religion, going to church, etc.

[walkitout]

Just in case some of my readers are feeling like I'm being awful hard on religion in general, I'd like to use this entry to say that while I have issues with organized religion, an emphasis on doctrine and hierarchies, I do understand that religion often serves a uniformly -- or at least net -- positive purpose in people's lives. Social stuff, ritual, a sense of connection to something larger than oneself and one's immediate family/kin, an organized opportunity to think about Important Things, music, dancing, art, architecture, food, support in tough times, opportunities to help others -- all are available within many organized religions. I actually don't have any problem at all with any of that. I think that's all great.

I hate it when people say, "some of my best friends are -whatever-", so I will refrain from doing that.

I think, ultimately, one of my biggest problems with Prothero is that I see him as attacking all that ecumenical good stuff: putting doctrinal issues, differences of opinion, etc. aside so as to focus on good things like feeding and housing the poor or recent victims of weather or whatever. Prothero _likes_ the divisions of dogma, and doesn't care for the emphasis on detailed issues of sexual morality (and there, I have to concede -- I don't much care for the emphasis on detailed issues of sexual and reproductive actions, either). And he doesn't appear to value the great good stuff that can come out of ecumenical endeavors.