Paxx
disliking religions would give you something in common with Jesus, He didn't like the religions of His day either.

And neither did Mohammed, or any other founder of religions.

I like the Gaea theory. After all, we're all stuck on this rock, so what one does in some way or another affects the others on the rock as well. I a way, we're all walking/talking Gaea's, composed of millions of micro organisms.

I must learn to read, for I just completely echoed what the paxxmaster already said.

but they were not founders of religion really, people founded religions around them and added what they liked and ignored what they disliked, or amended it to fit who they wanted it to.

For example : " Thou shalt not Kill " does not leave room for inturpertation. It is exactly what it states. Those who presume to know Gods thoughts when God passed this on the humankind are really painting themselves being God like in my opinion.

It is either Gods Law as given, or it is Human based completely.

Thou shalt not Kill does not read Thou shalt not Murder in the least...

Neandertal might have not died out, there has been a new theory making its run, that they interbred with the other Human beings, now modern human kind.

They were in fact just as Human as us....

IPlural,

Actually, the translation from the hebrew can be interpreted as 'thou shalt not murder'. Various rabbinical translations state it thus.

I also think murder is a better fit than kill, considering that the text also describes many instances where God commands that all inhabitants of an enemy city be killed. Not to mention several other injunctions where killing is required as punishment for a crime, etc. For God to make a commandment that states 'thou shalt not kill', without exception, and then follow that with many other injunctions to kill describes a hypocritical God, one I don't believe in. However, a commandment against murder does allow killing to be used for other purposes (we may not agree, but at least it isn't hypocritical).

Otherwise, if you are required to kill someone in self defense (to use an example), you are sinning against God by doing so, no matter what the rationalization.

state it thus

WTF

Talking about a hypocretical God, Aleatoric, what do you think of the change of heart God seemed to have had between the Old and the New Testament?  In the Old Testament, God is threatening, punishing, and commands great fear, while in the New Testament it's all about a loving, forgiving God preaching us to turn the other cheak.

What's your thoughts on that?

pax the old and new testaments don't display these differences you have stated. read it again. If you notice the New testament was written after Jesus time. When He spoke of these quotes you are refering to, The Bible Jesus read from was indeed the Old Testament.

If god created the Universe, why did he hate the aliens so much in Signs?  And, why are humans so naked and puny compared to other creatures?  And, if we're made in his likeness...I think he needs to go on a diet....

I believe that something created us and we evolved from that.  However, I have no belief that there is something after death.  I believe that death is what it is like when you are put under for an operation, except you don't wake up.  You just never knew that you ever existed.  After having a few surgeries, I have come to grips with my own mortality.  I just can not believe that death is anything but unaware nothingness.

I understand that Jesus was jewish. I've even read some studies that seem to think that his father (Joseph) was a High Priest in the Temple of Salomon in Jerusalem. But anyway, that's another story.

I have indeed read the Bible cover to cover many times. And I can't see from those writtings that both books refer to the same God.

There is the God of the Old Testament;
There is the God of the New Testament;
There is Allah (seems to be a mix of the God of the Old and the New Testament);
There is Buddah;
And many more...
Before that there were Ra, Zeus, Jupiter, Odin and countless more.

Who really is God? Who is the true God? Of course, everybody says it's His...

Part of the problem is that everyone wants a God that reinforces their own view of the world, and the authors of the various parts of the Bible (not to mention the other texts) tended to project that desire in the text.

Although a believer, I cannot accept (as a whole) any of the dogma of any of the existing religions, since, without fail, they all tend to portray a God that is (or can be) hateful, jealous, vindictive, exclusionary, and so forth. A god with those qualities is not really God, and is certainly not worthy of reverence. I do think that many of the religious viewpoints are (or were) an honest attempt to try to understand God. The problem comes about with human dynamics and their tendency to subvert any socially binding context into something that can be used to control others. When someone tells me that they speak for God, I hide my wallet and run, because such a person either wants money or power (or both), and is not honestly interested in what God really wants (and more than likely, doesn't even know). They are using God for their own ends.

I believe that ultimately, God cares about what we do, and how we treat others, not about which particular sect we belong to, or what particular words we read or use.

"GOD" is a fictional character made up by kings, pharoah's and the like to keep order in their kingdoms and to keep their subordinates in line.

I actually don't know but it sounds good to me.