Paul wrote:
"...the story of Christianity has helped us move along this road.....(snip)
and providing a good that outweighs the, maybe more obvious, evil that has been done in the name of religion"

I think Paul makes the point very well that
no blanket endorsement or condemnation of religion need be made. If you get your "life conduct" information casually from people in a religious context, you can become evil without knowing it.
On the other hand...by reading a story and pondering its meaning, you get perhaps better information...between you and such God as there may be. Some have found the story of Jesus to have much value which transcends its parochial context.
If you embrace OR dispense with religion, you might miss something highly desirable.
In either religion or science when mispracticed, your fellow humans may be obsessed with causing all your questions to cease. They do not know how to live with free persons of good will.

If religion or science simultaneously brings a condition of
1) universal good will (the universe as we know it) -and-
2) strong social freedom to question -and-
3) a deep personal life of truthful inquiry

Then we are on to something.
Until then, you are playing footsie.

• Sir, part 2 - georgiapine - May 24, 2002 - 15:44 UTC
  • what Scott Abernathy is doing is a cluster of logical fallacies - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 15:59 UTC
    • Wow! - harvey1 - May 24, 2002 - 16:55 UTC
      • Harv? - darwinpoodle - May 24, 2002 - 17:26 UTC
        • Sure, I'll break it down - harvey1 - May 24, 2002 - 18:11 UTC
          • Harv! - darwinpoodle - May 24, 2002 - 18:22 UTC
            • You asked, right? - harvey1 - May 24, 2002 - 19:28 UTC
              • Fine - darwinpoodle - May 24, 2002 - 19:34 UTC
                • Cliff can do whatever 'he' wants (nt) - harvey1 - May 24, 2002 - 21:07 UTC
                  • But if Cliff commits a serious crime, Harv's arrested - occupant - May 25, 2002 - 17:20 UTC
          • Well... - stormcrow - May 24, 2002 - 18:39 UTC
            • True - harvey1 - May 24, 2002 - 19:13 UTC
              • Harv's "True" and "Not True" are sometimes exactly the same - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 19:31 UTC
                • occupant/carefuluniverse/spazcon/quiet - stormcrow - May 24, 2002 - 19:58 UTC
                  • you're becoming gentler.. - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 20:10 UTC
                    • Conduct of life - stormcrow - May 24, 2002 - 21:44 UTC
                      • run for it - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 22:12 UTC
                • Here is what I think... - darwinpoodle - May 24, 2002 - 19:59 UTC
                  • you are probably the network of which you speak. - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 20:16 UTC
                  • here's what you thought six weeks ago. - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 21:02 UTC
    • Learn to distinguish between jokes and actual arguments - stormcrow - May 24, 2002 - 17:03 UTC
      • Hypothesis contrary to fact - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 19:32 UTC
        • Your post titles are often longer than the actual content - stormcrow - May 24, 2002 - 19:49 UTC
          • by actual count? Please support your statement scientifically - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 20:18 UTC
    • My pal Mike - darwinpoodle - May 24, 2002 - 17:13 UTC
      • Cliff's - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 19:35 UTC
      • "I understand you are trying to get a rise out of me" - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 19:37 UTC
        • For you - darwinpoodle - May 24, 2002 - 20:03 UTC
          • Are you soylent green? - occupant - May 24, 2002 - 20:18 UTC