Inspired by "Is religion a force for good in the world?" - the debates with Christopher Hitchens Let's compare general religious tenets with general humanistic tenets: I assert that to be a good humanist you must follow the rules. To be a good religious person you must break the rules. Religious: Humanistic: love thy neighbor love thy neighbor do good works do good works live according to the scriptures live according to what can be drawn from evidence (science) try to follow the dictates of god try to figure out the best dictates for existence A "good" religious person (by today's standards) must give up some of the dogma and retain the moderate tenets . Indeed, fundamentalist following of the most barbaric demands of scriptures is discarded by most modern believers. A "bad" reli