A pity also that people equate God with "Religion", and can't seem to distinguish between the divine and the all too fallible human attempts at interpreting the meaning of the divine.

A simple metaphor for my own beliefs would be as follows:- When I need to use the product, I deal directly with the manufacturer, who is happy to consider my requirements, and fulfil them if he is able.

Sometimes he has to refuse my request, but always gives me an honest answer.

There are of course a number of other organisations dealing with the product, but generally as a package deal, modified to suit their ideals, not mine. These are, for the most part, honest organisations, acting in my best interests as perceived by them. However, the product has been so modified over time that it retains little in common with the manufacturer's specification.

In short, I don't do my praying in any church. I pray wherever, and whenever I need to, and I always am answered, although the answer quite often is not the one I had hoped for.

Don T.