yep much bad sone in the name of religion however in a very short time the secularist were able to out do the evil. Even today millions are murdered in mothers womb each year. And lets not forget Mao, Stalin and evolutionist Hitler. False religion and the religion of darwinism has always led to evil.

Dear Foxy and Paul1405,

It is not just Christianity that bothers me but monotheism itself. All the monotheistic religions have their own God and feel an imperative to push it on others. Although I believe in no god at all, from my reading the polytheistic religions were much more tolerant and to be preferred. Throw another god on the barbie. Mix and match gods.

However, at a point in history the monotheistic god won out over polytheism in the Roman Empire and the western world. "God against the gods" by Jonathan Kirsch tells the story of the struggle.

The polytheistic deities were both male and female so they did not have the patriarchy associated with the monotheistic male deities. They personified various attributes of humans and the rest of nature such as the seasons, wisdom, war, justice, the sea, discord etc. One could worship the god or gods most compatible with one's nature. The polytheistic religions in general did not concern themselves with the morality of their worshippers. One worshipped the gods to seek their favour. One derived one's morals from community standards or philosophy. The monotheistic religions not only demanded adherence to the god but bundled in their version of morality.

One reason the monotheistic god won out was that it supported authority. "Render unto Caesar" and the divine right of kings go well with monotheism. The monotheistic religions are religions of rule.

Dear David F.,

I recall reading that sociology is not and cannot
be concerned with the truth or falsity of any
religion. Like other empirical sciences, such as
economics or chemistry, sociology is simply not
competent to investigate the supernatural or to
play umpire between competing faiths.
Individual societies may be personally committed to a
religious viewpoint - as indeed many of the
leading contemporary sociologists of religion are. But
sociological research is necessarily directed at the
social rather than the theological aspects of religion.

Regardless of whether or not a supernatural power
exists, religion, like any other institution, has
social characteristics that can be studied by the methods
of social science. Sociologists of religion focus on
such issues as the relationship between society and
religion.

The sociologist can show, for example, that all religions
reflect the cultural concerns of the societies in which
they arise; war-prone societies tend to have gods of war;
agricultural societies, gods of fertility. Societies
that accord much greater power and prestige to men tend to
have male gods and religions dominated by male officials,
it is therefore not surprising that priests, rabbis,
and other clergy have been exclusively male in the past,
or that this situation is gradually changing as gender
roles become more flexible.

Another example is that most Western Christians, being
white tend to think of both God and Jesus as white.
The idea of a black God is almost unimaginable. Portraits
of Jesus frequently present him as a blond Caucasian
rather than as a person of Semitic features he no doubt
was. In many African churches on the other hand
statues and portraits of Jesus show him with dark,
Negroid features.

I would like to Thank everyone who's contributed to this
discussion. I look forward to our inter-action on the
next. For me this discussion appears to have run its course.
Until the next time, I wish you all a very enjoyable
Festive Season and a Safe, and Healthy New Year.

All The Best.

Dear Foxy,

Whether one sees god as white and male or black and female one sees god generally in human image. Humans have created god in their own image. With robots taking a greater role in our society maybe some enterprising theologian will see God as robot.

Happy solstice to all.