and how many times must it be pointed out that there is nothing new under the sun, that each religion borrows and steals what it needs from its predecessors. we love to blame christianity for its excesses, but they are really nothing more than the latest manifestation of man's own insecurities and no better or worse than all that has come before. as the predominant religious force in the western world it makes an easy target, but attempting to replace it with a secular version of the same old game is no better.