Liberals benefit from the Rise of Good Religion.

    Their is no secret that the majority of liberals are skeptical of religion in America. How can they not be when the face of religion in America are Sarah Palin, the truly loathsome Kim Davis,  and many, many others too numerous to mention? Or they may look to the Islamic hate of ISIS or the rise of Jewish intolerance in Israel. Atheists are prominent in liberal publications such as AlterNet. We have a rise of people calling themselves "nones", people who yearn for spirituality or a connection to a Higher Power, but don't want to deal with the haters or drones who are filling too many pews in America. Hell, if what is being taught in wingnut churches was the authentic teaching of Jesus, then I would be an atheist too. Fortunately, it is not.
     Skeptics can complain all they want, but religion is not going away. You think the idea of God is crazy? Well I think this suffering, crying foolish world is crazy. Despite our Enlightenment, our science, our technology, our knowledge ad all our toys, humankind still sheds every bit as many tears as before. The crushing problems of poverty, hunger and disease have not been solved. Here in the west, we suffer fear, anxiety, and despair under our high cathedral ceilings that no Xanax can cure. When I was a kid, I used to think that 2015 would be something like the Jetsons and I thought that would be cool. Instead, I got pop up ads and 140 characters. Don't get me wrong, I love Twitter and  the Internet and without it you would not be reading this. But it is a poor substitute for the Utopia that was promised, not to mention the grace of God. Do not begrudge us religious people our God, especially when all the alternatives have failed.
    Bad religion runs rampant because not enough Good People are around to turn it into Good Religion. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are not religions of hate but fill their places of worship with haters and take out the lovers and hatred will flourish. Certainly Jesus is not a hater. You cite religious wars and violence? As if secular people are incapable of this. The Bible is loaded with violence? As if the secular alternative has been so peaceful. The churches are so loaded with hypocrites? Well, get involved, and don't be a hypocrite, and maybe things will change. If you don't believe, don't begrudge me for trying to change thing from the inside.
    You see, there is only one reason to believe anything, and that is because it is true. It would be folly on my part to believe in a God that doesn't exist just because it makes me feel good. But it also would be folly to deny the possibility of God existing just because you don't like the worst examples of Christians like Sarah Palin. I cannot prove that God exists, but I can marshal evidence for that proposition and believe in it Likewise, the atheist cannot prove that God does not exist, but can only give evidence for their belief. So we cannot agree on matters of faith but CAN agree on what is loving, decent, fair and just in society. We have come to the same conclusion from different paths. So we can coexist. And fight the darkness together.