He said: "“What we need to do is present comparative religion as a bunch of interesting historical anecdotes and show the silly reasons why they each did what they did. Instead of shying away from it, we have to explicitly educate people to confront their own misconceptions.”
Rather than do this, why don't people just leave religious minded people alone. Every study ever done on the matter shows that children who grow up in religious minded homes are more likely to grow up to become productive members of society than children who grow up in non-religious homes.
According to the Heritage Foundation, "Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability," by Patrick F. Fagan, studies also show that people who believe in God, and who regularly attend religious services, develop morals and values essential to forming:
- A stable family life
- Strong marriages and stable marriages
- Well behaved children
- Less incidence of domestic abuse
- Less incidence of crime
- Less incidence of substance abuse
- Less incidence of addiction
- Increased physical health
- Increased mental health
- Longevity
- Educational attainment
- Satisfaction in life
- Higher self esteem
- Increased confidence
- Decreased incidence of divorce
Perhaps equally important, is that the morals and values inculcated by the Bible are "intergenerational, as grandparents and parents pass on the benefits to the next generation."
And it's not just the Heritage Foundation that reports such studies, as you can find them by any simple Google search. It's also common sense, as people five thousand years ago found the advantages of religion and Christianity without doing a single poll.
