This was originally written in response to a dialog I was having
with a fellow blogger on a political site. I have fashioned my
self as the resident anti-theist and we were discussing the
religious origins of traditions. The other person was Jewish. I
think that tradition often falls into the trap of dogma but if
we are careful, we can fashion new traditions to promote
discovery and learning.  I actually see the beauty and meaning
in many of the traditions of many religions. They were developed
as ways to deal with, explain and survive life. Some are
wonderful in their symbolism. I get all that and it is why I was
once interested in pursuing a career in the church. But I
underwent a personal evolution and it has opened my mind to new
fields of wonder.  As human culture has evolved our
understanding has evolved, generally. We once needed an
invisible force to explain the motions of the stars, the change
of seasons, the tides. The more we understand these systems the
less we need to attribute them to magical th