A century ago, religion appeared to be on its last legs, an archaic remnant of a superstitious past. Darwin's proof of evolution had stormed on to the stage, Hume and others had shown that the philosophical arguments for God's existence were fallacious and Freud argued that belief in God was an infantile delusion.

Marx hoped to wean society from the "opiate of the people," and Nietzsche declared "God is Dead."

But God didn't die. Instead, religious belief remains as strong as ever. Even in today's "secular" world of "moral degradation," 98% of Americans say they believe in God. (Stark, 1994)

Part of the reason religious belief remains so strong is because most people have a need to feel that some divine presence is watching out for them. But while belief in God remains constant, the social effects of this belief have changed dramatically in the past century.

A little over a century ago, many cities and states had laws forbidding people from working or shopping on Sundays in order to observe the Sabbath.

These "Blue Laws" had ample Biblical support (Exodus 20:8-10, Nehemiah 10:31) and were tied to severe punishments. In colonial times, for example, violators could be fined, whipped or sentenced to spend time in the stocks. Repeat violators could be executed.

As commerce became more important, enforcement became lax. This raised the ire of many of the era's religious leaders.

One reverend in 1890 said "We see this desecration of the Sabbath increasing every year, giving up a little here and giving up a little there...I want to say to the working man, if you give up the Sabbath, you give up the best friend you've got . . ." (Hill & Cheadle, 1996)

Now of course, these laws are largely forgotten and present-day religious leaders don't seem to mind.

In the late 1800s, religious leaders were also appalled at the "loose morals" and increasing "godlessness" of the nation. Today we blame this on movies and the Internet; back then, it was blamed on alcohol.

Citing scripture (Proverbs 20:1, Isaiah 28:7), the Women's Christian Temperance Union formed the "Anti-Saloon League of America." Over 60,000 churches joined the movement. Thirteen years after it went into effect, Prohibition ended due to difficult enforcement and the Depression.

Today, advocates of Prohibition and the supporting scriptures are routinely ignored.

Of course, the Bible was used to justify much more heinous practices than just banning liquor or work on Sundays. For most of its history, Christianity was united in supporting racism and slavery.

They had ample Biblical support (Leviticus 25:44-46, Exodus 21:20-21) and some used it to resist the abolition movement of the 19th century.

A typical example was said by a Baptist minister in 1856: ". . . Jesus Christ recognized [slavery] as one that was lawful among men . . . Jesus Christ has not abolished slavery by a prohibitory command; and . . . he has introduced no new moral principle which can work its destruction..." (Hill & Cheadle, 1996)

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The greatest blasphemy of the whole ugly process was that the white man ended up making God his partner in the exploitation of the Negro."

Christianity slowly adopted the secular values of ending slavery and segregation and allowing people to choose when to work and when to drink.

Another example of a change in Christanity is the extreme changes in attitude by mainstream religious organizations toward once adamantly opposed practices like divorce (Mark 10:6-9) and contraception (Genesis 38:7-10).

Being divorced is no longer a stigma in politics, and fundamentalists cannot be found blocking access to a pharmacy that dispenses birth control pills. Yet at one time divorcing and using birth control were seen as severe violations of God's Word.

These dramatic shifts in view demonstrate how malleable the Bible really is. As Shakespeare said, "Even the devil can cite scripture for his purpose."

Anyone who reads the Bible, literally or not, brings his or her own biases, prejudices and expectations into the act. They all highlight some passages and ignore others, while explaining away contradictory passages to their favor.

This practice is dangerous; racism, the subjugation of women and hatred and discrimination toward homosexuals have all been justified at one time by quoting scripture.

Last week the Pope apologized for, among other things, the brutal slayings of thousands of heretics at the hands of the Crusaders. The Crusaders' battle-cry? "God wills it!"

In the end, the Bible is just an empty tome full of empty words. It's time to close the book, open your eyes and think for yourself.