

I don’t think religion and faith “are the problem.” But if I’m honest, I think they’re at least a little problematic. I think anything that encourages anti scientific beliefs or principles isn’t “good” for society. I don’t know I’d go so far to say it’s “dangerous”. I think anything that allows people to create in groups and out groups is not helpful, even if it does not overtly preach harming the out group. Any time spent bonding over religion or in religious community could be spent bonding over something more practical. I know a lot of people have found help through religion, but I can’t help but think how much better off we would be if instead of finding that sense of community within a religion we found it within our actual community. Instead of a constancy in a higher power, we found it and built it up within ourselves. Maybe there is no way to frame society so that people look within themselves and their community for strength they seek a higher power for, but I believe that as long as religion exists we will never know.
There is an impartial principle and it’s science. Is it perfect, no, but it’s there and there’s a large community that is able to come to a consensus.
If they had your kids read a book where someone gets a vaccine and dies due to complications or where they don’t get a vaccine and get the disease and live, would you have them not read that book? Because the fact is there is no class on being gay and there’s no class on vaccines. No book they’re reading is saying “God loves gay people”. They’re saying “gay people exist”. That is true. People also die of diseases they’re vaccinated against. That’s also true. If they’re having them read a book that says not to vaccinate, they’re pushing an ideology, not spreading awareness. That’s the distinction.
Maybe you’re unaware, but if your ideological enemies are on the right, they will wield power that they were never granted against you. Conceding the truth to them is preemptive defeat. I will continue to push for facts to be taught in schools and the fact is that gay people exist, evolution is real, and some vaccinated people die anyway. None of that is ideological, it’s factual, and if you don’t want your kids to believe the facts then you’re going to have to hope your “ideology” is as convincing as the science.