I have looked over this thread and I must say from the outside it appears to be exhausting. Just my opinion, but it seems like a lot of words and not a lot of content.
I am not sure the path to truth is found in argument, but in open discussion about what we believe, why we believe, and how we feel about such beliefs.
I am a rather non-traditional Christian. Not shy about either being non-traditional or a Christian. "Christian" means different things to different people, especially if you consider this a global discussion.
To me it means I believe God came to earth in the form of the man Jesus Christ for the purpose of restoring mans relationship with God. He succeeded in his purpose by living a sinless life and then paying the price of death for those who have not.
I do believe the earth was created by God in 6 days. I am prepared to discuss the scientific evidence for this belief, but it is a BELIEF. I am not blind in what I believe, but I to recognize life itself requires a certain level of faith. My faith is placed in this knowledge of his creation.
At times we may take a position of the opposition for the sake of understand our own beliefs. I have done this many times. However, let us not do this now, but be honest about what we believe and have an open dialog about the impacts of these beliefs.
For example, we are having this conversation on rollitup.org. What impact does your beliefs have on the idea of smoking and in some cases growing pot? Do you grow better pot because you believe God created it or do you have a conflict with the whole topic?
This thread could serve to develop a better understanding of those who are opposed to our lifestyle. I know there are threads about why pot was made illegal, but in the end of the day it is a large percentage of our population which has moral challenges with the use of pot. Understanding these people is the first step to enlightening them... or you can slip them a hash chocolate chip cookie.
Thoughts? What do each of you really believe. Apart from your arguments, what do you believe, why do you believe, and how des it impact your life? Please, no weird ass esoteric explanation or dialogs. Quit trying to convince everyone because in doing so we often sound either weird, childish or just stupid. Just spill it out and tell us how you feel about your faith, whether it be in nothing... a rock, or in snake handling while smoking a fatty.