A battle is being waged for the minds of Americans. The battle is between religious fundamentalism and reason. The fate of the United States is not the only concern at stake, the future of the world is being decided.

There are two types of Christianity…(actually there are hundreds of differing cults)  fundamentalists, adhering to a literal meaning of the bible, and the other group going with interpretations, not believing in literal derivations, but instead relying on metaphorical, non-literal meanings.

Of most concern are the fundamentalists. The greatest problem being with those who, even in the face of overwhelming factual evidence to the contrary continue to believe the information in a 2000 plus year old book in preference to science and reason. I am particularly singling out those who :

1. Believe that the Earth is 6000 to 10000 years old. (And that therefore, dinosaurs and people walked side by side)

2. Believe that anyone can spend several days inside a fish and then come out alive.

3. Believe that anyone can feed a crowd on a couple of fish.

4. Believe that anyone can walk on water that is not frozen.

5. Believe anyone can be killed and then come back to life 3 days later.

6. Believe in total Biblical inerrancy. (Despite the numerous errors and contradictions)

7. Believe that Jesus was God become man.

8. Believe that a virgin can give birth. (Unless you are a lizard of some type.)

Of least danger are those who merely hold to many of the teachings that are attributed to Jesus, and consider him a prophet. In between these and the fundamentalists are varying degrees of belief. Some a danger some not so very much. Any system which can cause someone to believe in the unbelievable, without evidence, without proof,  is capable of manipulating that someone to undertake the unspeakable.

Fundamentalists revel in their ignorance. Of course, they don’t consider believing something totally on faith without evidence as ignorance. Ignorance, meaning without knowledge, whether willfully or innocently thus, rather than stupidity as some seem to think. These people carry this ignorance around, flaunt it, as if it were a holy virtue to believe without knowledge. This is understandable, as truth, knowledge, facts, and evidence, are anathema to fundamentalism. You surely wouldn’t want to be little Timmy and be found with a book on evolution, in a fundamentalist family. It would be like being found with a pornography magazine in a normal family.

As in all learning, the earlier you learn, the more you retain, as well as the more stock you place in what you learn. Children are like vacuum cleaners where knowledge is concerned. Due to evolutionary pressures they are very trusting of authority, parents. Fundamentalists, and other religionists know this, and are eager, almost desperate, to indoctrinate their children before such time as the children might acquire the ability to determine the validity of said doctrine.

This is exactly why I, and many others, oppose the early indoctrination of children by religion. Children should not be exposed to religious doctrine until such time as they have the wherewithal to make an educated decision whether to believe it. This is why the public schools need to remain secular, rather than sectarian. This is why so many people of faith are so determined to return prayer and Bible study to schools, so as to reinforce faith.

This is why it is paramount that the Separation of Church and State remain absolute.