If faith works how every religion says it works......

[RAD]

Again, unfortunately not.

You assume that

A. A rational exploration of Christ's teachings is the only way to see if it does what is promised (ie a better life and this living water you speak of) and that this must be done with an open mind.

This makes sense, it would test whether Christ's teachings are as effective as a good self-help program, but not do a thing about divinity or the logical inconsistencies. Also the word "only" is not true 99.999% of the time.

B. Through this exploration and then using the standard of sermon on the mount you can deduce if your life or the lives of those around you have improved.

Ok sure, there may be a way to develop a comparison and statistically compare the lives of the people around you to the standards of this sermon.

C. If lives are improved, then following Christ's teachings are true and the actual way of Christianity.

Here is where your leap truly fails. The outcome of this type of exploration would only deduce if this lifestyle were a factor in quality of life, there is no reasoning to suggest this lifestyle would have been responsible for the improvement. Also, it doesn't negate alternative possibilities, including physiological changes as an explanation for why this lifestyle is effective as opposed to divinity.

You test does nothing to prove Christianity, or anything else for that matter.

You aren't making much sense. First you admit a statistical comparison could be made, of say, more or less crimes committed, more or less divorces, more or less improved job performance, more or less child abuse, or however you want to do it.

Then you say it means nothing.

What do you mean then by "doesn't prove Christianity"? You need to explain that. The question wasn't about proving Jesus existed, if that's what yo umean. The question is whether it is possible to show to some atheists "rational" (rather subjective) satisfaction whether Christians following the Bible (in fact) improve the world around them. Right?

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But then again, I trust only a few atheists would be unhappy about the fact that some converted L.A gang members are offering to wash our cars instead of stealing them.

Why don't you try to deconvert them and see how many cars they want to wash for 4 bucks they don't get.

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Well no, we believe in a God who came down here in human form, quite visibly.

And went back up in the sky just like mohammed and the horse he rode in on.

Don't go thinking you are superior to the muslims.....it's the same silly shit.

Yada yada. Really? Mohammed advocated violence, had critics put to death, never worked a miracle and slept with 12 year olds he met on swings. Meanwhile he got revelations which materially contradicted Roman historical records.

I have more facts to share, but let me ask, do you have any facts to back up these rather pedantic, simplistic and gratuitous assertions of yours?

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Madison also said:

Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise, every expanded prospect.

He was right then and he is even more right now.

You've been reading too much skeptics.org. The founders, being actual thinkers instead people merely posing as thinkers, always separated the Baby from the dirty bathwater. Hence, like me, Madison hates religion and says the Gospel is still hidden from a world dark "for the wont of it."

It's a deep thought to some I guess, but you see this all through the founders writings- praise for Jesus and disdain for "the Papists." (And disdain for Paine by the way)

Capish?