Thanks for the comments folks. Peter: I don’t so much “concede” the historical effects of Christianity as “observe” them and I certainly don’t consider myself either a friend or enemy of the church. You said: "Surely psychotherapy is about personal change and the training of desire. We do not act because we have a moral compass but because our actions come from a transformed desire." I'd suggest that we initiate action from desire and steer that action by our ethical judgements. For me, therapy, where it is more than the healing influence of the reliable presence of a respectful and affirming other, is essentially the (mutual) discovery of new meaning in "what is", transforming values, hence desire and ethics. Ideally it also frees us to continue to refine our meaning making as we live, rather than staying rigidly stuck in “this is truth”. The transformed desire informs and is itself informed by the ethical orientation derived from our transformed view of "what is". As you imply, rigid codes are a sign of spiritual dysfunction.

Alwaysalearner: I’m sure that Christianity, as with other religions, will continue to provide meaning for many people. After all, some of my best friends are Christians. ;-) My personal project is to find a language in which to share my particular meaning making, to which I see the language of Christianity, and of any religion relying on (a metaphor of) the supernatural, as inadequate.

Ozandy: the interplay of our evolutionary heritage and the social structures and cultural values through which that is dynamically embodied is very complex and I hope to write about that anon.