"Some of the people behind the wedding are big Bush/war supporters, so this sickening display was part of what Carl's talking about. And I'm sure it's played out daily across the country. Being religious or spiritual shouldn't cloud one's eyes to what's going on, and for many believers it doesn't, as we all know. But the sad truth is that too many "believers" behave in the above fashion, and I don't know how one could ever reach them."
I have known people like this. I once had a born again Xtian woman as a next-door neighbor. She enjoyed a level of self-satisfaction and moral righteousness that you guys would not believe; it really was physically sickening. I wouldn't call her or people like her "religious" or "spiritual." It is unfortunate that the content of terms like these is determined by established/institutionalized religions. Not being an atheist, I think it would be wonderful to come up with a way of talking about these matters without falling prey to cant. I think the left as a whole needs to consider this issue -- though of course, we'd have to thrash out the aetheist stuff first.
Joanna