But that is the issue, isn't it? If god wanted himself to be known, loved and worshiped by his creation, then there should not be an equal chance of it being either chance that we are here or a result of his divine creation. It should not require a "leap of faith" at all. It requires as much of a leap of faith to believe in any of the myriad of deities (or even one that I could create on the spur of the moment) as it does to believe in the god of the Bible or the god of the Qu'ran. In this case, lack of proof is as much evidence as proof.

You see, the problem is that many religions claim that they are the one, true way and that all others are false. They claim that their god desires to be known and worshiped. However, the god of these religions refuses to make himself known, demands a "leap of faith" and then punishes anyone who would dare refuse to take this irrational leap.

Let's talk about "faith" for a moment. Faith, in and of itself, is worthless. Faith is ONLY as good as the object in which it is placed. If I have absolute faith that I can fly if I leap off a building, then that faith will prove itself to be worthless once I come crashing into the pavement. Faith, therefore, must have evidence ... something that validates it. You give credence to your faith via the known universe. In it, you see "intelligent design" and, as a result, you take a leap to a divine creator. However, your thinking could be faulty. Why is a divine creator any more plausible than, say, an advanced alien race coming here and planting life? And, no, I don't believe that myself, but why is it any less likely? Why does one man look at what is all around us and he sees design while another man does not? Is one man really so blind? Or is it the other that is blind?

I rejected the Bible because I saw that I could not place my faith in it. The errors of that book, the contradictions within ... they validated that I could not trust the book and, as a result, I could not trust the god portrayed therein. I admit that I don't know a lot about the Qu'ran, however I am inclined to think the same way about it and its god.

Please understand, Dooley, it is not my intention to be mean spirited. I understand that you believe the Qu'ran and in its god. However, anything that requires a leap of faith is not valid. As pointed out, such a leap renders faith worthless.