The views I express on this web site are just that ..... my views!

I project them here to establish a reference point and as a  foundation for future discussions on any of the various topics.  The ongoing pursuit of knowledge and insight and the the results of free inquiry will at times change one's view.  Therefore, updates and "rethinking" will appear from time to time.  Nothing within my realm of thinking is static. 

Religion and Politics are two topics that manifest as many views and opinions as there are people on the planet.  Some of the views expressed here deal  precisely with those topics.

Religion can be and is often an especially sensitive area.  So ........ I frame this area of discussion in this manner:

Religions make certain claims about reality, for example, that there is a god, there is an afterlife, and natural disasters constitute divine punishment. Believers assert these claims and in many cases try to persuade others to accept them. These claims should be subject to examination and criticism, just like any other claims about reality. In other words, there is no principled reason for placing religion off-limits. Religious claims and religious beliefs should be treated the same as claims and beliefs relating to physics, politics, or pottery. If we maintain that a religious belief is mistaken, unsupported, or vague to the point of being incomprehensible, we should feel free to say so. If the expression of our views offends a religious person, that person has no more right to tell us to keep quiet than a physicist offended by criticism of string theory, or a potter offended by criticism of the clay mixture in his or her earthenware.

Our first duty is to the truth, and if well-grounded facts or logic contradict the beliefs of a religious person, we should be able to express our criticism of those religious beliefs without regard to whether the religious person will be offended by our criticism. I do not believe the issue is much more complicated than this.