Wayne wrote:
"even the Pope, when he is alone in the dark after a long day of visiting the victims of tragedy, sometimes entertains the possibility that it's all for naught."

While Jesus never actually said it your bible puts the following words into his mouth:
"My God, My God, why hath thou forsaken Me?"
The ultimate act of hypocrisy but clearly indicative of reality.

Wayne wrote:
"There have been times in history where various religions have been corrupted by their leaders."

Let me turn that on its head if I may ... Can you name a time in history when religions have NOT been corrupted by their leaders? I can't. Trying to find times in the last 1,500 years when Christianity was not killing its own in a power struggle will leave you with days not months or years when it wasn't spilling blood.

Wayne wrote:
"People sin. Power corrupts. We are human, and subject to human weaknesses. This in no way indicates that the messages of these religions are not important."

But it may be an indication they are irrelevant. An intelligent and objective being might surmise they are as much a part of the problem as part of the solution and that so far show no evidence of being part of the solution.

People do not sin. Religion defines what people do as sin.

We are definitely human. But any set of rules and regulations that refuses to accept that humanity is doomed to failure no matter how well meaning.

We have been trying to manage human behavior with religion for more than 10,000 years. I see little evidence that it has been effective. I can show you a lot of evidence that indicates that education and elimination of poverty are.

Wayne wrote:
"Great works have been done in the name of religion. Amazing acts of compassion. People don't remember those."

Nonsense. We all can quote chapter and verse of Bach and Michaelangelo, etc. No one has forgotten any of it. But some of us also remember great acts of murder, terrorism, and destruction and integrity demands you acknowledge both.

My take is that those "amazing acts of compassion" happen between people without regard to religion and that many were forced upon us by the cruel and hypocritical acts of the very same religions and people acting in the name of religions.

Remember every king that ever separated a head from a body in Europe ... did so in the name of God and King. Every bloody one.

DA Morgan