Do u want there to be a God? Any God?

[The Grand Nudger]

Secularism is the likely baby of just about every member of this board.  A secular state is a defacto "atheist state".  There's no need to jump through any soviet hoops to get there.

Humanism is about stressing the importance and primacy of mans needs over the desires of the supernatural.  As it relates to secularism, it's the notion that a state is best arranged to service the needs of it's people, not some god.

I tend to agree with you here.

The problem is when someone see a competing view point.  God vs no god.  If someone sees that opposing view as problematic or limiting their own view, then there is a chance that some nutcase will try and eliminate it.  It doesn't mean everybody will jump in, but people can be loose cannons and we can't control what others think and believe or disbelief.

Religious persecution of non believers and competing faith traditions lays that out nicely, yes.  Reference to the soviet apparatus..not so much.  

I see the same thing with Islam.  Some Muslims are wacko and everybody who is an "infidel" is labeled as an enemy and should be put to death.  But in reality, I know Muslims who are friendly, intellectual, caring people.  Regardless, I'm still wary sometimes.

Moderates.  Differentiated from fundamentalists by their relative lack of faith.  Ultimately, both flow from the same spring....the moderates provide the necessary social and ideological cover for the fullest expression of the faith that they share with fundamentalists. This implicates them and their faith, making attempts to distance either from the actions of the other nothing more than arguing with their own magic book.

I applaud their effort, but it seems counterproductive, and they get no brownie points for being moderately less of an asshole than their compatriots in belief.