One of the destinations on the right-hand side is called Secular Humanity. I’ve observed with quite some interest the ‘religion war of words’ that has sprouted over the last half decade. I’m not a militant atheist – people can believe or worship as they please . . . up to a point. And that point is the boundary between a secular society and one ruled by this religion or that. Our world has seen steady progress towards a separation of church and state (or synagogue or mosque or temple or whatever). Lately erosion of this principle has been readily observable, notably in the increasingly cunning methods employed to try and foist religion onto children (and, frankly, adults) in the guise of science. Call it creationism or intelligent design, it’s faith dressed up as scientific truth and it must not take hold.
We atheists seem rarely to want to battle for our beliefs, certainly compared to the way religions feed conflict (and real wars). At what point do meek and mild atheists begin to campaign for the secular world so close to their hearts? Whereas the current war in print between Dawkins and others and religious writers is of limited interest to me, the encroachment of religious dogma and power onto our ability to maintain a secular society fascinates and inflames me. I’ll keep a watch on how this bedrock conflict – the non-religious state versus its citizens’ religions – pans out.