Religion is inherantly NOT evil. What a ridiculous thread to make. Just because we haven't had a religion thread in a while doesn't mean we should start off with such a nonsense opening question. Can't we talk about the incongruous, aliens around us that we call 'the public' whom we are utterly unable to comprehend beyond any basic level? Can't we ponder on why, if there is one, a god would provide us with these random individuals we call 'people', and what their true purpose is? I mean, I know my Descartes well enough to not give a crap about the stranger begging on the street, or selling me baked beans, but to apply the logic to religion -- well I can only ever think about it purely as a discipline for the Self, not for the masses.
BUT NO. We have to have a stupid question.