Hi Nikki_W,
Tough questions. And, I do think you're picking a fight (though not necessarily wrongly so) with "christians". Being one of them, I hope to give an answer. I don't know how many folks have died since I read and am now answering you. I am sure it is more than -0-. As far as why am I "here reading this post instead of out dedicating every second of your life to decreasing that number by 1?", I hope that by reading this post and honestly trying to answer, I may be doing just that. Being a christian isn't about me anyway, it's about Him and what He did and does, and who He is. I am certainly a flawed human being (actually veeeery flawed). I am also amazingly grateful and humbled by what I've learned that Jesus' actions in his earthly life, his crucifixion, and his resurrection have accomplished. I love folks to meet Him... and get to know Him... I'll fail, probably often, but He never does. To me, the foot of the Cross is a great equalizer... we're all the same there. I hope that's answered your question. LGF