Evolution?

[mrs.b]

But this is exactly my point; If a person cannot make heads or tails of whether or not the bible is even relevant, how can a person base their entire belief system on it? And if so many groups of people are claiming different beliefs about what the bible says, how do you know who to believe?

Each of those groups make heads or tails and believe fervently that their way of thinking is true and correct. Personally, I look at it like this: Most Americans believe in democracy as an ideal form of government. Yet, several political parties - and several factions within those parties - exist, because people have different ideas of what that democracy should look like and how it should function.

While you may not be able to make heads or tails of the differences in beliefs of a deep-woods Pentecostal Holiness church and the beliefs of a Quaker or Universalist (or someone who is both), individuals who identify with those belief systems see dramatic differences and would usually take offense at being lumped together in one broad generalization. We could even throw in the Baha'i, who believe in God and Christ...and also Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, Bab, and Baha'u'llah, because they believe Christ was a sent messenger of God; tell a Southern Baptist they're the same and must either agree or their beliefs make no sense, and I hope you're a fast zig-zag runner.

Each individual comes to their own form of belief of any religious form through a lot of inner reflection. It's typically flavored by upbringing as well, but that debate has already been had in the original Homeschooling thread that sparked this debate.

I disagree. I think a generalized group label is justified.

If all atheists shared the same sacred text, as all Christians seem to do (plus or minus a book or two, depending on whether or not you consider mormons to be christians.....which, they believe in God and Christ, so they clearly fit into your definition) and the common sacred text shared among atheists made a claim about abiogenesis being extraterrestrial in origin, then I believe that a generalized group label would be justified in that case as well.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that, then. Having dabbled in a wide variety of Christian denominations to try to find my niche (for which I have not yet managed), I can tell you the differences are wide and varied. Wars have been waged over those differences, though, so I personally do not see them as insignificant details. To each our own, though.

Of course, these are just my opinions. I do enjoy a lively debate, but please don't think me as being disrespectful or making fun of your beliefs.

I don't think you are, and I hope I'm not coming across that way. I'm pointing out where and why people take offense when deeply-held beliefs get questioned. It's often extremely difficult to explain the How's and Why's, purely for the sake of debate.