A somehow selective analogy and a crude attempt to simplify a complex issue.

John 18:36-37

36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

The author misses some important points. Liberal democracies are not a problem, but a relief from religious tyranny!

Anyone who reads Catholic doctrine on contraception, or who claims the literal truth of the holy books, really needs help. The great thing about liberal democracies is that they are based on our ability to reason, not on supernatural superstitions, for which there is no substantiated evidence.

In today's society, there are many views and many beliefs. Our only choice, for all of us to live amongst one another, is to be tolerant and accept that people should have freedom of religion. But we also want freedom from religion, for those of us who think its all a heap of nonsense...

It now remains for the religious to actually learn tolerance. No we don't accept your weird beliefs or morals. Yup, we think that you are deluded. As you have no substantiated evidence for your many claims, don't try to force that stuff on us!

Fact is, religion should be no more then a lifestyle choice.
Believe what you will, but accept that we think its all nonsense and you have no right to force anything on us, as you have no evidence for your many claims.

It seems doubtful whether Yobbo has actually understood the case that Sellick is making in his account of Cavanaugh.

He has read Sellick through a liberal democratic framework - as religious and intolerant as any the intolerance that he is attempting to oppose.

the Christian church has made a major mistake in thinking that it has a stake in being a religion.

Handing over of the control of our bodies to the uncontested power of the state is to surrender ourselves to unthinking participation in violence generated in pursuit of the survival of the nation state. The death toll of those whose lives have been offered up on the altar of nationalism, in the cause of the survival of the state, has been appalling, beyond our imagination in the period since the sixteenth century. The (relative) silence of Christians in failing to name this reality for what it is, to tell the truth about this has been and remains a scandal that hangs over our claim to be followers of Jesus "who came preaching peace."

… the term "religion" has accompanied the domestication of Christianity. It has facilitated the marginalisation of the radical claims of the gospel and the transfer of the Christian's ultimate loyalty to the supposedly rational spheres of nation and the market. The church is now a leisure activity: the state and the market are the only things worth dying for. The modern concept of religion facilitates idolatry, the replacement of the living God with Caesar and Mammon. (William Cavanaugh "God is not Religious" in God is Not… edited by D Brent Laytham, Brazos Press, 2004, p.112)

I agree the Christian gospel has been sidlined as an option by personal choice, rather than the basis of the Christian society. Materialism and personal indulgence in consumerism has become the idolitory of the present society and has swamped the devotion of the Church attendees. Attention to the principles of the Gospel is ignored by Christians for the indulgence in selfishness. "I'll just do what I find pleasure in", is the basis of one's judgment.

Doug,
Where have you been all my posts? At last someone who understands!

Doug you are quite correct. I have become intolerant of the intolerant!

Fact is that alot of the time, the nation/state is hijacked by the true believers, to fullfill their own agenda, just look at George Bush and Co. Thats the very point that Rodney Stark missed.

The very notion that religion has some kind of patent on morality, caring, sharing and love, is total poppycock. The world is full of humanists who achieved their values without resorting to supernatural dogma that they want to enforce on others.

In fact some of the most greedy and materialistic people I know are so called true Christians, they have bought their ticket to heaven, in case its true.

Religion is free to preach to the flock of true believers, but please leave the rest of us out of your little fantasy world.