Fundamentalists-Why Atheists and Bible Thumpers are in the same boat.

I have recently become a big fan of Frank Schaeffer. This guy used to be a fundamentalist christian in a big, big way. His parents were Francis and Edith Schaeffer, who were pillars in the christian community 70s-90s of no tolerance for anything, but god movement. In fact, my senior year of high school, at my Christian school, we were forced to watch a video series by Francis Schaeffer about the dangers of Post-Modernism in American Society.

In Schaeffer's books he talks about two groups that have a lot in common the: Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, Dinesh D'Souza, Glenn Beck...etc. The Bible thumper/Right wing in disguise and the unholy trinity of the new Atheists: Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris.

The point Schaeffer makes in his book, Patience with God (although it often comes across as somewhat agnostic) is that both groups are dangerous in their own right. Both promote messages of hate that are detrimental to the progress and growth of our society.

Yes, I absolutely believe that organized/delusional religion is dangerous in it's own right, but so can atheism. Any manifesto or any belief and yes atheism is still a belief that throws support behind violence or take over or genocide can take down an entire population.

Extreme Islam does have scary beliefs, but so do extreme christians. Hell, Mormons have weird beliefs, but Republicans are bent on voting in a man who has baptized the dead. Read that last sentence again.

I think we need balance. Religion and atheism (it's extreme) do not provide balance. While I do not believe in a deity or the tenets of organized religion, I do not and will not demean or look down on those who do. My mother would be directionless without it. My father may still be an alcoholic without it. Religion may be a crutch, but sometimes it can be productive.

The new atheists (Harris, Hitchens (dead), Dawkins) think that we would be better off without religion, but I disagree. I think taking religion completely out of society would be like making the Iraqi people accept democracy. It does not fucking work. We are not ready as a nation to totally reject religion. We are not educated enough and many would be lost and directionless without it.

I on the other hand feel like I learned amazing morals from my parents through religion, through myths, through the bible stories, but I think I have grown out of it. I think that the god of the bible is not the one for me. And that is ok.

Contrary to the christian fundamentalists, contrary to the new atheists, we do have freedom of religion (any). That means, let people worship who they want, when they want, but do not force your beliefs on me. Do not make up history (Christian Nation?!!) to fit your manifesto and do not make others feel like shit if they want to still believe in fairy tales.

Note: Dawkins gives an atheist scale. 1-7, 7 being the highest. At this point in my life, I guess you could put me at a 5. I definitely believe that their is no deity, but their is no way to prove it (agnostic), but I also believe you should respect religious beliefs....and to that point the new atheists make some great points in their books and are worth listening to, but it is important to maintain balance and realize that everyone is just trying to make it through life as best they can. Some need god, some don't.