Be careful what you preach

First of all, our society is not going to an imaginary "hell!" No thanks in the least to our secular Constitution and public education. It is becoming more just, with greater freedom and liberty for all, despite efforts by fundamentalists like him who would rather keep us in the dark, unenlightened ages, where the many were exploited and suppressed by the few. And why this frequent slant against atheists? Rather than religious influence, our "heritage" is far more indebted to non-believers like Edison, Einstein, Irving Berlin, Marie Curie, Bill Gates, Bertrand Russel, Carl Sagan, Brahms, Grieg, Ibsen, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, Steve Allen, John Lennon, Fridtjof Nansen, Charlie Chaplin, Margaret Sanger, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, George Gerschwin, Erich Fromm, Mark Twain, Robert Ingersoll, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Susan B. Anthony, Beethoven, Albert Camus, Andrew Carnegie, Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins, Thomas Paine and Linus Pauling, just to name a few, besides the vast majority of top scientists and philosophers.

Statistically, there is a direct correlation between education and lack of belief in the supernatural. Foti doesn't realize the book he refers to is just a collection of stories that have been written, changed and embellished upon by men long after the alleged events, without eyewitnesses or corroboration from contemporary historians. The latter were plentiful back then, writing extensively about various "Messiahs" walking around, but not a word about the character Foti seems to be so hung up on. Followers of his fantasy figure have caused more wars, misery and human suffering than any other in the human history we know, so be careful what you preach, Mr. Foti.

Jorg Aadahl

San Mateo