No matter their supposed good deeds, there is literally nothing that can compensate for the misogynistic, homophobic, hate spewing, science degrading, life negating beliefs and actions of the religious communities of the world.
We live our lives, mostly, in occupied territory, where those of us who have freed ourselves from the cave of superstitious, magical infantile thinking can be socially ostracized, professionally limited, subtly discriminated or even physically attacked for simply pronouncing our opinion; that no gods, no devils, no spirits, ghosts or demons inhabit this world or any other and that belief in such is a form of slavery.
Below is a map of that “occupied” territory from an American point of view. This is based on a 2009 Gallup Poll measuring how religious a state’s resident are, but not their actually religious affiliation (since all are of equal parts.) The darker the green the farther behind the lines you are.
The time for active resistance to this awfulness has come. And those of us so very far behind the line can feel very lonely. But change is coming. The fast growing segment of the U.S. population is the non-believers. We must speed that day through aggressive education, influencing organizations and businesses (covertly if necessary) and by standing up for our civic right not to be saddled with state sponsorship of religion. We must fight for a better world; subtly or loudly, with intelligence and humor, through compassion and conviction; but we must fight.
