Theland, this is where the problem arises for me, and I can never come to terms with it. What was there before the big bang? Now, there may have been a creator - I doubt it - but for the sake of this debate we'll assume there was. However, that creator cannot have been your God, or Allah - who are one and the same. It had to be something much greater. Can you honestly believe (especially after watching the Stephen Hawking programmes), that something that created this vast universe would firstly, have created it all for us, and secondly would concern itself solely with the pettiness and the misdemeanours of the backward, uncivilised, creatures living on this tiny speck in a minor galaxy? There must be other planets that do in fact sustain intelligent life - the laws of average alone demand it - and if you get Chakka going on Occam's Razor - watch out! Surely that's just common sense. You have an ancient book, written by ancient and superstitious people, that contains tales of an incredibly cruel being, who taken on his merits, and with our knowledge of science today, wouldn't seem at all powerful to us - and, not only do you believe it, you excuse his many failings and tell us how wonderful he really was. Well, he wasn't - and if you believe what the bible tells you, you'll know he wasn't. Today we'd call him a psychopath - and send immediately for the men in white coats.
Continued