What IS good, and how do we determine it?

[abaris]

Yes, it is "the institution" that talks....the catholic church does not allow you to make up your own doctrine Cath.  When the church says sinners go to hell...it's the institution saying it, you're just a mouthpiece, when you relate it's message to us...and by now it's painfully clear that you haven't thought a single -bit- of it through.  You believe in contradictory things, while espousing positions contrary to doctrine.

I think you did what most people do, when holymen start talking.....explaining the faith....you fell asleep, or payed no attention whatsoever.  There's no real shame in this...I did it too, but then again...I'm not a believer, nor have I ever been.. it may have been a -little- more important for -you- to have kept your eyes open and your ears perked up....

It always depends on the personality of those listening and wanting to believe. And it boils down to cherry picking. Everybody does that and that's why we have radicals as well as moderates in every religion. You can actually find both in every dogma and every holy book.

When I was slowly turning away from religion I did that too. In my mid to late teens I made the distinction between Jesus and the god figure to hang on a little longer. I always kept thinking, but Jesus was rather nice, wasn't he, to evade my final decision of it all being wrong.