Such bad things caused by organised religion and done in the name of organised religions are sadly not a thing of the past. So it is not a case of its current members looking back 500 years and saying tut-tut, providing excuses or defecting the discussion away from this sad fact.

It is a case of taking a hard look at the reality and of finding the reasons. And then working to ensure that these bad things are not done because of organised religion or in their name. And then there will be no need for folk to defend these organised relgions for there will be no justification for any one to critcise them on these grounds.

I think I can safely say that organized religions do neither good nor bad, and they are neither good nor bad in themselves - it's individuals (or groups of individuals) within an organization that are responsible for the good and bad done by the organization.

What is your point? That our organised religions are at best an irrelevance? That is rather the same point that I have been trying to make. That all organised religions are human constructs, will fail and should be viewed in the same way as all other human constructs.

I have lost count of the many excuses given here for the bad things done because of and in the name of organised religions - and by posters who are only too ready to condemn many other human constructs on far less evidence.