Once I asked a wise man, "What is worse than Evil?"

He looked at me, and he thought on it. Finally he said, "Religion will tell you that only they are the path to God, that you can't find Him your own way. They'll give you laws and break them as soon as they're no longer convenient to follow; they'll tell you not to judge others, then pass judgement on you. Religion will paint a picture of a just and loving God, then tell you how that God will send you to suffer for all eternity for the mistakes of a single lifetime. Religion exalts the peasant in his ignorance and condemns the learned man when he asks "But Father, why?" Religion tells you to suffer in Faith instead of being healed by Knowledge. They'll preach the value of unborn life with the ancient blood of children on their hands, and feel holy in their lie. They'll tell you to be a good person, just and fair and giving, then turn away the needful because they are different, or denounce the good works of those that don't follow Their Way. Religion will lie, cheat, steal, and murder to get what it wants, then speak against those that do the same without hiding behind a holy symbol or claims of righteousness."

I thought on this awhile, and said, "So religion is worse than Evil?"

The wise man laughed and said, "No boy, people are; it was people, after all, that thought it all up."

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