Reply #241: Nobody questions your right to believe in God and Jesus.

[LeftishBrit]

On a religion and theology board, there will be debates about Christianity vs atheism vs possibly other religions. Some people are aggressive in debate; it can happen over any topic. In my personal experience, I have come across far more frequent aggressive debate about methods of education, especially in reading instruction, than about religion!

And some American atheists will inevitably be frustrated by the dominance of the Christian Right in many areas of politics, and by the attitude of some that atheists are not equal citizens. I gather that you are Canadian; I'm British; neither of us has therefore experienced the political and social dominance of the Christian Right that some Americans have. I have observed some very nasty religious-right activities recently in my backyard, and have therefore become aware that one has to watch out for it even in places where it usually doesn't happen (another case in point: supposedly secualar Australia, where Christian Right-winger Tony Abbott came within *just one parliamentary seat* of becoming Prime Minister). But I was well on the wrong side of forty before I experienced it that close up, and on the whole religion and the Right are not that strongly associated in my country. I don't feel that I can blame people for becoming somewhat bitter and resentful about religion in places where they experience it much of the time. To use a perhaps ironic expression for an atheist, 'there but for the grace of God go I'.