The Pope is a Communist!

[ccbatson]

Long before I knew who Rand was, in my teens, I developed my perception of religion as an ancient manmade system of controlling the masses and allow for a civil society at that time. Since it is the foundation of modern society, there is much in religion to respect and value, but a great deal that is frankly wrong [[the collectivist bits for none thing). I differ from Rand in that she completely dismisses religion as evil, I see it as an ancient philosophy with some strengths and weaknesses. She is completely atheistic, where I look at G-d as a word describing existance as a whole, and therefore, by that definition and by logic it/G-d must exist. Rand herself has repeatedly expressed that the core of metaphysics is that existants [[or existence) exists. By my definition, she would have to agree that G-d exists.

Her arguments against blind faith in religion, collectivism, and mysticism are absolutely and irrefutably correct by rational analysis.

[gibran]

or maybe while religion has been twisted to justify many things; it's real potential is in the application of the principles of good that was at it's foundatioal tenets...

I have no problem with Religion and Science co-existing...for in science there is nothing 100 absolute...and if there is even a .05 chance that faithis right I would rather err in faith than a lack of it...

maybe the old tales of the old books were written with the cognitive ability [[of the time) of their intended audience...can you imagine trying to explain the Big Bang theory to a group of wandering shepherds; or evolution without the proof to a group of mystics ...as long as life has mysteries...people have to fill the blanks in..and if that is with faith ..as long as it is not used to hurt others or themselves what is the ultimate harm..it is then subjective to the person who practices it.