Maybe we just look at it in different ways and I think that’s fine. People can have different perspectives.

Someone who claims to be talking to Spider-Man telepathically might be doing so. I think it’s unlikely, but I don’t think I can rule it out 100%. Personally I don’t think Thor or Yoda or Gandalf are different in this context because I think they’re all fictional, but one day maybe it will be proven that at least one of them actually exists, although I think that’s unlikely.

Anyway, originally I was just saying my view about religion. I don’t think I’d label every religion as “bad”. I think religion can inspire some people to do bad things, but it also seems to inspire some people to do good things. That’s just the way I see it really.

I think they’re probably not talking to ghosts/aliens/etc, but I can’t rule it out 100%. Just like I don’t believe in God, although I can’t be 100% certain that God doesn’t exist. So I’m an agnostic atheist I guess - I don’t believe in God but I’m not 100% certain of his non-existence. Maybe God will reveal himself in the future, although I doubt it.

what made you give up your religion?

I’ve never been religious. My parents aren’t religious, so religion was something our family was never into.

They could be talking to those entities. I haven’t come across any convincing evidence to support the existence of angels, but maybe angels could exist. I think there’s a lot about the universe we don’t know.

I suppose if I were talking to a polite and friendly person who claimed to be in contact with angels, maybe I’d try to find things I might have in common with them, rather than focus on whether they’re correct or not about angels existing.

I don’t really know who is right and who is wrong though. I don’t believe in God, but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there is a God and the religious people are correct. I just think that there are some religious people I’ve met, and surely others who I haven’t met, who are relatively good people, and I’d like to get on well with them, even if I don’t fully agree with their views. I can see why you find certain views frustrating though.

Maybe we just have different ways of looking at it.

In terms of how Muslims view LGBT people: I mentioned that the mayor of London is a Muslim, and he has been to LGBT pride parades, so I think he’s more supportive of LGBT people than a lot of non-Muslims are. So I guess it depends on the particular person. Some religious people might be anti-LGBT but other religious people are more welcoming of LGBT people.

But yes maybe we just have different ways of looking at it, which is fine I think.

I definitely prefer rational, evidence-based thinking to thinking which isn’t supported by evidence.

If I were to say “all religions are bad” though then I think I’d alienate some religious people who are decent. I might not agree with their religious views but if I think they’re decent then I don’t want to alienate them.

For example, apparently Zohran Mamdani and Sadiq Khan (the mayors of NYC and London respectively) are both Muslims. I don’t agree with those views; I’m not a Muslim myself. But I still think both of those people are relatively decent, more so than some other politicians. I guess I’m more interested in whether a person is decent, than whether a person is religious.

Maybe I’d prefer a world where nobody is religious. Maybe I’d also prefer a world where everyone shares my taste in music, and my political views, and so on. But people do have differences.

I definitely understand the frustration with some religious people, particularly if they use religion to try to justify hateful views. Then again, there are non-religious people who hold hateful views. I think I’d rather spend time with a non-hateful religious person than a non-religious hateful person. To each their own though.

I’m saying there have been cultures in history where atheists faced discrimination. I think atheists in western countries used to face discrimination and ostracisation. And in some Muslim countries even today, if a Muslim leaves their religion, they can face harsh penalties.

some kind of lame-ass desperation to appease those with opposing views, in the hope they won’t ask you awkward questions that challenge your cozy conceits

I’m not desperate to appease people with opposing views. I just know that I have met some religious people in my life who I got on well with. I didn’t agree with their views, but I could still get on with them. If I come across someone and I think they’re a decent person who I can get on well with, then I won’t mind what their religious views are, as long as they are respectful of my lack of religious belief.

I’ve not been convinced of religious thinking which is why I’m non-religious, but I think it’s fair for me to respect people believing in religion, so that they will also respect me not believing in religion. In some cultures in history, people have been persecuted for being atheists. I’m more in favour of people being able to believe what they want without facing discrimination due to their beliefs.

I prefer non-religion which is why I’m non-religious, but I’ve known decent people in real life who were religious. I try to respect their right to believe what they like, because I’d like them to also respect my right to believe what I like.

Yeah I agree with you that sometimes it’s best to admit that you don’t know something. There are many questions we don’t know the answers to, such as the question of whether life exists in other galaxies, just as one example.

Yeah, no shit all religions are bad.

Are all religions bad? I’m not religious myself. I don’t believe in any gods. But I think religion can sometimes inspire people to do good things (e.g. charity), although of course it can also inspire people to do bad things (war, honour killings, etc).

I think the current Pope has a better moral compass than a lot of non-religious people. For example, see these comments from the Pope earlier this year:

Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain… They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found… The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants