word.

Yes, the idea of a female diety is much older than the male myth. I didn't say they were simultaneous. Matriarchy preceded patriarchy because women held the secrets of life in their bodies. Christianity tried to incorporate the mother Goddess (Mary) with the philosopher/warrior/king myth (patriarchy) of the Jews and other wandering tribesman. Call it the messiah or the Christ or whatever. The living/dying, philosopher/warrior/king is the Christ concept that preceded Jesus and arose from poety, song and myth. You can't take that away from anyone.

As to denying humanity the right to think creatively, I think you're asking a bit too much. If you expect people to live in a world of facts and figures (history) you are asking that they believe in another set of lies that are also subject to change as time goes on.

I, too, do not believe that humans are greater than other living beings or that you have a right to ask for more than what you already have. I do believe in love, inspiration and creativity: none of which can be explained by science or history. To ask others to believe what you believe is no different than what Evangelicals
try to do everyday.

Let me try again. Once you conceive of an idea, you are able to give birth to the idea in a variety of ways. Birth follows conception. Whether or not the life is allowed to flourish, depends upon a number of factors but the power of the word certainly helps to disseminate the idea - so do icons. Belief is a choice and when a number of people begin to believe the same thing, others can control the masses by controlling ritual.

As to living in Virginia, for the sake of your children, help them to incorporate the beliefs of others into your own belief system.    Most kids just want to be like everyone else. Children do not appreciate parents that force them to become strong individuals before their time. Thats your issue, not theirs.

We are all individuals and so we are entitled to believe what we choose to believe. Allow your children to explore and discover the wonderful world of storytelling and turn your energy inward to find a belief system of your own. Nobody lives by bread alone.

I'm not an atheist, in fact, I believe that even inanimate objects contain a spirit. I also believe in a Goddess because I am female. Do I believe in Abraham's God? No. But I do believe he existed for Abraham. Whatever you want to call it, you cannot deny that the idea of spirit exists in the minds of most people. Its called inspiration.