As I said, it's water off a duck's back. You said I'm not aware of the philosophical case for theism. That's demonstrably false. Look at the links. So why would I be offended by that kind of irrelevant attack? Would you be offended if someone called you a suitcase or a bowl of Baba Ganoush? I'm disappointed, not offended.
If religions are sustained by adult recognition of their fundamental truth, why are different religions mostly confined to different nationalities? Why has it always been that way, all around the world since the beginning of civilization? I'm not talking about just monotheism. All religions. Why did only the Egyptians practice the Egyptian religion? Why didn't other cultures wake up and recognize its fundamental truth?
Because religions were brands for national or civilizational identities. The mythos was tied to the ethos. Most religions are indeed spread by the sword or by parental indoctrination of children. If you think that's a personal attack on religious people, you're shooting the messenger and you're oblivious to history.
Some interesting exceptions are Buddhism and the perennial tradition which runs through numerous religions, including the mystery cults and the esoteric subcultures of the monotheistic religions. Buddhism is more of a philosophical therapy than a religion in the Western sense. And the Mystery Religions are based on entheogens and personal revelation, not philosophical argument.
You suggest that I've been indoctrinated into modernity. Perhaps, but only as an adult when I went to university, not when I was a small child. Do you see the difference now? As a child I was indoctrinated into Judaism, but because it was the halfhearted, reformed kind, it didn't really stick and I saw through it even as a child.
I was introduced to modernity as a concept through philosophy and only when I was old enough to think for myself, when I was a teenager. Otherwise, I wouldn't have understood or cared about such an abstraction since my parents weren't forcing it on me. Modern philosophy wasn't shoved down my throat. I sought it out when I was old enough, the way anyone might show a genuine personal interest in something. Of course, I was taught as a child basic lessons about right and wrong, and also Canadian values and mannerisms. But those are universal or harmless.
As a result of that self-training, I don't shy away from unpleasant truths. Just because you don't like an idea doesn't mean it's false. Your response to the article has been reactionary and emotional, not philosophical. That was the disappointment.
I've written an article inspired by this exchange, though, on whether religions should be rational.
