The latest sad news from Iraq regarding sectaran violence just reinforced my contension that religion is bad for all our collective health. I don't mean spiritual practices per se, but organized dogmatism, fanatical adherance to an ideology where no room exists for anyone not a "true believer." Where did this idea that "we must kill all those who have not come to see things our way" come from? Again, I am not just speaking of Muslims here, but Christians and Jews, Hindus and animists, as well.

If god is infinite, how can anyone justify putting god in a definable "box?" And if that same god is eternal, how can mere humans, of whatever stripe, purport to know when, whether, and if god is planning on "pulling the switch?"

I like to think that spirit is truly infinite, and therefore cannot be ensnared and trapped by dogma, of any flavor. If god made all that is, then all that is, is good, right? Who are any one of us to tell any other of us what to believe, and how to express that belief?

Unfortunately, it appears a civil war in Iraq, which may well spread to Iran and Syria, and even Pakistan, is increasingly inevitable. India and China will act to protect their borders. Israel will act to protect itself. Internal stresses in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Jordan and other middle Eastern states will boil over. And thanks to El Bozito Presidente', our kids are in the eye of the storm.

Maybe the Christian extremists in this country will get their Armageddon sooner than they hoped. Trouble is, it won't quite match their longed-for prophecies. It will come before the Temple is rebuilt, and therefore will not fullfill the "way it is written" (meaning - the way we want to read it.) And that will really blow it with the Big Hairy Thunderer, now, won't it? Nothing worse than pissin' off the Big Guy by failing to follow the script.

I wouldn't mind it so much if we could just be sure that all the fanatics from all over the world, whatever their religious persuasion, could all be there in the front row when the thing blows. Then maybe the rest of us could have a little peace and quiet. Yeah. Peace. Might be an interesting alternative. We should try it, at least once. Who knows.....?