Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence, but we thought if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that.
Metaphors are fine if they aid understanding, but sometimes they get in the way.
I don't know what to think about magic and fairy tales.
Complex statistically improbable things are by their nature more difficult to explain than simple statistically probable things.
If children understand that beliefs should be substantiated with evidence as opposed to tradition, authority, revelation or faith, they will automatically work out for themselves that they are atheists.
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The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.