I would not be so hard on Christianity, sure, there is a ton of hypocrisy there. I tend to believe that people that act in such a manner regardless of what religion they held, and if there were no religions they would think of some other vehicle to abuse. This is character thing, given the chance to excuse bad behavior many would do just about anything to excuse themselves, it's more lying to themselves than anything else.

There are plenty of Religious people who do good, they are not all the same.

Have to agree with what you say . There are , however , good folks who raise money and build , staff and supply hospitals , orphanages , schools , shelters , and meals for the homeless . Just because someone is religious , does not necessarly mean they are bad .

The main point of religion is not this life but the after-life. Sure they all tout good deeds in this life but I think they also recognize the task is just too daunting. The one part of "Jesus (the) Christ, Superstar" that really spoke to this issue is when he is surrounded by hoards asking him to 'feel me, touch me and heal me' and he can't because the numbers are too great. We think with a few gestures we can solve all problems but I know our help too often makes the problems worse. The road to hell is literally paved with good intentions.

True belief is nothing but a value judgment, an emotion that arises spontaneously, yet churches try to force people to believe through guilt and fear. Of what value is an assertion if it is made at gun point?

Worship and reverence are not things that people do because they are told to—those are very valuable and admirable behaviors that arise spontaneously in response to deep awareness and appreciation. Of what value are the trappings of worship as a mere formality?

Some good might come from charitable contributions given out of a sense of duty, but that’s not the message of Jesus as described in the Bible. Logically we should feel love and oneness with all people.

Coming from England also, where practicing Christians are effectively a minority, I have often noticed that they are often among the meanest and least charitable of people, at least towards the larger community. I think that, in part, this is because they are asked to give so much, time, money, thought and effort to the church and the rest of the congregation, that there is little left when they step out of the church door.

Or maybe the religion just attracts mean people.