If you could examine the motivations for the original purveyors of religions that enfore a strict status quo, would you find that they themselves believed in what they said, or would you find that they were selfishly attempting to maintain their hold on power.

For the Christians among us, I remember hearing somewhere that the Gospel according to Thomas was intentionally withheld from the Bible (and, by extension, the majority of the public) because it said, plainly, that the Church was unneccesary: faith is all that matters. Of course, the Church didn't much care for that idea...

• Politicians have used religion - yanniru - September 6, 2001 - 12:44 UTC