[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by carrie721

well, first of all, personal belief in a higher power is not the same thing as organized religion, so i think it's unfair to say that people who take issue with organized religion do so only because of the followers' belief in a higher power. as i've repeatedly stated in this thread, i am not an atheist. i do not believe in a dude upstairs calling the shots, but i do believe in an inherent connectedness of all things, so it would be silly of me to knock theists (which i believe is the term tower meant to use, rather than deist, which actually refers to a believer of the religion "deism") for holding a related belief.

organized religion is a different issue. i think it can be a dangerous thing and is often used as a weapon. however, billions of people think that christianity, judaism, islam, etc., are the path to their personal truth, and i cannot fault anyone for that. i do not think anyone is an idiot for using religion as a guide. but people who use the teachings of any holy book to scare people into abatement, or justify the subordination of one group to another? idiots.

I have repreatedly stated I am talking about belief in God and not about organized religion

I, also and as mentioned earlier, agree with your post