Religion

My friend Jim says, "without good data, you're just another asshole with an opinion."

I agree and usually when I write, I support my thesis with facts.

So I don't write about religion very often, because at the heart of every religion there is a fact-free zone. I don't mean that in a disrespectful way. I say it because religion isn't about facts, it's about belief.

So here's my opinion, speaking as a non-believer.

I believe believers have nothing to fear from science. The two spheres don't have to overlap, don't have to conflict. Nor should any believer feel threatened by my non-belief. I respect your belief and ask only that you give my non-belief the same consideration. True, believers have to resist their natural instinct to evangelize, but in today's world any group seeking to follow the motto of the Spanish Inquisition ("Convert or Die") is more likely to find itself the one obliterated.

By the same token, feel free to say science is wrong because it disagrees with your beliefs, just don't go the next step and try to undermine science, which has produced air conditioning, bourbon whiskey, and many other things we all enjoy.