Yeah you're right, I apologize, it was rude of me to not address your other points.

I have a bit of background in Biblical scholarship, especially as it relates to Catholic theology. Catholic theology is purportedly based on two sources: tradition, and the teachings of Jesus as expressed in the Bible. Here are some Christian tenets that so not have any Biblical basis whatsoever:

• The Catholic prohibition against contraception. The Catholic church opposes contraception because early Church fathers opposed contraception. It has no Biblical basis whatsoever.

• Heaven. Christians do not enter an ethereal heaven when they die! Even the majority of lay Christians believe this---but the Bible lays out quite clearly that the afterlife is quite different and that mortal souls never ascend to a heavenly plane.

• Wealth. Jesus could not be any more clear on the subject:

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

This passage is in three of the four Gospels, with the exact same phrase used! And yet fabulously wealthy, devout Christians abound throughout history.

Now, let's imagine that I'm an alien who's come to Earth and wants to find out what Christians believe. I notice they have the Bible in their churches so I figure I'll read that and it'll tell me. If I have never actually met or spoken to any Christians and have no cultural background I would draw some conclusions that miss the mark entirely: that they do not practice divorce, aren't wealthy, and aren't all that close with their families, to say the least. And I would be wrong on every single count.

So what? Are they not actually Christians, because their behavior contradicts their book? You could make that claim; but I disagree. Christianity is what it is, and if it's self-contradictory then we just have to take it at face value. The ideology is based as much on, or more than, tradition than it is the holy book, and in a modern context just reading the book isn't that useful.