I think we need to make a distinction here between the concept of "God" and the harsh reality of organized religions and so-called "scripture."

No one can deny that there are ultimate ideals such as Truth, Love, etc., but whether these ideals exist in the person of a "God" or for that matter in the persons of "gods," is something else.

There is no question that humans have always looked beyond themselves to find answers for the imperfections of life, and in doing so, most hope that there is a way to make sense out of senselesness. IMHO this has always given rise to stories and fables about greater powers which somehow fashion our destinies.

This search is demonstrated by the thousands of "god-stories" that have existed through history. The polytheists of the west, among whom the best known are the Greeks (followed by the Romans) and the Norse, had these gods who got themselves involved in human life to the extent they altered it to suit their purposes, sometimes in opposition with one another. With the development of writing I think these models became unworkable and we went from polytheism to monotheism, as exemplified by the beliefs of Jews, Christians and Muslims. Still, however we cannot ever totally escape our pagan origins, and thus we have things like the trinity (three gods in one) the veneration of Mary (a goddes of sorts) and various rituals including bodily mutilation (circumcision) and dietary restrictions which are considered to be "godly" and somehow a means to separate ourselces from the randomness of things.

All three major religions in the West have been through countless iterations and reformations, and thus claimants to the "true faith" within each of these belief-sets which are often at war with one another (See, e.g. Sunnis and Shiiites, Catholics and protestants, Reform and Orthodox Jews).

through this lens it is difficult to believe that the fairy tales we have had passed down from the ancient texts which form (but are not the Bible, Torah, or Koran) are to be taken literally. I mean talking snakes? arks with every species on board? flying horses from Medina to Jerusalem?

What I am saying is all these strictures of the various religions are created by people who all claim some special knowledge of "God," which I think is a lot of nonsense.

This business about the priest refusing communion to a gay woman is a perfect case in poinnt. Who is this priest to assume she is not in a state of grace? Maybe she went to confession the day before. In doing what he did he assumed he was god-like, which in and of itself is a sin under the laws of the Roman church (it is called "presumption."

As this and other similar threads go forward, I would hope people make a distinction between religious institutions and the eistence of some kind of divine being(s).