Speaking of the Rally to Restore Sanity, the Washington Post On Faith blog asked panelists: Are “reason” and “sanity” the opposite of religious belief?
An excerpt of my post is below:
Not completely. There are religious people in just about every field imaginable — including academia and science. It’s possible to be sane — ridiculously smart, even — and still believe in fairy tales. Just ask Francis Collins.
Religious belief does not require abandoning all reason. It does, however, require gross distortion of reality — a bending of the truth. Smart people are better able to rationalize their religious beliefs in ways that sound somewhat plausible.
“Sure, the Bible isn’t literally true, but there must be something out there.”
“Of course I accept evolution, but surely God guides the process.”
“I don’t hate gay people. I love them. I just don’t want them to have the same rights as me.”
You can find the entire piece here. Comment there to show your support!