garybuss	Re: Being Deceived
	Hi Dawn, I like the mainstream religions much better than the Watch Tower Corporation version. With the Watch Tower religion the promised rewards and punishments are are promised within the life and consciousness of the followers. The reward of good behavior is living through the Apocalypse and the punishment for bad behavior is a trial by elders and shunning. With mainstream religion, the reward is promised after death and so is the punishment for bad behavior. Nothing to expect or fail in the natural lifetime of a human. All relatively safe from criticism and dissent due to failed predictions and unmet expectations. I think if I am having a good time, making friends, having a fulfilled life and nobody is getting hurt, an involvement in a religion can't be too harmful. It's just when I start to take the philosophy too seriously, or when someone is channeling messages from ghosts or gods or goblins, and I start doing unsmart things like declining medical treatment or beating my kids, because of my belief without proof in another person or group, I am back in trouble again. Just my thoughts . . . . gb
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