Yuyutsu,

I'm sorry, but I do not think I am versed enough or as much as I would like to be on the subject of religion.
My comments are based on MY personal experiences, observations, education and eventual inquisitiveness on the subject.
However I do not reckognise an institution, or in my description, a CULT, that preaches harm and exclusivity and only offers inclusivity under the threat of death, and actively engages in the promotion and activity of killing those who reject them or attempt to leave.
A classic example of a sick mind who believed in the saying; "If your not with me, you must be against me".
Leaving no room for those who really didn't give a toss, one way or another.
We must keep in mind the origins of, let's say, the Muslim faith.
It was started by a war mongering mental retard by threatening his troops to fight, or else.
The Muslim faith was formed based on violence and evil intentions, driven by evil malcontents, so if one is to regard this as a religion, I disagree where-as I in turn, will call it for what it is; A CULT!

Faith is usually making yourself believe what you deeply suspect is not true.

For example, if you can accept that over a thousand years BC, under instruction from God a tribe of Jews crossed the ocean in a wooden submarine to become the ancestors of the American Indians and also that people live on every other planet (plus the moon and the sun) then congratulations - you're a member of a church with $100billion in cash reserves and is far richer than the Catholic Church.
Scientology is trying hard to match them on the craziness scale but will never be as wealthy.

Some people certainly profit from the faith of others but faith alone can be as effective as writing a letter to Santa.

Dear Altrav,

Let us not get bogged down by the dual meaning of the word "religion":

There is the actual, factual phenomena of religion, roughly meaning that some actions/methods/thoughts bring their practitioners closer to God; then there are various groups and organisations that promote and support such actions/methods/thoughts among their members. Confusingly, such organisations are also called "religions" in English.

Just because a group claims to promote and support religion, and just because people and/or authorities tend to believe them, does not mean that they actually do. Your claims against Islam, so are Rache's claims against Scientology, amount to saying that Islam and Scientology are not religions, for how could such despicable actions possibly lead one closer to God?!

Islam has several sects, so in my personal view, while its mainstream sects are likely not to be religions (or perhaps to no longer be religions, if once they were), sects like the Sufis and Ahmaddiyyans probably are religions. Scientology is not.

Yuyutsu,

I appreciate your views, but, I cannot accept a group who actively promote the killing of anyone, without justification.
And especially because you are not of their beliefs, nor do you want to be, is not what, "I" regard as a religion.
So for me, CULT is the true description of such evil and anti-social people or groups.

Dear Altrav,

Fair enough, such groups that promote murder are not religions and may be called cults. While they may be speaking of God, they do not help their followers to come closer to God - on the contrary, they take them away from God!

All I said is that within the broad church that is called "Islam", there are some sects, such as the Sufis and Ahmaddiyyans, which do not call for murder and seem to be genuine religions.

rache, What you are referring to is irrational."Faith is usually making yourself believe what you deeply suspect is not true." That can hardly be a belief, if you do not believe it.

For me the Universe is a unified organism with a single originator. Superimposed into this chemistry is a spiritual dimension currently only found in humanity, with the ability to evaluate abstract ideas and create thing humans can conceive and believe can exist. Like the computer you are writing on at the moment, artificial intelligence, flight, space exploration etc. Daniel made the observation 2,600 ago that in the latter days knowledge will increase exponentially. The human mind not only has the innate desire to know where we came from but where are we heading. The human mind reflects the nature of the divine, however there are those that want to control, destroy and kill, whose minds are of the evil. This is the reason we have set up law and social order.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ravi+zacharias+youtube&cvid=be888071e4404d44ac16447b65fa0c28&pglt=803&PC=U531&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dravi%2bzacharias%2byoutube%26cvid%3dbe888071e4404d44ac16447b65fa0c28%26pglt%3d803%26FORM%3dANNTA1%26PC%3dU531&view=detail&mmscn=vwrc&mid=27E0DC72D352D3DB229E27E0DC72D352D3DB229E&FORM=WRVORC