[Ford Prefect]

So you're one of those people, eh? Might as well throw traditions and history to the wayside. After all, we've got a bright, shiny future ahead of us, and all those crumbling bits of rock and ancient people mumbling about superstitions are just dead weight and obstacles in the path of progress. Time to leave such absurdity behind.

Sorry, but I can't agree with that. See, all those silly superstitions and irrationality, the injustice, the petty tribalism and intolerance, the inherited wisdom, the warlike and bloodthirsty disposition and everything else , all those are part of what it is to be human. Change too much of that, even for the better, and what you have can no longer properly be called "man".

To quote Sartre, "Man creates his own significance." To examine humanity's characteristics and determine a priori which ones define us as human is putting the proverbial cart before the horse. The things that truly do define us as human beings are those things which we lack the existential freedom to alter--the "scientific" truths of our existence--and thus they cannot be determined until we have exerted the effort to transform ourselves. In short, it is not possible for our humanity to be abandoned because the closest things the universe has given us to an absolute standard are those things over which we have no control. In all other contexts, the only thing that defines humanity is humanity itself. I would argue that to universalize such an arbitrary definition of humanity is effectively nothing more than the referral to a divine being, since it's tantamount to assigning conscious intent to the universe.

[Ford Prefect]

Damn. I was sort of hoping that would offend someone.

[Turnsky]

I'd be out spreading the word of Odin if I wasn't so lazy.

all hail the allfather.

but seriously, i get your point entirely, and looking at it from a broad view, one could say history was repeating itself in the arab states, by how the arabs aren't tolerating any religion besides their own (even the slightly different islamic beliefs),  mind you, catholicism was a tad more flexible way back when, and had a tendency to assimilate some parts of the religion it was trying to dominate in favor of itself, the christmas tree is a good example of that. islam, seems far more rigid and resistant for change, particularly the march of progress, 'cept the saudis, perhaps, they just scream "capitalist", it might be social darwinism at its finest.

i still have this musing thought, however, if there was a god, and if he changed the big black box thingy in the middle of mecca into a 20 foot tall 20 sided Dice, how would the people react to that? 

[WeatherOp]

I was sort of hoping that would offend someone.

You didn't offer Cheesecake.

[aldo_14]

And the award for most hypocritical statement of the year goes to........

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4841334.stm
"The Prophet Muhammad has said several times that those who convert from Islam should be killed if they refuse to come back," says Ansarullah Mawlafizada, the trial judge.

"Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance, kindness and integrity. That is why we have told him if he regrets what he did, then we will forgive him," he told the BBC News website.

[Kie99]

The charges have been dropped and he's gained asylum in Italy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Rahman_%28convert%29