Jesus continually preached of the honoring the least among us, of charity and humility. When one reads of the five pillars of Islam, when one contemplates the essential rightness of bowing in humility five times daily to remind oneself of one's insignificance in the total scheme of things, it is difficult not to be elevated in spirit, transfixed with joy that people can construct such marvelous melodies to civilized human behavior. Then one reads of bombs detonated, killing the innocent along with the guilty, all in the name of the Glory of Allah. Much worse, I am afraid. No, the actual practice of religion is still all too often suffused with complicated animal passions that spring from our fears, our lusts and our carnivore killer instincts.
Sexual lust leads to authoritarian controls on our behavior.
And always, our animal ways are used by the power mongers to control and enslave, to reward and to punish, all, of course, in the name of God Almighty. Yet, none of this dreadful recitation changes the essential fact, in my mind, that the questions posed by religion are the important issues in our lives. In between, science can provide some interesting and diverting exercises, explanations that only the deepen the mysteries. It can help us to be born and to lead healthy lives, to provide ever more of us with the essential nutrients of life. It can make our deaths easier to bear, less painful.