The blight of mankind is extremism. Regardless of whether it be religion, politics or ethnics. Individually these elements can be deadly in and of themselves, mixing the three can be catestrophic for any and all who run a-foul. It has been my experience that rarely do any of these elements apply alone, usually they will team up, religion/plolitics, religion/ethnics, politics/ethnics, etc. Organizied religion is most usually the combination of religion and politics. Even within a specific religious group you will find tremedous differences of opinion depending on the location and politics involved. The early drafters of the US Constitution understood this and did their best to ensure a separatation of Church and State. Most democratic countries have followed suit and have this separation of Church and State built into their constitutions as well. Unfortunately, as with all things human, it has been taken to the extreme. The recent out-cry from none Christians and some politicians concerning the use of, "Christmas", for the name of our annual December 25th holiday, is just one excellent example.

As has been mentioned many times in the discussions in this forum thread, Organized Religion is only as good as those that are doing the organizing and those that follow. Belief is a very personal thing with me and I thank God that I was born in a country that, "still," permits me to follow and practice my belief, my way.

Cheers,
Rob Allie