
I don't necessarily disagree with your assertion, but I disagree with
your reasoning.  (Faith = Bad.  Dogma = Bad.  Religion -> (Faith ^ Dogma).
Religion -> (Bad ^ Bad).  Religion -> Bad.)  Unfortunately, you never 
state why faith and dogma are dangerous.  

If you believe faith and dogma are dangerous because of what happened in
Waco, you are missing the point.  

The Branch Davidians made the mistake of confusing the message with the
messenger.  They believed Koresh was a prophet, and therefore believed
everything he said.  The problem wasn't the religion, it was the 
followers.  They didn't die because of faith and dogma, they died because
of their zealotry (or, in the case of the children, the zealotry of their
parents).


So Christians are totally irrational?  Irrational with respect to their
religion only?  What are you saying?  One's belief in a Christian God does
not make one totally irrational.  I think I know what you were getting at,
but I'd rather hear you expand on the subject.



Again, this statement is too general.  A Christian is perfectly capable of
being a philosopher, and absolutely capable of changing his/her mind.  Faith in
God is a belief, and all beliefs may change.  Would you assert that atheists
would make poor philosophers because they are predisposed to not believe in a
God which, of course, may show unfair bias when studying, say, religion?





So, Christianity is a prison, eh?  Ever heard of parole?  You have read far
too much into this subject.  A Christian is one who follows the religion
based on the teachings of a man named Jesus Christ.  Nowhere does this
definition imply that one cannot change one's mind.  In prison, however,
you can't just decide to leave.  One is voluntary, the other is not.  The
two are not compatible.



I prefer to think of religion as a water pistol filled with urine. 8^)
Seriously, though, some (but certainly not all) religions do condemn
groups of people.  The common target is the "infidel," a curious being
who is alternately an atheist, a non-<insert specific religious
affiliation here>, a person of a different race, or an Egyptian. 8^)

Please explain how "just because" thinking kills people.  (And please
state more in your answer than "Waco.")



I'll see your conscientious peacenik and raise you a religious 
zealot with bad acne. 8^)  By the way, I wasn't aware mass suicide
was a problem.  Waco and Jonestown were isolated incidents.  
Mass suicides are far from common.
