Interesting piece. I'm in total agreement. If religious belief helps someone live their life, fine - it works for them so who am I to gainsay that. By the same token I do not want 'believers' labeling me as evil or immoral because I don't need their belief.

IMHO religion has been used as a method of control over the general population - do as 'God' says or you will suffer the consequences. To some degree that still happens today - these are the rules to live by and those who don't follow them can't be good people.

I look at my grandchildren, neither of whom has been brought up with any religious background. Both know the difference between right and wrong, both are caring, considerate children. They really did not need to be frightened into good behaviour with threats of eternal punishment. Compare that to the right wing religious nuts who picket military funerals in the name of their God. I know who I feel are the better human beings.

I volunteer to teach needlecrafts at our local women's shelter, supplying the equipment myself with the help of very generous donations from others who know of this work. I do this because I feel that I can make a difference, no matter how small, in the lives of some of these women and that teaching the crafts that I love sends the ripples out further than I can see. One of my ladies, now back in Virginia, is teaching her daughter to knit, as I taught her. The local homeless shelter had a good consignment of hats ans scarves last Thanksgiving, all made by my ladies and Project Linus and the breast cancer unit of a local hospital have all been beneficiaries of their work. I didn't need any religious body to point me in that direction, just a need to give back to the community in some way.

Problem is, religion can be very divisive. Even within the Christian church there are vast differences in belief, leading to turmoil among those who, supposedly, worship the same entity. The need for validation of one's own particular creed does lead to the production of literature as mentioned in the article - my way is the RIGHT way is the credo.

I find it amusing that the pastor mentioned in the article thinks that only religious rules stop he and his flock from being lecherous drunken murderers. Well, maybe that's true and so religion has a purpose. Most of my non-religious friends don't seem to have this problem and we're really quite a happy bunch!