Hi Ron: Somehow I missed your post and was responding to Beer. Anyway, I agree that Popes and Presidents should not be above scrutiny. I just believe the OFFICE of the Pope and the President should be respected. Otherwise without rules, chaos ensues. The inference was referring to the Force/God/ Great Spirit that created the universe and man. I don't know about you, but I've always wondered what it was all about. World gets created, Man shows up, eons of the cycle of birth and death, and for what? Surely that force could not be so petty to have done all of that for his/her/it's own amusement?

Or are we merely animals, a step up from vegetation with a conscience? No "God"...

My personal experiences have led me to the belief that there is SOME THING. It is in me and outside of me, and is connected to all living things. It protects me in troubled times. It has rescued me when there has been NO CHANCE. It has always provided for me in the darkest times, and for this I am grateful...I refer to it as The Great Spirit. My Guardian Angel. My Higher Self. God. I talk to it throughout the day, and respect it. I remember all the great gifts it has so generously given me. And I have Faith that it will never leave me.
The road has just been too long to deny it...

There was a story a few years back of a serial killer who lay in wait for his next victim in a park. The young girl who he was about to attack was a woman of faith who prayed each day. As the police captured him, they asked why he hesitated with this one person, while he had murdered so many, so quickly. He told them "It was the two big guys she had walking with her." "What big guys?", the Cops replied. "She was alone..."
Do Angels exist? For me, yes they do. Was Jesus Christ the Son of God? For me, yes He was...
I prefer to think of it as "quiet" Faith...
bob