HERESY: "Theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox." - Oxford English Dictionary.

The word has a ghastly history. Millions of people have been tortured and murdered, as heretics, in sectarian violence inspired by the biblical religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). The killing continues today in those parts of the world where secular government has not yet vanquished malignant religion.

Because religionists often decry atheism, humanism, and agnosticism as "just another religion", I am turning the tables on them by declaring they are all heretics from my point of view, and defending my "religion" with quotations from distinguished and accomplished people who have been atheists, humanists, agnostics, or counter-examples displaying the dark side of the biblical God. I promise not to kill anyone who does not agree with my "religious" persuasion. Above is an ongoing collection of links disparaging organized religion.

I don't see any need to be respectful or polite to religious fundamentalists. About the best thing one can say about them is that they are sincerely deluded. A more apropos description of them, in many instances and places, is that they are the scourge of the earth, and their stupidity and fanaticism knows no limits. Their goal seems to be to turn back the clock to the days when the earth was flat and the center of the universe, and women were house-bound.

I don't know if anyone has been able to tally the number of religious conflicts going on around the globe at present, but there must be hundreds if not thousands of such manifestations of the awful cruelties bred by religion. A new conflict pops up weekly, if not daily.

Religion brings out the worst in men; self-righteous certitude that inflames men to torture and kill other men.

Yet people persist in saying, out of sheer habit and lack of thought, that we need both religion and science. Has science ever waged a war or persecution to compel people to adopt its doctrines? Have scientists ever killed other scientists over differences of scientific opinion?

And yet we still hear the absolutely stupid assertion that science needs religion. What for? No one ever says; it's just an inane homily. It is just another false and pre-emptive claim by religion.

None of the claims made by religion have a foundation in science regardless of fantastic religious assertions to the contrary; those assertions are patently self-serving and lame add-ons to their canons. That science needs religion is by far the most unreal and contradictory excuse ever offered for mankind's obsession with religion.

It is manifest that religion does not improve the behavior of men. Human morality today shows no improvement over its condition thousands of years ago. In fact there is good reason to think it is worse.

Even in our own times has religion prevented war, drug addiction, pervasive violence and crime, social and economic inequality, prejudice? What other excuse can religion offer for its existence? Just for its value as a feel-good exercise?

If some people feel a need to wallow in the fakeries and delusions of religion is that a reason to respect them? On what grounds then should we be polite and deferential to religion and its practitioners? Are atheistic, agnostic and humanist scientists (and that includes a substantial majority of them) any worse morally than the average devotee of religion? Of course not; they are in fact morally better!