CNN recently ran a controversial three-part series on religious extremism entitled God’s Warriors, with each part highlighting a specific religion, covering Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The religious views are interpreted through personal stories and convictions, and nearly every religious representative believed their religion to be the “right” religion, and their personal struggle to be God’s mission.

I didn’t particularly find anything controversial about it except for the title. The title God’s Warriors implies that God is partaking in a war. And it’s a contradiction to assume that there’s an omnipotent God who has to battle for control of what he created. This brings to mind a quote from Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us.”

In terms of religious perception there will always be someone or something to battle. The fact is that most religions thrive on struggle. If you give a man a religious struggle, then you give him a goal. It also helps if you ignore that the goals are indefinite and unattainable. The fight for patches of dirt on holy land and against infidels and satanic influence isn’t likely to come to an end any time soon. Which brings up another point: if the gods of these religions were so powerful, how come nobody ever wins?

I was impressed with many of the people interviewed in the documentary. I was impressed by their faith and conviction, because if there’s a human in the year 2007 who has even a vague sense of history and science, and still manages to be a devoted follower, then that’s

. . . something.

I may sound like a complete snob when it comes to religion, but most people I know think that most religions are fraudulent, just not their own. People criticize Mormonism and have doubts about electing a Mormon president. And many people thought it was funny and justified when the German government barred Tom Cruise from filming in certain parts of the country because of his beliefs in Scientology.

How is it possible for a person to look at those beliefs and superstitions and say, Those are just crazy, but my beliefs and superstitions make much more sense?” Why is the belief in aliens and thetans any more ludicrous than believing in angels and Satan? Why is believing that Joseph Smith’s story that Jesus came to America to teach Native Americans any more ridiculous than the story of Noah and the ark? When a person adopts the view of fundamentalism then reason and logic get sacrificed in favor of a supernatural predisposition.

We’ve come a long way from believing the sun revolves around the earth and thinking of astrology as a science. We have cured diseases, sent men to the moon and are just beginning to understand how life developed on this planet. Religion has had centuries to tie mankind together and has not done so. Suffice it to say that it never will.