"Lighten up." I like that, Mick. And I like your picture of Jesus, even though I might disagree on the theology a little. My Jesus was a man who, as you said, hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes, and who changed water into fine wine (gallons and gallons of it!) so that the guests could be merry at a wedding (despite evangelical temperance claims that they were really all drinking grape juice). He was not afraid to flout the silly rules about working on the Sabbath if it meant healing somewhat. He took time to speak with children, yet turned holy wrath on those who filled the temple with crass merchandising. He was probably a pretty unnerving guy to be around.

Khandu, reading through your original list, I can't defend most of the actions and attitudes contained there. I agree that most of those things are pretty reprehensible. The only one I want to take gentle exception to is the bit about cathedrals.

Religions have always built temples, altars and lavish places of worship. From the ancient Mayans to the temples at Angkor Wat; from the glorious mosques of Istanbul to St. Peter's Basilica, people of faith have been moved to create works of art to express their worship. It's true that often funds were used for these purposes that could have fed the hungry. That's a quandary I don't have an answer for, except the one Jesus gave in the same situation. When the prostitute poured expensive perfume on his head and washed his feet with tears, the onlookers scoffed and said that the perfume should have been sold and given to the poor. Jesus defended her actions.

Everyone who discovers the Divine uses a different route to get there. Beautiful buildings don't do much for me; I get bored pretty quickly on a tour of a cathedral. But I've seen my husband's face transfixed with joy as he marvels at carven stone pillars and glorious stained-glass windows. He is a mystic at heart, and mystics are generally poorly understood by mainstream Christianity (whatever that is). I'll never forget our visit to the Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco, and our delight when we discovered that they had an icon of Martin Luther King, Jr. While I believe it is extremely important for us to give of our resources to the poor and the needy, I also believe that a world without these great religion-inspired works of art would be a poorer place indeed.

Keep asking these questions, Khandu. Asking questions should open doors, not slam them.