No, my point is that most critics of the church are ignorant of its teachings and traditions. I am not a Catholic.

So you haven't read (or, I suspect, heard of) the Summa, then? You see no problem with criticising the church when you are ignorant of its teachings and traditions? You are willing to vocally criticise the church when you have not given even cursory study to the logic behind its point of view?

Not only that, but you, who are unfamiliar with the work of St. Thomas, feel that all the respect for him by people who are familiar with his work must be undeserved just because he believed in the existence of God? If you knew who he was and had a specific problem with his reasoning, I would respect that. Instead, you are just dismissing one of the most important figures in Western philosophy by comparing him to J. K. Rowling because you are unwilling to consider the possibility that somebody came up with an answer to your devastating "prove it" argument in the 13th Century.

Yes, I was just making an observation about why people believe in God. If you want an example, though, consider Acts 9:3-9.

Wow, you've got some balls to equate a thinker like St. Thomas Aquinas to J. K. Rowling. I guess you have a bachelor's degree in philosophy and concluded that the Summa contains no meaningful ideas after studying it in the original Latin?

What are you asking me for?

The Summa Theologica fills five volumes and should address all of your epistemological concerns. Whatever philosophical complaint you may have against the Christian religion, chances are somebody thought of it hundreds or thousands of years ago, and Christian scholars found it wanting.

Of course, any logic or evidence, however convincing, will be irrelevant to someone who feels they have personally experienced the presence of their Lord. Such experiences are quite common, especially in deeply religious cultures, and even among non-believers. You might tell them that they're hallucinating, but they experienced it and you didn't; who are you to tell them they imagined it?

I thought it was pretty well-known that the idea of a world more important and more enduring than what we observe is central to the Christian worldview.

Yes, he has quite different political views from his father, President Ronald Reagan.

Yes, you're thinking of World War I.

Actually, TFA says that it's their business model. You can read about it in Wired: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/copyright-trolling-for-dollars/

I am the submitter of this story. I am a registered Libertarian and much more sympathetic to Sharron Angle than to Barack Obama.

Raul Duke and Doctor--oh, in their right minds?

The National Maximum Speed Law was repealed by the National Highway System Designation Act in 1995.

I noticed The New York Times.

Name one.

I wanted to go up to see him last August, but mom didn't want me to go alone because it was in SCARY New York. Thanks, mom.