Kastlefeer:

Just want to give you a "thumbs up" for mentioning that the quote is questionable. You have demonstrated great character and are an example to us all.

Joe

Well as it happens Joe over on the athiest boards i frequent people bring things into question all the time as is natural :D That one didn't pass muster.

I like the Betrand Russel quote above, if you can question the nature of the universe you can certainly question your worldly masters :D Nations are little meritocracies of a sort. We are all men and women from the same place ultimately, but some would hold to that which divides us.

Anyhow, thiests can take heart that most western nations sanction freedom of religious belief in the spirit of true liberty.

You have it all wrong. Atheism is the normal state of being human. All religions are phony means of control and none of them have come to being from some pie-in-the-sky BS.
Patriots? You talk of Patriotism in connection with religion. Being a religious fanatic is patriotic in Iran. Is that what you'd like the US to be? But instead of a bunch of ruling Imams running the show you'd have Pat Robertson, Gary Bauer and Ralph Reed to micromanage the affairs of 300 million Americans. You have no idea what Patriotism means. I consider myself patriotic in that I won't tolerate any authoritarian thugs stepping all over my rights and using the Constitution and Bill of Rights as toilet paper.
In America, patriotism is defined as the defending the right of EVERYONE to speak and write freely, no matter how unpopular or anachronistic (like nutty Christians) the theme may be. It is also manifested by the fact that the government cannot legislate morality and no law-making body -state or federal-has the right to tell women what they can or cannot do with their bodies. Also - and I know that since the far-right in the US hates Muslims, that's just too bad because we all have the right to believe anything we want.
Anyone who would deny this common sense is an outright fascist who is deliberately trying to kill freedom & impose a theocracy a la Iran. Besides the different religions involved, what is the difference between Ahmedinejad (he's the president of Iran) and a narrow-minded bigot who doesn't hide his hate & prejudices like Pat Robertson - or the dead Jerry Falwell (good riddance to that neo-Nazi-if there was such thing as hell, Falwell would be burning forever!)
So, remember that religions from time immemorial have been the cause of the most heinous atrocities and genocides.
At least Marx & Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto with real, concrete ideas and ideals in mind, ie, the evil of wage-slavery and the means of production - post-industrial revolution - controlled by a small coterie of the rich & powerful and the poor workers who slaved away in inhuman conditions were unable to take part or own anything that they helped manufacture.
Religion IS the opiate of the masses - if this drug were taken away the scales would fall from the eyes of the drugged, brainwashed millions, the world would be a much better place.
Sure, you could argue that the capitalistic money machine may be dehumanizing but that is partly because of apathetic zombies who don't give a damn for the most part and just go along to get along. And why should anyone care about the environment, about the rape of the planet in the name of profits, when, according to religious zealots, the earth means nothing - it's only a temporary "way-station" on one's way to "heaven" - or in Falwell, Robertson, et al - "hell"? You see, that's why the far-right in the house as well as the former ruler of the US (Bush was NEVER elected - his buddies on the Supreme Court coronated him in 2000 & Bush just flat out stole the election in 2004, using lies about a war based on lies and fear-mongering) would love to gut every environmental regulation as well as abolish the EPA - the earth doesn't matter to them, it could turn into a barren desert for all they care because, after all - this is just a pit stop on the way to a false hope of some "afterlife".
You're not patriotic at all, you are part of the problem and the only thing you're "patriotic" about is the death of the way of life that has been America for the past 225 years.
And one more thing - this brainless notion that the US is a "christian nation" is truly laughable. Washington was a deist, Jefferson was agnostic at best and Franklin was a libertine who knew better. Now - I challenge anyone to point out where in the constitution that it mentions anything about being a "christian nation". Far from it. As a means to get as far away from the evil empires of Europe, the 1st Amendment specifically called for a separation of church & state -that means that no government shall impose any dogma onto a free people.
Get it now? Probably not. Go back & bury your head in the sand. And people wonder why most countries hate America and consider our government a laughingstock. But you know, you can't just blame US Govt. because the PEOPLE are the government. Every American has the right to one-man-one-vote and when they apathetically refuse to take part or worse, make it possible for right-wing demagogues to get in power & then lull them into a false panic with fear and scapegoats (it was the Jews in Germany in the 30s-who is it nowadays? Muslims, the poor, gays, people who are derisively termed 'liberal'. Well at least I don't have to hang my head in shame for having "liberal" views - meaning open-mindedness, tolerance and a willingness to learn from others.

Thanks for the reply! It's nice to know that there's somebody out there who understands what I'm talking about!
Have a good day,
Kent M.

We all need opiates now and again but take them carefully habits are easily formed. It has been said we are creatures of habit and lives ruled by habit are the most satisfying. I find some of my own habits hard to break and sometimes I tend to look down on those who don't share my habits. Is it possible to develope a habit of killing ? Certainly hunters seem to enjoy repeating the experience.Even inforced habits like going to work can become so ingrained that men fade away and die not long after retirement.
We tend to judge others by their habits : bookworms , football obsession, food addiction, TV addict etc.