rasputin wasn't such a bad guy. you don't seem to understand that "god" is just a concept. ascetics, "mystics" and even some clergy-folk, they KNOW this, as for most other people out there, they think "god" is some sort of sentient entity. it's really just another way of saying "there is an ever-present, ongoing, intricate pattern of creation, destruction and reconstitution which provides basic sustenance for all. we are all bound together by, subject to, and part of, a greater whole. we all end up in the same place. feeding the earth, feeding the cattle. thus in a sense, entering a state of entropic merging with this whole." out of the void, comes life and death. there are a hundred different ways to say it.

unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), it is part of the human condition to take sides, to form groups and irrational explanations for things we don't understand. the downside of this, is a perpetual state of conflict and disagreement, the upside is, it prevents humanity *as a whole* from becoming homogenized automatons... if you can see past the veil, that is.

i also love that macupdate can become a forum for just about any topic. everything is about money... yes. because we live in a world where everything is about money. religious organizations and orders (mostly just those which proselytize) must function as business entities, to an extent, in order to survive. it's the same with music, visual art, written art, food production etc... you may not like it and i definitely hate it, but it doesn't seem that this will change any time soon. /rant

A VERY intelligent comment and I must say that I agree with you except for Rasputin who was a very bad influence on the monarchy in Russia and was not known for his clerical attributes but for his own desire for ultimate power.But I must say you are correct in your "rant" which shows your character as being a good person.

thanks. most people who think things through, are pretty much on the same page, we just tend to get caught up in debating the finer details and lose sight of the "big picture"... it's kind of funny :]