Christians celebrate rape, torture, slavery and genocide.

[John V]

Does it seem circular, what part? Can you elaborate on that?

"Reasons for things...to [myself]" seems pretty much like an opinion. As noted, it's vague, clarify if you like.

While we're elaborating......You found it interesting that Darkstar argued that his opinions were correct and those that disagreed were wrong, considering that he would criticize god for doing so.

Yep.

For my own part I think a more damning indictment of the "opinions of god" isn't that god is said to have opinions or that gods opinions are supposedly the correct ones, but that god is incapable of elaborating upon them. "This opinion is incorrect - and here's why I think this is so-."

To repeat: Suppose you and I never come back to this forum. Isn't there a possibility that some people could learn something or be affected in some way by what we've written? I think so, and so have to disagree that the written word is a meaningless dead end.

The opinions of Darkstar and the opinions of a god aren't even in the same category, god's opinions fall somewhere around the value of toast for conversational purposes because

A: no one actually knows what they are

This forum generates plenty of conversation regarding god's opinions. You butted into a good one.

B: Darkstar can be produced as an authority assuming responsibility for his opinions

and, importantly...

C: Darkstar is capable of elaborating and expanding upon those opinions, without this ability the imagination strains to conceive of a way that a conversation might ensue..let alone a debate of relative merit...or resolution between two differing opinions.

Again, I disagree that the written word is a meaningless dead end. I can learn from a book even if I'll never meet the author.