Here, in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution are five religious leaders, allegedly from different religions, giving their idea of "the most dangerous idea" in religion. I find one of the answers given to be sensible, and disagree with four of them.

If you disagree, feel free to comment and explain.

1. From a Christian: Violence in the name of God.

No argument. I agree this is a problem and a bad thing. And I think people from most faiths could agree with this, also.

2. From a New Ager: Follow our rules or else

Wayne Dyer makes quite a lot of money being vague. If he means to imply that "or else" means violence, then his argument reduces to #1, and, again, I agree.

But his maxim seems unconnected with his subsequent commentary:

The No. 1 problem with organized religion is that the purpose of organized religion is to prevent people from having a direct experience of God... The most important thing a human being can recognize is that they are already connected to God.

If I believed as Wayne -- that we all are already "connected" to God, then I'd agree. But I don't believe we're inherantly connected to God. (And neither does he, apparently, since he says we have to "maintain" that connection.) I guess he assumes our initial state is connected, whereas I assume we're initially disconnected. (And I expect we mean completely different things by the word "God".)

But I certainly don't agree that the purpose of "organized religion" is to keep people from experiencing God: quite the contrary, I would think. (And certainly many billions seem to have felt they had an experience of God in just that fashion.) I don't disagree with him implying others are deluded or wrong, but he seems to be going further, and saying leaders of other faiths are actively promulgating something they themselves know to be a lie.

So it sounds like he's saying it's bad to even to profess a system of beliefs and activities which help one get closer to God -- and thus would also be to one's personal detriment to ignore.

If so, as a criticism, this strikes me as a bit lacking in self-awareness, as I can't see the difference between one of Dyer's own followers -- who listens to him avidly on TV, and ingests many of his books and tapes -- and the devotees of any [other] televangelist. But we're supposed to believe one is "organized religion" (and thus is bad) and one isn't (and thus, good).

3. From a Conservative Jewish Rabbi: My religion is right

Of course many religions share common beliefs and truths -- but, regarding some atomic propositions, we can't all be right. A person should pursue whatever belief they feel best reflects reality -- and should also honestly admit they believe others are mistaken. All religions are really not the same.

But some trade reason and intellectual consistency for a warm 'n' fuzzy politically-correct outlook. And I wouldn't mind if so much if they didn't always simulataneously violate their own dicta, as Rabbi Kushner does here:

You have to understand that religion is not about getting information about God. Religion is about community. The primary purpose is not to get us to heaven but to put us in touch with other people.

Kushner telling people who believe their religion IS all about getting to know God, or getting into heaven, that they are, in fact, wrong -- but he's either not self-aware or intellectually honest enough to admit he's doing precisely that.

4. From a Muslim: Converting others to your religion

First, provided there's no knowing dishonesty or violence involved, I have no problem with people who want to spread their faith. Indeed, if they believe it's actually true and important, and will benefit those who convert, they can be acting out of quite good motives. We all have an obligation to try to figure out what's true in this universe, and it's absurd to argue that it's always the faith into which we're born.

And why can't we trust people enough to let them make their own decisions about what faith they wish to embrace?

But, even moreso, I have trouble with Dr. Abdullahi's fantastic assertion that Muslims never seek to spread their faith:

You don't find Muslims coming to proselytize in the United States. But you find Americans going to all sorts of Muslim countries.

Forgive me, but I myself have had Muslims try to convert me to Islam, and of course the Saudis are funneling massive amounts into conversion efforts into the US and other nations around the world. And, last I checked, there are a number of Imams who are quite active in the prisons.

So, yet again, let's at least be honest about where we're coming from, okay?

5. From a New Ager: A tribal view of God

Deepak Chopra and Rabbi Kushner seem to be singing from the same hymnal here:

The most dangerous idea is my God is the only true God and my religion is the only true religion. It leads to quarrels, divisiveness, terrorism, prejudice, racism and bloodshed...

And, as with Kushner, Chopra immediately then begins to preach his specific, sectarian beliefs which necessary imply those who disagree are, of course, wrong:

All religious ideas are programmed into our consciousness at a very early age... "We are at a very critical stage in our evolution. We're beginning to become aware... And yet for the vast majority of us... our psychological and spiritual evolution is frozen to a level that is very tribal.

In other words, most people have a very primitive, wrong view of religion compared to Chopra's more enlightened one. But no, he doesn't feel his outlook is "the only true" view. Where would I have gotten such an odd idea? ;-)

So are these really five problems with religion? It sounds like only two views, really: One is that we can say what we want, but not threaten or harm people -- and the other is that it's dangerous to allow people to say or believe whatever they want, including that others are wrong.

So please note, dear reader: one of these views fundamentally seeks to control your behavior and tell you what you can or can't say or believe -- and, as all totalitarians systems do, exclude any intellectually consistent option. And, ironicly, it's the one which presents itself as the least coercive view.

Have a nice, non-diverse, and subtly-totalitarian day!