Ratlord:
1. Nothing wrong with extreme views. Its extreme actions that usually gets one into trouble.
2. Maybe you'll like this one. Its short anyway.
Poem
by Leonard Cohen
I heard of a man
who could speak words so beautifully
that if he only speaks their name
women give themselves to him.
If I am numb beside your body
while silence blossoms like tumors on our lips,
it is only because I hear a man climb the stairs
and clear his throat outside our door.
3. I think there is a real - and vast - difference between organized religion and spirituality.
One could argue that religion has always been about control. (To those who would disagree , I would suggest an objective study into a) the historical development of one's religion and b) techniques on brainwashing before arguing against that statement).
One could as just as easily argue that man has always needed to be controlled. There is a real need for us to have safety nets (self imposed or not) in place to shield us from our own idiocy.
At the end of the day, I don't think it matters so much exactly what you choose to believe, but whether or not you are willing to live by your beliefs.
4. Str 15 Int 15 Wis 16 Dex 17 Con 14 Cha 16
What always irked me about D&D is that, aside from magic spells, equipment or the bullsh** "once-every-4-levels-you-get-a-whole-point-to-put-towards-attributes-don't-spend-it-all-in-one-place" rule , there is no real way to consciously improve your stats through effort and hard work, trial and error etc.
Fortunately, this is not the case in real life.