Of course it stems from a truism: debating the validity of faith and religion in general can only go so far–once a person says ‘I believe’ you have to say ok…right?
When Richard Dawkins book, The God Delusion, flew off of bookstore shelves I was so happy. I thought “we finally live in a world where religious hypocrisy can be discussed, openly. Where inconsistencies–the kind that led me to stray from my Christian upbringing–could be banished as non-facts.” But the God Delusion did more than that. It inadvertently branded people–specifically Atheists–as rude, mean spirited and arrogant. It deemed all religious people–delusional, ignorant, and mentally weak. When I speak with my evangelical friends, I tread carefully through our conversations. Fear doesn’t provoke it; a love of knowledge, friendship, and a love of truth makes me watch my tongue. If I want to see the relationship between freethinkers and the faithful change, I have to bring warmth before I deliver cold. When I was a ‘new Atheist’, there was no stopping me. My blood wanted a fight, and logic was on my side. I’d say it just the way I felt it, which was usually pointed toward the hypocri
