Yutsie: the extent that churches exercise power to prevent those who refuse to follow its teachings from making their own choice and to the extent they are into domination.

They don't? Better have a closer look at 7DA & JH's, Southern Baptists etc for a start mate. If you don't toe their particular line you get exorcised from your family & everybody you would normally associate with, then they come calling, giving you a hard time. No free choices allowed there, follow the Church Dogma, or else.

Dear Jayb,

<<They don't?>>

Some do, some more than others - and to that extent these are not religions. To that extent they are hypocrites that abuse the name of religion and the name of God, thus breaking the third commandment ("thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain"), to that extent they are more sinful than atheists, more sinful than those who disobey them, including those who commit suicide.

More sinful than atheists? It is not sinful to see the mumbojumbo for what it is. It might be sinful to follow the mumbojumbo,but not if you keep it to yourself & don't push it on others. Perhaps it is a sin to cloud your mind with crap.

It's unrealistic to expect believers to keep their religion to themselves as most religions, particularly Christianity and Islam are intensely proselytising faiths, the ultimate aim of the faithful is a totalitarian society, they're at war with the secular state.

Yuyu it is true I wont be going to heaven or meeting god and for the same reason my children wont be going to Hogwarts School.

Dear Mac,

The ultimate aim of the faithful is to unite with God.

Anyone who has other aims is by definition a sinner, because the direction of their life takes them off the mark.

I do wonder how truly faithful are those "Christians" and "Muslims" you refer to.
(more accurately, those who claim to follow Christ's example and those who claim to live at peace, for the word 'Islam' is derived from 'peace')

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Dear David,

You raised an exciting topic: Is it sinful to believe in mumbojumbo and act on it?

My answer is that one cannot judge sinfulness by the contents of one's beliefs, but one must look instead into the believer's heart, asking WHY they believe such-and-such rather than WHAT.

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Dear Helga,

Good on you that you won't be going to heaven - it's a very wasteful practice.

As for meeting God, indeed this is impossible because a meeting must be between two. Since there is nothing but God, there is no second for God to meet.