Joe Offer
They can't understand my rejection of their demand for my obedient acceptance of a doctrinal and moral code - but to me, that's not what faith is all about.

No but it is what organised religion is about. Without it - surely this is not organised religion but a personal faith? Can you really have it both ways?

Little Hawk
It can be argued that religion has done tremendous good in the world too, if one wants to argue from that angle.

In the legal sense - if you have enough money - you can find someone who is prepared to argue anything. Winning the case and demonstrating that argument is a different matter. Unlike legal matters this is hardly an argument than can be won. But if you wished to argue such a thing - can you really demonstrate that organised religion has also done tremendous good in the world?

And even if you could - and as doing good is supposed to be its purpose - would this ever compensate for all the bad that has been and continues to be done in the name of organised religion?