Tonight Stephen Colbert “baptized” all dead Mormons to Judaism, via “circumcizing” a hot dog. That is funny.
It was in response to the Mormon practice of using their hot tub time-machine to baptize deceased Jews. That is… a thing that happens.
Maybe it is the horrific world history of organized religion suppressing human expression and needs. Perhaps it is the latest onslaught of self-titled religious experts seeking leadership in our secular government. I am sure it is involved with the rhetoric surrounding insurance plans and sexually immature men (I am not calling them names; clerics are almost by definition sexually immature, see the section Religious Decree on Sexual Behavior) deciding women’s health issues, rather than actual experts and, you know, women.
I am done with superstition. I believe that religion is a form of human expression, and should therefore be protected. This isn’t about that. It is about one group of people taking their superstitions and trying to shutdown science and secular rights.
We do not derive our rights from god (god isn’t a real thing). We derive our rights from an ongoing discourse that self-perpetuates through education and hopefully individual consent. It is not perfect. In fact, its main weakness is that it lets people with ridiculous ideas reach a national audience. It is a hole that we can’t plug up, because the stakes are too high. We need to let the people who have unhealthy views of reality enjoy the same free speech we do.
That is why I am lifting my personal media blackout on religion. I have a whole lot of tolerance for expression. But I won’t stand by while people use their expression to hurt others. I am adding my voice to the “side” of reason, also known as people with reason.
I recommend you do the same. 