Oh yeah.  Cards win 7-4, sweeping the Padres in three games.  On to the NLCS.

Hmmm...interesting discussion.  But let me add my own argument.

Regarding the ease of believing Christianity, sure it is easy. 
All I have to do is believe God exists, created the world, loves me and
sent Jesus to die for me and everything is alright (though if that was
all Christians REALLY expected people to believe, Christianity would
not be near as controversial).  However, just because something is
easy to believe doesn't mean it is true.  Have you heard of
jumping to conclusions?  The whole reason it happens is because
people assume something is true just because it is easy to believe, yet
they are wrong.  What's to say it's not the same with God? 
Sure, I have heard the argument that it takes more faith to believe in
the Big Bang and evolution because they require you to believe in a
series of coincidences, whereas believing in Creation only requires
believing in God.  However, ease of belief is not what defines
something as true; evidence is.  The
evidence doesn't lie.

When it comes to blind faith, I believe people who rely totally on
blind faith are living the Christian delusion to the max.  All
faith requires at least some level of rationalization, and blind faith
has absolutely no rationalization at all.  Blind faith is based
totally on circumstantial evidence, which does not hold up in
court.  Think about the chair analogy.  People use the
analogy to say that you have to have faith in the chair to hold you
up.  True, but I am not sitting in the chair because of blind
faith.  I have seen many other people sit in chairs, even people
that are heavier than me, and it has held them up.  I can examine
the structure of the chair and see that it is able to support my
weight.  Therefore, I am not sitting in the chair because of
faith.  I am sitting in it because I have evidence that it will
hold me up.

When it comes to being happy, I suppose that Christians are happy
because of their beliefs.  But that does not make their beliefs
true.  All that means is that they have been brainwashed or
deluded themselves into being happy.  To say that someone will
only be happy when they become a Christian because Christians are happy
is circular reasoning.  If you step outside of the Bible for a
minute, how do you really know that everyone out there who does not
believe in Christianity is not really happy?  And if any of them
are happy, then why must they change to something else and risk being
unhappy?  Besides, just because you are happier than you have ever
felt before from being a Christian doesn't mean there is not something
else out there that could make you even more happy.

I do not know if there is anybody out there for me to marry, and right
now I don't think there is.  I want there to be that special
someone, but I don't think there is.  I don't even know if I
believe in love anymore.  All I am looking for in a relationship
right now is just casual sex.  That may sound crude, but right now
I see no reason to give up my freedom for the rest of my life just
because it is the "right thing to do."  I don't want children
because I fully believe I would be a bad parent and fuck them up for
life.

I have heard the argument (and used it many times) about Christianity
being "a relationship, not a religion."  True, I think faith has a
lot to do with relationships.  However, I think the main reason I
do not want a relationship with God or whatever is very similar to my
reasoning for not wanting to be married.  I see no reason for
giving up my freedom by getting married, and I see no reason for giving
up my freedom by turning my life over to Jesus just for the chance that
it MIGHT get me to Heaven (sure, I know you say it WILL get me to
Heaven, but what proof do you have besides the Bible that Heaven even
exists?).  And also, just a subpoint, if Christianity is not all
about this life's purpose being to prepare us for the next life, then
why do Christians witness and become missionaries?  Your whole
life has become consumed by trying to win converts to your religion.

Finally, the risk involved in believing in God versus not believing in
God.  I don't know how many times I used that argument with
non-Christians.  Sure, maybe I have more to fear from being wrong
than you do.  But just because I have more to lose from being
wrong does not mean I AM wrong.  If you are wrong, maybe you have
lost less, but you were still wrong.  Wouldn't you be upset at
wasting your life believing something that wasn't true?

Just answer this question, if you would.  How can Christianity
bring you enjoyment without brainwashing you into thinking pain is
enjoyment?  Why do you have to often do things you hate in order
to have joy?  Why must you limit the enjoyment you can get out of
life by always being concerned with sin?  How can this life
possibly be enjoyable or purposeful if the only reason for being here
is to prepare for the next life?  Why do we even need faith?

Sorry, that was five questions, but they are intertwined.

C.S. Lewis answered the question of morality by saying there was a
natural law (or Law of Nature, depending on the version) that instilled
in us a sense of right and wrong, and that this inherent sense must
have been planted by a god. However, isn't it also safe to logically
assume that we as humans are interested in our own preservation? We can
use logic and rationalization to determine the proper cause of action
in any circumstance. We can be selfish in our decisions, or benevolent
toward others.

I think morality came about in a fashion similar to this. As humans we
realized that we do not like it when other people mistreat us, and so
we decided to adopt a code of ethics that forbids us to mistreat
others. We also realized that the good of the human race as a whole was
good for us as individuals. However, there is always the potential
conundrum in certain situations where the best course of action for
ourselves may not be the best course of action for others, and
vice-versa. In situations like these, we have to choose which is more
important: the good of society, or the good of ourselves.

Believing in God makes it so easy, because all you have to do is
believe that God created us, instilled in us a sense of right and
wrong, and (as a Christian) gave us the Bible to guide us when we are
unsure. However, just because something is easy to believe doesn't mean
it is true. In fact, I am coming to the point where I believe
that putting all your faith into one thing (or being) is a bad idea,
because if ever that basis comes crumbling down, so does your entire
meaning for existence (trust me...I know this firsthand). People who do
so desperately defend their belief in God, because they have nothing
else. They will cling to their beliefs, deluding themselves into
believing despite their doubts, just to keep their faith intact. My
mother always told me not to "put all my eggs
in one basket."

"Pain heals.  Chicks dig scars.  Glory lasts forever."  - Shane Falco, The Replacements

Reading Jes's site reminded me that I haven't said anything about my
latest hair escapade.  Some of the guys in my business classes
have been trying to get me to grow the mustache back for quite some
time now.  I didn't do it because Jessica didn't like it. 
But since that is no longer a factor, I have decided I am going to let
it grow until graduation and see how I like it.

Now this will be funny.  I'll grow my mustache back, and my dad
will be shaving his head and mustache for Relay for Life.  Both of
us will be changing our looks at about the same time.  Come to
think of it, I don't think I have ever seen my dad without his
mustache...outside of pictures, that is.

I'm stupid , you're smarter
I'm stupid, thinking there's a way
this could turn out right

I'm dreaming, you woke up
I should have known from the start
that you were never mine

'Cause if I can't make you love me
you're out of reasons to stay
Make it easy on yourself
Don't worry about me
Can't make you feel something you don't

I'm crying, but don't pity
I'm dying, but just walk away
It will be all right

'Cause I was dreaming but you woke up
And Im gonna miss you but I
am gonna be all right

'Cause if I can't make you love me
You're out of reasons to stay
make it easy on yourself
dont worry about me
If I can't make you love me
You're not the one here to blame
I will make it on my own
don't worry about me

I actually posted this on my sister's Xanga, but I've been thinking about it so much that I have to put it here, as well.

Personally, I think religion is imperfect man's way of reaching out to
a perfect God, but since it is man's way, and man is imperfect, then
religion is also therefore flawed. How can we trust a Bible that is
written by men, then? We can't. You get the answer that it was divinely
inspired by God, but that is all you've got. The facts are that men
wrote the books of the Bible, and later on other men decided which
writings should be included and which ones should not. They say that
the books of the Bible were chosen because the words were spoken by
God, but then they say that we know what God's words are by reading the
Bible. Doesn't that seem like circular reasoning to you?  Or better yet, brainwashing?

Heresy.  Blasphemy.  Whatever you want to call it.  It's what I believe right now.

So on my way to work this morning, I was driving down Hughs and a
lady in a blue truck was backing out of her driveway, didn't see me,
and hit my car.  I tried to swerve out of the way, but she still got me
in the right rear door.  Her Chevy S-10 received no damage (except some
of my paint on her bumper), but it dealt a bit to my little Geo Prism.

She was really friendly about the whole thing, and was very easy to
deal with when exchanging insurance information.  Neither one of us was
hurt, and my car is still driveable.  About the only thing I am
slightly worried about is the proximity to the tire, but it doesn't
seem to pull or anything (an occasional scraping sound when I hit a big
bump or dip, but I think that's all).  We called the police, just to be
sure, and a cop came by and said that since everything was just
property damage, we could settle it with our insurance.  We also took
some pictures of the damage on her digital camera.

I was late to work at ITV, but I had Dad unlock everything, and the
professor went ahead and made the call.  I got here as soon as I
could, but everybody was understanding of the situation.

EDIT:  On second thought, I guess it wasn't a blue truck from
looking at the photos.  I thought it was, but it looks like it was
actually a grey truck.