The common, the wise, and the rulers

Certain people claim that religion is :

1. regarded as true by the common...

2. regarded as false by the wise...

3. and regarded as useful by the rulers...

First off, aren't plenty of common people atheistic? I'd venture to say that most common people don't follow religious doctrine or believe in a higher entity.

Secondly, are we to say that Leonardo Da Vinci, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, and Mahatma Ghandi were not wise? Most inventors, scholars, scientists, and philosiphers have a religious background that influenced their work. Mahatma Ghandi certainly wouldn't have done his work without the influence of Islam and Hinduism, neither would Abraham Lincoln had united America with the Confederacy without his heavy christian background.

Lastly, did rulers view religion as useful? Certainly, but this doesn't mean that the rulers themselves did not believe in their religion. Now, there are many examples of corrupt rulers using religion to wage war or commit mass murders, but there are also many rulers who became the incredibly influential rulers with the help of their doctrine of religion. So were there really more Constantines than George Washingtons?

[edit on 19-3-2006 by TheBlueSoldier]