I read through this thread and tried my best to stay away from it. Because, let's all admit it. No one wins in religion. Besides, I don't understand a single thing about the references. I have never opened a bible. Which is why I agree with this: [quote=bramzero;#391386;1396621235]As a moral guidance, Bible is flawed and incomplete.[/quote] I respect you people who are very dedicated to the word or god. Or whatever terminology you use for religious dedication. And I don't understand how one can believe so much words of the Bible to be true. [quote=bubblegum;#391257;1396578322]The old testament was legalistic because it involves a lot of laws and rituals that needed to be followed. [b]The punishment for sin is death.[/b] Like, if you sinned, you have to make a sacrificial offering, e.g, offer a bull to the altar so that you will be cleansed. That way, [b]you who has sin will be blameless and the bull who was blameless will be the sacrifice.[/b] This is a bit complicated to explain. There is [b]a transfer of sin from you to the bull so that after the sacrifice, you are once again, acceptable in the presence of God.[/b][/quote] I do not wish to offend anyone, but isn't this similar to this situation?: I killed Prince William. It's a sin. I must fetch a completely innocent person/creature and blame him/it for it. Make him/it take the blame. After it's all done, I will be sinless again. I will go to heaven even if the completely innocent person/creature suffered from my wrongdoings. [quote=bubblegum;#391257;1396578322]If you don't accept Christ, you don't have salvation.[/quote] V [quote=bramzero;#391386;1396621235]God not only acted like a kid with emotional issue but he also has this kind of superiority and narcissistic complex. "Worship and obey me or die". Where's God the merciful? He was being contradictory to the "love and compassion" values.[/quote] I can't put a verse or something from the bible about good values and morals and stuff like that. Or what God said about our enemies and friends. I do not believe in the bible and the teachings of the church. But I believe I have a God my faith can hold on to. Let's be good to others, my friends. If they want to get a tattoo but you think it's bad because of the "our body is a temple" thing, keep your opinion to yourself. Them getting a tattoo doesn't mean they are treating their bodies as trash. Tattoo is a decoration. A tribute or something like that. That doesn't sound like self-destruction at all and if they said something like they doubt the existence of God when they are Christians. That's their business. No one disses you and your hold to your religion.