Dear Yuyutsu,

Surely you can come up with a better definition than that ten seconds afterthought. A six year old could come up with better than that!

Is religion the biggest con job, since Eve gave the apple to Adam?

Once again, I would like to Thank You all for
making this a very interesting discussion.
I'm sure that it has given us all a lot of
food for thought and by sharing and seeing the
variety of views on this topic - I feel that we can
all learn and benefit.

Let us search our minds for the judgements we still
may hold. It takes discipline and vigilance to do
the mental work necessary to purify our hearts.

Honesty with ourselves and the willingess to chnage
form the crux of the pilgrim's journey.

Can ideologies degenerate into religions ? i.e. something with rules that one must obey without question, with a tight in-group and demonised out-groups (cf. Festinger, Mr Opinionated), where one must be firm and merciless with one's enemies for the good of the cause, etc. ? But something not necessarily with any religious, magic, or supernatural content ?

Religions also have their embedded ideologies, since they are usually so vaguely written that one can interpret the strictures as one pleases. Some of the parables and lessons in, say, the Bible, I find very moving, even as an atheist: the Good Samaritan story for example. A story of course, a cautionary tale, a fable, an example of proper behaviour.

The story itself goes so hard against conventional thought these days - the notion of helping someone who is NOT one of one's own, even at a personal cost, is surely the essence of the universalism that Marx wrote passionately about (cf. the Internationale, Mr Op), regardless of where the story may be from. It reminds me of non-Jewish people in Europe who shielded Jews at the risk of their own lives. Wonderful people, heroes - and I wonder how many currently on the extreme 'Left' or Right would ever have the courage and integrity and compassion to do that ?

Joe

I understand my views confront many
Let me assure you they are just as strongly passionately held as in my Christian days
And full of hope just as my once faith in Christ was
At the end of my rainbow [sadly just as unlikely without force as Christs return] is the dream we can bury racism, become one human race
Because it is my view faith drives hate

Dear Mr O,

"Dear Paul1405,

Are you referring to the (Christian) God that is all-caring, all-knowing and all-powerful?"

No his twin, the vengeful, hateful, all-knowing and all powerful Christian God who held centre stage until around 400 or 500 years ago. Not sure what happened to that particular dude, but things changed.