I know it's gone on too long already but --- apologies to the offended –

I have the same core reaction to the "Apology" as Moonchild although I wouldn't phrase it so harshly.

I'd like to suggest that religion has no utility when it comes to big issues. For example, the mainline chruches and religions of every nation blessed their own nation's efforts in WWII. How can one expect consistent moral guidance when there can be a mess like that? There were a range of minority responses, such as pacifism, to the war, and all of them were participated in by members of all faiths.

Religions are not reliable guides to the "big questions." They are, however, reliable guides as to who wants to manipulate whom, in whose service.

By that I mean, for example, the faithful in Germany were manipulated by their relieious leaders to serve the secular leaders. The faithful in England were manipulated by their religious leaders to serve the secular leaders. The faithful in American were ….

This is the most reliable pattern in the history of religions.