I have one friend who says “Religion is for the weak minded.” And I have another friend who is at a seminary to become a minister. Me? I’m a registered minister in… uh… well, I filled out a form on the web and now I’m… ok, whatever.

Anyway, Andrew grabs the bull by the horns with this statement:

I believe that religion and (for want of a better term) spirituality encourage irrational thinking, gullibility, exclusivity and divisiveness. The negatives outweigh the positives (and I acknowledge the positives). There is really very little difference, philosophically, between “mainstream” religion and religious fundamentalism.

As I do my best religious ranting/mumbling/philosophizing/etc late at night with a beer or two in me, I’ll just say that I agree with everything Andrew says. And yet I also do not see it as incompatible with what other friends are saying.

Explaining THAT is beyond the scope of this lifetime.