> But instead of chastising and punishing his prodigal son, the rejoicing father greets him joyfully and heads off the apology with a huge party. It’s a great metaphor for how to run a religion, but a lousy way to run everything else.<p>Not necessarily. Religions are in a way similar to political activism — people with shared values trying to make the world better by aligning it with these values. They emphasize converting non-believers because that’s how they can grow and demonstrate that they provide a credible alternative to existing wisdom.