The dangers of religion

Somebody finally said the stuff I've been thinking lately about religion.

There are now more people in our country who believe that the universe was created in six solar days than there were in Europe in the 14th century. In the eyes of most of the civilized world, the United States is now a rogue power — imperialist, inarticulate and retrograde in its religiosity. Our erstwhile allies are right not to trust our judgment. We elect leaders who squander time and money on issues like gay marriage, Janet Jackson's anatomy, Howard Stern's obscenities, marijuana use and a dozen other trifles lying at the heart of the Christian social agenda, while potentially catastrophic problems like nuclear proliferation and climate change go unresolved.

Disclaimer: yes, I'm perfectly aware that all Christians don't behave like George Bush and his cronies. Or believe exactly the same things that they do. I know that many Christians believe that even if Jesus does come back tomorrow, it's still up to them to be good stewards of the planet.

But it seems to me that these people are the minority.

I'm sorry, I really am. I wish I didn't feel this way, but I do. I'd much rather not be anti-religion but the events of this year have forced my thinking that way. It's dangerous to have people running the country who think that their god talks to them personally. (Of course, not only do I believe as an agnostic that they're wrong, I also believe that if you're listening to the voices in your brain you're inclined to hear exactly what you want to hear.) And probably it's even more dangerous that as evangelical Christians, they think that Christ is going to come back any minute and take them away. Because if you think that's true, then why worry about the environment? Why worry about the future of the Middle East, other than to help Israel because of course they're pivotal in the coming apocalypse?

A lot of the problems lie at the very root of Christianity, in my mind. Most Christians I know do believe that god talks to them personally, even if many of them think it's in a much more indirect way. And the teachings of Revelations - the "rapture" and all its trappings - however controversial, are widely believed as well. I don't know exactly where I'm going with this - I didn't even start out to write a rant here, but it did sort of turn into one, didn't it? And I certainly don't have any answers, except to agree with Mr. Harris that this is no way to run a country.