You Are Not Controlling The Storm, And

Words Like 'god' And 'allah' Must Go The Way Of 'apollo' And 'baal' Or They Will Unmake Our World.

The Idea, Therefore, That Religious Faith Is Somehow A Sacred Human Convention—distinguished, As It Is, Both By The Extravagance Of Its Claims And By The Paucity Of Its Evidence—is Really Too Great A Monstrosity To Be Appreciated In All Its Glory. Religious Faith Represents So Uncompromising A Misuse Of The Power Of Our Minds That It Forms A Kind Of Perverse, Cultural Singularity—a Vanishing Point Beyond Which Rational Discourse Proves Impossible.

Some ... Sexist Evil Probably Predates Religion And Can Be Ascribed To Our Biology, But There Is No Question That Religion Promulgates And Renders Sacrosanct Attitudes Toward Women That Would Be Unseemly In A Brachiating Ape.

When The Stakes Are This High- When Calling God By The Right Name Can Make The Difference Between Eternal Happiness And Eternal Suffering, It Is Impossible To Respect The Beliefs Of Others Who Don't Believe As You Do.

Let Me Assure You That My Intent Is Not To Offend Or Merely Be Provocative. I'm Simply Worried.