It helps me understand that some people can REALLY believe utter nonsense. Will go to their graves believing it.

At least one can rest assured that True Believers truly believe in their illogical, unreal constructs. While an insult to human intelligence, it is somehow comforting to know it isn't deliberate meanness and cruelty.

It's amazing that logic and philosophy has survived Christianity, at least so far. Just because 500 million, or so, people can believe something doesn't make it any the less a superstition.

If one thinks that Islamic theocracies are terrible, think of what would have happened to the US if there wasn't a deliberate separation of Church and State. As it is, Christians do their best to have their religious beliefs turned into the law of the land. We would have an Old Testament, not Christian, theocracy if the Bushs, Cheneys, Robertsons, etc. had their way.

Except for Thou Shall Not Kill. Needs no interpretation, very simple. So that has to be ignored. And adultery, well, that seems to be optional, too, especially if not caught. And stealing, if done on a large enough scale, that's fine. False idols? How about money, power? Take the Lords name in vain? Every time GWB says "God bless you", it's blasphemy. Covet thy neighbors goods? Oil. Sort of make a shambles out of the 10 Commandments, out of the New Testament, don't they?

Ah, the Christ of the Sermon on the Mount is not apparent in Christianity. Too bad. I happen to think Christ was a God. A God who to the extent He hasn't been ignored has been defiled by his True Believers.

Arf