[JMP300z]

Forgive me for not having the time to read this entire thread and respond in kind (I have 1100 questions on pediatric dentistry and 400 note cards on oral pathology to study for tomorrow's finals) but I wanted to add my thoughts.

The fundamentalists power may or may not be waning but it is certainly still scarily strong. If you watched the youtube republican debate last night you could see how hard each candidate was working to cater to a christian nation. How Romney ate his abortion words from however long ago, how Guiliani is being openly criticized for his interpretation of the bible. This scares me for a reason that has already been outlined above, that the fundamentalists views on issues occasionally differ in many ways from the supposedly kind hearted/tolerant/generous bible *another issue entirely. Also it bothers me on another level because I personally believe it ridiculous that Bush claims to talk to god or our Georgia governor spends his time outside praying for rain during this drought.

My issue with fundamentalists and many Christians in general has to do with this so called core issue of tolerance. This is far and away the last thing I see being practiced by christians (I will admit I live in Augusta Georgia, I will also admit that I sometimes do not have tolerance for them and this slants my viewpoint).

How does the view that anyone without your specific religion will burn in hell for all eternity exhibit tolerance?

On a personal experience level, I bow my head in silence when there are prayers at school related functions. I walk by the giant christmas tree purchased with school funds every day and smile at its cheer. I do not push my own lack of faith on people at every opportunity the same way our waiting rooms at school are filled with christian publications and pamphlets are found in the bathrooms and operatories. Those are acts of tolerance.

There is no tolerance involved in the situation I am finding myself in now at school. The small, highly competitive residency I was recently fortunate enough and busted my ass for four years enough to be accepted to now supposedly is up in arms about my facebook profile religious preference-Athiest. How they accessed this? Why they care? To be honest I had forgotten it was up there. I am suddenly quote "an embarrassment" and "a regret" to people who I have known well for years. I was ignored today by the department head who was at my bar mitzvah when I was 13. Alas, this is not just christians, one of the few residencts who is jewish said I was a disgrace to my people and it pissed him the hell off and then he brought up his assumption that I had no regard for the holocaust.

OK i guess you get the point...sorry I got somewhat personal.

-JP