"Ed, reminding believers who claim their faith is rational that it isn't is very different than feeling compelled to agressively and proactively state that belief in god is not rational. The first is a response to a false statement. The second is an attack"

Well the two situations that you put forward is hardly parallel situations.

Why would anyone feel compelled to remind those who are minding their own business, as most likely do, that their beliefs are not rational? To me, beyond being rude, is condesencing and I suggest may also be seen as an attack. Why must you remind opeople of that?
As stated the blog I recently linked to, do you actually feel that you are telling these folks something they have not heard, or read, before?


"People of faith", though, *do* interfere with those of us who don't, as you well know....I suspect some may do so. But is that a logical justification for puting all "people of faith" in the same category, as your statement seems to do?

I feel it just as illogical and unfair for "people of faith", and "people of no faith" (if that is a paralell term) to interfere with the "others.

"That doesn't make his perception of attractiveness irrational; it simply makes it individual".

Yes, and as I suggested before IMO, a belief in God is also an individual belief, similar to the belief in the parents example I put forward below. If one were raised in a different situation, the belief, of lack of one, would likely be different.

A belief, whether it be your belief that your wife or child is beautiful,or more beautifyl than your neighbours, or a belief in a God, is not something that benefits from a rational test...as they are subjective. Telling those folks they are wrong does not serve any useful purpose, nor is it likely to change that belief.