Very dangerous direction to push a thread in, i'll have to watch this one closely.
Religion can be seen in many ways. For the most part it's so common it has to satisfy some universal desire of mankind across many cultures and classes. It's a fact of life.
I've come to realise that the word religion is a chameleon and a very broad term, it's so much more than the insitutes such as churches that most people seem to think embody religion, and it's an important distinction to make that it can mean so much more. Perhaps there are better words for the point i'm trying to make, but i can't think of any.
I believe it is above all a personal way of orienting yourself on life and the world, beyond the insights things such as reasoning can offer. I'm seeing this everywhere, even in people who claim not to be "religious" in the regular sense. Now take a deep thought and think about what secularism really is, and how the word is used in the debate about the Mohammed cartoons.
I don't think it is mainly used as a tool as T-Bone states, sure it has been used that way by some people, and with varying degrees, mostly in the past, but it goes for any social or governing structure (which the church is/was) that people will attempt to abuse it. It's not an inherent flaw of religion itself that would make it "bad" somehow.
As for the maturity levels of the people on this forum, i'd say that's best left undiscussed, as there's nothing to gain from such a discussion.
I hope i'm not floating too high here. Drag me back to earth if i do please.
