> Okay, so we should "understand" religionists. (And
> like I 've said, I've actually read the Qur'an cover
> to cover -- about as far out as the Bible.) So where's
> the pressure for them to understand US? NPR? PBS?
> Pfft.
I have no interest in "understanding" religionists. I was raised in the conservative Lutheran tradition. I understand how religious people see the world.
I really don't get the leftists on this list who respond to us atheists with arguments that we don't understand all of the activism that religious leftists are doing. I think that most of us here are well-versed in what the religious left is doing. The fact that I profess my hostility and skpeticism towards religion doesn't mean that I'm instantly ignorant about Unitarians, Quakers and Catholic Workers.
I respect religious leftists and the work they are doing. I'd like to see a world free of the fundamentalists, so those of us who are irreligious can live in harmony with people who adhere to tolerant, progressive religious and spiritual beliefs.
But I see no reason why atheist progressives should engage in self-censorship about our ideas towards religion. The world could do with more hostility towards religion.
Chuck