Just so you know, despite our disagreements I genuinely mean no offense with anything I've said here. My main goal is mutual understanding, and I would be remiss if I did not articulate my own perspective as clearly as possible. I don't for a second claim that I'm a better Christian than you or even that I "know" more than you about this stuff - there's a pretty hard ceiling on how much can be definitively known, or else it wouldn't be faith, would it? It's just that I've spent my entire life observing and absorbing the teachings of a wide variety of Christian traditions, and I've been at it long enough to be intensely cynical toward certain patterns of thought, if only because I've seen the implications of what they represent. I would encourage you not to be afraid to question any aspect of your own beliefs; I've done that very thoroughly, and I'm still here. Doubt, in and of itself, is not sinful so long as you allow it to drive you to pursue the truth. Only idols topple under scrutiny.
