Hi Ruth,

I share your sentiments, very often when replying to e-mails I feel that I am writing in sorrow rather than anger. Jesus called blind those who would not see the truth, and often there is an obvious tendancy when discussing issues with people that they will continually change the subject or go quiet when something they can't answer comes up. When this happens there is a bit of you which gets angry and says "why can't you answer the point I am making?" but there is also another part which realises with sorrow that they have such an insecure relationship with God that they actually feel they are obeying him by evading difficult questions.

I have changed my mind a number of times on different questions when I feel the evidence justifies it. Of course no one who cares deeply about the truth changes their mind every week about major questions, but I am prepared to put time into a subject to understand it and realise if I need to re-evaluate a position. I certainly find on-line discussions always cause me to look more deeply at different areas of faith and take this as evidence that I am not simply repeating a position dogmatically without consideration for what the other person is saying.

I will read your answers to the twenty-one issues carefully and let you know what I think.

John