I'm convinced that religion is an emergent phenomenon of people living in groups.
The actual, specific dogmas of the individual denominations are pretty irrelevant.
We get along and mutually prosper through rules of thumb which generally call for suppression of 'bad' behaviors and reinforcement of 'good' behaviors.
When these rules are specified, disseminated and enforced, it is no surprise there is a substantial sub-population which engages in mostly 'good' behavior.
They'd get killed, ostracized or worse if they didn't.
By itself, that doesn't show the underlying truth of the dogmas. Irrational, bizarre, counter to reality shared actions serve to cement the community into a common fantasy.
When previously separated, evolving, creeds come into contact, there is some fraction of their beliefs which do not correspond.
These are seen as improper, or 'bad' from their respective perspectives.
But objectively, I'm shaky on the whole good/bad thing other than every molecule in my body exploding at the speed of light. Total protonic reversal.
Good Christians? You didn't leave room to vote for 'other.'
The actual, specific dogmas of the individual denominations are pretty irrelevant.
We get along and mutually prosper through rules of thumb which generally call for suppression of 'bad' behaviors and reinforcement of 'good' behaviors.
When these rules are specified, disseminated and enforced, it is no surprise there is a substantial sub-population which engages in mostly 'good' behavior.
They'd get killed, ostracized or worse if they didn't.
By itself, that doesn't show the underlying truth of the dogmas. Irrational, bizarre, counter to reality shared actions serve to cement the community into a common fantasy.
When previously separated, evolving, creeds come into contact, there is some fraction of their beliefs which do not correspond.
These are seen as improper, or 'bad' from their respective perspectives.
But objectively, I'm shaky on the whole good/bad thing other than every molecule in my body exploding at the speed of light. Total protonic reversal.
Good Christians? You didn't leave room to vote for 'other.'
So how, exactly, does God know that She's NOT a brain in a vat? 
