But Christian-ism as a power-and-control seeking ideology which conquered the world via the business end of Constantine's famous sword has always been entirely utilitarian.
Plunder or rape, robbery & pillage was always the only "game" being dramatized all over the world, especially in the "new" world of the America's.
Anyone who pretends otherwise just hasnt done their homework or is living in a make-believe Norman Rockwell sunny-afternoon fantasy world.
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/cruelty.html

When Sam Harris started to become famous a friend of mine in the USA used to manage his website and blog. At the time Sam was doing a Buddhist meditation practice and was thus sympathetic to the more open-ended understanding of the paradoxical nature of Reality that informs Buddhism. He was simultaneously critical of much of institutional Buddhism. See the Shambala Sun essay on Killing the Buddha.
Sam is of course also a neuro-scientist. Neuro-science being one of the most interesting and controversial fields of research.
By the way Sam's website is far more interesting than any of the usual dim-witted Christian websites and blogs, especially the one run by Robert.

reject the truth and you come up with the absolute nonsense that Harris, Dawkins and the other secular high priests espouse. Usually failing miserably in their own lives they want to change obvious absolutes in order to redefine good and bad.

Well, let's just start by doing rational things that make people happy. Once we've got that working, we can stop to consider the .001% of borderline cases where decisions are not clear-cut. But we have plenty of room for improvement before we have to start worrying about splitting hairs.

It always amazes me, by the way, how much importance the religious want to give to 'moral decisions'. I make a 'moral decision' once a year, maybe less. Everything else is just a decision. And if I can get a reasonable proportion of those right, then the moral decisions can go hang.

I make a 'moral decision' once a year, maybe less. Everything else is just a decision
Jon J,
If you're what we could call average than you have just explained everything. No wonder.