Extremism- my own!

[thesummerqueen]

Not really dear - my 'beliefs' were more in line with Spinoza before I figured out it was okay to say I didn't believe in God at all.

My family is all Eastern European - some of whom settled in England briefly and I'm on the tail of that end. Ashkenazic.

You wanna know how I balance it out? By understanding that even if you reject religion, you don't make the world all better. People are stupid, atheist or theist. Also, it helps to take a breath and realize other people are watching - honey more than vinegar eh? - you win more people over by not getting overly angry in the face of bullshit. Unless you're funny about it - then full speed ahead. Except I find most annoyingly religious people have no sense of humor.

[happyinfidel]

It's good to be passionate about reason, logic and provable truths; not so for nonsense. You have a nice quotation- here are two of my favourites:

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. (Voltaire)

No god, no heaven- these are fairy stories for those afraid of the dark. (Stephen Hawking; maybe not exact, I admit)

My need to speak out against religion coincides with the islamic fundamentalist atrocities of recent years; prior to that I failed to see the potential for harm...

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Thanks to you all who have helped me get my frustrations into perspective! Just getting it off the chest is a relief.

Spread the word; stand up and be heard; challenge irrational belief and promote reason!