I agree rbk. They took prayer out of our schools. They legalized abortion. They have formed the political correctness bandwagon. Since the 50's and 60's the morality of our country has spiraled down out of control. And it's only going to get worse. And for the writer of the editorial, you will be in for a huge shock when you stand before God after you die.

On religion, you are right...but Christianity is a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ, closer even that to ones parent, spouse, sibling, child, acquanitance, or friends....
Rational= take a precept, no matter how extreme, and work it to that precepts logical conclsusion. EXAMPLE: Hitler=no relationship with Jesus Christ [God, born of the Jews in human flesh, by the way]=Jews are the problem, lets exterimante at least 6 million, use them for lab guinea pigs, keep their flesh for lamp shades----NO THERE IS YOUR INSANE RESULT OF WHAT HITLER [and Satan] thought was RATIONAL.

NOPE=dont need religion, dont need much of mankind's "rationalism", I DO NEED that personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Hope you wake up bro.

Deeo...you compare rational thought to the thought process of syphillitic, paranoid, psychopathic, megalomaniac amphetamine addict? Wow. Hitler was a self proclaimed Christian, btw. FFS people, you are the ones that are causing all of this strife. If we didn't have to cater to the money-grubbing, child molesting, methamphetamine, false prophet for profit preachers, this could be a really nice country to live in.

ReallyBugged you ask "How do you know"? My answer is I know because the Bible teaches it...One must have faith and accept Christ or one doesn't.. Where God and Jesus Christ and the Bible are concerned there is no debate, there will be no debate...It is a done deal..You either accept or you don't..It is quite simply your choice..As far as myself and my home are concerned we believe as I hope you will before it is too late..

Religion is a very personal thing to me, I am a believer but I don't try to push my religion on others. Religion gives people something to believe in, something to fear, and something to look forward to at the end of our lives. No one really knows if there is a God or life after death, we know what the bible tells us and we either believe or we don't. If you don't believe that is fine.......but you are no more right in your beliefs than the believers......I will say that if more people whether they believe or not would adopt some of the moral values in the teachings of the bible then we would have less crime, less STD's, more people helping others. Back when people took their children to church and taught them family values we had a lot less crime, more respectful young people, neighbors helping neighbors so to me the fact that this country is getting away from christian values is a big mistake.

Faiths are not irrational according to psychiatrist. If faiths are irrational, then 98% of the planet is irrational, but it would classify the other 2% as delusional. Those arguments are fallacious. People are the problem not the religions they may hold. Just like criminal activity by atheist is not because they are atheist, or atheist are incapable of moral character. Come on now!-see the absurdity of such logic. Christianity or Islam in themselves are not the problem but the minority of fundamentalist in each group are a group of people who are a problem. Both deny the very faith they are supposed to uphold and are agenda driven. The problem with christianity hasn't been taking prayer out or school or any such nonsense but christians taking the christianity out of christianity. People can rationalize all sorts of nonsense, but faiths are an obvious biological phenomenon as one could argue about homosexuality. Faiths have molded the history, art, science, medicine, culture, and society of every continent on the planet. Rational refers to reason, and folks can reason about anything.

I like that biz.

The writer couldn't be more correct. To any rational observer of extended human history, it should be obvious that man created religion to address his ignorance of the world and to control the populous. What I don't agree with is the idea that because you don't want government to take property from people to give to others, you're immoral. Those worthy programs for the poor are better provided by nonprofits. Government will screw them up.

Mark, I am shocked with your diatribe against Christianity and the Bible. Your dear mom taught little children faithfully at First Baptist, North Augusta, and her love for them in Christ influences them as adults to this day. Why the anger and outrage? Where and why did you turn off the straight and narrow road? Hopefully, your mom's gentle spirit and love of Christ and His church will one day once again be found in the deep recesses of your troubled soul. God bless you, Mark. Many are praying for you.

or maybe he's been convinced to keep them closed.

Isn't that what Church encourages? Don't think, just have faith? I promise it's going to happen? LoL. They don't call the congregations "His Flock" for nothing. Wake up, sheeple.... baaah! LoL.

It all just kind of happens PT. Life is a random series of events that event the most faithful have no control of. It is arrogant to believe that an all powerful cosmic deity exists and has cast it's gaze upon this little rock that happened to spawn life with any kind of favor.

Not arrogance Republicant just profoundly filled with a sense of awe and wonder that an all powerful and loving God could have created all everything around and beyond us and He still had and is still taking the time to take care of me...