Dear runner,

Rather than back up your unfounded statements you prefer to attack me. That's your choice.

I agree. God is not going to go away because she was never there in the first place.

david f,
You have a lot to say about the Christian Church and your posts indicate you are ignorant [lack genuine insight] and know nothing of what is happening in Many Christian Churches today, otherwise you would be better informed. At least attend a few and find out before making ill informed statements based on prejudice.

Dear Josephus,

I have attended Baptist, Catholic, Unitarian, Presbyterian, Russian Orthodox and black Protestant churches. I have attended Taoist ceremonies in Deagon, Muslim religious ceremonies in the West End in Brisbane, the Jewish temple in Camp Hill and visited the Hindu Temple in Helensburgh, NSW.

My daughter attends Buddhist sanghas in Pennsylvania, and the Unitarian church in Wilmington, DE, and I have gone with her to those places.

Possibly the best music is in the Brisbane Catholic cathedral concerts, the Russian Orthodox ritual, the Jewish cantorial chants and the enthusiastic black Protestant choirs.

There has been good food in the Brisbane Cathedral (There is a big spread for season ticket holders.), the Hindu Temple, the synagogue and the Taoist temple.

In some religious services one counts the number of lights in the ceiling. Others have been very exciting such as the service in the Catholic cathedral in Washington, DC with African women in their native costumes dancing down the aisle to African music.

http://www.sundayassemblybrisbane.com.au/ tells about Sunday Assembly which is like a church but doesn’t require any belief in any deity. I am giving a talk there Jan. 11.

Christianity is only one of many religions. They all have their features – some good and some bad.

Although I have no belief in any sort of supernatural entity I have an intense interest in religion. As you have gathered from my posts I am of the view that religion should be no business of government. Government should not use religion to advance its interests and vice versa.

Diarmaid MacCulloch who was a believer in Christianity wrote “A History of Christianity”. It is a fascinating book. Apparently MacCulloch is no longer a believer and wrote:

“I still appreciate the seriousness which a religious mentality brings to the mystery and misery of human existence, and I appreciate the solemnity of religious liturgy as a way of confronting these problems. I live with the puzzle of wondering how something so apparently crazy can be so captivating to millions of other members of my species.”

I share his viewpoint.

Speaking of France David f writes

'They are nations who have largely thrown off Xtian fanaticism.'

Yep and now they have the religion of peace which most secularist are to gutless to crtiticise. They are more than happy to demonise everything Christian and become apologist for Islam. Well the secularist are again reaping the rotton fruit from their idiotic denial of truth.

<<every taxpayer's religion has an equal right to subsidy based perhaps on the relative number of practitioners>>

The biggest beneficiaries of taxpayer funding and, well out of proportion to their numbers and, hugely disproportionate their their input to the commonweal is the Church of the Latter Day New Age Lefties. My God, they have the ABC and SBS and over the half teachers and lecturers preaching their creed and public expense.

Should read: AT public expense