[quote=Jorick]The thing about it I have a problem with is that I'm one of those post-Enlightenment types who feels that if you're seeking or claiming to have the answer to something (such as the "how did we get here and what is the purpose of life?" question that religion tries to answer), it should be as close to absolute and objective truth as you can get it (which admittedly isn't ever going to be very close when trying to answer this particular question). Saying that every theory is valid and part of the answer, despite the extreme contradictions, just doesn't sit right with me.[/quote]

Don't you suppose there's room for that as well? :)

[quote]My way of thinking about these kinds of things, particularly wanting concrete and evidence-based answers, is why I could never get into the religion thing in the first place, so no surprise that this point of view about denominations doesn't work for me.[/quote]
Oh, on the contrary, evidence-based concrete is what we're all about, we're simply building a different road. Or using a different cement mix, or.... shit, I don't know, pick your metaphor. 'Apologetics' is a field of study involving research and proofs and logical reasoning and prayer too, I guess, but it's how these denominations come about in the first place. It's deep and philosophical study, by people who wanted the concrete answer, and who went out and gathered their evidence and researched it and then came to their conclusions and defended them, refined them, etc. Academic in the extremest sense. You'd like it. 

[quote]That's kind of like saying that evolution and young Earth creationism are both equally valid answers to why life on the planet is the way it is now and are in fact each smaller parts of the full and true answer, despite the glaring contradictions that make that illogical.[/quote]
I mean... I've always been of the opinion that the Big Bang has nothing at all to do with the important parts of 'why life on the planet is the way it is now,' so in that sense.... Does believing in the big bang make you a better father? Ken Ham said it in that debate thing, and I haven't fact-checked it -- is there a single major scientific discovery, *actually* impacting human life, that could only be derived from a belief in the big bang? I don't think there is. Because I like concrete too, I'd rather leave the whole origin argument to the philosopher types and get on with the hard science. But that's an aside. I don't know why I'm pulling this quote out. Shut up.