GaoFeng

I will be in Bangkok on Christmas day, does anyone know if Christmas is a normal working/trading day, or a holiday as in western countries?

can anyone recommend a good hotel in Beijing 4 or 5 star, for tourists, withing walking distance of Tienanmen square. I am considering the Crowne Plaza or the Prime Hotel, but will consider others if suggested

I need a small (13 inch or smaller) laptop for travel, for email, surfing, video IM and storing music and pictures. and some minor office work

I am tempted to buy a Mac Book, but have been a PC user all my life, can anyone suggest why I should not switch

Is there a version of Yahoo messenger for Mac OS X? does it support video chat?

I see many questions posted regarding the identity of the Anti Christ, but what about the second beast "The False Prophet"

Rev.16:13: "13:11: Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon."

seems to me he does most of the dirty work for the Anti Christ

"13:13: It works great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men; 14: and by the signs which it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, bidding them make an image for the beast which was wounded by the sword and yet lived; 15: and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain."

now i admit i am an atheist, but is seems the second beast should be easier to identify that the first

any suggestions ?

(wow this cutting and pasting is fun)

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24)

does this mean that it is almost impossible for a wealthy person to enter heaven? why is this? are other groups singled out for exclusion in the same way?

I see that the Vatican wants to update the seven deadly sins, (see link below), and I think we need to help them out, what do you think needs to be added to this list ?

http://au.news.yahoo.com/080310/21/163uy.html

A Christian friend of mine was telling me about his church's Easter pageant, apparently no one wants to play Judas.

As an atheist, i may be missing the point, but it seems to me that the whole Christian religion depends on the Crucifiction, so why is Judas so vilified for his role.

Any experiences ?

Do you think God has a sense of humor?

Can the big guy laugh at jokes at his own expense?

The NT and OT seem to contradict each other, does the NT supersede the OT, how is the OT still relevant ?

has R&S become little more than a forum for (Theists and Atheists) or (Muslims and Christians) to take cheap shots at each other.......I have only been hanging here for a few weeks but it seems to be getting worse. Are Trolls now the Majority?

I came across this quote from Thomas Jefferson

"But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

Can you say the same ?

in three questions recently I have seen reference to Lilith, who is described as Adams first wife.

I may be stupid, but I have never heard this one, is it for real, are there references? and what happened to her?

Saw this question (link below) and it made me wonder, if you do not believe in God, what would it take to prove his existence.

I am not baiting here, but this question made me wonder is there anything that could prove beyond all doubt the existence of god? (assuming u do not believe)

http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200...

I have seen many comments here that are worded in such a way as to imply Catholics are not Christians, I had always thought they were, (boy, will my wife be surprised)

Can someone explain the differentiation in these two terms in this context.

Also Catholics, do you consider yourself Christian

As JP Satre said.

OK, so you have your belief and opinion, for the sake of this question it does not matter what they are, what I am wondering is how tolerant are you of people with different beliefs.

Can you accept different people who believe other to you, or do you feel a need to bring them to your way of thinking, and if so why?

(please do not single out any specific group, such as "I can accept all people except the Pastafarians, because THEY ....." I am interested in an "In Principal" opinion)

Let us say there are 2 men

The first man has no belief or faith, but leads a moral life

He is hardworking and honest in all things

He is generous with his spirit and his wallet to those in need

He is thoughtful and compassionate to his family and those around him

The second man has belief and faith, but

Is often dishonest in his dealings with others

Is petty and selfish

He knows these things are wrong, but is comforted by the fact that he will be forgiven. (he is repentant, but weak and unable to change)

Having read much on this forum, it would seem that the general consensus is that the first man's virtue will be un-rewarded, while the second mans behaviour will be accepted.

I am not trying to bash anyone's beliefs here, but I am trying to understand the reasoning behind this apparent unfairness.

also if my hypothetical question is flawed in some way, please tell me,

I vaguely recall that "Hubris" is considered a sin, but you do not seem to hear much about is anymore (well I don't, maybe you do).

What do people think is it still considered a sin, and if so, how serious.

Also, curious to know, are you ever guilty of it?

There is a line in "The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" that goes like this

"I refuse to prove that I exist" says God, "because proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing"

I like the idea that faith, either in the existence or non-existence (depending on your faith), of God is a noble thing, and that actual proof would diminish this nobility,

Any thoughts?