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[cbayer]

18. Well, that was fun!

I love some science fiction, particularly that with a religious theme. The Sparrow is one of my all time favorite books.

Just as an aside, I recently spent time with a large group of family members ranging in age from 23 to 82. We have among us non-believers and believers of many stripes, but not a single person who is antagonistic towards others because of their religion or lack thereof. There is also no smugness that someone has the right answer. Several of these people frequent DU and remarked on their experience here regarding anti-theists. They were genuinely startled by the mocking and arrogant hostility on display and remarked that they had never encountered this IRL.

It does seem somewhat unique to the internet, where people often feel freer to express themselves and their biases.

I think the advice in this article can apply to both believers and non-believers:

Someone else's subjective experience is as valid as yours
You don't know any more than the rest of us