Religion

Walk into any great cathedral and your eyes fall on the focal point of it all – a statue of a man being tortured to death.

Personally, I'd rather walk in and see children playing with balloons.

Religion, sacred engagement with that which is believed to be a spiritual reality. Religion is a worldwide phenomenon that has played a part in all human culture and so is a much broader, more complex category than the set of beliefs or practices found in any single religious tradition. An adequate understanding of religion must take into account its distinctive qualities and patterns as a form of human experience, as well as the similarities and differences in religions across human cultures.
In all cultures, human beings make a practice of interacting with what are taken to be spiritual powers. These powers may be in the form of gods, spirits, ancestors, or any kind of sacred reality with which humans believe themselves to be connected. Sometimes a spiritual power is understood broadly as an all-embracing reality (see  Pantheism), and sometimes it is approached through its manifestation in special symbols. It may be regarded as external to the self, internal, or both. People interact with such a presence in a sacred manner—that is, with reverence and care. Religion is the term most commonly used to designate this complex and diverse realm of human experience.

When thinking about religion, it is important for an individual to consider the age-old question *What's in it for me?* Some, maybe even most, religions take more than they give.

The opiate of the masses is the worship of rock stars, athletes and talk show hosts whose very inanity and nincompoopery is offered as proof of their art.

There can be no 'true' religion, because religion by definition is based on belief – and truth is not.

We might believe that the world is flat, the planets control our destiny, or the politician is honest.

But no matter how fervently we believe it, or how many of us believe the same thing, that doesn't make it true.

If a billion people are making a mistake – it's still a mistake.

(Just ask Galileo.)

Religion: the most destructive and addictive drug ever to befall humanity.