I certainly don't believe that "abstract thought is pointless or serves no purpose". Logic and mathematics have taken me a long way. Perhaps what I really mean is speculative metaphysical thought.-This article, which has been linked to on the RD.net, gets close to my own views. It maintains:-Many of the beliefs held by religious moderates -- smart people who respect science and the separation of church and state -- are as untenable as the dogma of fundamentalists.-http://www.alternet.org/story/143551/3_silly_religious_beliefs_held_by_non-silly_people?page=entire-So let's go! Today's beliefs on the chopping block are:-1: Evolution guided by God.-2: An immaterial soul that animates human consciousness.-3: A sentient universe.-All of these have been debated here. But are they even worth being agnostic about?-[The fact that the author Greta Christina is a lesbian writer of erotica is beside the point.]