What is to be done about religion?

[Whateverist]

So the protracted discussion on C_L's objective morality thread makes me wonder just how popular this feeling is that religion is something that atheists must band together to push back against.  Perhaps you feel that they'll get us if we don't get them.  Maybe you feel they are an impediment to the advancement of the human race.  Maybe you just don't like that kind of human?

I go the other way.  There is something about a non-fundamentalist Christian I just find endearing.  Anyone who can find meaning in all that stuff without abandoning science or assuming a cocksure, know-it-all stance is pretty okay in my book.

More than that though I am critical of that portion of the new atheist movement which seeks to reduce god belief to a simple scientific hypothesis and then toss it aside since it can't succeed as that.  Anyone with an ounce of curiosity should want to know why it has been so prevalent for so long, and a facile dismissal as primitive science from a time when we were stupider is pretty lame for my money.

But I'm curious how we stack up on the question of what atheists should be doing about religion.  These are the choices I came up with but feel free to specify somewhere between two of them or something more extreme on either end.  Better yet please say what your thoughts are.

1)  Fight them on the beaches, fight them in the fields .. do everything reasonable to end the dark night of religion.

2)  Speak up whenever possible to encourage those who will listen to leave behind the crutch of religion.

3)  Live and let live.  Hang with the ones you like.  Criticize those you don't when the opportunity arises.

4)  Discuss and criticize theology with those who want to talk about it, but with a mind to improve it, not end it.

5)  Whatever they may believe, everyone's beliefs are on the same plane and worthy of respect.

Oh .. and this is a public poll.  Everyone can see how you vote.  And only one vote each.

[The Grand Nudger]

I like number two.  Present a counter narrative and trust that their standard issue gear will be able to work things out.  Sometimes people fail to explore something out of silence, because they don't realize it's okay to do so.

[J a c k]

Religion is poison. Reason is the cure. You can be nice enough to try and share the enlightenment with others, but if they refuse, carry on. I have no intention of wasting my time pushing my ideas into another head. None of my business. Sure, I do think the world would be better off with out the craziness of religion, but I have no need to roll around in the dirt for nothing. I won't stand outside a church and throw rocks at them. Won't repeat myself over and over again until I'm sure they got it, if they clearly said they don't want to hear it. If they knock first, though, sorry bud. 

It's like this. JW knock on my door all the time. My territory. I don't go out looking for religious people. My family is atheist. My friends are atheist. I talk to other atheists online lol. I don't go searching for religious people out there to share the good news of reason. I was Christian once. I accept that I was ignorant and fucken crazy! I found reason on my own. I did my own research. I asked my own questions. I went out seeking enlightenment. I'm thankful for those who were there when I asked and helped me walk into the light. If someone steps out of their way to come and ask me, sure! I'll converse. It happens all the time. Once I see that they're closed and aren't even listening, I step back, fuck this, and choose to not waste my time. I'm not here to save souls. I'm not here to be a martyr. Here are the missing pieces, see? No? Why? What was that? You're not liking this? You mad? OK. End conversation. Most of the time they get upset when they realize I know the Bible more than they do. Like I tell the JW from work: Sure, we can talk. I'll grab my Bible, if you think you can handle it. If not, let's keep talking about Leo and his Oscar.  

I also laugh about my old religious self while drinking beer at bars with other atheists. 

That's what I do about religion.

[Whateverist]

Yeah I voted 4 myself. I've pretty much always been a 3 but find myself drifting that way.

[ErGingerbreadMandude]

For me, there will *always* be religion.
As we all know, God is used to fill the void of lack of knowledge. This is the reason why it is believed that miracles are God's work because miracles by nature cannot be explained, so that void is filled with God.

There will *always* be a lack of knowledge. Humans can never accomplish absolute knowledge as our universe itself is infinite and ever expanding.

So for me, religion can never be fully eradicated so I lean towards number 4. If people insist on eating fast food, might as well put some vegetables with it.

[AFTT47]

Number 3 is pretty much me. I think there needs to be some discussion but mostly with those open to it. When there is a major event like the 4-times married creature denying marriage certificates to gays, I think that calls for more aggressive discussion.

I think number one might actually prolong religion.

[Whateverist]

I've already found some structure in the data. It seems everyone whose middle user name is "the" chooses the fourth option. Coincidence .. or manifest destiny of a miraculous nature? We may never know.

[loganonekenobi]

im am a reactionary creature like most on earth. If i had my drothers i would pick 4 so as to be amiacable to conducive progress of the human race. However, not all are indeed amiacable and so i do what comes natural from pacifisim to outright combat to defend my right to believe (or not) as i chose. It all depends on the reaction called for.

[Ivan Denisovich]

Number one - kick religions from schools as they are places of learning not of primitive tales of goat herders; make believers to pay for their hobby, church tax seems reasonable to me; kick religious bullshit from legislation - want to live in theocracy go to Iran; fight against religious language: there is no sin, abortion isn't killing tiny humans, in vitro or gay marriage aren't abomination.

If believers will kindly fuck off and will keep their bullshit to themselves then they can even believe in virgin giving birth for all I care.

[robvalue]

Number 2: Kill it with fire.

I mean speak up. I don't want to enforce the end of religion, or bully anyone into deconversion, but I do want to spread the idea of reason and education as much as I can. I think they are very important, and the natural antitode. It's a peaceful solution.

I particularly speak up each and every time I see religion causing harm. I'm anti-harm, more than anything else. And I'm firmly anti-indoctrination.

But again, I would never force my opinions on anyone. I make my case, and leave it to them to decide.

I consider most religious people to be victims, and that they would be happier, in the long term, without it. I see people with shackles around them; shackles they have mistaken for a loving embrace. Making people believe they can't be happy without religion is part of the indoctrination, and sadly, it's effective. In my experience, the vast majority of people who eventually leave find out just how wrong they were about this.