Thanks for the response A.S., it's always a pleasure to converse with you even if I don't agree. In fact it may be more pleasurable that way since simply agreeing with someone isn't much of a conversation.
I've always seen the scapegoat and animal sacrifice simply as the representation of Christ's true sacrifice to come. We are still saved by faith in that sacrifice and always have been, even if we didn't completely understand the representation. It was still faith in God receiving the substitute with salvation granted by him.
As far as the rules and the way God set them up, it is my belief that God simply wants people to freely choose to love him. There could be no love in the first place if we didn't have the choice not to love. I am confident that the system is set up the way it is because it's the best choice for the desired outcome.
Just remember my friend that it's never too late to choose.
Yes, my Alabama friend, always enjoy it when you join the discussion as well. I think part of the reason is because you do bring a modern, enlightened vision of Christianity to the table were you are willing to interpret much of scripture in a symbolic vs. a literal way. It seems to me, that when a person is religion, that on average, the more symbolic and less literal their interpretation, the fewer bad actions is causes them to take on this earth. Recently I was reading about a new Christian sect that interpreted the Bible in a completely symbolic fashion. With the rapid growth of non-believers in this country, it will be interesting to see how this new Church develops.
