I don't think this was meant to be an anti-religion thread but a discussion of why non-religious people are able to live moral lives without adherring to a strict code of religious rules.

I know I can live morally without others telling me the right thing to do. I think that there is an innate sense of what is right and what is wrong. Seems to me that the all of the rules just give the priestly class a means of controlling the masses. In fact, religion seems to relinquish many individuals from taking any personal responsibility what-so-ever.

Of course Jesus had empathy and compassion for others. That doesn't mean, however, that others do not.

Maybe what Pied Piper was wondering is if religion attracts people who are not too sure how to behave without a role model and a set of rules. That does not mean that everyone needs this and it does not mean that non-religious people are without empathy or compassion.

Jerry, I appreciate your discomfort but that is not a reason to squelch a discussion. It soesn't look good on you and makes you seem defensive and fearful.