I posted this on the Bible Thumping thread but wanted to post it here too:
Most religious groups (especially the extremist ones) preach condemnation against people who do not ascribe to their beliefs. I think the word that defines a group as safe or unsafe is "tolerance". If people are tolerant of others who are not like them, you can have a safe group. If people are intolerant of certain races, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc., all that does is promote hatred and bigotry. No one is safe in a group like that, because at any moment they might get disfellowshipped for something they believe or don't believe. I've seen it happen first hand. I was in a church once where the pastor started excommunicating gays and anyone who would try to stick up for them. Eventually over 20 people were excommunicated from the church. Shortly thereafter my wife and I left due to this bigotry that we could no longer tolerate. After we left, the pastor blacklisted us by name from the pulpit and labelled me "mentally ill" just because we had an issue with what happened. From that day on, none of the 450 people of that church would even look at me or my wife. Even my own cousin wouldn't talk to me for two years (until he finally escaped with his wife and family also). That did it for me and organized religion. Who needs it?
