I can’t tell you how exhilarated I am tonight after watching Richard Dawkins’ two-part DVD “The Root Of All Evil?“. For years I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the feeling that I should just accept christianity as a reasonable viewpoint. Particularly as my boys grow up, I find it unreasonable that they should be told that the religious perspective is as equally valid a way of thinking about the world and their place in it as a rational, reason-based perspective which takes in all of the facts available to them.

Earlier today I also listened to the Point of Inquiry podcast with Sam Harris, author of “Letter To A Christian Nation” and it was equally as exhilarating. To finally have some highly erudite statesmen for the reason-based community is a relief and inspiration, even though the message they are delivering, that reason is on a slippery slope in the West at the moment, is one that is deeply concerning to me.

Humanity has had to endure thousands of years of persecution and being held back from progress as a result of the particular mythologies of the leaders of our societies. Too many millions of people had to die to get us to the privileged position we are in the 21st century, where we have the freedom to review the facts and make a reason-based decision on how the world works and our position in it.

The thought that religious zealots could reverse that trend, sending us back to the dark ages, should be terrifying to any sane person.