At present, I would identify as an existentialist though not an atheist.

I can neither say there is or is not a cosmic force or god pulling some or all of the strings in our universe.

I suppose that's why it's called faith, but for me, the material world is what lays ahead of me for now and the end of this life is likely the end. I do hope I'm wrong of course, but following almost four decades of self-discovery and education, I don't think the odds are great.

I still find militant atheism appalling, by the way - nothing in my personal code says I have a right to drive what anybody else believes... likewise, I would expect people to grant me the same respect.

I don't fully disagree with you. I do believe we have the responsibility to make our own choices; Aka Free Will. But I do believe there is an intelligent, benevolent creator behind all that we know as our reality. Faith is also an unseen concept. Hebrews 11 explains faith in detail. The short explanation is, "Now faith is the personal foundation of things hoped for, certainty about things that cannot be seen. By this, people of old obtained approval. By faith, we understand that the universe was formed by the word of God, so that what is visible was made from what is invisible."

Historically, human beings have created stories, mythology, etc. to explain the unexplainable or the unknown. As our ability to understand and give explanation to things has increased, many of these mythologies have fallen out of common belief or practice.

I personally equate a lot of modern faith structures to these though the questions posed are of a much grander scale and there is currently no way to prove or disprove the answers to those questions - this is where faith in the unseen comes into play.

I believe people have the right to believe whatever they want to when it comes to these matters (provided it doesn't hurt others or infringe on others' rights). However, for myself - if you step back and look at the whole of human history, I can't say I see many differences between the sun god Ra and Jehovah.

Now, don't get me wrong - the teachings of Christ as conveyed in the text of the new testament are commendable and worth living by should one want to live a "moral" existence. And that, TooTall_Nick, leads me to pose a few interesting questions for you to think over:

• Can someone with no belief systems present in their life truly be a "good person"?
  
• Without an omnipotent overseer, what motivation should human beings even have to be a "good person"?
  
• What motivation would a benevolent god have to punish those who do not conform to a standard of living they may not be born into a position of even knowing?
  

According to Fuzmeister, "Historically, human beings have created stories, mythology, etc. to explain the unexplainable or the unknown.

With this statement, I agree, but when it comes to Christianity and my belief in Christ, I don't think it is just a story. There is evidence of Christ's existence such as the [Shroud of Turin] which was a cloth laid on Christ after his crucifixion in the cave. There is a piece of the cross that I touch and venerate at my church which a Father from Techon Monistary brought for us to touch and venerate. There is so much more evidence that Christ and Christianity are real.

There is a book by Josh McDowell Called "The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict" Josh's initial approach to writing this book was to disprove Christianity, but as he did his research, Josh found that the evidence of Christianity is real.

I will try to answer your question the best I can.

Q: Can someone with no belief systems present in their life truly be a "good person"?

A: I think your starting point with human beings being "a good person" is the wrong approach.

No one is good not even me my friend. [Mark 10:18] The reality is we are all subjected to death. I know this might not be easy to hear or understand but we have fallen away from the Glory of God through sin. this is the best explanation of how sin entered the world. Sin is like a sickness and it spread throughout all time and humanity. It started with one man Adam. He allowed sin to enter the world through his disobedience towards God. Now we are born into sin. No matter how much of a good person we try to be that isn't going to bring us salvation. Whether you believe this or not, everyone has a belief system. Not believing in God is believing that there is no God.

Q: Without an omnipotent overseer, what motivation should human beings even have to be a "good person"?

A: This is tied to question one. The motivation behind what the person does is based on their belief.

Q: What motivation would a benevolent god have to punish those who do not conform to a standard of living they may not be born into a position of even knowing?

A: I want to say first that I believe salvation is not set in the past, for example, no matter what I do I am saved. If I don't believe in God am I subjected to hell? Being naive and being ignorant are two different things. I know certain things are wrong but I still do them. Does that mean I am subjected to punishment in hell? The best answer I can give you is no if I repent for my wrongdoing and try to do better. Also, God is not a wrathful omnipotent being who will strike us down when we disobey Him at a moment's notice. I believe God is a loving patient God.

Question for you, Does God want every human being to conform to His standard of living even if they don't know God?

TooTall_Nick - I don't know the answer to your question unfortunately. While I'm well-versed enough in the bible as literature, I cannot specifically recall instances where it states the expectations placed upon those who are unfamiliar with its teachings. Anecdotally, western Christianity likes to reinforce that the only pathway to eternal salvation is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ which implies those who will be saved from damnation will have to have been aware of Jesus in the first place. Using that logic, one can connect the dots and assume those who are unaware of do not believe/"accept" will be damned.

Also, I want to state on record that I never denied the existence of Jesus Christ as a historical figure who likely existed. Assuming it is legitimate, the alleged evidence you've brought to light does little for matters outside of the material world. It may be possible to prove these items were tied to a figure of note - possibly even Jesus Christ - but that does not offer proof of anything on a spiritual plane of existence... crucifixion was not an uncommon form of capital punishment under the Roman empire... the same is true for burial sheets, shrouds, what have you... these physical items may prove the existence of a Christ-like figure that coincides with a specific place and time noted in biblical texts, but it does not proof of anything otherwise, I'm afraid.