Companies in Full Support of Same-Sex "Marriage"

Supporters of Same-Sex Marriage:

• A.L. Nella & Company, LLP, CPAs
• A.T. Kearney
• Aardema Whitelaw, PLLC
• Acacia Home LLC*
• Accenture
• Aetna Inc. 
• Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
• AJ Leo Electric and Solar
• Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Alaska Airlines
• Alcoa Inc.
• Amazon Services Inc. *
• Amazon.com, Inc. 
• American Airlines Group Inc.
• American Apparel*
• American Express Company
• American International Group, Inc.*
• Aparicio-Mercado Law, L.C.*
• Apple Inc. 
• AppNexus Inc.*
• Aramark
• Arbor Brewing Company, LLC
• Arnold & Porter LLP
• Aspen Skiing Company
• Assemble Sound LLC
• AT&T Inc.
• Atlas Cut Stone
• Atticus Circle
• The Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
• Avanade Inc.
• Bain & Company, Inc.*
• Bakehouse Art Complex*
• Baker & McKenzie LLP
• Bank of America
• The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation
• Barclays
• Barnes & Noble, Inc.
• bebe stores, inc.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company
• Belcampo Inc.
• Ben & Jerry’s 
• Big Duck Studio, Inc.
• Bigelow Villa LLC
• Billy’s Farm*
• BlackRock, Inc.
• Bloomberg L.P.
• Blue Apron, Inc.
• Blue Heron Ventures
• Blue Moon Hotel / Winter Haven Hotel*
• Blume, Faulkner & Skeen, PLLC*
• Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*
• Boston Community Capital, Inc.
• Boston Consulting Group
• The Boston Foundation*
• Boston Medical Center Corporation*
• Boston Scientific Corporation
• Brady Mills LLC
• BrandQuery LLC
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
• Broadcom Corporation
• Brocade
• Cablevision Systems Corporation
• Capital One Financial Corporation
• Captain Wendell’s Marine Services LLC
• Cardinal Health, Inc.*
• Care Resource
• CBS Corporation
• CEB
• Central Physical Therapy and Fitness, PSC
• CGI
• Charlotte Business Guild
• The Chubb Corporation
• CIGNA Corporation
• Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Citigroup Inc.
• City Catering Company
• City Lites Neon, Inc.
• The City of Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Civitas Public Affairs Group
• Clean Yield Asset Management
• CloudFlare, Inc.
• CMIT Solutions of Seattle Downtown
• The Coca-Cola Company
• Cohen & Associates
• Colgate-Palmolive Company
• Columbia FunMap, Inc. *
• Comcast Corporation
• The Computer Butler
• ConAgra Foods, Inc.*
• The Corcoran Group
• Corner Brewery, LLC*
• Corning Incorporated*
• Cox Enterprises, Inc.
• Crazy Misfits Pet Services
• Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
• Cummins Inc.
• Cupcake Royale*
• CVS Health Corporation 
• Dallas Voice
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc.*
• Danaher Corporation
• David J. Jarrett, P.C.
• David Kosar Insurance Agency
• David Mack Henderson Income Tax Preparation
• DCI Group AZ, L.L.C.*
• Deloitte LLP
• Delta Air Lines, Inc.
• Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation*
• The Desert Business Association*
• Deutsche Bank AG
• Diageo North America, Inc.
• DIRECTV
• DocuSign
• Domini Social Investments LLC
• The Dow Chemical Company
• Dreamcatcher Arts and Publishing Ltd. *
• Dropbox, Inc.
• DuPont
• eBay Inc. 
• Edelman
• Eldercare Consulting
• Electronic Arts Inc.
• EnduringHydro, LLC
• Ernst & Young LLP
• The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
• Event Rents*
• Everything Real Estate LLC
• Express Movers Inc.
• Facebook, Inc.
• Farella Braun + Martel, LLP
• Fastsigns*
• Fenwick & West LLP
• First Data Corporation*
• 1st Security Bank
• 1stdibs.Com, Inc.
• FIT Technologies
• Flanery CPA
• Full Court Press Communications
• G.A.W., Inc. *
• The Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Nevada*
• General Electric Company 
• General Mills, Inc.
• Gensler
• Gilt Groupe Holdings, Inc.
• GlaxoSmithKline LLC
• Gleason & Associates Claims Services
• Go Factory, Inc.
• Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC
• The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
• Google Inc.
• Goulston & Storrs, P.C.*
• Great Officiants LLC
• The Greater Connecticut Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
• Greater San Diego Business Association*
• Greater Seattle Business Association
• Greensulate
• Grossman Marketing Group
• Group Health Cooperative*
• Groupon*
• Growing Hope
• Harrell Remodeling
• The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.*
• Healthline
• Hewlett-Packard Company
• Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.*
• Holdredge Wines
• Homeward Pet Adoption Center
• Horizon Air Industries, Inc.
• House Packard LLC
• HSBC
• Ikard Wynne LLP
• The Independence Business Alliance
• The Inland Northwest Business Alliance
• Insala, Ltd
• Inspirato, LLC
• Integrated Archive Systems, Inc.
• Integrity Law Group*
• Intel Corporation
• Intuit Inc.
• INUS Group, LLC
• Jackson Hole Group LLC
• Jagod Designs
• Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Jenn T. Grace International LLC
• Jennifer Brown Consulting
• JetBlue Airways Corporation
• The Jim Henson Company
• Johnson & Johnson
• Johnston, Kinney and Zulaica LLP
• Jonathan L. Bowman, Attorney at Law, PS
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. 
• Julian Chang Consulting, Inc.
• kapchur.us photography
• The Kathy A. Janssen Foundation
• Kazan, McClain, Satterley, & Greenwood, PLC
• Keir Jones Agency – State Farm
• Keker & Van Nest LLP*
• KEO Marketing Inc.
• Kimberly-Clark Corp.
• Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC
• Kollmar Sheet Metal Works, Inc.
• Kotzan Chiropractic*
• KPMG LLP
• Lambda Business Association
• Laparoscopic Institute for Gynecologic Oncology
• Larson Marketing & Communications LLC
• Laughton Properties*
• Law Offices of Joel L. Sogol
• Law Office of Lisa E. Schuchman
• Law Office of Lorie L. Burch, PC
• Law Offices of Robin L. Bodiford, P.A.*
• The Law Office of Susan K. Fuller, PLLC
• Levi Strauss & Co. 
• Liberty Burger*
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
• Life & Love Celebrations*
• Link in the Chain Foundation, Inc.
• Littler Mendelson, P.C.
• LNT, Inc.
• The Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
• Lori Karbal et al*
• Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Trust, LLC
• The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce*
• Main Street Hair Shoppe Ltd.
• Marriott International, Inc.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
• Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
• McGraw Hill Financial, Inc.*
• McKesson Corporation*
• McKinsey & Company, Inc.*
• Merca Property Management
• The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
• Microsoft Corporation*
• The Mid-America Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
• Miller & Olson, LLP
• Miller Shelton Group, LLC*
• MillerCoors LLC
• Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
• Mona Smith PLLC
• Moody’s Corporation
• Morgan Miller Plumbing
• Morgan Stanley
• MWW Public Relations
• NAMI Dallas, Inc. *
• The Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce
• The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
• Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
• Neumann Capital Management, LLC
• The New England Patriots 
• New Leaf Columbus
• New York Life Insurance Company
• Nifty Hoops, LLC
• NIKE, Inc.*
• Nixon Peabody LLP*
• North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce*
• Northrop Grumman Corporation
• OBOX Solutions
• Office Depot, Inc. 
• The Ogilvy Group, Inc.
• Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
• ONE Community Media, LLC
• 1 Source Consulting Solutions*
• Oracle America, Inc.
• Orbitz Worldwide, Inc.*
• Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
• Outerwall Inc.
• Pakmode Publications, LLC
• d/b/a Pakmode Media + Marketing
• Pandora Media, Inc.
• PATH
• Peabody & Arnold LLP*
• Pepper Hamilton LLP
• PepsiCo 
• Pfizer Inc.
• Pixelligent Technologies LLC
• Plexus Education Foundation
• Plexus LGBT and Allied Chamber of Commerce
• Portland Area Business Association*
• PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
• PrideFest
• The PrintingWorks
• Pro-Tec Data, Inc.
• Procter & Gamble
• ProTrials Research, Inc. *
• Prudential Financial, Inc.
• Puma Spring Vineyards
• Qualcomm Incorporated
• Quorum
• RAFI Architecture and Design*
• Rainbow Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley
• Ralph’s Regal Weddings
• Ray Holley Communications*
• RBC Capital Markets, LLC
• Replacements, Ltd. *
• Restaurant Management Concepts
• Reverberate! Marketing Communications, Inc.
• Rising Tide Brewing Company*
• RJR Photography
• Robert H Stutz Jr CPA*
• Rockwell Automation, Inc.
• Rotella & Hernandez, LLC
• The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce*
• Sadek Bonahoom PLC
• The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
• The San Francisco Giants
• The Seattle Lesbian, LLC
• Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce*
• Sempra Energy*
• Seyfarth Shaw LLP
• Shingles Roofing LLC*
• Sidetrack, Inc. *
• Simon, Schindler & Sandberg LLP
• Skellenger Bender, P.S.
• Skyworks Solutions, Inc.*
• Sleeves Up Productions, LLC*
• Sōw
• Spectra Law PS
• Spry Vision, Inc.
• St. Jude Medical, Inc.
• Staples, Inc.*
• Starbucks Corporation
• Starrtek LLC*
• State Street Corporation
• Steven Graves Insurance Agency*
• Stonewall Behavioral Health
• Stonewall Columbus
• Stuffed Cakes, LLC*
• Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Services Company, Inc.
• SunDaily
• Support.com, Inc.
• Sweet Dixie Kitchen*
• Symantec Corporation
• Taber Food Services, Inc.
• dba Hobee’s California Restaurants
• The Tampa Bay Rays
• Target Corporation 
• TD Bank, N.A.
• TD Securities (USA) LLC
• Tech Data Corporation*
• TestTracks
• Thinking Cap Communications & Design
• Third Point LLC
• Thomson Reuters*
• Tiwary Entertainment Group LLC
• TNT Promotions, LLC*
• TOCA Events, LLC*
• TravelOut, Inc.
• Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria
• Twitter, Inc.
• 206 Inc. *
• UBS AG
• The Ultimate Software Group, Inc.
• United Air Lines, Inc.
• United Therapeutics Corporation
• Uptown Physicians Group*
• VCB Consulting & Accounting Services*
• Verizon Communications Inc.
• Viacom Inc.
• Visa Inc.
• VitaPerk*
• VMware, Inc. *
• W. M. Martin Advertising
• W.W. Grainger, Inc.*
• W/S Development Associates LLC*
• Walsh Wellness Center*
• The Walt Disney Company*
• Wasserman Media Group
• Wells Fargo & Company
• Whey Natural! USA LLC
• Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce
• Witeck Communications, Inc.
• The Workplace Equality Index
• Wyndham Worldwide Corporation
• Xerox Corporation
• Xfund
• YES DESIGN GROUP
• Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority
• Zausmer, Kaufman, August & Caldwell, P.C.
• Zingerman’s Community of Businesses
• ZoomSystems
• Zynga Inc.

Supporters/Funders of Planned Parenthood

Funders of Planned Parenthood:

• Adobe
• American Cancer Society
• American Express
• AT&T
• Avon
• Bank of America
• Bath & Body Works
• Ben & Jerry’s
• Clorox
• Coca-Cola
• Converse
• Deutsche Bank
• Dockers
• Energizer
• Expedia
• ExxonMobil
• Fannie Mae
• Ford
• Groupon
• Intuit
• Johnson & Johnson
• La Senza
• Levi Strauss
• Liberty Mutual
• Macy’s
• March of Dimes
• Microsoft
• Morgan Stanley
• Nike
• Oracle
• PepsiCo
• Pfizer
• Progressive
• Starbucks
• Susan G. Komen
• Tostitos
• Unilever
• United Way
• Verizon
• Wells Fargo

Arrogant Little Creatures ... Aren't We?

Everyone seems to have their own take on "truth".  And sometimes, despite the facts, the logic, and even the outright evidence, our pride and ego get in the way ...

My latest Podcast adding my spin on the "I know better" back and forth that permeates our culture ...

Click here for Arrogant Little Creatures >>
A Podcast by Greg Dean

Podcast: A Skeptic's Epiphany

A chronicle of how things finally "clicked" for me.

Listen to "A Skeptic's Epiphany" >>

End of End Times

[From two consecutive Facebook posts - May 25/26, 2015]

We are not just living in the end times. We are living in the END of the end times. We are past the tipping point ... there is no stopping it. Ignore if you must, but this is real. Here's how I know:

1. The Bible says so. And the Bible is the only book ever proven to accurately foretell the future. When the Bible discusses the final end days, it describes where we are today and what we are seeing. For those that know the Bible, it's clear. To those who don't, it's not.
2. Israel is a nation. The END of the end times started in 1948 with the formation of Israel as a nation again. They weren't for 2,000 years but they are now. This, in itself, is a miracle. And they are at more risk today than ever in history, as prophesy describes. 
3. The UN labels Israel as a racist state and America (its leadership) seems to be following suit, taking the side of those continually attacking Israel from all angles. To Israel, God says, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you." Gen 12:3 When the "nations" march on Israel (this is happening now through politics), watch what happens. This is not my prediction, but prophesy, and it's coming true before our eyes. 
4. The UN and the US have forced Israel into a two-state "solution". Israel continues to be forced to give up land for "peace". They give up land, but no peace because the other side has no intentions of recognizing Israel - in fact, they hope to wipe them out of existence. As predicted thousands of years ago.
5. "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord." Joel 2:31 Check the blood moons (eclipses) on record following 1948 and wait and see what else happens VERY soon. Again, not my prediction, but prophecy.

I used to think guys like this were just whack-jobs.

There is so much more, but this post is already too long. I'll follow with more. If you've read this far, bless you. Stay tuned. This is important. It is information on the end of our age and when it does end, there will be no more "choosing" to accept or reject God. The choice - if you've not made it - will be made for you.

This is not a kooky message of doom, it's a pleading for urgency to quickly look deeply into this.

Further signs of End Times, plus what's still to come:

1. Before 1949, the "blood moons" (eclipses) did not happen in this frequency for 500 years. In the two years following the formation of the State of Israel (1948), there were 4 blood moons specifically on Jewish holidays. In 1967, there was a 6-day war where Israel regained their home of Jerusalem. In 1967 and 1968, guess what? 4 blood moons on Jewish holidays. Since 2014, there have been 3 blood moons on Jewish holidays, and the last will be this year during the Jewish Feast of Trumpets where it will be a super-moon (where the moon is the closest it can get). This was prophesied. After this year, it will not happen again for another 500 years.
2. Once again, there is a rise in worldwide anti-semitism. Who does the United Nations continually blame? The terrorists leaders of Palestine and other terrorist aggressors in the region? No. They blame the Jews who have tried again and again for peace, and only fight to defend themselves. This same anti-semitism is happening in Europe and it's happening here in America. This was prophesied to happen shortly before Jesus returns.
3. Ezekiel 38 and 39 describes a great war to come. Iran (also areas of Iraq and Afghanistan), the Sudan, Russia, Turkey and others will be involved. At the time this prophesy was written, the religion of Islam didn't exist, so Ezekiel didn't realize he was describing the current Muslim world. The Islamic State believes that they are called by Allah to destroy Israel and usher in the end times. Because this is true, they should never be allowed nuclear weapons. This is not like Norway or some other western country. Norway has not stated intentions to decimate all Swedes, for example. But there may be no stopping it, since it is prophesied. America has changed its policy lately ... Israel was planning to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities (since they said they plan to destroy Israel and all), but our leadership said that if they tried, we would shoot their planes from the sky. We - as a country - no longer truly stand with Israel. Ezekiel was written 2500 years ago and described the exact geo-political situation that exists in the region today.
4. How will this war start? Watch for these things: Israel will likely bomb Iran. They may be forced to do so as a preemptive strike. Russia has said to Israel, "If you bomb Iran, we will come after you." (paraphrasing, of course). But when the "nations" attack in response, Israel will not fire a shot. God will step in and destroy the aggressors. It will take 7 months to bury the dead and 7 years to clean up all the debris ... that's how enormous this war will be. 
5. There will be a 7-year covenant between Israel and the individual known as the "Anti-Christ". This covenant (agreement) will likely be in response to the great war I just described in (3) and (4) above. He is called "the abomination of desolation" first by Daniel, then again by Jesus. Paul calls him a "Son of Perdition".
6. Before these 7 years start, it's probable that we (true Christian believers) will be raptured, so we won't experience all that follows. So if you can't get a hold of me all of a sudden, you may want to try calling your other Christian friends to see if they're gone, too. Then you may want to start seeking God.
7. Sometime soon, Israel will rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount where it was originally built (but destroyed and replaced with a Muslim Mosque - the Dome on the Rock). 
8. Halfway through the 7-year covenant, The "Anti-Christ" will go into that temple and proclaim Himself God. Right then, the greatest tribulation will begin and continue for the remaining 3.5 years.
9. In 1949/50, the blood moons were about the reestablishment of the NATION of Israel. In 1967/68, they were about the reestablishment of the HOLY CITY (Jerusalem). Last year and this year, the blood moons are about the reestablishment of the HOLY TEMPLE.
10. At the end of the 7 years, Jesus will return to establish His kingdom here on earth. Those left, if not already killed by the tribulation, will be cast into the fire. They will mock and scoff until the very end, enslaved by their pride.

Woof, right? Our God is in control - no denying that. And our Bible is true. Jesus is returning ... and soon.

Non-believers are likely thinking, "Greg is off his rocker" or they are saying (I hope), "I really need to look into this." Either way, this is the prophecy that has come to pass and will come to pass. If you start seeing these things, stop thinking, "Aww, that's just a coincidence", and start seeking God. In fact, cut to the chase and do that now. I am not looking to say, "I told you so". I don't want to. I want you to be saved. PLEASE make this a priority to look into for yourself. I know that it is true, but I can't convince you unless you're willing to open up and consider. God is waiting and wants you.

Speaking Out of Turn

Many non-believers speak as though they understand Christianity, but as they speak it is obvious they do not.  It is difficult to discuss spiritual topics with someone who has made up their own set of rules, and believes that they know better with no basis for their stance.  I'll explain ...

My friend and former colleague from Austria, Detlev Riecke, is a huge man.  He stands 6'9" or so and has a good 100 pounds on my measly 245 pounds (working to lower that number).  During University and later, he played professionally a game that few Americans have even heard of.  It's called "handball".  But it is not the handball you're picturing, which is pretty much racquetball but without the racquet.  It's closer to lacrosse or hockey, I suppose, but with many other rules and fundamentals that are different.  I won't even try to explain because - hear this - I don't really know.  I think I get it, but I'm likely way off.  In fact, if Detlev reads this, he'll likely say I didn't really explain it well above.  Oh well.  But this is the point of this post.  If I were to speak of this sport as though I know it or - worse - if I were to step onto a professional handball field (court?) and make up my own rules as I think I believe they exist or think they should exist, it would be an insult to professional handball players.

This, reader, is what non-believers do when they speak out of turn as though they know what Christianity is.  

The likes of my current pastor - Matt Chandler, my former pastor - Dan Wooldridge, Dietrich Bonnhoeffer, C.S. Lewis, David Platt, Francis Chan, Ravi Zacharrias, Billy Graham, Tim Keller, et al, have studied the "sport" and truth and complexity that is Christianity for decades, and still have much to learn.  In fact, they will never know it all, as God's ways are - and God's mind is - so much higher than ours that we aren't capable.  You can liken these Christian scholars to someone with a Doctorate and 25+ years experience in the neurosciences.  A seasoned Neuroscientist or Neurosugeon knows more in the cuticle of her right pinky finger than I will likely ever know about the anatomy, chemistry, and functioning of the human brain, let alone the mind.  It would be akin to questioning the authenticity, the details, the "truths" uncovered by these neuroscientists with my "alternative" way of thinking, as though my uneducated opinion mattered more.  Pure arrogant pride.

Back to handball.  The world we live in was created by Him.  He made the field, the ball, the players and, yes, the rules of the game.  Some acknowledge the Rule-maker and are trying their best to follow the rules.  This starts with studying the rulebook extensively, going back to it regularly ... even daily ... then acting on what's been learned because we have faith that the Rule-maker knows better than we do what's best for us.  To be clear, while these players are doing their best, they still mess up periodically.

Then there are others who just stepped on the field without even peering into the rulebook.  In fact, they may even deny the rulebook.  They run around tripping people, laying down on the field, staring straight up and otherwise neglecting the actual documented rules of the game.  This is because they don't know the actual rules, nor do they care to.  In their minds, THEY are the "rule-maker".  Driven by ego and pride, they believe they know better.  And they are outraged when someone tells them - even if softly and in loving terms - that they've committed a foul.  "How dare you tell me what I want to do is wrong!   How hateful!  How judgmental!  What right do you have?"

They question those following the rulebook for handball.  They lash out.  They say they know better and/or mock those who follow the rules of the game.  They do not want to believe in a rule maker, so they come up with alternative theories and will stand by them, no matter how illogical, irrational and far fetched ... all to avoid what occam's razor says is the most obvious answer:

An ultimate Rule-maker created the structured game we are playing, along with the rules that make the game safe, fair, and fun ... all toward a perfect end goal.  

And at the end of the game, when unbelievers have denied the Rule-maker and ignored His rules, it will be too late.  They have no idea that those who have acknowledged and believed in the Rule-maker, and tried to follow His rules (without injecting their flawed worldly perspectives) will go to a perfect place with no more tears, no more pain, no more fear ... eternal and unimaginable joy.  And those who have chosen to reject Him and follow their own rules (rules based on nothing more than opinion and feelings and whatever everyone else says), will NOT go there.  They will joke in the mean time about "going where all their friends are".  Hilarious ... until they get there.

God is asking something quite simple, but admittedly difficult of us:  Acknowledge Him ... Turn away from sin (as God defines sin), swallow our pride, humble ourselves, and believe in Christ Jesus, taking Him in as our Lord and Savior.  That simple and that difficult.  The playing field has been set.  The rules have been established and well documented.  He allows us to choose for ourselves whether to follow the rules or not.  He will not force us ... the result of that would not be a loving relationship.

But understand that those who have actually studied these things to a level of depth far exceeding that of yours or mine may know something we don't yet know.  In fact, they do.

God bless.

Conversation with an Atheist (Part 6 of ?)

ATHEIST:  Okay.  So - from what I hear - Islam is, like, the fastest growing religion on Earth.  How are you so sure THAT's not the one true religion?  They seem pretty sure.  Heck, they're willing to behead you for it.

ME:  Yeah - that's not new.  They've been that way since the beginning, starting with Muhammad.  He was all about conquest.  Jesus - quite the opposite.  I talked about the historicity of Muhammad's claims ... 600+ years after Jesus died, one source, tons of contradictions - although later texts are supposed to abrogate or trump earlier texts - and so on.  Also, their growth is not really from consensual conversions.

ATHEIST:  What is that suppose to mean?

ME:  I mean their growth comes predominantly (almost completely) from force and/or from raising large families.  New Christians come from those who choose, on their own, to become Christian.  Of course, Christians have kids, too, but they are rarely if ever forced to stay in the church once they are adults, and CERTAINLY would never feel as though their life was threatened if they chose not to be a Christian.  We're seeing that now in some countries:  pay a tax (for not being Muslim) that you can't pay, or convert to Islam, or be executed.  Bottom line, the two religions are like night and day - some would say "literally".  The "religion of peace" claim - wrong.  The earlier peaceful verses are abrogated by later more violent verses.  This is on of the rules of the Qu'ran.  They're also instructed to lie whenever necessary if it helps to spread Islam, such as telling everyone it's a religion of peace, when the Qu'ran really says to take over the world by all means necessary - by being peaceful at first, until they are a large enough portion of a population to show force.  You should check out a video I watched recently called, "Three Things you May Not Know about Islam".  It's legit and quite revealing.  In essence, the probability that Islam is true is extremely low, but those who are Muslim literally don't know any better.

ATHEIST:  That doesn't mean it's not true, though.  There are Christians who don't know any better, too.

ME:  Very true.  Some Christians are going on mostly or completely blind faith.  They're just lucky that they're inadvertently right [smirk].  I'm just saying Islam being true is not even close to likely.  It's almost ALL faith, no evidence.  But anything - I suppose - is possible.  You see, it's like I was saying with regard to Atheism ... there is no absolute proof of that either.  I mean, there is no proof that God doesn't exist, etc.  ALL world views take faith to some degree.  In fact, one of my favorite books is called, "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist" by Norman Geisler.  It really comes down to how much proof is there for one worldview over another?  Atheism - virtually no evidence.  Islam - very little to no evidence (one man's testimony).  Christianity - mountains of unbiased (and some biased, of course) historical evidence.  In a court case, if you had fingerprints on the murder weapon, 500+ witnesses, DNA, receipts, and a video confession, you would say that the guy did it.  There is THAT much evidence for Christianity.  People simply don't look into it, so they don't know this.  The issue is, they won't look into it, generally because they don't want it to be true for some reason, or they think they already know what it is, even though they are way off.

ATHEIST:  Well, you've got me intellectually intrigued.  I'll need to double-check all of what you're saying, but if it's true, it merits further research on my part.

ME:  Are you a reader?

ATHEIST:  Yeah - love to read.

ME:  Here's a good list of books to start with:

• I mentioned Lee Stroebel's "The Case for Faith" and "The Case for Christ" already.
• I'd also get my hands on "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis, for a more cerebral analysis.
• I mentioned "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist" by Norman Geisler. That will address a number of your questions in significantly more detail.
• With regard to Islam vs Christianity, there is an awesome book by Nabeel Qureshi called, "Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity".
• Virtually any book by Ravi Zacharias is gold.  "The End of Reason" would be a great one for you to pick up, or just watch a few of his talks on YouTube at major secular colleges.

ATHEIST:  Okay - that's enough for now!  Geesh.

ME:  Sorry.  I've just learned so much from so many books - getting ahead of myself.  Anyway, why don't we do this ... you read one of these, then we'll talk.  If you have a book you'd like me to read - say "The God Delusion" or "Undeniable" by Bill Nye, I'm up for that, too.  It can be our own little book club.  That sound fair?

ATHEIST:  It does.  

ME:  Okay.  Let's choose one to start with.

ATHEIST:  How about "The Case for Faith" to start with.  Before I can swallow the whole Jesus thing, I need to understand why any faith in a God of any kind is worth further consideration.  Then I think I might want to go with "Undeniable" if you're up for that.

ME:  Coolio.  Get back together in a few weeks?

ATHEIST:  Let's make it three.

Reader:  Will you continue?  (Next Part coming soon ...)