I think it's very shocking how the vast majority of Christians today in America and around the world, ignore the parts of the bible that are valuable and applicable in our society, and only push for the ancient bigotry that causes friction. Turn the other cheek? Love your enemies? Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated? Respect your neighbors? I don't see any of these philosophies being applied to modern mainstream Christianity. There are good and true Christians who stay true to the real principles, but few have the aggressiveness to gain a public voice.

We have to realize what religious texts are relics of the past. Many that are still around have value, but literally or even close to literally interpreting the bible is crazy. It seems to me that modern Christian ministers should be more philosopher then preacher, those who yell the bible at the top of their lungs should be long gone by now.

It's obvious why the literal bible interpretations are an easy sell in America, or anywhere else for that matter. They paint a black and white picture of how and why things happen. This is right this is wrong. We are good they are evil.

There is also a brand of new atheists who are just as fundamentalist as Evangelical Christians. These people who claim to be sure that there is no god mirror the very ignorance they seek to fight. The fundamental atheists can spit just as much hostility and mean spirited ideas as the Evangelicals.

I think what America and the world needs as far as religion goes is less extreme of both sides. Yes atheists are usually more intellectual then the leaders of Christianity, in fact, this is pretty much always the case. We need to get the Par Robertson's and the equivalent atheists with more open minded and free thinking people.

If we have smart and reasonable Theists of all religions and atheists, we can have a real debate, instead of making obvious remarks about the freaks. And, should a reasonable debate become mainstream, I think it will do some serious damage to ignorance in America.