That's why the religion grew and spread so quickly in the ancient world. And that spark has always been there, sputtering and glowing feebly under the ashes of orthodoxy, dogma, intolerance, hypocrisy and sycophancy. It was Christianity that led the fight for Civil Rights, and before that, Abolition.

When I was growing up, my best friend was a Conference Baptist, and his family was very devout and of the evangelical streak. I disagreed with them totally on religious matters, but loved them for their charity and decency, and the way they respected my views, and patiently endured my adolescent rants about evolution and the contradictions in scripture. (I learned my Bible pretty well in those days!)

Roger and I are still close friends after 50 years, (although he is no longer a Christian).