[TalBlack]

..."The only thing more far fetched than the belief that life arose spontaneously from some primeval soup is the belief that some omnipotent being revealed himself and his seven days of labor to a bunch of Jews in a desolate hot-as-Hell desert...."


Not really. The idea is that the "Omnipotent being" exists at a mataphysical level and that the earth is a system to support FINITE life. ("Life" also has at least two general levels: The Amoeba and The Human Being.) That there is another level of existence and, for lack of better terms, science or understanding or perception, would make a buildable system not at all a difficulty.

I don't understand the relevance of the temprature of the Desert or its degree of desolation to the question.

..."Too many con-artists who have claimed to have spoken to God have been proven to be frauds or maniacs. The rest are confused, delusional, or self-righteous manipulators."...

I'd like to see what ever data you have w/respect to any of the figures believed by Religion to have been spoken to by God. Joan of Arc interests me, I have missed the "proof" that she was "confused" or just one of many "self-righteous manipulators."...""

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

I don't understand the relevance of the temprature of the Desert or its degree of desolation to the question.

Aw come on. Have you ever seen an urban riot in the middle of winter during a frigid spell? Heat drives people mad. Look what it'd doing to the Arabs, Persians, Javanese, and the rest of the lunatics living in the sun drenched mid east.