What does a terrorist attack in a Kenya shopping mall, a mass murder in the US Naval Shipyard and the Republican threat to allow our government to default if Obamacare is not dismantled have in common? They all involve an allegience and personal identification to the notion of a perfect god that is above and outside of the live ordinary human beings. We will discuss how the endless tragedies that mark human history and especially our times when some individuals think they are infallible, know perfectly what is right and wrong and see as enemies those who disagree with them. We will discuss the horror of life when love, compassion and forgiveness is repalced by arrogance, hatred and a desire for vengance. Finally, we will discuss the personal tragedies that occur when we fail to see ourselves as fearful, helpless and vulnerable.