-> 
-> James Madison...He then fought for
-> religious liberty for all, believer and disbeliever, which was no easy
-> task-then or now.

Instinct was supplanted by consciousness and an improvement
in survival. Developing language was neat-o, and religion was helpful in so
many things that were not understood. Science replaced religion in the
explaining department, BOTH being replete in fraud and deception.
Now with modern physics at the helm science itself is being replaced
by philosophy (e.g. string theory, which is not falsifiable) 

As you nod agreement to the above, (or any part of it)
you are automatically members of the world-wide Answer To All
Man's Problems:
The Church of Variable Likelihood.
One year away from the web page. Stay tuned. Or not.
(The only church that will not accept money, and welcomes atheists. ) :-)
-> 
-... a tidy list of prohibitions and punishments which were meant to keep
people from thinking and speaking their honest thoughts...

A way to end arguments, which lead to quarrels, which leads
to disobedience, which leads to a loss of power. Far more efficient,
take few er steps: Disagreement? Die, preferable a very
painful death so people will see the rightness of obedience.


death penalty for anyone who "spoke impiously of the Trinity or one of the
divine persons, or against the known articles of Christian faith."...

Political death for those who disagree with the known 
articles of neo-conservative faith...

Ised: the "20th calfe, the 20th kidd of goates, and the 20th pigge."

Now, tithing is only _10%_...
-> 

-> clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition,
-> bigotry, and persecution."

And this is true today as most who scan the TV channels would agree...
(But if you have a potential audience of a billion...
10% of that is still 100 million...if one percent send you a mere $5
a month ...that's over a million dollars a week comin' in ... 
Which buys a lot of TV time...

The big problem with this picture, is that science also was largely fraud
as was medicine, government...

A sorry lot we humans...

(Present readers excepted, of course :-)

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