The problem with clerics.

It seems to me that all the evil stemming from religious excess comes from clerics. Who invented the Inquisition? It wasn't Jesus. Who sent the Crusades to reclaim Palestine for Christianity? An organization that burns people at the stake and tortures them first is not a Christian organization.

Likewise, who created the Wahhabi sect of Islam, developed Sharia which, despite the Koran's injunction against compulsion in religion, imposes criminal penalties including torture, mutilation and death on people for violating religious rules?

The pattern is that a prophet receives a revelation, but once he's out of the way, uninspired "scholars" take over and adjust the revelation to fit their own views and without consulting God or scriptures. These become the ruling elite of the religion, in the manner of the one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind, even if the religion claims that there must be no elites. Because they arise in societies where literacy is low, they become the gatekeepers to the scripture, and the power goes to their heads.

A few points:

1. If God wants men and women to die, he is able to do it himself. You'd better have a pretty good claim to being a prophet yourself before you start killing people who haven't hurt anybody else.

2. All of the three great Judeo-Christian-Islamic religions preach peace.

3. Sin is its own punishment, but the state may add some to it, but it should not be able to dictate in matters of religion.

4. Clerics are seldom elected by the vote of the people.

5. Obedience to God's commandments must be voluntary or he could not judge us fairly. Forced obedience is not sincere obedience, and God looks at the heart.

6. If you want to live in the modern world and spread your religion, you must not let people like this represent you.

The west has learned that you cannot trust religious leaders with the power of states. Too many times they foment wars, abuse their authority and do away with freedom and human rights. They should not be tempted with that kind of power, especially since they don't feel any accountability to the people. There are lots of exceptions, of course, but those who mix religion and politics cannot serve both masters.