I went to a Church of England school. Now if I had been taught about some of the common symptoms of metal illness and the same time as I was being told about Old Testament people like Noah hearing God and folk like Moses talking to burning bushes - I suspect I would have had even less faith in what I was supposed to accept as the basis for this particular religion.

However, I probably would have been more likely to grow up and be employed dealing with mental illness than I would have grown up to be a vicar. And if I started hearing god's voice in my head, telling me to build big wooden ships, I would have be less likely to start to order the wood than to consult a doctor.

All organised religion to me, could be considered as a collective mental illness and imposing this on our young is unforgivable. For where I may be prepared to accept personally that there may be more that I can see or be able to prove - expecting to have this faith, in what someone else tells me and asks me to have faith in their - is not an option for me. Nor is expecting anyone else to accept my faith.

We seem to have less of a problem with this religeous imposition upon our young than we do when it is political ideology that is imposed. This is a litle strange, for even if you may not agree with the political ideology in question, it is at least (usually) a rational one that can be argued.

The ones that combine political ideolgy with religious certainty - are usually the ones to be feared most...................