"Popeye" wrote in message
...

much meaningless drivel snipped

Religion has some value when used by an individual for his own purpose.
Religion applied to groups leads to intolerance, manipulation and worse.
Organized religion is the tool of con men. History shows this repeatedly.

You can cite exceptions to virtually any rule all day long, Pop. There will
always be exceptions to a general rule, including the moral foundations
wrought by Christianity. Pedophilic priests, avaricious TV preachers, the
Salem witch trials, etc. But they represent a tiny fraction of the total
influence of "modern" Roman Catholicism and the protestant factions. They
do not refute the essential fundamental influence of western religions upon
morality. Aristotle was essentially a moral man adrift in a sea of
immorality. He, too, was an exception. There will always be exceptions,
and those whose arguments fall flat will always cite them as *evidence*
supporting their unfounded claims.

Max