"@Heather 1) No, not in words.  Following that experience, I did find quite a few writings from different religious traditions which seemed to be of a similar nature. 2) Nothing quite so dramatic, no. 3) I assume you mean my biological family (I…"

"I was a devout Christian, praying to God for guidance, and Sri Shiva revealed himself to me in a blinding light which knocked me to the floor.  No, I don't have any proof.  No, I can't really differentiate it from the multitude…"

"Actually, you're right, it is the Jain adherents who do that.  I was studying both at the same time and sometimes get them confused."

"Saith Trevor: "All religions cannot be valid because they contradict each other.  If one says there are lots of gods and another says there is only one God then they cannot be both true.  Also if one says you get right with God…"

""PS - I think you said you're from Oklahoma - if so, is Clara Luper still among the living? Great lady!" Texas actually.  No clue about Ms. Luper."

""Unethical."  That assumes a standard of ethics.  Is the remainder of your post your definition? "Betraying a lack of compassion and empathy."  I'm sorry but you're going to have to do better than…"

"So he's the kind of guy who puts the "best" in "bestiality" ..."

"I live in Houston.  Our elected mayor is an "out" lesbian.  Not all Texans are as backwards as you might think.  Though we did see some Christian churches around the state calling for a boycott of Houston in response. …"

"Well, I'm Hindi.  (Probably not as popular  in an atheist forum, since we have at last count somewhere around 330 million gods.)  And death ... well, it doesn't scare me.  I've been dead before.  Not in a…"

""Better" ... how?"

"You're lucky my estate doesn't sue you for wrongful death, I laughed that hard.  Stealing this."

"Saith Kelin420: "What is a "hardcore" Satanist? It's just another deluded belief. Like a hardcore anti-X-tian." In many ways you would be correct.  Anton LaVey's "Satanic Bible" made it clear that he was…"

"Saith Helen Pluckrose: "If you read the bible, you will find justified in there slavery, child murder, rape, genocide and much more awful stuff. No Christian thinks these are OK even tho God says it is" No, it was OK when God said it was…"

"Brian, two points. First, I think you don't give Christianity enough credit.  The New Testament Jesus "event" (reality or not) was, at least in most theology I've read, a major change in the focus of morality and…"

"Edited version: "If I have to believe that a human acts with a view toward the effect of the act on the future, don't I have to attribute the same thing to a bee by parity of logic?" All animals are equal.  Just some are more…"

"Some humans do not even require that they be of another species to lack moral concern for their unnecessary suffering of death."