Let me define what I mean by "Mere Belief Systems".

If I think bananas taste excellent and you think bananas taste horrible, and we then proceed to lay siege to one another's homes in the argument, thereby slaughtering innocent victims in our wake and subjecting the remaining few to bow down to our beliefs, what is this situation beyond mere quibbling? From that vantage point, what is it beyond a mere belief system? So much bloodshed over what? BANANAS!?! Do you think it's any different where religion is concerned? I don't. Allow me to expound on the reasons why.

If I understand your wording correctly, Russ, you seem to imply that fighting over religion is not "merely a belief system". While I'm only too happy to respect the beliefs of others (Creationists AND Evolutionists among them, though you seem to only respect the former and not the latter) I also recognise that when you categorise religion beyond "mere belief systems", what you're invariably doing, whether conscious or not, is excusing the bloodshed and mass slaughter which has existed for millenia at the hands of, yes, something that is little more than a belief, plain and simple. Maybe to you it's more than "mere", but I assure you those who've lost their lives and the lives of their loved ones because they refused to cower before the "Almighty" think otherwise. Whatever conspiracies exist (or you think exist) regarding evolution, I can point you towards an infiniate amount more evidence that Christianity (and indeed Monotheism as a whole) has done far more damage and commited far more acts of brutality and terror. Maybe these people aren't "Christian" by your or the bible's definition, but it's still done in the Christian/Muslim/<Insert Similar Monotheistic Belief Here> name. Evolution simply hasn't been around as long to have done as much damage, besides which, Evolution isn't a monotheistic belief and, therefore, lacks the propensity for violence which monotheism has been awared.

One of the reasons I've always held Christianity with such contempt is that 99.9% of all the Christians I've met routinely violate the very rules they've allegedly dedicated themselves to live by. Conversely, nearly every Evolutionist I've met has been kind hearted, doesn't commit adultery, respects others, and, amusingly enough, seems to practise all the "Love Thy Neighbor" precepts of the Christian religion -- far moreso than the Christians I've encountered. Something just doesn't add up there. I'm not saying there aren't good Christians, but based on everything mentioned above, it's still left a bitter taste in my mouth for said religion.

Everything which is fought over, just about, is for minor incidentals (mere nothings). The blood of innocents has been shed over territory, dirty looks, political and religious beliefs, you name it. And at the end of the day, killing anyone for these reasons is paltry when compared to the heinous acts committed in their name. In my opinion, if you kill me because I like bananas and you don't, that's no different than killing me because I refuse to accept someone else's belief that when I die I'll sit on a cloud with feathered wings. I'm sorry, I don't believe that, and if you step into my homeland, annihalate my people and enslave the survivors, all because we refuse to accept what we view as absurdity, then you've just committed terror over nothing more than a mere belief system.

The world would be a sad place indeed if we were all Christian; just as it would be sad if we were all Jewish, or all Shinto, Bon Buddhist, etc. But it would also be an equally sad place if there wasn't room for Christians, or, for that matter, Evolutionists.

Regardless of whatever conspiracies lie behind certain beliefs, none of these beliefs are conspiracies in and of themselves. Like Christianity -- a perfectly wonderful ideology -- this "mere belief system" can and has routinely been used as a propoganda tool. You say Evolution creates a desensitised atmosphere? Christianity has accomplished the same tenfold, with a far lengthier history. Here, look, I can commit geonice and say it's "Divine Intervention", it's "God's" will! Now we have the perfect excuse to do whatever we want. When Christopher Columbus the Butcher erected policies making it legal to dismember innocent native American men, women, and children to be used as dog feed, he was using Christianity to desensitise his people. It's "God's Will" that these "barbarians" be slaughtered, they're barely human anyway, so go ahead, feed them to your dog! The same goes for the terrorist anti-hero Andrew Jackson, who tanned a native American's skin and turned it into a horse's bridle! Meanwhile the former is given a public holiday and the latter revered on the face of a 20 dollar bill. How patriotic. (Though that's an entirely different subject, I suppose, I felt it deserved some merit here).

It's all about perception. I respect your opinion immensely, Russ, and your feedback on this discussion forum is one of the reasons which brings me coming back here again and again. You've raised some very good points in your rebuttal, some of which I cannot argue against: you're right. And I also think that we agree more than we disagree, it's more a matter of what angle we're looking at it from. So when I say these are "mere belief systems", that's not to belittle them, rather, it's to point out that elevating them to a higher degree forgives millenia of terror. I just can't do that, after all, it's merely one man's belief versus another. And what a wonderful world we live in where we're all allowed to have and to share a multitude of beliefs, no?

As always, I'm not trying to offend anyone in my comments. This is just a fun discussion. I've actually learned a great deal from some of the previous posts here, even if we stand in opposition with our views. I enjoy experiencing opinions with those I may disagree with. Sometimes it even changes my perception.

As a final note on Evolution vs. Creationism, I'd like to point out that Atheism has long been the scorn, ridicule, and target of imperial, monotheistic cultures for a long time. Even during the Renaissance era when Aethism became something of a fad, it was still, ultimately, a heresy. I had a devout born-again-Christian friend years ago who once said to me, "It's too bad that Christianity has been given such a bad rap over the years and has always been put down by others." My immediate thought was, dude, what are you talking about! Evolution and Atheism combined have undergone about as much mistreatment as a pin cushion -- BY the Christians, no less!

Anyway, that's my two cents.