[Stu]

It's that old debate about being at peace versus being realistic. Priests and devouts are more than ready to pen Sunday paper columns about how atheists fail to see that religion brings people great peace, comfort and something to believe in but really ... is religion the only thing that can do that? Get another hobby. The world is full of plenty of stuff to do, plenty of great minds and plenty of great, comforting things.

Nobody believes in religion soley as a form of therapy. Nobody knows The Bible is a load of daft fantasy but believes it anyway for the 'comfort'. At least I don't know anybody like that. They are all willingly sustaining a lie and believing in something that is a load of B.S. In my mind that's not a positive. And it's certainly not a positive to delude yourself and deprive yourself of information about the world so you can preserve your nice, comftorable lie.

Again I'm sounding like a mean old atheist, as I tend to do in these threads, even though I think atheism is a similarly bizarre leap of faith. It's not the search for a higher concoious per say that I am against. Search all you want and take comfort in the knowledge that you think some cosmic force of peace exists ... just don't claim to have the guys autobiography.

I guess the point is do those people need religion to bring them peace and comfort? Of course not. They believe in it either through blisfull ignorance or family upbringing. Plenty of other pursuits could bring them the same peace and comfort.