values do not require a religion for their being. This was the fundamental, er basic message of Socrates; if you know the good there is no reason or excuse for doing other than the good. This simple statement is not based on any religious precept or dogma. Religions should be valued for the development of philosophical standards for their followers guidance. They should also be abhored for their insistence on pressuring others to follow "their" way.

I find it strange that atheists become so vehement and outraged at religous fundamentalist of all stripes. Historically it is easy to affect a patronizing intellectual superiority to the ancient Greeks or Romans whose Gods have devolved into myths seen only in Hercules movies. And the so-called Christian finds it easy to make fun of the Moslem who is willing to die for what he perceives as a holy cause and be rewarded with 72 virgins. And the Moslem thinks the Christian sitting on a white cloud strumming a harp is total bs. And on and on. Each religion thinks its way is the only way and denigrates all the rest. The Cow-Dai in Cambodia think anyone who doesn't revere Emil Zola is never going to see a return of the B-17s. And our atheist find them all silly, stupid, and contemptable because they have abandoned reason.

The strangeness is the atheist has to exercise the same degree of faith as the true believer. For the atheist to assert there is no God is not different from the believer saying there is a God and his name is Allah. To make an absolute case for existence or non-existence is an exercise in futility. There is no proof for the unprovable.

Publius