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I don't even know where to start replying to your many comments. Do you seriously want me to justify my claim that religion should promote tolerance and reason with scripture? I could do it, but it would take me hours to explain all of doctrine to you. I have indeed both read and studied The Bible on my own, in over five religious courses and one secular, and in two courses at the university level. I am traveling to Jerusalem in January to further study The Old and New Testaments. I am not one of those people who think that you can prove anything about The Bible by quoting a few scriptures. I have no desire to argue with a person who makes points that I have already made (as if I disagree with you about them), and who answers with essays that don't even seem to be a direct rebuttal for me, but for all of Christianity. It annoys me when people assume things about what I believe, and it further annoys me when you say things like, "That is the problem. Everybody gets to interpret scripture how they want to," and then proceed to interpret The Bible as you want, in order to make a point. You can't dismiss biblical interpretation as arbitrary and then make definitive statements about how it supports slavery, torture, forcing women to marry their brothers-in-law, etc. That's just ridiculous.

I hope that I don't sound too hostile. I have a very fiery temperament, but I assure you that it's all in good fun and that I do appreciate your comments and enjoy heated discussions. I think that you are an intelligent person and that you made good points, but what am I supposed to do with that quagmire that you gave me, honestly? I don't have that kind of time nor stamina.

I agree that science, logic, and respect for others are essential to good society, but the right interpretation of Christian doctrine should encourage these things, not reject them.

"Religion" is not synonymous with "Protestant Christian," and your personal bad experiences with religion do not prove that all religion is harmful. It's funny how you just sort of skipped over the second part of my sentence, "However, religion isn't harmful in and of itself, but the watering-down and misuse of doctrine is, yes, extraordinarily evil and damaging to both straight and gay people."

When I refer to the "watering down" of doctrines, I'm verifying what you said. It seems like most Christians today have no concept of the fact that faith does not have to be removed from logic, tolerance, and an open mind. "Faith," for some people, is a word to throw out when someone asks you a hard question. I do believe in faith. You and I both know that there are things that human beings don't and/or can't understand. Whereas you write faith off as belief in the supernatural, I believe that faith is belief in things that follow all of the laws of the cosmos, but that are beyond our power, knowledge, or understanding. Faith is not necessary for the purpose of dismissing science and logic. It is necessary so that we can have choice. People are always arguing with me about choice, saying that a god who threatens damnation is not truly offering choice. Well, that's a discussion for another day.

When religious people think that morality is black and white, when they are hateful, intolerant, or bigoted, they obviously don't understand Jesus Christ AT ALL. So when I say that religion is not inherently harmful, your 37 years of experience, I'm sorry to say, do not exhaust all of the possibilities religion has to offer.