Also from "A history of God" by Karen Armstrong

Page 392, "Does God Have a Future?"

"It may be that the compassionate religion of the One God has only been observed by a minority; most have found it difficult to face the extremity of the God-experience with its uncompromising ethical demands. Ever since Moses brought the tablets of the Law from Mount Sinai, the majority have preferred the worship of a Golden Calf, a traditional, unthreatening image of a deity they have constructed for themselves, with its consoling, time-honored rituals. Aaron, the high priest, presided over the manufacture of the golden effigy. The religious establishment itself is often deaf to the inspiration of prophets and mystics who bring news of a much more demanding God."

I believe with all of my heart that the church must abandon this bizarre battle for our culture, renounce and repent concerning it's obsession with red herrings such as homosexual marriage, and begin the REAL spiritual "battle" of self-examination, compassion even when it's inconvenient, and true charity.