Consider the fact that the astronomical system adopted by the medieval Christians as the divine and un-disputable truth (much like Creationism) was in fact borrowed wholesale from Greek pagans.

Is it unsettling to anyone that such fundamental principles enshrined in religious dogma (and reason enough to imprison Galileo) have such demonstrably human origins?

Perhaps what this suggests is that one should consider not the literal details of a religion, but instead the greater message that it may be trying to communicate. Too many people seem to think that believing in the superficial and "historical" elements of a religion is a greater testament of their faith than is actually understanding ...

Consider the fact that the astronomical system adopted by the medieval Christians as the divine and un-disputable truth (much like Creationism) was in fact borrowed wholesale from Greek pagans.

Is it unsettling to anyone that such fundamental principles enshrined in religious dogma (and reason enough to imprison Galileo) have such demonstrably human origins?

Perhaps what this suggests is that one should consider not the literal details of a religion, but instead the greater message that it may be trying to communicate. Too many people seem to think that believing in the superficial and "historical" elements of a religion is a greater testament of their faith than is actually understanding the religion they claim to follow. But to save both religion and society, this needs to change.

Too many people seem to think that believing in the superficial and "historical" elements of a religion is a greater testament of their faith than is actually understanding the religion they claim to follow. But to save both religion and society, this needs to change.

That may be a taller order than simply exposing institutional religion as fraud based on myth.

Kindness is not a religious concept, it's a secular concept sometimes embraced by religion.

What else has to be gleaned from a religious concept?

( Pretending immortality based on patriotism to a dogma? )

The truth might be more effective than retooling the faith. It's not that ALL faith is bad. It's that all rel...

Too many people seem to think that believing in the superficial and "historical" elements of a religion is a greater testament of their faith than is actually understanding the religion they claim to follow. But to save both religion and society, this needs to change.

That may be a taller order than simply exposing institutional religion as fraud based on myth.

Kindness is not a religious concept, it's a secular concept sometimes embraced by religion.

What else has to be gleaned from a religious concept?

( Pretending immortality based on patriotism to a dogma? )

The truth might be more effective than retooling the faith. It's not that ALL faith is bad. It's that all religious faith is pretend. And where pretending is substituted for knowledge, we all lose.