Do(n't) Stop Believing? Choosing to Face Faith

Religion, Really?

With multiple recent conversational conflicts on religion and faith in the media and personally, with pervasive ignorance by many about other people's beliefs and with the importance of the topic to both me personally and the world I couldn't help myself. Besides, avoiding this topic just because people are timid to face it is intellectually devoid and morally untenable. I'm also currently reading both Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life and Christopher Hitchens' The Portable Atheist. These books and some other recent readings have given me a new outlook on the importance of addressing that which has been banned from discussion in polite discourse.

Worse than I Thought
Even though I thought religion was bad for society before reading Hitchen's God is not Great and Sam Harris' The End of Faith I was pretty apathetic towards religious belief. I was somewhat tenative about openly saying what I think on the subject, for fear of offending, and I mostly avoided the subject when possible. Simply I tried to quell discussion but now I invite it. This puts me and a rather unique position as our politically correct religious tolerance is not about discussion but rather peaceful bearing of those that think differently and the way we keep this peace is usually by avoiding the subject at all costs.

Since I never tried to really tried to discuss the subject, and only really replied when the subject broached the wrong territory, I didn't realize just how much people runaway from any discussion of religion as soon as you disagree with what they have stated. If people hold religion so close to their hearts, and consequently their minds, and it is as important to society as it seems why do people of all religious positions cower in its presence? I intend to find out. I will speak to the both the religious and the secular, and those somewhere in between, and find out what they believe, why they do and how everyone can have a discussion about this vital topic.

Lastly... Imagine
Yes I am an atheist, I'm sure you were thinking it, and no I don't eat babies nor do I slaughter the innocent but you wouldn't know it from the characterization of secularism from some of the pious, including the pope. Throughout the course of this project I am almost sure some material will offend people but hopefully it will open many more minds to, at the very least, the prospect of discussion. Imagine a world where all ideas are subject, at the very least, to discussion. It'll never happen right?

A guy can dream though.