> Davin,
>
> I am surprised at you.
>
> Tell me please in your opinion how did religion evolve?

I have for quite some time believed in the existence of a higher power
following my reading of a book about science and religion by Frank
Tipler.  Through watching the local Christian TV channel Shine TV I
have come to the realisation that what they are teaching has resonance
with my own life and purpose for existing.  I have not been
brainwashed and I still believe in science, especially evolution and
the Big Bang theory and there are only a few areas where I disagree
with Christians such as abortion and euthanasia, both of which I think
are okay.

> Please answer these questions.
> How did religion come into existence?

I believe that the idea of you soul existing beyond your physical
existence is an old one, possibly going back tens of thousands of
years.  Note that I disbelieve the interpretations of the Bible that
the Earth is only 6,000 years old.

> In history what was the role of organised religion? Who has controlled
> religion throughout history? Note that it has always been very
> organised.  What happened to those who did not follow the religious instructions?

Galileo was persecuted for believing that the Earth was not the
centre of the Universe.  I believe that this was wrong for the church
to do this.

There are evil people who call themselves Christians just like there
are evil people who call themselves atheists.

> Who meted out the punishments? In whose authority? Who gave them that
> authority and how did they obtain it?

> What role do you think religion plays today?

The purpose of religion is to tell us how we should conduct ourselves,
especially towards other people.  And we should also use our abilities
to serve God and not to serve ourselves.

> Why does the church think it important you go to church and not only
> stay at home and pray?

Going to church is mainly a pretext for social interaction, and is
thus not really all that important for me personally.  I haven't been
to Church for many years but I intend to go to my flatmate's church to
see if I like it.

When Christians pray to their God I am not sure if there is anyone
listening, but whether or not this is true is not important. Prayer,
like meditation helps the prayer to verbalise their moral thoughts,
which helps them to become a better person. I personally prefer
meditation to prayer.