Hi, Jon. I was fascinated by your thoughts on religion. Thanks for posting. As far as this writer is concerned, all religious beliefs fall into the same category as worshiping one deity. The reasons may differ, but the premise is the same - someone or something is responsible for the creation of the universe and the human condition, and both good and evil exist. It is supposed by the followers that prayer, meditation, and worship will bring change to those parts of our world that breed disaster, disease, autocratic and fascist governments, and criminal activity that leads to murder, perversion, and illegal activity. After all, there must be some logical explanation for bad things happening to good people. And the answer is NOPE! Life is a continuum of the species with the primary goal of survival in the best circumstances possible. While the world is a better place compared to a century ago, the human condition is the same. We still find evil, perversion, slavery, crime, murder, disease, charlatans and con men, corrupt politicians, and survival of the fittest in every country of the world. Prayer and worship do not seem to fix climate change, incurable disease, retardation, war, or other human follies. It is good to have a moral compass. If religion helps, that is good, but overall, religion has done more harm than good. And the present-day is not excluded.