Perhaps of most interest to me was the evidence of placebo-healing or the power of the human mind to conquer physical and emotional barriers. Placebo-healing isn't a term confined to reference of faith-healing. It occurs in many aspects of scientific experimentation, as we all know. The fact that this type of mind-over-matter event is a common occurance in drug testing, meditation, faith-healing events, evangelistic sermons, near death experiences, and other personal life events brings up some points in my mind.

My friend will forever argue the merits of blind faith or faith for the human spirit and the general morale of the population. Yet, there blind faith is not the only morale-building occurance to have graced the history of human evolution.

Is it more dangerous to have a group of people blindly believing a doctrine to the point when it overwhelms every other aspect of their life & mind; or is it more dangerous to have a group that does not blindly adhere to a doctrine such as that?

Many would argue that without religion we would fall into chaos. We would disintegrate into a hord of grumbling barbarians ready to kill each other. I disagree. Is China a mass of barbarians? The former United Soviet Socialist Republic? The 50 million people in the U.S. that do not hold to any particular religious doctrine?