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Hi all! The discussion on this episode was interesting enough that I thought I should register on the forum and join in the discussion.

I think the atheist sign issue is interesting. As someone who is religious, I don't have any problem with Atheists posting signs and advertising for groups etc. However, I think the sign, in this instance, is offensive and pointless. Posting something that is sacrilegious to Jewish people in a Jewish neighborhood is just purposefully disrespectful. At that point the intent of of the billboard is more about insulting people than anything else. You can't get people to listen when you are insulting them, and you can't foster a purposeful discussion when the people you insult b/c people who feel insulted will not be interested in what you have to say.

Also Christianity isn't a monolithic religion. There is an enormous amount of diversity in regards to views on evolution, homosexuality, politics etc. For instance, as someone who is Christian, I don't like signs telling people they are going to hell anymore than Chemda does.

The clip of the preacher that opened for Santorum is interesting, but I don't think it is anything to be afraid of. There is certainly a significant portion of people who mix religious conservatism with politics. They are the loudest and most extreme, which is why they get attention; but they aren't representative of Christianity as a whole, and I really don't think they have enough political clout to actually threaten anyone. They may be able to fight social issues like same-sex marriage for a while, but ultimately they will lose b/c times are changing. Plus IME young Christians are accepting of homosexuals and don't care about same-sex marriage.

Also to address specifically something that Keith said about atheists being the most intelligent people he knows: I'm not surprised that is Keith's experience, however people tend to surround themselves with others who are like-minded. I'm sure it is true that the most intelligent people Keith knows are atheists, as it is true that the most intelligent people I know are religious.