Religion and-

How has almost everyone missed the obvious fact that religion was the
key ingredient to the madness of September 11? Bin Laden's dreams
begin and end with religion. Muslim terrorists, just like the
Christian terrorists who blow up health clinics and shoot doctors,
draw both their purpose and courage directly from a warped view of
reality commonly known as religion.

The whole gods industry was dealt a fatal blow that terrible Tuesday
in America. Prior to the disintegration of 3,000 innocents, I had
viewed religion as humankind's colorful and silly side, something not
necessarily to be fought but rather to be studied and ultimately
accepted as part of the human experience. This is not to suggest that
I thought of religions as anything other than lazy answers to human
hopes and fears. 1 had long ago concluded that believing in gods is
irrational nonsense. I knew that religion drained money, energy, and
brainpower from society. I also understood that supernatural beliefs
had inspired death and suffering throughout history. Still, I excused
religion as a phase or personality quirk that our young species would,
I hoped, outgrow in another thousand years or so. September 11 changed
all that.

. But the sad reality is that the assembly line of religious lunacy
can keep pace with the U.S. military. The United States must continue
to produce the most sofisticated. weapons in history to stay on top of
this fight. Religious terrorists, however, need only a steady supply
of idiots to keep the fight going. For every dumb terrorist vaporized
by a smart bomb, at that same moment there are a hundred children
learning that their god needs them to fight. Many are convinced about
the need to annihilate terrorism with brute force but unconvinced that
the world would be safer if religions were annihilated with brute
reason? They are, after all, the foundation of religious violence. If
we want this form of terrorism to fade away then we must start dimming
the lights on its source.

Religions, even the seemingly benign versions, are responsible for
producing hell on Earth for far too many people. Despite all the
chatter about love, religion encourages and supports evil. It always
has. It always will.

*****snipped from article in "free inquiry"


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