No one in their “right” mind would post this sort of crap and proclaim to believe it.

for the record:

“Literary critic Alan Jacobs (of Wheaton College) argues that in his recasting of John Milton’s trilogy, Pullman replaces a theist world-view with a Rousseauist one.

However, Pullman has found support from other Christians, most notably Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. These groups and individuals contend that Pullman’s negative portrayal of the “Church” in His Dark Materials amounts to an attack on dogmatism and the use of religion to oppress, not on Christianity itself. Dr. Williams has gone so far as to propose that His Dark Materials be taught as part of religious education in schools. Moreover, authors of works dedicated to critical appraisals of religious themes in his writing have described Pullman as a friendly and generous debating partner.

Other Christian writers, such as Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware, while finding his anti-Christian position troubling, “also uncover spiritual themes within the books, which, like shafts of light, break through an otherwise gloomy universe?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùdespite Pullman?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s best efforts to keep them out. In the end, the authors argue that Pullman offers an unwitting tribute to the God he intended to discredit.” in their book Shedding Light on His Dark Materials.

Been around for a lot longer than your sect, Billy. Now, all Christian faiths spawned from the Catholic and Orthodox rites, Catholicism spreading west and Orthodoxy spreading east. All other Christian sects emerged as some variation of these two founding rites. Thus, through a simple lesson of 2+2, your faith has origins in the Catholic Church, and therefore by your own definition, is not a religion.

Checkmate.

“The whole Idea behind Islam and Christianity is essentially the same!”

Most noteworthy of all is that Jesus is recognized by both religions: Christianity sees Him as the Son of God, while Islam sees Him as an earlier Prophet.

Actually that’s where you’re wrong.
According to the dictionary
Re-li-gion: a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code of human affairs.

THEREFORE:
Since Islam does concern the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe they involve devotional and ritual observances and have a (too) strict moral code of human affairs making them a religion.

If that isn’t a definition of a religion, WHAT IS? No, christianity isn’t the only religion, that’s bull and YOU KNOW IT.

See? even the dictionary says it.
Is-lam :the RELIGION of Muslims, as set forth in the Koran, that teaches that there is only one God, and that Mohammed is his prophet (whereas in Christianity it’s the RELIGION of christians, as set forth in the bible, that teaches that there is only one God, and that jesus is his prophet, note that only 3 words were changed)

The whole Idea behind Islam and Christianity is essentially the same!
They both have devoted followers who think that god spoke to a person who is in their opinions righteous in every way. That’s the basic idea!

So, NO. There’s only one true religion and the rest shouldn’t oughta get thrown in with Christianity.

God is Love!
BBN
http://www.billybobneck.com

The big question is this:
Do religious organizations (some, not all) often abuse, bastardize and warp god as an excuse to manipulate and exploit the masses?

I simply DEFY you to say “no”.

And I am not just talking about christianity, but christian sects ARE repeat offenders.

Oh, but it’s like one of those really good books that you can read over and over. it just never gets old.

-Wraith

And by the way, if you answer “yes”, you should keep the proof for yourself, because you can earn a million dollars byresolving this problem (look for Millenium Prize Problems). You could need this money for your so-called presidential campaign.

The supreme diety of the series is an entity known only as “the Authority”. He is not an omnipotent being, and neither did he create the universe, but was the first and most powerful angel. He transferred most of his power to his subordinate Metatron, and over time grew senile and feeble; he dies after being struck by a breeze of wind, welcoming death as a relief to a tiring existence.

Meanwhile, Metatron has grown megalomaniacal, and through the Magisterium, uses religion to render all existence subservient to his will. In the end of the book, Lyra’s mother and father, Miss Coulter and Lord Asriel, pull Metatron down into a rift to nothingness, saving the Universe. The Kingdom of Heaven falls, and the Republic of Heaven rises from its ashes.

Once again, despite speculation to the contrary, Pullman states that his books are not an antithesis to The Chronicles of Narnia, although he does loathe Lewis’ novels, especially the way female characters are portrayed; he has called Lewis’ writings racist and sexist… but Pullman still admires him as an academic.

Oh, and did I mention that Pullman’s series has been selected as one of the 10 most important children’s literary works of the past 70 years, and received commendation from the Archbishop of Canterbury?

Frightening stuff.

Reviews of the movie have been mixed. While it features first-rate special effects and a solid cast, the plot moves quickly; too quickly for some reviewers. One person said she had a hard time building empathy with the characters.

STR needn’t have got its knickers in a twist, as virtually all religious symbolism has been cut from the movie (setting it off on the wrong foot for sequels, as that’s pretty much the whole point). To many fans’ outrage, the film also ended short, after an epic battle, cutting out the North Pole finale. It’s a good thing the movie didn’t go by the book’s original British title, Northern Lights.

Maybe that’s why Santa’s upset…

So, seeing as how I ‘own the copyright on arrogance’, when can I expect my several million dollar royalty cheque from STR?
-Wraith