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We're simply living through a religious civil war.
I could not agree more. I've often said in discussions about religion that the reason we are seeing such a rise in fundamentalism and extremism is because we are beginning to see the first stages of the death pangs of religion. I think this is due to the wide spread dissemination of information. Information is the enemy of faith and religious thought.
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In reference to your elementary school story, I have one of my own.
Same school I mentioned about, second or third grade. My Mom had my sister and I watch the movie Ghandi with Ben Kingsley. She is not educated but is a very brilliant businesswoman and she always tried to culture my sister and I in any way she could. My Mom tried to explain how people from different countries sometimes had different religions, etc.
When I got to school, the fundamentalist christian school, I asked my teacher if Ghandi would go to Heaven if he was not a christian. She said something to the affect of, "Well, we don't know if he accepted Jesus before he died or not. But if he didn't, unfortunately, he would not go to Heaven."
I remember thinking that something was very wrong with this sentiment. I've always been naturally skeptical, but this was the first moment that I really thought, "this can not bet true". Ghandi was so fucking christian he was hindu. I still bought into the whole christian thing until early middle school when I actually read the bible, but after that, the jig was up. I've been an atheist/agnostic since about 6th or 7th grade.