[pest]

The one thing more annoying than a fundamentalist telling you what you should believe is a anti-religion person telling you what you shouldnt believe. Your religious belief, or lack thereof, are your business and no one elses.

As someone said earlier, religion is based on faith, but still rooted in history and fact. Jesus lived, mohammed lived, buddha lived. This is fact. Were they prohets, messhiahs, God incarnate? Or were they just charimatic fanatics? That is where the faith part comes in. You can say science explains our world, but i am not always so sure. I firmly believe in evolution, but I aint buying the big bang theory.

I always find it amusing when people say that religion is a tool to control the simple minded. That is such a simple response to a very complex human behavior. Religion has had its bad times and corruption, but it is run by man, and man is an imperfect being. You dont need to read the bible or even believe in it, but you should respect it. It is, afterall, the best selling and most influential piece of literature ever printed.

As far as the death question goes, who knows? All you can do is prepare yourself for it the best way you know how. When you die, you will know (or cease to know anything). Religion, if nothing else, is a way to put your mind at ease for when you face the unknown.