Serious for a second

I found a new 'most worthwhile site so far'.

This certainly needs some explanation as to some people talking against religion is a crime.

I AM NOT AGAINST THE RELIGIOUS. I absolutely support your right to believe whatever you like. Pantheism, Islam, Astrology, Christianity, Santa Claus, Shinto, that new thing Noel Edmonds is going on about etc etc.

I do not believe that religion has a place in schools. Schools are a place where kids should learn facts. Religion (I feel) is a personal matter for individuals to decide. Children are intensely vunerable and tend to believe what they are told so shouldn't the indoctrination begin after they have had chance to form some of their own opinions?

I speak from personal experience of Sunday School as a kid (where I was told about the "truth" of Jesus etc). I had the good fortune to study philosophy when I was older which taught me to think critically about ideas (that was a shock I can tell you suddenly realising that most of the stuff I was told was the truth was actually just what they believed, no proof whatsoever) and helped me to work out what I thought about the existence of god and of religion in general (learning about the history of some religions helped form my view and current events).

This is MY opinion. I have a right to it. Just as you have a right to YOUR opinion. I have no right to tell you you cannot be Wiccan or Catholic, you have no right to hassle me for not being saved!

I only recently came across the NSS website and it's one of the first I have found where reason seems to come before rhetoric. Respecting peoples rights but protecting our rights to disagree.

Multicultural Britain in a buzz word. What I see is a lot of people from different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds who need to learn to live together. I see religion as one of the most divisive forces on the planet. Don't believe me?

The middle east (from the crusades onwards). Northern Ireland. What the catholic church (with the agreement of the pope, Spain and Portugal)did to South America, India (I visited one of the few surviving indigenous temples in Goa from that time) and Japan. The inquisition. The witch trials in Salem (and elsewhere).

Do I need to go on? Check your history. I am not saying every conflict is due to religion but there are quite a few and they seem to be the lasting ones.

I'd like to see schools teaching critical thinking. Teach kids to question things. Teach them not to blindly follow dogma.

Maybe if we all stopped interpreting what our version of God wants and started thinking about how we could live together it'd be better for all of us.

Plus, if we ditched the fundamentalist teachings perhaps we wouldn't get idiots blowing themselves up killing others with confidence they would go to heaven.

I am pleased there is someone standing against all of the religious pressure groups. Free society needs this and it gives me hope that maybe we will come through this ok.

Sorry for the serious post. I will get back to being annoyed at smaller things now.