This is why I don't like debating religion

[Runa216]

timmah said:

So what you did is, set up a straw man argument in your first post in order to bait 'Religious folks' into the exact type of debate you claim to not like, with the intention of showing how stupid and illogical we all are. You even admint you have a hatred for religion (which was pretty obvious from the beginning). I guess what I'm saying is, you might be the Atheist version of the religious straw man you hate, because you criticize a 'wanton attack on atheism' while setting up a wanton attack on religion.

Also, I can only speak for myself in saying I'm certainly not attempting to debunk science or the scientific method (this is another 'straw man' used to attack people of faith, we're backwards crazy people who hate science, simply not true in most cases). I see some holes in current scientific theories on the origin of life, and it's perfectly acceptable for me to point out the holes I see in those theories. The scientific method is the best system we have for understanding the natural world around us, that certainly does not mean that every theory that comes out of the scientific method is set in stone and not up for debate, theories have changed drastically in the past, many will again in the future. Just because somebody debates against a scientific idea or theory or points out that science is not infallable, does not mean that person is debating against science or the scientific method.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

How is the OP a straw man?  Sounds like a pretty accurate representation of religion to me.  perhaps not all religious people, but by the sounds of it, it seems like that the OP is only complaining about the types of religious people described in the OP.  The repeated insistences of "you can believe what you want" would indicate that, as long as you're responsible about your faith you should be allowed to practice it without fear of persecution.  Sounds to me like the complaint is specific to people who try to use God as an argument to hate, judge, or restrict something.  In which case, the argument is sound.