I don't get this brainwashing of millions of humans into thinking
that the Bible is the "word of God". God is a human construct, as
is the Bible. A book written by hundreds of different folklorist
long after said events were to have happened. Moreover, I don't
see what hierarchical, political institutions, such as most 
Churches, has to do with the reported teachings of Christ. The
Bible and Church have oppressed and murdered millions of people,
stolen gold and land and natural resources from indigenous 
civilizations throughout the globe. Go to any European
Cathedral or fancy North American one and see all the riches
and the stolen loot on display. Couldn't this be sold by the 
Church and used to help poor people with clean food, water, land
and air? Let's say a moment that God exists, don't you think the
greatest sin of all is the total destruction of the Earth's
habitat and the blatant disregard for civil and human rights?
Why can't the Bible thumpers see that the Church in it's many
manifestations is a tool used to oppress those less educated and
in poverty and basically serves the interests of the status quo.
I believe that the teachings of Christ are being misused by 
anyone who passes judgement on another because of a lifestyle
difference or a misunderstanging of someone foreign to them.
The Church is a political insititution that does no accept all
people or respect the Earth. Basic goodness is hardly the result
of the Church...can you say the Inquisition? can you say 
Colonialism? can you say Imperialism? All set forth under the
guise of doing "God's" work while inflicting genocide, rape,
and cultural anihilation. Additionally, it would seem that most
Christians feel it's OK to take a high moral ground and treat
other humans as less than equal, a good example is the exclusion
of gay and lesbian individuals from basic civil rights. I
guess if you can be absolved of you sins each week by a human
liason to God, aka a priest/minister then the Christian 
individual really has no reason to value life on earth or even
be a good human in general. My challenge to all those Bible
thumpers out there is to truly look at the reported teachings
of Christ and ask yourself if you truly love everyone and all
things on Earth. Do you pollute? Do you respect the civil rights
of gays & lesbians? Do you speak kindly about others? Do you
believe the Church should return the gold, silver and art it
has plundered from various civilizations over the years and use
the billions generated to help those oppresed peoples to recover
their native lands, clean up their polluted habitat and reclaim
their rights to their own belief systems? Do you speak out 
against the molestation of children who are left to the hands
of deviant priests and nuns? Do you ride your bike to Church?
Do you support organic farming at home and in your purchases?
Do you buy goods produced by child slave labor? Do you vote
against the death penalty? Do you object to war?
I think the essence of goodness is God to some people, and
that is great, as are the teachings of Christ. But to
those who prefer to think for themselves why can't goodness 
merely be the act of cleaning our dirty planet, supporting
civil and human rights and basically valuing  all life on Earth
here and now?  Imagine if you will that the concept of Heaven
is really a Galactic Hegemony consisting of sentient beings who
have a peaceful and loving society. Imagine that Earth is the
testing ground to see how tolerant humans can be of diversity
in all life and how responsible they can be with their planetary
actions. I believe that all life is sentient and that we as
a species are failing miserably in our test of goodness. We
must work harder to protect the life here on Earth and support
equal rights, universal health care and the peaceful well-being
of all peoples, regardless of belief or ideology, and do all
we can to cherish the plants, animals and beings that comprise
our most precious gift of all: the Lifeforce which is our home,
Earth.