According to surveys, most of the people in the world say that religion is very important in their lives. Many would say that without it, their lives would be meaningless. It is tempting just to take them at their word, to declare that nothing more is to be said-- and to tiptoe away. Who would want to interfere with whatever it is that gives their lives meaning? But if we do that, we willfully ignore some serious questions. Can just any religion give lives meaning, in a way that we should honor and respect? What about people who fall into the clutches of cult leaders, or who are duped into giving their life savings to religious con artists? Do their lives still have meaning, even though their particular "religion" is a fraud? Reasonable adherents of all faiths need to find the courage and stamina to reverse the tradition that honors helpless love of God. The author argues that there is only one way to respect the substance of any purported God-given moral edict, and that is to consider it conscientiously in the full light of reason, using all the evidence at command.