>> > Indeed, I personally think that it is not possible for a
>> > person who honestly believes in God to be a moral person or
>> > lead an effective, worthwhile life, so the cost of belief
>> > is very high--the sacrifice of this life for the false hope
>> > in the next.
>>
>> I'm sorry, but I think this statement is simply false.
>> What about Martin Luther King, to name the first example to spring
>to mind?
>>
>Shame, shame. If you mean Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., I'm afraid
>you're overlooking the fact that he was a communist and had several
>extra-marital affairs, and his doctoral thesis is littered with
>plagiarisms. He may have espoused "good" ideas, but I don't know if
>we should consider him to be a "moral" man.
You have a valid point about Martin Luther King, but I still don't think that you can denounce the morality of all Christians just because a lot of them are, by your standards, immoral. It's odd that the character flaws you point out in Martin Luther King, Jr. are those that imply a lack of faith and a disobedience to Christian values. It's funny that you mention communist as an immoral political position.
I know many open-minded Christians, and I have to say that, as far as morality goes, they have me beat by a long shot. While I do not know the absolute truth on any famous Christians, and therefore cannot give you an example, I know that it is foolish to say that someone is more immoral for believing in God. Maybe a bit delusional, but not immoral.
I think we might take a lesson from Shakespeare and Christ in knowing that we are all immoral, and therefore cannot really judge the character of anyone, much less an entire group of people.
-Eric Ruud