for Tassina

I've just sent my niece Tassina two books. I hope she'll read them. She seems to feel that I am wrong to argue about religion because it is alienating family members. I would remind her that Shakespeare said that we should be true to ourselves if we didn't want to be false to others. (He said it better.) I am tired of being UNtrue to myself. If people hate me because I will not allow them to browbeat me with their constant religious babble, then I'd prefer to be hated than to endure silently (which they assume is agreement). I have a right to be logical and reasonable. (And by the way, Tassina, I disagree with your interpretation of both the Big Bang and Deism. It's why I've sent you these two books.) I'd also recommend to her that she read Jesus Misquoted. If she's interested, I guess she'll let me know.

Religion is not (forgive the pun) a sacred cow. There is no more reason to refrain from arguing about religion than there is to refrain from arguing over whether to spank the children or to put them in a time-out. Religion is the single greatest harm ever done to humankind. I don't naively assume that I can convince anyone else of that belief, but I simply will NOT shut up and be silent while the religious folks out there knock on my door and try to cram their literature down my throat, while I daily drive past billboards that command me to Accept Jesus, while I watch my newscasters proudly sport their cross necklaces (whereas I'd be vilified if I wore an atheist symbol in public), while every other person on Facebook whines, "Oh, y'all please pray for me!" It is NO different than having to keep silent if one is gay. Should we force gay people to pretend to be straight just because straight people are made uncomfortable by gay people's sexuality? NO.