[IROC]

Since this thread has gone off on somewhat of a tangent, I will add that religion (purely a construct of man) seems to be a natural (and needed) outgrowth of man's social nature (not evolution). Religion fulfills the needs of many people by providing them comfort and social interaction with other people and the feeling of "belonging". Many also use the teachings of their particular religion to answer questions such as "why are we here".

Having said that, just because religion is a natural and probably required facet of human civilization doesn't mean that the supreme beings identified in the religions actually exist (how many people still believe that Zeus, et al exists?). Also, I think people need to realize that there are some that do not need the spiritual comfort that religion brings to many. They are not anti-religious - they just do not have the same need for religion that most people do. They also do not like being told that they are wrong and "if you don't like it, you can leave the country" kinda stuff. I think that this is one point that the religious really struggle with - they can't understand *why* some people don't believe in the same way they do and try to justify it in their own minds. That's where the claims of "trying to justify your immoral lifestyle" etc., come into play. It's really not like that.

We can argue the finer points of whether or not a particular religion is historically accurate or not ad nauseum, but in the end it doesn't matter. The believer doesn't really care if he's right or not - he's going to believe anyway. He *needs* to believe. No amount of evidence is going to convince him that he is wrong. I don't think believers *should* be convinced that they are wrong. They need religion. It provides them with something tangible that they need in life. By the same token, the non-believer isn't going to be swayed or influenced by people quoting scripture, etc. because he has no need to believe. He has no void in his life that religion can fill. He doesn't *need* it (regardless of what the prosetlyizers think).

The thing that concerns me is the tremendous friction between believers and non-believers and even among people who believe different things. Why the hate? Why the intolerance? Look at the conflicts around the world. Most (all) of them have a difference of religious belief at their core. That's scary. Especially for the person who doesn't believe.

Off the soap box.

Mike