No apologies are necessary here, Ice! As Geoff says under this categorey, if folks don't like the topic or particular members, they can ignore them. I just wanted to respond mainly to your first statement. As I said, as carnal as I am, I'm no one to preach. But what you have to understand about Christians in particular, is that they do have a mandate to spread the Gospel. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus Himself made that clear.

I'm guessing your thoughts on that are probably a lot like mine: It's not the fact that people share their faith, but rather, how they share it. Far too many believers have a self-righteous, holier-than-thou approach and basically beat others over the head with the Bible. Truth be told, that's what turned me OFF from Christianity for years...that, and hypocrisy. Of course, by certain believers, I myself would be judged a hypocrite. I mean, hey, look at my avatar! And I know folks have seen how racy I can get in my posts. (There's even a poll on who's nastier, me or Part! ) But these are precisely the self-righteous type of believers to which I'm referring. What they fail to grasp is that Christ didn't come to convert "righteous" people; He came to transform sinners, and I certainly qualify! The holier-than-thou crowd neglects the grace of God in their techniques and in their lives. They forget that they, too, were just as vile and filthy in God's eyes as the worst sinner you can dream up, I don't care how "goody-goody" they were/are.

That's not to say that once converted, we're free to sin all we want. I readily confess that I'm not up-to-par on the moral level as I should be. But the difference is, the self-righteous won't admit their flaws. Jesus didn't condemn people who cursed (He hung out with Peter, who had a sailor's mouth on him!), or prostitues, or drunkards, or even homosexuals. Now, He didn't condone their behavior either. But my point is, what He did rail against and the sin that riled Him up more than any other was self-righteousness. The 4 Gospels are full of examples.

I guess what I'm saying, Ice, is that while you may not agree with what Christians believe and don't like them speaking out about their faith, try to understand that they believe they have a mandate to share it. Now, if one gets in your face and bashes you over the head with the Bible, you have my permission to kick his ass...In fact, I'd probably help you! [/b][/quote]Very well said Snake. I totaly agree with you.