Pub, I get the same creepy feeling toward all religions actually. In my own view of life, despite seeing many people who live ethical and loving lives embracing their own brand of faith, I have this nagging feeling that people simply won't evolve to the next step until they get past this absurd notion of some higher power creating and controlling their lives.

Human beings seem to have this immense talent for rationalization when their logic is displaced by ideas that seem impossible when placed under the microscope. I believe this rationalization condones violent behavior by the assumption that responsibility of one's actions and their role in a human community are somehow displaced by this random and confusing set of tenets each religion bestows on its followers. Both the Bible and Koran contain passages that on one page talk about love and peace and within paragraphs speak of the violent wrath of God upon ignorant humans.

The cosmic rationization when dealing with violence towards others of course is - if I kill you, I'm only sending you on to God for him/her/it to sort it all out. Justification is less important because, with faith, one truly doesn't kill someone. They simply change their plane of existance.

Posts in this thread that have been defensive about Christianity because the acts of terrorism by the radicals pale in comparison to Muslim murders fail to realize that, in our country, Christians have an outlet for our bloodlust and thirst for justice every time our military shocks and awes another country on our nightly news. In addition, our tables run abundant with food and our human waste doesn't pile up on the ground outside our houses. Frustration with a subhuman life would cause the same type of terror and extremist action from our own religious majority. Just a short look back into Christian history would show there's a fine line separating peace and chaos in any culture or religion.

I'm not saying that a completely atheistic world would be guaranteed to be free from horrible acts of murder and mayhem but I believe that on the path away from religion are outposts of truly rational thought. In that world of rational thought, murdering one's fellow humans, or blowing oneself up in a suicide attack are a self-defeating course.

Art