[Sarah]

Originally Posted by carrie721

well, first of all, personal belief in a higher power is not the same thing as organized religion, so i think it's unfair to say that people who take issue with organized religion do so only because of the followers' belief in a higher power. as i've repeatedly stated in this thread, i am not an atheist. i do not believe in a dude upstairs calling the shots, but i do believe in an inherent connectedness of all things, so it would be silly of me to knock theists (which i believe is the term tower meant to use, rather than deist, which actually refers to a believer of the religion "deism") for holding a related belief.

organized religion is a different issue. i think it can be a dangerous thing and is often used as a weapon. however, billions of people think that christianity, judaism, islam, etc., are the path to their personal truth, and i cannot fault anyone for that. i do not think anyone is an idiot for using religion as a guide. but people who use the teachings of any holy book to scare people into abatement, or justify the subordination of one group to another? idiots.

do you want me to stand up while i clap, or can i just sit here and do it?

group-thinking scares the hell out of me, and that's why i can't be down with going to "church".