The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

While I'm not 100%  opposed to the idea of a higher power, I have long been a religious skeptic, currently refer to myself as an agnostic (or a humanist), and it seems the more I think about such matters, the more skeptical I become. Having been born and raised in the United States, and largely due to that, being exposed to Christianity more than any other religion, I have become the most skeptical of this very religion. Just the other day, I started thinking about Christianity and why it perplexes me so much. First off, the supposed hero and savior of Christianity, Jesus (Christ), his actual name was Yeshua. Not only that, but he wasn't Christian; he was Jewish. Let that sink in for a moment. Christians refer to themselves as such based on a man's unoriginal name, a man whom didn't even practice said religion. Of course, Yeshuans (or Yeshuanity) may be difficult for even the most eloquent, articulate speakers to regularly pronounce correctly, but this all still str...

Ever know a person who would openly discuss things with you, regardless of the topic, but if and when you got to the topic of religion, that all changed? I know some people like this and just heard a story from a friend of mine a couple years ago that illustrates it. She, we'll call her Lucy, was raised Catholic and he, Adam, is Jewish. All throughout the relationship, Adam said he had to marry a Jewish woman. Lucy, because she cared about him so much, showed an interest and was willing to convert. All throughout the relationship, Adam made it known that he was the ever omniscient one when it came to the topic of religion. He read in one book that a person felt Catholics believed that Jesus was God, so he told Lucy about this and Lucy came back with, "No, we believe he's the son of God." Adam argued and said, "You should do some reading and studying on your own religion before you come talk to me about it." There it was, a conversation closer, becaus...