[theoddz]

Oh, I wasn't trying to state that I thought religion out to be abolished. I don't believe that, but I do agree with Marx that people, as a group, tend to gravitate more to it during hard times.

We're living in terribly difficult times now. People are clinging to whatever gives them hope and religion has often filled that need. It gives solace, but at the same time, there's enough double-talk and room for interpretation in various religious scriptures to give people with lost hope plenty of license to blame or condemn others.

One of the big reasons that Hitler was so able to "hypnotize" the masses was that, after the defeat they suffered in WW1, the German people were demoralized and their country, particularly the economy, was in shambles. In this case, Hitler was able to utilize Nationalism as a tool to garner support for his extremist and evil goals. We're seeing that again, like yesterday's Beck Rally....emotionalism hyped up by appealing to the conservative American's sense of national pride, patriotism and religious convictions. Same thing happened in Nazi Germany.

I think this is what I find so squicky/scary. Yes, it is "pack mentality"....at its worst and most dangerous.

~Theo~