Pulling society back. This one isn't related to religion at all. As I said, I was talking only about Jews. Bringing other groups into this is irrelevant.

We'll see what they say as they gradually slip into poverty. Life sure has a sense of irony.

Not at all sapphi. Atheists I was talking about behave absolutely no different than, lets say Westbro Baptist Church members, its just that instead of hating on gays, they hate on Christians and only on Christians. The only difference is that WBC memebrs arent as lazy and conter productive as their atheist counter parts, and as such tend to be a bit more active and vocal. They bear the same hatred for Christians as WBC members do for gays. They are also incredibly quick to judge others who dont share their beleifs (just like you don on everyone and everything), same thing WBC membrs do, and they are also extremly self-righteous such as you (and yet dont beleive in any moral or unviersal laws at the same time) however since WBC membrs actually believe in some universal morals and and laws, I cant blame them as much as I do people like you, altho they are no better at all

Sorry to cut out the top part as it was a good post, but I wanted to focus on this last paragraph. I agree that belief is best left to the individual for the most part, I also believe people help each other understand things as we're doing together right now. The one thing I would say here is that the dangers of organization or unified thought is that it transcends religion, and my example of Nazist germany is the hallmark of it. The whole country was in awe of this one leader and his great vision for Germany, so much so that they were blinded to the massive killings that this glorious vision involved. To even suggest that catholicism caused this is totally ignorant of what actually happened. If anything, Hitler created the adoration of himself, which Christianity in any form would consider idolatry.

My point is it's unfair to limit this issue to religion, it applies to ideology as a whole. The best solution to this is as you said critical thinking, thinking for oneself, and refusing to accept the most popular notion only because it's popular. Sadly with Facebook and all this thumbs up nonesense that direction is going more the way of the shits. Then again, forums like this are a good place to generate new thoughts and challenges to established ideas, which is a great thing.

As far as the treatment of women as equals, treating homosexuals with dignity and forgiving those who have engaged in adulterous conduct, I would take the Southern Baptist from Mississippi over the Sunni Muslim from Riyadh anyday of the week. The Baptist may give me a good lecture, but he sure as crap won't take my sister out into the middle of nowhere during the middle of the night and cut off her nose just because she tried to escape an unhappy marriage.

When atheists start protesting at random christian people's funerals, your argument will seem less outrageous.

Catholics are responsable for the anit-jewish sentiment that existed in Germany and Europe as a whole. The Holocaust is basically the the culmination of the persecution of Jews that the Pope ordered in the Middle Ages.