No one is lumping all the wars that have ever taken place in with religious wars. So i'm not sure i understand your point. the wars that have taken place to take land from another people of a differant religion, or because your god is not my god so i'm going to kill you and make your god my god. is what i was referring to

It is the best theory we have as of yet, It has been proven to take place, and it has be accepted by the scientific community. So i would say yes.

So stoning people to death, and honour killings are ok?

Was a story on digg not to long ago about a girl who fell in love with an israeli soldier, when her father found out he promptly beat her to death. The man was held two hours then released without any charges filed. He was simply doing what the good book told him to.

You must have never heard of the social contract.

These "radicals" you speak of are not making the things they do up. They are simply doing what their religious text's tell them too; let's not forget the bible and the koran are two of the most violent books ever written.

Religion is an unnecessary evil. The religious have been in control for thousands of years and jail populations are at an all time high; It's time for a change.

agreed.

i wonder why a reply has to be a certain number of charaters

"In every beLIEf there is a lie"

So what of atheists? are we not human? are we not "cognitive beings"?

You did get one thing right, at the core of religion there are assumptions, we know what assumption does, that turn into beliefs, but these beliefs are thing people are willing to die for. Things they will force on others, because they believe so fanaticaly that they are right. when at their core all they have is an assumption

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."

"Surgeon General's Warning: Quitting Religion Now Greatly Increases the Chances of World Peace."

The number of atrocities commited in the name of some god is innumerable; Blind faith channeled through effective leaders will always allow the strong to control the weak minded masses, because they have been conditioned to do what their "god" or religious leader or political leader tells them to. We should be raised to question, not blindly follow the instructions of those before us; that is a path of destruction. Some agrue that religion does many a good thing for people, but what i want to know is why do we need a religion to tell us what is right? Why should we do things for other humans simply for benifits after our deaths or because of fear of devine retribution? Why can't we help each other simply because people need help; the answer is we do, and it is past time that we allow the religions of today to be removed from the equation to pass into obscurity along with the names zeus and apollo.

Everyone before me made very good points so all i have to add is this little known fact

GOD IS DEAD.