Email to Dinesh D'Souza....will be updated once he replies!

I had a few questions and comments that I obviously was not able to convey last night during the debate. I saw your contact information and decided, sure I will give it a shot and see if he will write back. Whats the harm you know!

First of all, I want to express my intentions. I am an atheist, only because I see it as my natural default since it neither claims to have all the answer nor is it in any way an organization which seeks to convert people to its belief, I use that term very lightly and in no way to imply any faith. My goal is to learn about faith and religion, not to disgrace or in any way insult anyone, as I see insulting any one for any reason is uncalled for in rational social interaction.

With that said...

I am currently reading a book regarding the parallels between myths. I would like to bring out the story of Jesus and how that story dated back to stories such as Attis (a Greek god, 1700 BC), Mithra (Persian god 1200 BC) Kirshna (Indian God 900BD) , Iranian Prophet Zoroaster (630 BC), but what I can not understand is why Christianity does not give credit to these precursory myths/ religions as a basis for its own writing? I mean it is sort of like plagiarism in a sense, being that the story of Jesus is not, entirely, original. Granted specific details are vastly different, i.e. polytheism, legends of prophets foretelling of these beings and such. but I can not get around the fact that it seems that the story is just an oral myth passed down, and like all myths go through variations and thus lead to a different story, but with the same general origins. I know this has probably been brought up to you before but it was a question I had and wanted your view on it.

I did have a chance to ask you, briefly, about your stance on creationism being taught in school science classes. You said no, which I found shocking given your general stance. If I am mistaken, and I did not make question clear, I apologize it was a rushed question after the event and during the book signing and did not want to impede the line of curious and admiring people to follow. However, if you are against creationism being taught in a science classroom how come so many that side with you on faith and policy, are so advantageous and die hard about getting it into modern text books to be taught along science? I mean there is an entire museum dedicated to the "science of creation." How come some theists believe one thing, and other theists (of the same religion) believe another when they both read the same book?

Not to mention the fact that the those of faith are so divided in their own actual beliefs. I cannot recount how many times I have quoted scripture (both new and old testament) to someone and they say that "my god, the god I worship and serve, would never do/ say such things." For example, after you debate last night, I was engaged in a conversation/ debate  with a theist friend of mine (she identifies herself as Christian) and I mentioned a passage, which we both had to look up for accuracy and clarification, Luke 12 49-51. In this passage, Jesus says that he does not bring peace but division, just before this passage Jesus spoke of beating slaves who do not follow their masters so I do not believe we are reading this out of context, I do admit to paraphrasing but if figure you can just as easily look up the entire thing here. She immediately said "That is not the Jesus I learn from and not the son of the god I worship." It just seems like there are so many inconsistencies with which theists believe. They accept some contraindications and injustices but deny others in the very pages they deem the word of their god. So next I asked her flat out is this the word of god, she hasn't given me an answer yet.

As a theist this argument is moot for us, as theists are usually free thinking individuals. That in and of itself leads to a vast array of differences and opinion, which is completely encouraged and supported by other atheists. There are so few atheists that think exactly as I do, and with the ones who think different we have lively debates as is the nature of our core value as atheists.