This post by Pea Doubleu from the Facebook Discussion: As one whose life is sustained by organized religion (although if you've seen my office lately you might choose a word other than organized...) I'll jump in here. Exclusivity claims are all about protecting turf, and have nothing to do with a yearning for truth/life/meaning beyond the senses. Doctrine (my only diagnosed allergy) is the death of the Divine. Certainty, not doubt, is the opposite of faith. The harm inflicted on countless human beings, other creatures and on the planet by those who have insisted and continue to insist on exclusive access to Heaven/G*d/Spirit/The Divine is devastating and atrocious. Formulas purporting to give exclusive access to an eternal realm make a mockery of the glory, the wonder and mystery of Life itself. I feel both humbled and fortunate to have a sense of a Spirit of Life that permeates all Creation, including me and you and the rocks and trees and waters and literally, every thing. And I also feel fortunate that there are streams of tradition in all the world's 'exclusive' religions which recognize and honour the paths others follow toward a more compassionate, generous, attentive and intentional life together. For those who don't know, I (bob) am a pastor in a little baptist church in Toronto. I have long defined myself as a 'hopeful agnostic.' Hopeful, because that draws me along paths of inquiry and experience toward soulful yearnings, and agnostic, because there is very little that I know, especially about G*d, with any certainty.