The fact that some blood- and power-thirsty people and their apologists use these stories to justify or rationalize their evil deeds does not mean that religion was the "cause" of these deeds. Consequently, it makes little sense to debate theology of any sort - it is like criticizing the work of fiction on the grounds other than the quality of the writing style, structure of the narrative etc. ==========
What causes people to do the things they do?
What role does religion, along with other ideological structures, play in defining 'good' and 'bad' actions?
I won't pretend to know but suspect the cause and effect relationship between religous belief and personal or collective action is not as easily dismissable as your statement seems to say.
Although the big answers are beyond my reach, it might be useful to perform a little compare and contrast to test your idea religious discussions are as weightless as chats about any other sort of fiction.
...
One of my favorite novels is Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment". I suppose that in the years which have followed its publication, some number of misguided or disturbed individuals have taken murderous action, inspired by the fictional exploits of Raskolnikov. Even so, we can be confident the death toll associated with "Crime and Punishment" is very small (perhaps even being zero).
To phrase it another way, no wars have been waged, riots staged or communities divided by the contents of "Crime and Punishment".
The Bible, on the other hand, another mere work of fiction, has provided material for the shedding of an ocean of blood.
I think this merits more serious consideration than the fictional contents seem to suggest.
Let's go a bit further...
The Koran, you could say, is also a work of fiction. Yet it appears to form the ideological fuel for Iraq's Grand Ayatollah al Sistani, a man respected by millions of Iraqis.
Should we ignore these beliefs as we try to understand Sistani and his followers and simply assume this work of fiction is no more important than the latest spy thriller languishing on the bargain shelf at Borders? Or do we take people's beliefs seriously even as we maintain skeptical distance?
DRM