The autocratic sci-fi geek in me, david f, wanted to suggest Jean-Luc Picard's "Make it so… "

But my more moderate citizen mind-set decided that although in the Battlestar Galactica pantheon this phrase encompasses polytheists and monotheists, it is easily extended to atheists, and would be a good arbiter of all social policy…

"So say we all…"

Dear Yuyutsu,

Buddhism does not lead to God as it is a non-theistic religion. That does not make it false.

<<Buddhism does not lead to God>>

Why, even atheism may lead certain people to God.

Atheism wouldn't, obviously, lead anyone to a notion of God, to an idea ABOUT God, but it is conceivable that it may possibly lead some people to God, why discard the possibility?

I wouldn't like to start dissecting here each and every religious order: any organization is imperfect, but if an organization mostly leads people in the direction of God, then it is worthy of the name "a religion" - and if it doesn't do so, then it is not.

Gee, Yuyutsu.

>>Religion cannot be unified, not for the reasons you mentioned, but because it is already unified<<

That is probably the most naive statement yet proffered on the topic. Not to get too extreme about it, but there are a few folk in Belfast who are short of a knee-cap or two, who might possibly disagree with you.

>>There IS only one religion - that which leads to God is a religion<<

A millisecond's thought will tell you that this sentence is in itself a complete contradiction.

Off the top of my head, I can think of two religions, Christianity and Islam, each of which claims to "lead to God". So, even using your own definition of what a religion consists of, we have contradicted your claim that there is only one.

>>...one religion... requires me to take certain steps and you to take certain different steps<<

You may call them "different steps", but they are the embodiment of what we humans on earth call "different religions". It may suit your purposes to re-define religion to reflect your own prejudices and practices, but it doesn't change reality for the rest of us.

Or for those guys in Belfast.

>>Atheism wouldn't, obviously, lead anyone to a notion of God, to an idea ABOUT God, but it is conceivable that it may possibly lead some people to God, why discard the possibility?<<

Because it presumes that there is a God to be lead to: this is exactly what atheists deny. So they are all going to discard the possibility that atheism can lead to God. They aren't alone: why don't you ask runner if he thinks atheism leads to God?

Cheers,

Tony

Dear Pericles,

What you are saying in effect, reflecting over Belfast, is that you believe that Christianity (or at least certain denominations within it), is not a religion. Fair enough - my impression is that Christianity still is, on the balance, a religion, but I may be wrong - it all depends, of course, on the particular method of accounting you use, of which there is a diversity.

<<Off the top of my head, I can think of two religions, Christianity and Islam, each of which claims to "lead to God".>>

They may claim what they like - the questions are DO THEY; LEAD WHOM; and TO WHAT EXTENT.

There is only one religion, but nothing prevents the simultaneous existence of several and different religious orders (loosely called "religions") that lead different people to God (and occasionally even the same person at different stages of their life).

<<what we humans on earth call "different religions">>

So if you call a hat "an umbrella" or an orange "an apple" long enough then I should do the same? What then if you call a Jew "a germ", should I follow that too? I am using "religion" in its original meaning, derived from the Latin "Re-Ligare" - reconnect with God.

Dear Tony,

"Because it presumes that there is a God to be lead to"

There is what there is and things are what they are. You don't need to use the name "God" if you aren't so inclined - The Truth is still the Truth and ultimate reality doesn't change when you use different names or speak of it in different terms.

"why don't you ask runner if he thinks atheism leads to God?"

First because I can already guess his answer, Second because it will upset him unnecessarily, Third because he would probably be correct on most cases (though not all), Fourth because it seems that the belief that God exists is important for his particular path to God, so I have no interest whatsoever in disrupting his spiritual efforts.