[Livia]

Originally Posted by Nedusa

But Religion never stays as a personal belief, if it would I for one would champion it for as I said earlier my only gripe is with organised religions where people are eventually forced or coerced into following "rules". Once the control mechanisms start then its only a matter of time before the rules become obtrusive,overbearing , controlling and then it's not too much of a further step before the rules change and people are now paying money to organised religious institutions.

The next thing you know their lives are now being controlled by these religious leaders they are told what to do when to do it, when to eat when not to eat. They are told what to eat and what not to eat. Sadly for admittedly a minority of people they interpret their religion or are encouraged to interpret their religion as a licence to attack , maim, torture and kill people that do not agree with them. To carry out the most barbaric acts of violence and have no guilt whatsoever .

This is where organised religion can lead to and in my opinion all forms of religious control are harmful. Personal religious beliefs are the business of the individual and can offer comfort and guidance to everyone who seeks to live a happy peaceful and positive life.

Religion IS a very personal thing to many people. Yet you're still trying to lump in people all together, and that's what people with no belief try to do always. You look on people with faith like they're missing something in the big picture that only you can see and you go to great pains to press home your point.

I consider myself to be an intelligent person. I do not feel coerced, nor have I, nor will I ever try to press my religion on other people. My religion doesn't recruit. I am told what not to eat and in the main I follow it but admit I am not a slave to it. I am very amused by your assumption that I am eventually going to become some kind of automaton, blindly following a set of rules I don't understand.

You don't have to be religious to be a monster... that's been covered many times in this thread but it's worth repeating because you still seem to labour under the misapprehension that religion and violence is intrinsically linked.

You yourself seem quite bitter about people who are religious. I have no thoughts on your atheism (or whatever you want to call it)... if that's what you believe, knock yourself out. I don't know why you would feel justified in being so hyper-critical of people who do have faith.

I want to lead a happy and positive life, and I feel I am doing just that. I don't need the permission of someone who believes in nothing to validate me, nor do I accept their criticism.