27-28″You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.”

I agree with the atheist quoted in ‘a hundred visions.’ We (all) need to fight hypocrisy. I for one start looking inside and give several others who I trust the authority to challenge me whenever they catch a hint of it in me. They can smell it faster than I can. Then I look to fight it in others. That way, I have a better chance of getting the beam out of my own eye before I try to call my friend or enemy to get the splinter out of theirs.

Love your post!!

Sam Harris pointed out something very important that you are touching on here, that moderate Christians give a legitimacy to the Fred Phelps and Pat Robertsons of the world. What Christians need to do to is marginalize these people mercilessly. Right-wing Christian politicians have abused their trust and injected religion into secular institutions. And the moderates just watched in tacit approval. A lot of damage to the shiny exterior of Christianity has been done.

The first step is simple. Remove all discussions of religion in politics. This is exactly how it works up here in Canada. The media never ask questions of a candidate’s belief. What on earth does it have to do with running a country, anyway? Belief is personal, and it should stay that way. As PZ Myers says, religion is like masterbation. It feels good. It should be done in private. Whether a person does it or not has nothing whatsoever to do with running for public office.