I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most religious guy on the block. I’m just as skeptical of the bible as I am of ordering Dominos pizza. Sure, I pray and I went to Sunday school as a little kid. Hell, I was a regular Billy Graham. Yet, I’ve always questioned the bible and its authenticity. Granted I understand that most parts of the bible are simply parables that teach lives lessons, but if you asked me if I believed that Noah built an arc and Jonah got swallowed by a whale I’d have to say no. It’s too outlandish and far fetched to logically say that really happened. In fact most religious scholars are acknowledging the fact that the stories in the bible didn’t really happen. They are not disputing the fact that there wasn’t a figure named Jesus who was the son of a carpenter and claimed to be the son of God. What I want to know is what is bogus and what isn’t. As I’m sure we all know, that they have been texts omitted from the bible, selected by the powers that be. Well what the hell do these texts say that they don’t want us to know? I want to believe that God loves me and that there’s a better place awaiting me when I die, but that’s hard to do. When I die am I just going to rot in a pine box while my hair and fingernails continue to grow and not even KNOW that I’m dead? I want to believe that I have a soul, but then again if I have a soul does a badger have a soul? What makes us so special? With science explaining the whole existence of the Universe, it sort of discredits God. Science is challenging faith at its core and religion as we know it. Science is scary and a lot of folks would just be happier if it would stop shaking the foundations of which their lives are based. What if God doesn’t exist? A long time ago there was no question that God existed, because there wasn’t the technology to disprove the fact that he didn’t. Plus, there was a fear to even question that he did. Now that’s changed and a lot of people’s believes could go up in smoke. I’m no heretic, but the Church has been bullying folks for centuries and now its very infrastructure is threatened. I guess what the bible really does is set guidelines for how we should live our lives. That’s the bottom line. We should just be good people and live our lives the best we can. I still believe that we can achieve immortality and go to a better place if we each try to live decent lives and help each other as much as possible, if such a place exists. I’ll still have faith because I’m too much of a chicken not to. I believe in the message of the bible, but will that be enough to get me to a better place when I’m long gone, IF such a place exists? I pray that it does. It’s a question of faith that will be answered for all of us one day. Till then I guess.