"(whatever the stripe)"

Cop-out? Moi?? I merely meant that established religions - be they RC or Anglican - tend to comprise mostly civilised individuals who recognise the folkloric realities of religion (i.e. they can't all be right but they can all be wrong) and treat their entirely subjective faith accordingly and refrain from proselytizing because, deep down, that faith is gratifyingly accomodating of the fact that there are as many spiritual truths on this planet as their are individual human beings.

Indeed, I'd argue that belief in Religion precludes one from the Truly Spiritual, which is known only to unrepentant Atheists. I grant there are those other stripes whose fundamentalism moves into the realms of the Truly Noxious - but these were covered in the same post under the heading of Misplace Fundamentalism and Cranky Cults. Do such people ever occupy buildings of historic and / or architectural interest I wonder? I hope not, although I find myself increasingly irritated by the religiosity I find on display whilst visiting (say) York Minister when every half-hour or so a smug voice comes crackling over the tannoy insisting this is a House o' God and beseaching visitors to refrain a moment from their wanton sight-seeing and join them in prayer and reflection. To me this is an utter outrage, given that I'll have shelled out nigh on £9 to go in there to indulge in aforementioned wanton sight-seeing; thus do I ignore them, and keep on doing whatever it is that I'm doing.

One time in a historically significant Bristol church (Saint Mary Redcliffe) I was shushed for taking photographs by a person not-so-very deep in prayer. "Oh, shush yourself," I said, and found myself in a discussion in which I had to put forward my point that the objective humanity of the building is of far greater value than any attendent hocus-pocus, to which, of course, he was most welcome. In other words I respect him, but not his beliefs, in which he carries around the psychotic delusion that the vast majority of human beings will end up in hell. It was a good humoured chat, though I've known Xtians speak of feeling persecuted for their faith. I smile at that, given the amount of blood and on the hands on Xtianity. To quote Zappa: if there is a Hell, it waits for them, not us.

Culturally I think of myself as a Humanist Abrahamic Marxist; I accept Santa Clause an an integral aspect of this culture too but, like God, I don't believe he actually exists. The folklore intriques; the belief disturbs. As Sun Ra said - the greatest evils on this planet are righteousness and fundamentalism. Thus do I say Atheism is all-embracing...