The recent brutal murder of a young man in South Africa for being gay (http://mg.co.za/article/2012-06-28-gentle-mans-brutal-murder-turns-spotlight-on-intolerance) is all the evidence I need to reject religion, and to know that my growing commitment to actively opposing it is justified. Not only because religious people can justify this kind of brutality with reference to their pre-enlightenment fables, but because of their insidious impact on the rest of society.
Although I attended a church school, I was never able to bing myself to believe the fanciful stories thrust at me in daily church services (thanks in large part to my rationalist, science-teaching parents - more about that in a later post). However, some of the dogma, I am horrified to admit, stuck. Homophobia was one that it took me a long time to despatch. It is only in my mid 30's, with much influence from my wife, and some active challenging
of my beliefs that I accepted that a person's sexual choices or orientation should have no impact on their acceptance by society, provided the golden rule is observed, that they bring no harm to others through their actions.
The fact that I, a fervent atheist, have cruelly judged gays largely (although indirectly) on the basis of a religious dogma that ruthlessly pervades our society, both pains me, and reinvigorates my desire to fight religion at every turn.
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