Criticizing Islam is racist?

[MTL]

I think that every person who voices the opinion that "faith" is a good means to knowledge is contributing to an overall problem. I don't care what religion they're from, or even if they're just spiritual or something.

I think it's a bad belief to have, and to support. But I would never treat anyone less well because they hold such beliefs, or encourage anyone to take action other than promoting critical thinking in general.

As for Islam... I find it to be a vile religion. But no more so than Christianity. They are both about the worst I could imagine, if you base that view on what their books actually say.

Increasingly what the books say is becoming less important, and people's own cherry picking is becoming more popular. I'm all for that. Cherry pick away if it means leaving out the horrible parts of those books. I want to live in a world with nice people, and the less of that primitive dogma they ingest the better. If they decide their religion is about love to them, and this is how they act, then good for them.

I agree with almost all of this, rob, except with regard to the last paragraph I would add the caveat that I too would be all for cherry-picking...IF, and only if, it only yielded the decent, moderate, common-sense variety of theist.

In other words, as I've said before in other threads, I wouldn't have any problem with religion at all if it wasn't so noxious.

But if you allow the nice people to cherry-pick, then you must also allow the extremists to cherry-pick.