snip
No, in any high 'faith' sense, since I have actually seen results.
>
> And religion is only insulting (to me) when it professes to explain
> reality. Otherwise, it makes very nice tales for the fireside.
>
Wow!, I never thought I would have heard this from Wade. But I expected
it was there all along. From all my research into various religious
ideas, I have found none that even attempt to explain reality.
Most religions at the heart are very personal. They try to help us
understand our own personal relationship to *reality*. Unfortunately,
many practitioners (priests, ministers, etc.) get their own power issues
tied up in this. Have you ever looked at the Quaker faith? This is my
own heritage. It is an over simplification but in this version of
Christianity there are no priests. Essentially, there is church
whenever two like-minded persons come together to help each other.
Dogmatism only becomes strong when there is a perceived threat. You can
see this with all fundamental movements be they Christian or Moslem et
al. This is why most fundamental leaders concentrate on the *other* be
it homosexuals, communists, or whatever.
Your skepticism has yielded results for you. This is what validates it
for you. My understanding of my relationship to others as not being
separate works for me. This is the basis for real understanding.
BTW... I am also very skeptical. While I take things on face value, I
never horse trade without being prepared to lose the money I offer...
:0)
Marie