Something I think that gets lost in our ongoing 'conflicts'

[trotsky]

4. There is a key difference that I see.

When religious beliefs are validated as a perfectly acceptable reason for wanting to believe in or promote a liberal or progressive idea, it simultaneously enables the same defense for the positions of dangerous fundies like Fred Phelps and Randall Terry. They ALSO strongly believe that god wants the the things they want (execution of homosexuals and the banning of abortion).

If it's important to feed the poor because a believer thinks Jesus wants them to, why can't Randall Terry use whatever means possible to stop the "murder" of unborn children, as he believes Jesus wants him to?

Until the believer can point to a process that is as accurate at determining what gods want as science is at revealing physical truths of the universe, there will friction.

It also doesn't help when double standards are engaged, when an atheist who states "There are no gods" is branded as a closed-minded "fundamentalist" atheist but a believer who says "There are no coincidences" is lauded as a reasonable, admirable individual.