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"Miracles," as in unexpected news? I would consider it a minor miracle if the Religious Right would stop worrying gays all the time and concentrate more on trying to bring peace and justice to the world.

Just once, I'd find it amazing to hear John Hagee or Rod Parsley (for instance) talking about the importance of living in peace with everyone and treating everyone fairly. I've listened to both of these guys a good bit, and never once heard them talk about even a hint of a possibility that Christians might oppress or harm anyone. All they seem to talk about is how Christians need to take over the country, and after that, the world.

I would love to see the miracle of atheists, humanists and agnostics acknowledging the immense mystery of existence and the intricately, awesomely and intellignetly DESIGNED and created cosmos: that the universe is not a cold, empty and impersonal void, driven only by pysical laws and ever-exitent matter. Now, that would be a most desirable miracle.

I personally have no problem acknowledging that the universe is a staggering mystery, filled with both beauty and horrors that boggle the mind. Sorry if that's not good enough for you...

I just don't accept that 1) all this stuff was made by some being that logically can't exist, or that 2) the whole point of life is to get successfully to another, eternal life in a place that frankly sounds boring as heck.

It would be a happily unlikely circumstance if Iran were to turn its back on its rabid religionist president; if North Korean soldiers and generals realized the futility of following Kim Jong Il and wlaked up to the DMZ to surrender; if the greedy Übercapitalists recognized the nascent revolution they are brewing amidst working-class Americans with their disgusting wasteful consumption, and gave up the attempt to repeal the estate tax and extend Bush's tax cuts.

In the realm of religion here in the US, it would be a refreshing take to see those who don't share the general belief in the supernatural treated with respect and dignity; and for children to be taught the best of science without meddling anti-evolutionists trying to twist their textbooks into psuedo-Bibles.

Just like it would have been nice for the Russians to have turned their backs on their rabid and murderous anti-religionist Stalin. The problem is not ubercapitalism, but sinful, unregenerate hearts - whether expressed in a communist, Muslim or "Christian" culture.

The goal is redeemed people, loving with God's love, and living by His Law and Truth, dispensing godly justice. And peace will only come when hearts are at peace with God. As long as sin and Self is regnant, there can NEVER be peace.

Christians can have a redemptive and merciful love for atheists and enemies of God's Word, but to accept, or have a benign tolerance for thier blasphemous diatribe - never.

Hear, hear for wishing Stalin had been stopped. I hardly endorsed rampant and corrupt socialism by pointing to the disproportionate gifts our government grants to the average millionaire/billionaire. The not-average rich person, of course, reinvests not just for personal gain but also (wisely, to forestall uprisings among the poor and working classes) back into the common good. Nonetheless, it would seem a better guarnatee for a constitutionally mandated government to provide for the general welfare and also raise sufficient funds for defense, rather than pawning it off on future generations.

I assume "redemptive and merciful love" for those who don't share a specific sort of Christian belief, Nikos, you mean those expressing such love have hope to redeem said non-believers... which amounts to disrespecting their choice of spirituality (or lack thereof). Privately, sure, if someone wishes to hold hope for another's change of belief in religion, that's innocuous. It's when attempts to legislate and fund the conversion with public money comes into play that I balk. Hence my wish is not for namby-pamby "tolerance", which would preclude hinest and open debate, but at least for recognizing the rights of atheists and agnostics not to be confronted with state-sponsored religion.

The agent/feeler of said "merciful love", by implication, has some power to inflict punishment, too, doesn't it? Else what is mercy restraining? The dark side of this implication is an assumption of state-approved vengeance as a real possibility.