Whilst it remains true that people do dreadful things to each for all kinds of reasons, religions do offer a special case.

Is it true to say that people, usually men invent or declare religons? Most(?) people would judge that L Ron Hubbard invented Scientology. Others that The Church of Latter Day Saints was invented by Joseph Smith, in the same way. As an Atheist I believe that all religions were invented like this and that all sets of ideas are invented or contructed similarly.

This is not the problem. Within religions people declare things to be true and ask others to believe them from faith, not evidence. Virgin birth, words on stones as the word of god, pick your own. If People outside the faith challenge these ideas they will clearly fail because they are not based in evidence or logic or whatever.

This means that people in religions can do and say what they like.

Geographers, mathematicians, musicians and most parts of philosphers don't behave like this and it makes it very difficult to discuss things like right and wrong with people who say what they like.

Very old religions may have the wisdom of thousands of years of peoples experience but some religious people in this century will still do and say what they like and what others say may not matter. People may claim religous reasons for doing things when most of us would judge them to be simply self-serving.

I think this takes us back to the only base line: democracy and the rule of law as the best of a bad choice.