@fortune

True enough, but it does plenty of harm to be told I will suffer eternally for choosing not to believe them, that I am less worthy as a person for if God condemns me, why shouldn't they?

It does plenty of harm that should a woman I care for decide to prevent a life she cannot care for and would suffer accordingly, that she be called a murderer for a being that didn't even know it was alive nor have good prospects to enough life in a world already heavily populated.

It does plenty of harm that those who grew up in a religion and have doubts so much so that they renounce their faith would be outcast, persecuted, and attacked by those who claimed to love them. That some would even demand an official execution for a so called "treachery".

It does plenty of harm when someone is called an abomination for loving who they love. When violence, fear, and rage come from appearing in as others would, but not how they expect you to.

Keep your cult out of politics.

@Tann @fortune I mean, this quote was Jefferson, in an age when it was considered a crime not to be a Christian, saying he didn't care if his neighbor was atheist, Hindu, or whatever. It was tremendously progressive at the time...

Personally, I'd make all religions disappear if I could.

@TomSwirly

I suppose context is important, but it's still treating religion as if it's not just some theory a bunch of people have accepted as fact and decided to base their policies on. I honestly had an idea to try and formalize the findings of the scientific method as a religion to get similar rights and exceptions that churches enjoy... And that's how I found out scientology was a cult before it got famous as a cult. Kinda ruined the naming scheme I had in mind as a young adult.

@Tann Hah, I remember when I first heard the name Scientology I thought, "Wow, that sounds great!"

Scientology was born when John W. Campbell, Jr., L. Ron Hubbard and (I think) A. E. van Vogt were at a meal and Campbell said, "Science fiction is a mug's game!" and suggested the way to make money was to start a religion using the same techniques...

Religion is not a "theory". Theories are testable and make predictions. We scientismists call untestable claims "lies".