Without citing the bible, what marks the bible as the one book with God's message?

[The Grand Nudger]

Well, I certainly won't argue with Christians who believe that the Holy Bible is the path to salvation! But, I will point to scripture that includes everyone in that salvation regardless of their reading ability.

Luke 9:49-50
John said, "Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn't a follower like us." Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

Well then, not "everyone" after all eh? Which personally, I'm more than a little bit happy about, some of us don't want any part in your little rituals you realize.

As I said when I first got here, I'm not here to save anyone! Just strengthen and challenge my own faith. And to listen to, and present strong arguments for or against religion.

Notify me when you hear or present one, I've always wanted to see one myself.

I like to rattle cages....but I also like to get my cage rattled too! In a spiritual sense that is!

If we don't challenge ourselves, we won't learn or be solid in our convictions.....whatever they are. Unfortunately, most here just throw slime around because either; they don't "want" to believe....or they are worried there just might be a God! I don't think I'm better, or worse than ANYONE ELSE! Regardless of my convictions or theirs! I don't hate my father for being an atheist! And he doesn't hate me for being a Catholic! And we both listen to each others pov....most of the time! LOL

You only blather on about god because you want to believe, or because you're worried that there isn't one

I don't think that anyone wakes up one morning and says: "hello God, today I believe in you!" It's even a daily struggle for the faithful to keep-on believing!

But it starts with "wanting" to know more than what our physical world has presented to us, in our relatively short live span.

Ends there too, because for all of your wanting, you still can't demonstrate that you know anything beyond what our physical world has presented to us.

Some...like my own dad have never dealt with it. He thinks that's "it" when you hit the dirt! Just as many here do.

But ....it don't add-up to me. Through my faith in God and in Jesus, my life has been pretty good! I'm not rich. But I'm healthy, happy and have relatively little worry or fear. And a lot of love around me. Which I attribute 100% to my faith in God.

I have a relative like that, had a habit of thanking god for the food on the table-nevermind that my wife and I put it on the table. The people in your life probably deserve a little more than the 0% you've allotted them in giving all credit to your fairies. But no, no, -your- faith, that's what did it.....

My dad on the other hand? Lives in fear and anxiety. He has had a lot of bad breaks in things that matter most in life. He has money, lives in a $3 million dollar house, literally on his own island....but isn't very happy! I attribute that to his lack of faith! He says he knows better! But watching him struggle with the important things like: health, family, love and peace in his life......... I'll forego the cash and take the others!

Some of us have never had to choose between happiness or cash, and a complete and utter lack of belief.

There is a way to explain "why" it went down the way it did. And it can make sense in an intelligent way! I told another member here I would explain it at some point. But I need to assimilate a little more, before I agitate even more! LOL

With any luck, people will have forgotten that you made such a claim before you've "assimilated a little bit more" and you'll never have to embarrass yourself.

Christians as a group, and most others can't quite get their heads around my theory of "the story" of everything. And that's fine.... But I have something interesting that makes sense to a "thinking" few, and a lot to me.

see above.

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The entire bible as a book on archaeology ...and why should that concern me? If I ever thought of it as competing with the world of scientific discovery then perhaps I might.

Because those stories purport to establish the authority and authenticity of a certain fairy, without which, the concepts which depend on said fairy find themselves in deep shit.