I stopped belonging to an organized Christian sect when

[WCGreen]

My grandmother, who went to mass every day of her life, said to her grandchildren, after hearing about the race riots in Cleveland, Newark and Detroit that erupted in the heat and intolerance of the summer months, that the god damn niggers are getting what they deserve....

That is the first time that I woke up, I was about ten or eleven, and thought to myself that there is something wrong about a religion that preaches love and salvation and yet one of it's most fervent followers is filled with hate and damnation....

Since then, I have been waging a Battle against almost everyone I know, included most of my family, about what true morality is....

I have run for office and had to deal with the religious issue almost every time I started to talk to someone about politics....

It is discouraging that a country that has led the world in technology, was on the cutting edge of social reform and grew, in spite of itself, into a modern society, is on the verge of slipping back into old testament bigotry and fear of the unknown.....

I am an Atheist who believes strongly that the teachings of Jesus are probably the most fundamental element behind the domination of Western Culture. It's no mistake that separating church and state, something which Jesus was an advocate of, has brought about everything we held dear as a modern democracy....

We must not let the fundamentalists pervert and undermine all of western civilization.

[FM Arouet666]

1. Amen

As a non-theist myself, I think that we must develop the idea that you can be a moral individual without religion. The religious sect has the corner on the market, so to speak, regarding morality. Yet, there is ample evidence to the contrary.

[WCGreen]

2. I love arguing scripture with

the rapture crowd...

I tried the UU way but was overwhelmed by inability to make a decision and actually do something....

they actually fought me when I wanted to steer the congregations investments into socially responsible vehicles....

Social responsibility as long as it doesn't hurt my pocket....