Who makes the rules?
As well as beliefs, religions have priests, buildings, laws and institutions – all the machinery a state or community needs to make decisions, control resources and decide who belongs and who doesn't.
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Derren Brown: Messiah
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Talking Points
Arms and religion
Throughout history, generals on all sides of military conflicts have claimed divine backing for their cause. They couldn't all have been right but were any of them justified in fighting for their faith?
Faith Schools
The Government is encouraging religious organisations to take over schools but is this what parents and students want?
Profits, pornography and The Passion?
Some critics condemned Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ, for its violence and alleged 'antisemitic overtones'. Others welcomed it as bringing the Gospels to the people. The controversy undoubtedly boosted its profits.
Atheism
Many people believe that Jesus had an extended family that survived some 300 years after his death. If so, why have they been airbrushed from history?
