Normally, I'm a pretty easy-going guy. I usually adopt a "live and let live" mentality. I forgive easily. I don't hold grudges.
I may be frustrated by things, and in fact, I'll admit to being easily frustrated by what I perceive as stupidity. But I strongly believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion. I have good friends who are very conservative in their political views. I can't quite fathom such a position, and we sometimes debate, but in the end, it's all okay.
Why, then, is religion different? Why do I continue to vocalize my rather hard-line thoughts about the subject? Why do I seem to be at war with religion?
Because I am.
I had a friend in high school who summed up her religious beliefs thusly: "I believe in God, but I stay out of His way, and He stays out of mine."
Typically, I have a similar view of most things. You don't bother me, I won't bother you. But the problem here is that certain groups, certain very powerful groups, do not adhere to that attitude. The religious right is doing their best to force their views on everyone in this country, if not the world.
They are doing everything they can to inject their narrow religious beliefs into our public schools, to funnel tax money into funding religious schools, to enroll God into our social institutions, to make Biblical myths into our secular laws, and lots of other things. They're spending lots of time and money on these goals. If we sit back and let them, they'll succeed.
That's why I am at war with religion. Because the fundamentalist sect has declared war on us. They've been attacking for a lot of years, now, and many of us still haven't noticed, or don't take it seriously. We need to wake up. We need to fight. Or we'll deserve whatever happens.
