Good morning, Netizens...

I don't know why David Horsey chose today, Black Friday, of all days to write about a history of religion, but so be it. It is a hot enough button, and it is done well enough that it should inspire either some in-depth conversation or controversy, depending upon one's relative point of view.

One of my favorite books, The Comparative History of Religion, an out-of-date tome that delves pretty deeply into how the various religions have evolved, including not only the various permutations of Christianity but pretty much all the other religious factions from Islamic Faith to the more esoteric and Eastern belief systems. Yet another excellent study in belief, the eleven volume set of The History of Philosophy by Will and Ariel Durant, exposes much of how religions evolved.

Nearly all the religions of the world proclaim loudly they are religions of peace. When you stop to think of it, most of the significant wars and strife in the world have been fomented or at least abetted by religion, beginning with the Birth of Christ, continuing up to modern times.

Some say religion and politics are often quite parallel to one another throughout history. Of course, some others suggest that religion shaped politics or vice-versa. It all depends upon one's perspective.

We have been dragged back and forth into various wars throughout history by our faiths and our political points of view, so it comes as no surprise that in our generation we are fighting wars, once again, with two religions, or factions thereof, most of which proclaim they have only peaceful beliefs.

To see the logic of this all we must do is study history, for its unblinking eye tends to tell us wars and religions are inevitable. Of course, your opinions may differ.

Dave

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