I agree that there has been much harm caused in the name of religion, whether it’s the crusades, oppression of women, slavery, etc., but it’s not the religion itself that is the problem, it’s the people who use it as an excuse to do what they want, usually for power of self-serving purposes.

Although I no longer practice any traditional religion, because it just didn’t make sense to me anymore, I respect everyone’s right to choose what works for them. By that, I mean whatever brings someone peace, joy, hope, and love, and leads them to live a life of loving kindness toward others. For some, that means practicing a particular religion, for some, that’s being spiritual, and for others, that means atheism. Everyone needs to make sense of things in a way that makes sense to them, and everyone should respect that. There’s not any one way that works for everyone, we’re too different, and anyone who tries to force someone to do things a certain way is wrong. We’ve got to learn to respect everyone’s right to make their own choices, religious or otherwise.