[LostAngels]

The following is my own personal opinion, and I mean absolutely no offence by it, regardless of how intense it is.
In my World Religion class last semester, I had to write and essay on 'What is religion, in your own words?' This was a small aspect of my response, and believe it or not, I got 100%.

"I feel strongly that the entire concept of organized religion is nothing more than the world's most damaging and contagious societal illness.
The fact that the vast majority of the world's population are incapable of living their every day lives by their own rules and values, is a thought that often makes me feel uneasy. Knowing that so many people are so mentally weak is a very off-putting, disheartening feeling that truly makes me question the potential and intent of everybody I come in contact with.
Religion was created by disorganized, power-hungry people who merely discovered a way far more efficient to control people than money. That is, giving people false hope, and instilling 'faith' in them, rather than teaching them to go try and make an impact on this world themselves.
The bible is full of contradictions, hypocrisy, and has been rewritten more times than I can count.
How is it something can be so strongly relied on and believed in, when it has been REWRITTEN every so often to fit the current views and beliefs held within that era?"