julianw

Could you give me the author of the book? I am rereading the Count of Monte Cristo and just realized that it is a very religious book.

Launch - Your skill with paint is still the best!

Robert Horry for Finals MVP!

My little cousin back in China graduated middle school with a top ten class rank, and his parents took him to McDonald for the first time as a reward. And those McDonalds or K.F.C.s are packed with people all the time. I went back last summer and had to wait for empty seats! Maybe they are not exactly considered high class, but they sure are taking over the world.

You are dead on about McDonald being expensive in developing countries. Imagine how exicted I was when I moved to US and saw the price for those combo meals. My weight shot from 180 lb to 220 lb in two months.

Do you know that McDonarlds are considered high class in third world countries? Imagine parents taking kids to McDonalds for their birthdays. How lovely!

Congratulations! Never read any of them, though I heard that the books are much better than the movies. Maybe they are worth a try then.

Give me a double-bladed silver saber, and I will hold it while I sleep.

Sentry - I like your Revan's costume better. The in-game Revan looks like he is from one of those exploring teams to the North Pole.

I see your point. If the Bible can tell us exactly what to do about everything, what is the use for our consciousness? We would simply be robots programmed by the Bible. I think just because you declare God to be your lord does not save you from evils in your heart. Those priests who teaches ethics in public but molest children in privacy are not true Christians or truly religious. It is not the Bible that taught them evil. In fact, without having learned the ethics from the Bible, they might even be more evil.

Revan and Exile can still fight if they have the same alignment. I imagine Exile will find Revan, and Revan will test if the Exile is strong enough to face the true sith.

Additional XP, perhaps? Kreia is good for a bonus on every bit of XP you get... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You mean the force bond that boost both you and Kreia? Is it that helpful?

I never used Kreia much. I mean when you have Visas, Mira, and Handmaiden, why ask an old hag to follow you around? It is disrespectful to the ladies!

Metadigital - The version of Qu'ran I am reading explained that line in the footnotes that of course the body of Christ was crucified on the cross, but Christ's teachings and influence lived on. With around one billion Christians today, I would say: yes, the essence of Christ did not die on the cross.

Darth Flatus - A Muslim friend pointed out this to me as I have not finished the Qu'ran yet, but maybe this can help, it is a debate between some Muslims and Christians: www.answering-christianity.com/earth_rotation_challenge.htm

I just want to point out that the Bible was first written for people at that time. Even though the Bible was declared to be the words of the all-knowing God, it would not explain facts like the science behind volcano erruptions, etc., because who at that time can understand it? If you read the Qu'ran (also called the Final Testament by Muslims, though I would not agree yet), it was written much later than the Bible and much more advanced in its scientific facts. For example, the Qu'ran pointed out that the Earth actually revolves around the Sun way before the European scientists.

Though English is not my native language, I always thought Oxford has the final say on the English languague. [EDIT] Metadigital - If my ignorance of the nature of science has angered you, I sincerely apologize. It is not my intention at all.

Actually, I am an electrical engineering major. Apparently not a bright one though. Science is not another theory. If my words upetted you in any way, I apologize. I said it is a practice. I just don't think it explains everything such as life's purpose, etc.. So I try different means to find the answer. I doubt my skepticism for those people are any less than yours. That's why I try to study them in the first place. Their claims are so significant that I must find out whether they are lying or not. It is because that I am a man of science, I feel that it is my responsibility to distinguish truth from fallacies in any claims. Anyway, just want to thank everyone's inputs. It helps a lot to learn others' perspectives on the issue.

Acutally, I simply study all religions a little bit, though I am no expert on any of them. I wouldn't call myself religious at all, since I don't follow any of them. But I certainly would not discredit any prophets without extensively studied their teachings myself. Since you think Mohammed hasn't been discredited yet, why can't there be new prophets coming that won't be discredited either? I mean Mohammed did come after Christ and Moses. Well. Newton's laws are once regarded as the eventual theory in physics, but when science advanced and new experimental methods become available, quantum mechanics becomes the theory that outdated Newton's laws. F = ma was proved to be only a very good estimation but not fully correct. It doesn't mean we can no longer believe in science. I am simply saying that science updates itself. I am simply comparing how we practice religion and science, not the actual practice themselves. They both require openmindedness is all I am saying. Fanatism in any practice is evil. Well, except Kotor of course.

Generally speaking, most manga characters look like teenagers though. But again, who doesn't want to look young? I mean plastic surgery is getting more and more popular these days, right? Launch, me want pictures of Bulma, too.

Not Kenshin though. The dude is 28 years old when the manga started. Don't know how old Spike is, but must be over twenty though.

Changing clothes for characters in manga means a lot more work, so the artists don't do it. Just imagine that the characters wash their only piece of clothing everyday. Great work as always.

But don't you think that you must believe in the practice of science that it is the method to reveal truth about the physical world. The scientific methods have come a long way since the beginning of human race. I mean the contemporary science certainly makes more sense to us than studying nature simply through perception, but ancients have held similar beliefs in using perception alone to study nature. Hence, they believed that sun revolves around earth. But when methods or theories in science get out of date, we scratch them. Since we don't yet know everything about science, you can only say that we believe in the scientific methods. And I think religion applies to metaphysics in a similar way. Science and religion are valid ways to study physics and metaphysics, but they are not stagnant and requires updates. By the way, religion does not deal with God in western terminology all the time: Buddhism, Confuscism, etc..

I think many religious people believe in the big bang, too. They believe it is God who started it, which is one possible explanation. Of course, it is not the only one. But I think since the big bang did not happen by following the laws of this universe(these laws only govern the existence), its cause might have been willed by something else? But the study of science as means to discover the truth is something that requires faith in the method. I think there is the same approach to religion. When new prophets arrive and reveal new tablets, we investigate with an open mind just like we investigate new theories revealed by further study of science. See? Science and religion are not so different after all.

We believe in religion and science. It doesn't mean we must believe in monotheism and gravity, and gravity, as you said, is already proved wrong. I just think we should keep an open mind in this progressive universe, and it shouldn't conflict with our faith in science or religion.