My concern with religion is that it allows us by the millions to believe what only lunatics or idiots could believe on their own. That's not to say that all religious people are lunatics or idiots. It's anything but that.

On the subject of religious belief, we relax standards of reasonableness and evidence that we rely on in every other area of our lives. We relax so totally that people believe the most ludicrous propositions, and are willing to organize their lives around them.

Religious faith is a powerful force for good, and it ought to result in people coming together and showing concern for each other. It should not be used as a way to justify a political position, or to be identified with a particular political party. The teachings of Jesus should cause us to be concerned about the sick and poor. That's the type of effect religion should have on public policy.

Our religion prohibits us from having nuclear arms and our religious leader has prohibited it from the point of view of religious law. It's a closed road,

Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make when in the presence of religious dogma.

Religious people are happier.