This section probably will really piss a lot of people off. I'm not much for following traditional concepts in this area. So consider yourself warned, this is just an opinion.

That being said, I feel all bad things in history have their roots in religion and the insidious monopoly of control and power. Anytime you follow anything without question, you can be lead astray. I meet so many people base all life decisions on what others or "god" told them to do or better yet when they choose to take no action waiting on "god" and then when nothing happens, it must be "gods" will. What an excuse to not take responsibility for your life and decisions.

Now my history is such that I was reared Catholic and upon leaving home left the church but was really into the "god" thing but didn't like the hypocrisy of the Catholic church. In my late thirties, I was searching for something and chose to get involved, really involved, in my local parish. That experience was interesting and enlightening. I concluded that it wasn't for me. I'm very liberal and very much a free thinker. My experience reinforced that conservative christians don't want to think or deal with any gray in life. Yes, they are do gooders and participate in their community.

But wouldn't it be nice if you did good in your community because it was just the right thing to do, not because it'll get you into heaven?

My time with the local parish taught me an awful lot about people and how they live their lives. Recruiting, marketing at its best. Their promos are effective when you are down and out.

But what if you learned to look inside yourself and own your life as yours. Your decisions are yours, your mistakes, all yours. Own it! Responsible for living it! What if at the end of your days you were judged on how fully you lived your life? What if you got points for the questions you asked not blindly following? What if the bible is just a book, a novel? What if it was all a scam for power! What if you didn't feel guilty thinking about these things?