there's actually a mixture of animal and human souls

animals can be reincarnated as humans

Animal souls... really? Which tradition says that?

Taoist-Buddhist, not Hindu - at least that's what I was told when I was a Taoist-Buddhist

I'm no expert, so you're really barking up the wrong tree. I would assume that the souls have always existed, in one form/dimension or another.

Well if you believe that a negative event is proof of or points to God's non-existence, I was wondering there must be positive things in life, so why don't they influence you towards a belief in God? If death a reason for non-belief shouldn't the inverse be the equally acceptable? Life is the reason for a belief in God?

So you have blind faith?

I think that generally religion is moving towards a more personal based philosophy in which individual spirituality plays a more important role. I guess this has pretty much been true since the Reformation for Christianity. This is a positive trend, in my opinion.

Reformation also intro'd some things I dislike - such as a literal interpretation of the Old Testament

of course it is individual & personal, God gives us freewill, after all

Oh, I see where you're coming from. While I was not the person who posted the negative event, I can certainly speak for myself.

If your god was a just god, then wouldn't he (or she) have prevented those catastrophic events, such as the Holocaust, from happening? (It's an over-used example, but an adequate one). Why would he (or she) allow some of his (or her) "children" to endure poverty and sickness while people in other countries live in "sin" and lead lives where they have shelter and sustenance? I'm not saying that if there was a god, then there wouldn't be any negative events (for we wouldn't learn anything). I just think there would be less (in both numbers and size).

As for the positive things in life, I think it depends on the person's definition of positive (but I won't go too much into that). Everyday science explains to us about the universe. Everyday... god does not. Positive events occur out of a cause-and-effect system (just as negative events do), and can be logically and scientifically explained (just as negative events can). While I am not a scientist, I have faith in science because it can back up its claims (while god cannot).

Look, I'll continue this discussion because I feel I owe you some answers, but I want to tell you that I'm not too thrilled about it. I think the belief in god allows people to accept unfortunate events that happen within their lives (which can lead to happily-lived life). There have also been psychological studies by the A.P.A. that prove that the belief in god/following of a religion promotes a healthy lifestyle that benefits people both mentally and physically. Needless to say, however, I do not like the idea that people pressure/convert others to their own religion OR bash people because of their religion (which is not what I am trying to do). Of course, this is not as prevalent as it once was a century or two ago, which is why, for the most part, I have no problem with people believing in a higher power.

I hope some of that helps.

If you sodomize children, murder them, and bury them in your back yard, does it really matter whether or not you volunteer at the local homeless shelter?