Letters to the Editor
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Person...
...I couldn't agree with you more. I've always taken the position that it's who you are, not what you believe, that defines you. I've known atheists who were incredible, compassionate, even spiritual people and Xtians who were vile, corrupt hypocrites, and vice versa. The goal we should be striving for is for all of us to be judged by our deeds, not our faith or lack thereof.
I just don't think anger is the way to get there. Polemicists like Dawkins and Hitchens may toss red meat to the enraged atheist crowd, but they set back the cause of cultural rationalism by allowing believers to label all atheists as "God-haters." You don't change minds by making other people feel stupid or like you're trying to bring down what they hold dear. You do it by appealing to the angels of the better nature of the majority of folks who genuinely want a fair, compassionate society for everyone, including non-believers.