Quote Originally Posted by luciddreamer
Intelligence is subjective.
I think it is intelligent to change people from believing in religion.
couldn't agree more. the question is how to go about such a task. logic is of little use and attacks of any kind merely create martyrs. the puling infants who demand "equal time" for their anti-god rants only prove that they are on the same childish level as their counterparts and those who seek to banish religion from the public eye play into the hands of the religious authorities that have developed the cult of victimhood that serves to strengthen the beliefs of the faithful. the only rational alternative is to "live the life of the atheist".

the life of the atheist is as filled with faith as that of his religious brethren. the differences between those faiths are slight, but glaring. the atheist's faith is based on the strengths of mankind, not those of some invisible man in the sky or sentient force permeating existence. success is gauged by the utilization of those strengths toward some positive outcome and failure is found only in not making the attempt. the rewards are not found in eternity, but in the personal pleasure of one man's limited life span and the effect he has on those around him. neither are the punishments found in damnation, but in the self-loathing of those who have failed to live up to their moral obligations and personal potential.

religion has never caused a war, though it has been the excuse for many of the bloodiest episodes in man's history. the ethical failings of men's struggles for power are at the heart of all our warfare and to blame the quaint and relatively harmless mythologies that surround the deepest fears of men seems a bit disingenuous.