?Impact

Would not the human be the weak link in adoption?

Certainly John holds appeal, especially as it is appears to be written for theological purposes rather than a historical account. In some cases however, it may have better historical accuracy than the other gospels due to better research on the part of the writer(s). My reason for suggesting Matthew 5 was not related to spreading the word (or Word as you say), but to point out that Jesus accepted and promoted the old Testament which many of today's Christians seem to excuse because of the vast amount of problems in it that have been pointed out (as Hal 9000 did to me in that knee jerk reaction that I must be quoting the old Testament).

That is why I deliberately picked only New Testament stuff. It is always a little awkward when those preaching the Bible are not even familiar with the books of the Bible. I suggest you start with Matthew, pay close attention to chapter 5.

Have you not read your Bible? It is full of teachings that we would consider wrong. Just a small sample for the above: slavery: Luke 12:47 murder: Revelation 19 (read the whole thing, especially verse 13-15 & 20-21) abandoning my children for him: Matthew 19:29

Yes, that is exactly what I said. Religion has played a significant role in education. Certainly Christianity has had major influence over western society, but it is merely a minor blip on all of evolution of though. As I previously stated, the ethic of reciprocity is thousands of years older than Christianity. There are also many of the teachings of Jesus Christ that I outright objet to: slavery, murder, abandoning my children to follow him, etc.

Certainly religion has played a significant role throughout history as an educator. Faith however is not required for morals, in fact those who do the right thing because of logic (e.g. the ethic of reciprocity) instead of fear of a judgment day (hell, whatever) from a mystical being have a sound principled moral stance. I might even argue a superior stance, but as a minimum not a bit inferior. Passing on to future generations is about education, not faith.

Not sure I agree. The ethic of reciprocity is a moral maxim that is fundamental to many religions. Christians recognize it as the Golden Rule, yet it predates Christianity by thousands of years. It can be arrived at very logically. Probably a more modern expression is a rising tide lifts all ships. We are selfish creatures, yet logic teaches us that building a strong society is in our own self interest.

The only pure thing is the emptiness of space. Matter warps that space, and just because that matter occurs in patterns does not mean there is a purpose, it is still pollution. Matter and energy are just different manifestations of the same pollution (E=MC2). God didn't say "Let there be light", he (she, it) just sneezed and disturbed the purity of space.

You must be talking about Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary. It was converted from a southern plantation into a prison, where modern day black men labor in the sun while guards patrol from horseback just like 150 years ago. I guess you didn't know that the warden, Burl Cain, was forced to step down as his shady business dealing are being investigated. Yes, he was able to force prisoners to work because the alternative was beatings and extended stints in solitary confinement. Not the model we should be looking for, unless of course you are a corrupt prison warden wanting to line your pocketbook.

What I clearly noted as a difference between Trump and Trudeau is that Trudeau has a sense of fair play, and Trump does not. Trudeau scolded his own supporters for heckling a reporter who was asking tough questions about Dan Gagnier quitting. Trudeau said: "Hey! We have respect for journalists in this country, they ask tough questions and they're supposed to. OK?" Contrast this with the multitude of times that Trump showed complete disrespect for others, perhaps at his worst when he mocked the disabled reporter from the New York Times. If you want to be a leader, you have to show leadership. When is Trump going to start?