Is it hypocritical to join a church if you don't believe?

No I don’t. Please show me how your belief is intellectual.

Yes.

You are confusing fact with myth. Not unusual for a Theist.

He’s personally shown you? Personally? Wow. Then I guess you have undeniable proof of his existence. Care to share, so that we can all be enlightened?

Yes, or you are intellectually dishonest. It can only be one or the other.

Which is why I am NOT raising my kids in a dogmatic, Hellcentric sect, though one should not underestimate the value of having a higher authority backing you up when you are dealing with small children. :wink: OTOH, my kids didn’t start going to church until they were ten, by which time the persuasive power of a scary bearded guy in the sky or a crying Baby Jesus are nil. My church is more concered with why it is wrong than the punishment associated with doing it. And, fortunately, they and I agree on what’s wrong in most cases.

I am glad, though, that you see that the level of understanding of a three year old is not the same as that of an older child. You may find that “Don’t do that–you’ll hurt yourself” works better than “Don’t do that because Daddy doesn’t like it” when they get to be three. And there is some satisfaction in saying, “See? I told you it would hurt.”

The questions are meaningless and have no answers. That we can ask them and think they need to be answered is merely a side effect of our cognitive structure, nothing more. The Truth Shall Set You Free. :slight_smile:

Depends. Are the chicks hot?

Way. That’s why I recommend scouting around for a Scandanavian congregation. :smiley:

Hey, hey – I’m happily married, guys! You trying to get me into trouble with the missus or something? Sheeesh… :wink: