(February 21, 2012 at 3:58 pm)Abracadabra Wrote: But you are right, many Christians themselves confess that without their belief in the Hebrew God they would do horrible despicable things.
Yes, it is disturbing but my suspicion is that an apostate will normally go through a gradual process. He/she will initially be constrained by his religious hang-over and subsequently by his growing sense of humanity. I have no doubts in my mind that the average atheist shows far more love, understanding and empathy than the average bible toting Christian.
I don't think we need to fear apostasy, we need to encourage it and show that freethinkers are not the hateful people that he/she has been taught. Unfortunately, there are a few insane people who would do wicked things if not retrained by their religion but too few to keep me awake at night.
A sensible man should not demand of me, or hope that when we mention a subject, we shall make a complete exposition of it. - Maimonides
