[Xujhan]

First EV, let me say I absolutely respect what you've posted. There's a lot of pull in society to prefer either science or religion. Not many people actually choose one to the absolute exclusion of the other, but most tend to support one side. That you not only believe what you do but voice it so eloquently and so openly shows you - at least in my eyes - to be a remarkably passionate and intelligent person, and I respect the heck out of you for that.

Personally, I'm an atheist. It's just what makes the most sense to me; I probably couldn't honestly believe in god without evidence if I tried. I don't think many well-educated people will try to argue that there's actually evidence supporting god's existence, and like you said, that's not really the point. By its nature, God is impossible to prove or disprove. Ultimately, I don't particularly care either way. If I die and it turns out there is a God, I'll happily share a laugh with him/her over my mistake. Just because I don't believe in God doesn't mean I think any less of someone who does, or that I'm going to hold it against them. Honestly, any atheist who does probably has some pathological insecurity or other.

But while I'm not going to think less of anyone for their religion, I do have a problem with religion. Not because I disagree; even if I somehow knew that God existed, I would still oppose religion. 99% of religious people are perfectly good people, and it's not because of those 99% that I have a problem. The last percent though are all it takes to cause a world of harm. I'm not going to bother listing examples; most everyone these days knows at least a few of the biggest ones.

My other main issue is that religion - not all of it, but most - opposes free will. A few of the most liberal religious couples might encourage their children to decide their faith (or lack thereof) for themselves, but most children are brought up to believe what their parents believe. In a decent family in a decent place, that's not too bad. The parents' religion is pretty harmless, so the religion the children inherit will be in turn pretty harmless. But in more extreme situations, children are brought up believe things that are pretty unarguably wrong.

Suicide bombers in the middle east aren't killers because they're horrible people, or because they hold any hatred for the people they kill; they do it because they honestly believe they're doing the right thing. Women in FLDS communities (And I hope I'm getting my reference right there, apologies if I'm misremembering) honestly believe that their polygamous, often abusive relationships are good, and that they shouldn't want to leave. Nothing else in our world comes close to religion in its ability to take the good intentions of good people and twist them to harmful ends.

I recognize fully that this is a fairly vast minority in religion. The problem is, I don't think it's possible to entirely separate the two. As long as people have faith in the face of evidence, it will be possible for other people to manipulate that faith. And as long as children are brought up in their parents religion, they'll be susceptible to it as well. Any kind of organized religion will always create that opportunity for manipulation.

If we lived in a world where every person was encouraged to educate themselves, consider for themselves the questions of life, and through that come to find the answers that fulfill them as a person, I don't think religious beliefs would be a problem at all. Ultimately, that's the same as living in an atheist society, and I would happily live in a world like that. As long as your faith comes from yourself, not a preacher or a parent, no one can manipulate that faith. Unfortunately, once a child is brought up in a religious environment, there's no way to separate out that individual faith from the faith they were taught, or at least none that I know. Until someone finds such a way, the next best I can do is argue for and promote atheism wherever I go, and to encourage everyone to think for themselves, and more importantly to let other people - even their own children - think for themselves as well.