Muscatine

To the victor go the spoiles then? The only problem I might see here is that for those plenty of folks of faith, there are as many standing up for the WORD as any of the aptly named clergy crooks who didn't, and do not seem to face the long arm of the law. I guess you are right however within interpretation. But here in the world of christianity, we speak the word as it's written. So the parables aply. battles to be won, wars to fight still, but there isn't one word of nothing but honest faith in my comment. And should it be wrong in the end at least I was among those who suffered for the word as it was written and hope my name is in the book of life in spite of interpretation. If I smoked for thirty years I face a greater chance of connected ills that had I not. Faith seems to be tied to the same pitfalls.

Again, your interpretation of the "word" is much different than mine.  Or Jim Bakers.  Or Billy Grahams.  Whose "word" is right?  Why do you have the hotline to the source that we don't?  Why doesn't my faith have as much weight as yours? 

So many of our ills have been caused by those, such as yourself, who are convinced they have the only answer.

"I've read a bit of what Arthur C. Brooks has written and I find no basis for many his conclusions." mallory left out a word - not me

I have read more than a bit of what mallory has written and I find no basis for many of her conclusions. It appears that she makes up stuff when it does not agree with the left wing way of thinking, avoids answering questions when her stuff his wrong and obviously enjoys pouncing on any words uttered by others and running her mouth about that/those word/s and generally making herself obnoxious/obtuse/obstrusive - whatever.

In conclusion, I find Arthur C. Brooks a much more reliable source for factual information than this mallory pseudonym's words.