Politics and Religion are and have been inexorably connected.  Throughout history man has used religion and the threat connected with its dogma to control and cow the people. Government was religion and religion was the government. are and have been inexorably connected.   That clear fact makes any thinking person take pause to consider the validity of any claim made, any demand thrust upon us and certainly the idea of killing one another for it. I largely credit James Burke Author, Scholar, Intellectual extraordinaire who sparked my critical review of this subject by his views in his book “The day the universe changed”. I highly recommend taking time to read this text and many of his  other selections. Some Burke links News times article