HELL ON EARTH -- ( May 16, 2005 - Anderson Valley Advertiser)

        I want to express how much I appreciate the AVA, particularly for publishing discourse concerning religion.

       It has been my belief that religion is the bane of humankind, and that the idea of heaven has created a hell on earth. Once we evolved an ego, the inability to accept death has been the primary reason our species created a God or Goddess (in our own image, of course), that would have the power to control the unknown. It has been an incredibly useful tool of preachers and politicians to control society.

       I will always remember Arthur C. Clark’s book, The Fountains of Paradise. It tells the story of human’s first contact with an artifact from an alien culture; a solar powered satellite that receives and sends radio signals. The world holds its breath for the first broadcast from the alien computer onboard the satellite. After listening to all the human broadcasts for three months it responds with a question…“Unable to decipher difference between Beatlemania, Football and Religion. Please Explain.”

       Thanks again for the anti-religious refrain. It gets very scary when you know you are in a very small minority. We need much more discussion on the freedom from religion.

Karen Leonard
Willits, CA.



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