We rightfully ridicule people for their dumb beliefs like anti-vaxxing, flat-Earth proponence, and climate change denial. Yet, we stay silent about people’s religious beliefs, which, as much as it pains me to say it, are dumb. I can understand the appeal. Young children deserve better than to have instilled in them the fear of one or more supposedly temperamental Gods. Communities of people deserve better than to be persecuted for the spiritual lie they happen to have been told since birth. The future of the world deserves better than world leaders who claim an all-loving higher power will intervene to save us from self-obliterating.
We should be indiscriminate about which misguided beliefs we criticize and antagonize religion as the set of toxic, delusionary belief systems that it is. You go first, though. Because I’m still afraid to ruffle pious feathers.
