I grew up in a Protestant home (southern baptist church, 3x/week + youth activities). I have nothing against religion and I like religious people, I just don’t

I grew up in a Protestant home (southern baptist church, 3x/week + youth activities). I have nothing against religion and I like religious people, I just don’t have strong faith anymore; the older I get the more skeptical I get of everything. It always makes me grin how much secular political issue adherents act like religious people. You can just listen to the language (“climate deniers” etc., “the end is near in 12 years”, etc.) to tell that they are in the throes of religious fervor. I truly believe there’s something by wired into our brains to support this mode of belief, and that rationality is the exception in humans. The problem is that religious people (including the secular ones) are not open to rational discussion critical of their beliefs. They may be polite enough to hear you out but they’re just waiting for you to take a breath so they can butt in and correct your apostasy. They already KNOW the one TRUTH and if you don’t agree on all points, you’re a heretic and nonbeliever. You see articles from time to time how “climate deniers” should be shunned and shamed and punished for their heresy[1] (just search for “climate deniers list” or “should climate deniers be punished” or pick your issue). Same thing for lots of other issues like abortion rights[2], or gun control[3]. Christianity has had 2000 years and reformations to knock off the rough, anti-social edges. Religious doctrine has been tempered with social controls and moral codes that largely (though not completely) prevent demonizing your enemies. Far left ideologies have a century of murdering tens of millions of people that didn’t agree with them or in some cases just didn’t cheer loudly enough. When it comes to not murdering me or putting me in re-education camps, I trust devout Christians way more than I trust climate activists or gun control advocates or (insert advocate for secular left position here). [1] https://www.newsweek.com/should-climate-change-deniers-be-prosecuted-378652 https://www.newsweek.com/should-climate-change-deniers-be-pr... [2] https://www.liveaction.org/news/slate-hopes-watching-jessica-jones-will-shame-pro-lifers/ https://www.liveaction.org/news/slate-hopes-watching-jessica... [3] https://thefederalist.com/2021/06/09/la-times-writer-real-estate-listings-should-report-neighbors-who-own-guns/ https://thefederalist.com/2021/06/09/la-times-writer-real-es...