Nerd - Well, of course my statements about polytheism are self-serving... I'm just as fond of my own opinions as most other people are of theirs! :-) Your point about Akenaton, however, is an excellent one to support your argument...and it had already occurred to me when I posted mine. It's the most obvious retort to mine that I can think of.

The way it is with God and religion is: People will always squabble about the outer particulars...the names used for God, which prophet(s) to follow, which holy books to read, which kind of clothing to wear, what kind of food to eat, one god or many gods, and anything else they can dream up to fight about. All this is due to accustomed mental habits and small-mindedness, IMO. And it all falls short of addressing the real question of divinity and what it means in life. As far as I'm concerned, all religious ideas are different ideas about the same fundamental question. This is why I belong to no specific church or religion, but simply to Life itself. In that respect, all people are my brothers and sisters, whether they know it or not. It's not always easy to get along with siblings...I know that.

Liland - Very good point about why monotheism would have had strong opposition in Egypt.

It is possible to see monotheism through the mechanism of many gods and goddesses...you only need not to be afraid of the idea. If you are afraid of it, you won't countenance it.

God does not prohibit anything. People prohibit things. If God did prohibit anything, it would simply not exist in the first place nor even be able to...God being the actual functioning substance and working of all that is.

People argue about God because they imagine that God is separate from themselves. It is not...it is just larger than themselves in its totality...and they are each one small part of it.

I've got no problem with separating church and state, because as far as I'm concerned, most churches have precious little of any use to say about God, although they never stop talking about Him/Her/It.

It is entirely appropriate in the meantime that American money have "In God We Trust" on it, because money IS God in America. That's what's so ironical about it. The statement fits the shoe that wears it!

You people are piddling around worrying about church and state when the state is already totally bought and dominated by money...and that is what has perverted it. The church was also bought out by money long ago, centuries ago. Money is the great god you must dethrone in society if anything is to change for the better.

That's why this issue about "under God" in the Pledge is a red herring.

Browning - By all means then, pray for everyone of a different viewpoint. Jesus did. He also said "Ye are all gods, and sons of the Most High". That doesn't sound exclusive to me, it sounds inclusive. Hurrah for Jesus! He was a true democrat (small "d"). If he was around now in the flesh, he'd be called a Communist in the West, and something else equally untrue and nasty in Communist China....like a "revisionist saboteur" or something of the sort.

- LH