Ted, to cut to the chase about this: I think it is important that we get the emerging secularism right. Of course there are more worthy targets than Dawkins. Note the opening line of this diary.

I tend to agree with ThatBritGuy on who those more important targets are. And at least it's something most of us here can agree on.

But disagreements are good to have, at times. They can clarify a lot. Without sanctioning everything anyone has said in these religion debates, to wit... except my own statements, of course... To ramble on, despite being sort-of-dragged into this, I find the debate enlightening and am happy that we have it.

To make this more than a short rant:

But it's difficult for them because the extremists will say to the moderates "our views are based on faith just like yours".

Do religious extremists really say that about moderates? Because I have never heard it. And I've seen and heard a few tapes of suicide bombers, Osama Bin Laden and his lieutenants and have read plenty about people like, say, Fred Phelps. I have never heard them utter anything even remotely along the lines of:

You deserve to be killed, INFIDEL! ...Oh, but really, you can't challenge me because it's my faith and you agreed to have moderate religious people keep their faith, so that must mean it's OK for you.

Not even Achmed the dead terrorist!