Merit-bound Alley

Richard Wade, an author on the blog Friendly Atheist, has made an interesting and stirring call to the Christian moderates that read his blog (of which there are many). His call is for help from moderates to aid in the fight against Christian extremism. Here’s an excerpt:

Bigots are co-opting and hijacking your religion. They’re promoting their hatred, abuse and domination of gays, atheists, the followers of other religions and anybody else who doesn’t exactly agree with them including you, all under the guise of God’s word, the one that you say you value so much. They’re doing despicable things in your God’s name. Your response to this is so small, so weak and so quiet that you will have no effect in stopping them.

The whole article is very much worth the read. If you happen to be a moderate Christian, I’m sure Richard would appreciate responses.

UPDATE: I am oblivious. THe article was not written by Hemant, but by Richard Wade, another author with Friendly Atheist. Sorry, Richard and Hemant!

UPDATE II: Edited one last time because I mistook Richard with another author on FA. If anything else is wrong, like the article was a metaphor for ice hockey, or Hemant is really Donkey Kong, then tough shit!

Now, I don’t normally announce these, since most of my adds are part of our incestuous little group of Delaware miscreants. However, the Friendly Atheist written by Hemant Mehta is one of the best atheist blogs out there.

You may have heard of Hemant as the guy who sold his soul on Ebay, and subsequently wrote a book about the experience. I Sold My Soul on Ebay details Hemants trips to several churches, from small to mega, and gives a constructive critique to Christians on how to better relate to their secular brothers and sisters. Read this book. Hemant is probably the most open-minded atheist I’ve ever come across and his willingness to show kindness to religious folk while still challenging their beliefs give the rest of us heathens a solid example of tolerance and compassion to learn from.

Check out the Friendly Atheist if you like well-written, humorous, and intelligent blogs. If you don’t, stick around here. Chances are I’ll have something innocuous or vitriolic posted about pirates or makeup-wearing politicians before too long.