  Hey this is my religious belief rant. I hope I am able to Pi$$ some of y’all off so you start thinking about this crap. Just some background on me. I have never attended church, but come from a christian (cracker) background.
I have always been a philosopher of sorts, mainly just to satisfy my own questioning. I’ve been into the thought of a new synthesis religion that would stop everyone from killing each other. To quote a great philosopher “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” (Lennon) I think it’s about time that the whole world took a step back. No longer do we live in darkness and isolation. The information revolution has made a world perspective not only possible, but inevitable.
How many hundreds of years more will people die for their “religion”? I am not a scholar of any religious teachings by any sense, but I don’t seem to remember any religious teachings that preach the values of killing another human. I’ve been told that christianity and islam are based on judaism and the old testament. Again, all y’all please tell me where I’m mistaken but isn’t that where the ten commandments come from, and is “thou shalt not kill” the first one on the list?
Why is it then that killing in the name of faith has been so prevalent throughout history? I do not have to list all the wars that were based solely on religion. Who then controls religion? I can not believe that god would use religion as a instrument of murder. I contend that religion is not a creation that comes from god, it is a corruption of spirituality used by men to obtain and maintain power (constantine's dream had nothing to do with god). One of the unique aspects of the United States is our separation of church and state. Before our little experiment, the state and the religion were almost always heavily intertwined. This is religions true face, politics and power. What is more powerful than controlling the thoughts and fears of another.
To make the rules of what is acceptable to say, do, or think. This power can rally the people around their leaders or their nation. Even make people willing to sacrifice their lives and to destroy the lives of others in the name of righteousness. Religion has been used as an instrument only in the hands of elites and leaders to bend the will of their people. The will of the elite, not that of god, has been the driving force in religion. This may sound like a very anti-religious rant, and, it is.
I apologize to all those who cannot separate religion, as a social/political entity, from the spiritual beliefs that religion teaches. The lessons contained in the teachings and holy works of the different religions are amazing pieces of knowledge and wisdom, that when followed lead humanity on the path to peace and prosperity. Religion has deffinitely brought about much goodness and beauty to this world. My contention is with the way religion has been corrupted by those who wish to separate people. I don’t believe that god condones the acts of all christians, or that allah condones the acts of all muslims, or that jaweh condones the acts of all jews.
I also cannot believe that there are no hindus or buddhists that deserve to be in christian heaven. FACT: nobody knows what the truth is. Many philosophers would be pi$$ed off if we did. Not one person can prove that any other religion is more true than another. All religions teach a way to goodness, only the details are slightly different. This is why I must still ask; WHY ARE WE KILLING EACH OTHER?
The teachings of the worlds religions are all accessible. Instead of arrogantly denouncing them, we need to find the bridges that can unite humanity. That is a more noble goal than dominance through brutality. It is not good enough, either, to simply say that religion is a war of attrition. If the good of all mankind is the purpose for religion, than we are doing religion an injustice when we subvert the good of all to only the good of “my” people. 
