As usual, I see the liberals blaming conservatives for problems. To be fair I see plenty of conservatives doing the converse. The evaluation that America is turning into a theocracy is patent BS. A better evaluation would be that the dominant politcal force is tied to a different religion.Religion has plenty of roles in society. Religion is the basis for morality. Religion is a unifying force. Furthermore, Religion is one of the key components of civilization.

Very interesting essay, there are things I agree with and some I don't - but not only has religion influenced society in negative ways, it's caused barriers as well. Very well written, nice job.

"I don’t think religion should have any role in society."

No offense, but that comes across to me as a really ...well... ignorant sounds harsh but it's the only word I can think of right now.

Religion isn't just something that people can put in a secret box and hide away from the rest of their lives. If you believe something, really believe it, and if it really matters to you, it will affect your every outlook on life.

"The conservative Right Wing seems to be on a crusade to rid the world of anything “Evil”, all in the name of God"

Okay, I admit here and now that I don't know anything really about American politics, but if people think something is wrong, they are going to want to stop it. Simple as that.

I'm not saying that they have the right to do whatever they want just to get their way, but you speak as though they shouldn't have the right to have an opinion that differs from your own. If Christianity etc. shouldn't interfere with society, then neither should athiesm, or secular humanism (Both religions, simply ones that reject the idea of a deity or afterlife).

In fact, if we go with your arguments, people in society should have no views on anything, as this is the only way to make things fair. That must be the answer, we'll all simply have no personality, thoughts, free speech or free will at all while interacting with society, but in the privacy of out own homes we can indulge in such dangerous things.

As long as, of course, we don't ever share it with our kids. They need to decide for themselves what to believe, not be brainwashed or indoctrinated. Nobody should tell them anything at all, and then when they come of age they can make up what they want to believe themselves.

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, I'm just pointing out how I see it. And I think that if you believe no religion should ever interfere in the whole of society, then you should be fair and equal.

It's like people who complain about parents raising their kids with Christian values, saying it's brainwashing. Bringing up a kid to only believe in science is doing the exact same thing, only brainwashing for athiesm. There is no way anything can ever be neutral, and to expect it to be so is niave, idealistic and, yes, ignorant.

Bah, done ranting now. But I think that you're not really looking at the whole picture in this essay.

I really hate to nitpick, but (1) "it's" is different from "its" (2) a semicolon has a different function from a colon (3) "simplistic" and "simple" are two different words.

Nitpicking aside, this essay as a whole is not as intelligent as you'd like to think. Some of the sentences read rather awkwardly, and of course there are some of those silly little mistakes I'd like to ignore but can't. You did, by the way, make some good points, but you crammed too many ideas into each paragraph without elaborating adequately. It's like you're trying to show off everything you know in a single essay. Maybe narrow down your topics? Some research would help, of course.

I really would love to hear more from you, but try to sound less arrogant and self-righteous next time. I'm actually fairly open-minded, but those qualities still turn me off.

Hm…I thought this essay was very intelligently written. You have a nice, contemplative and gentle tone. Great for arguing calmly and conveying your thoughts eloquently.

I think I'd have to agree with you on a lot of this. It is always, I believe, a great temptation to just accept and not think too much about it. It's just a lot easier, and in history, people have been known during times of crisis to hold steadfastly to their religion because they have nothing else to hold onto. Equally, times of crisis in history have pushed others to question, and from there, we see the development of 'movements' such as Protestantism. I think it really should be the latter path we take. We are human beings (okay, this sounds really arrogant) and we have to question, to analyze, and see from all different facets, if only to understand others and our own problems. In that, I agree with this essay! I agree it won't be easy. It never is when we're confronted with differences. It sounds horrible, but I guess all humans are racist to some extent. Perhaps it is some evolution or course of history of our society…

And ah…the problem of church/religion running state…A recurring problem that someone never seems to be resolved. And it seems to boil over everything; it seems like just the U.S, but waves of nationalism, etc. are everywhere now. The saddest thing is that these people are all holding to some totally idealized version of their native country/religion/culture. It blinds people and no one wants to see that. So sad…

Keep up the good work! I realize this comment was totally useless, and I apologize for that. I just thought you had some valuable thoughts :)