It is very reasonable to worry about the harm done by organized religion, and to prefer looser and more private arrangements.

I have increasingly, over the years, felt that religion today does our civilization more harm than good.

Every year the progress of advanced capitalist society makes our population consist of more and more isolates. This is because of the infrastructure of the economy, especially electronic communications.

Real equality is immensely difficult to achieve, it needs continual revision and monitoring of distributions. And it does not provide buffers between members, so they are continually colliding or frustrating each other.

It is very reasonable to worry about the harm done by organized religion, and to prefer looser and more private arrangements.

If you want to change the culture, you will have to start by changing the organization.

If people want to compete for leadership of a religious group, they can compete in piety. A chilling thought. Or funny.