Thanks for that response. I would reject that cure if the cost is too high. I am not talking money here, I am talking what it takes from friends, family, myself, and humanity as a whole. You read all of that and see beauty and a path to strive for, but all I see is control and guilt.

As I read the rest of what you wrote, I only hear guilt and shame in your written word and the word of that book. What you feel from your religion and beliefs, I feel from the realities of life (I know this, as I have been excited about the bible and Jesus before). The one big difference is forgave myself for those actions of the past that were not "good person worthy", but I also know I will not commit those same mistakes going forward and therefore forgive myself for those mistakes. So I live my life without guilt and shame, but with the idea that I can be helpful to others and be happy with the time I have on this planet. I really feel bad for people who live their whole lives in guilt, just because some book or someone else says they should. Sorry, but that is how I see this.

BTW, no harm done on the condescension; I just wanted you to notice we are more alike than you may have thought.

No harm done. I asked these questions to get a better understanding of what other people that do not share my belief system think. I get what I get. What you view as my guilt about past deeds, I now see as thankfulness for grace given. Like most things in life, it is just a matter of an individual's perspective. We each certianly have our own.