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I further think that it [religion] undermines us in our most essential integrity. It dissolves
our obligation to live and witness in truth. Which of us would say that we would believe
something because it might cheer us up, or tell our children that something was true
because it might dry their eyes? Which of us endulges in wishful thinking who really
cares about the pursuit of truth at all costs and at all hazards? Can it not be said - do
you not in fact hear it said repeatedly, about religion and by the religious themselves,
"Well, it may not be really true. The stories may be fairy tales, the history may be dubious,
but it provides consolation." Can anyone hear themselves saying this or have it said of
them without some kind of embarrassment without the concession that thinking here is directly
wishful? Yes, it would be nice if you could throw your sins and responsibilities on someone
else and have them dissolved; but it's not true, and it's not morally sound.