“You don’t believe, we understand that, what reason could you have to keep trying to convince others that what they believe is wrong”, they repeatedly admonish.

The reasons are clear. Religion has done great harm. “What about the good that religion does”, they implore. The little good is usually done to spread the meme of religion, and is outweighed by the greater harm, I reply. Religion:

1. … is an impediment to science. (stem cell research)(Burning of libraries, books, historically)

2. … creates division and tension.

3. … is responsible for most wars.

4. … suppresses women, relegating them to a lesser status than men.

5. … promotes over population and STD’s by opposing contraceptives.

6. … is bad for the environment and flora and fauna. (Dominion over the Earth)

7. … causes acceptance of irrational thought. (God gave his only son(really himself) to save humanity from(himself) for sins (he already knew were going to occur when he created us))

8. … enables it’s leaders to speak from a position of authority,  for which they are not entitled , nor possess the credentials necessary.

9. … results in unnecessary deaths. (Forgoing medical treatment in favor of prayer, or impotent medical treatments)(Development of obscure crazy cults)

“But what good does it do to enrage those who believe?” I am asked.

It delights me when the believer responds with rage. What this means is that they understood the message. What this means is they are raging inside, religious meme against their inherent rational mind. They are not raging against me; their rational mind is raging against the irrational religious meme, the meme reacting with anger to protect itself from being vanquished. My criticism of religious beliefs plants seeds, seeds of doubt.

For those heavily immersed the message is eventually erased as they undergo another revival by cloaking themselves with other believers. It is easy to believe irrational ideas when those around you are in agreement. What this means for me is that I must get the shovel and hoe back out, dig some fresh ground, hoe some rows, and plant more seeds.

Irrational beliefs are of fragile construct and difficult to maintain when everything around you decries the realness of them.