Dear Lilith, I apologize for my curt, terse, and apparently brusque response, but I was extremely short on time and felt I had to get my foot in the door. Yes, I was rude and apologize for that too.

Your essay was long with many instants of controversy which I understand reasons you may have which seem valid.

However, the reasons you and many others consider that you havevalid complaints is that you all are relying on the verity of the underlying concepts.

My original reaction was that you could be right if the underlying concepts were true, but they are misconceptions based on centuries of opposition and misinterpretations of Bible texts - arising perhaps from confusion by archaic King James English from the early 1600's England.

Because there have been so many, I write essays trying to correct such misunderstandings, using Greek and Hebrew dictionaries, various modern translations of the Bible, and attempts to use modern, non-religious words and phrasings for purposes of clarity. For example, "sin" doesn't mean a whole lot today. So, I try to get to its effectual meaning of "harm" or "harmfulness."

If it would further our discussion and be of interest to you, I could copy your essay in order to go point by point to help give you a proper understanding of the Bible's messaging and historical context.