Reply #24: I have had the privilege of engaging him personally on several occasions

[Starboard Tack]

and we do not agree on everything. Not by a long shot. I would describe myself as agnostic with atheistic tendencies, yet I espouse most Christian principles like do unto others, help those in need, humility etc.. Beyond that, I do not believe that Jesus was a Messiah, the only Son of God. Nor do I believe that he died for our sins, was resurrected or any other nonsense associated with him. For me he was just a cool guy who rocked the boat, got himself killed for it and exploited centuries later by tyrants and loonies from Popes to Pat Robertson. However,
I have known this poster for over five years and have the utmost respect for him. He is the antithesis of what most of us have come to associate with being "Christian". There is not a bigoted bone in his body, nor an ounce of arrogance. He is a theologian and scholar and a man who devotes much of his life to the betterment of mankind, not by preaching and talking, but by doing. I'm not trying to defend or rescue him from the onslaught he has been subjected to here, for he is more than capable of defending himself. But I would ask for a smidgen of patience and forbearance while he gets up to speed with how things work around here. He is in his eighties and still a very busy man. Computers, internet and DU are all very new.