Different cultures have produced different mythologies, and some of them still exist today. However, we are at the brink of the highest form of understanding that we have ever come to known. Science has taken us to a whole new level of understanding when it comes to the world around us, as well as the universe. However, the most amazing part of our scientific breakthroughs is our realization of wh
at is possible from here. There are so many new horizons to explore, so many experiments to perform, so many mysteries to unravel. We are also at our highest point socially, in America. Now, more than ever, racism is beginning to become less acceptable. Ignorance is becoming a more primitive world view, and unacceptable. Homosexuals and other minorities are finally being given a chance to become truly equal, just as our forefathers had intended it to be. However, in the midst of all this progress there is an obstacle : Religion. To this day, the religious community in association with all faiths is doing whatever it can to halt our progress. They have the audacity to tell us not to perform stem cell research - a form of science that has the potential to save countless lives. They try to tell us that we must ban homosexuals, that we cannot allow women to make choices about their future as a mother. The religious, who claim to preach tolerance, peace, and love, are the same kind of people who are protesting outside abortion clinics, screaming at young girls as they walk in instead of holding them as they walk out. For what reasons do the religious have to force these rules upon us? They have nothing except for the idea that "God tells us so." Well the free thinkers of the world have decided that enough is enough. It is time for us to stand up to this ignorant philosophy. It is time to stand up for progress, to stand up for our future, to stand up for intelligence. Religion has always been an issue in which it has been wrong to criticize, but I say it is time to abandon that logic. It is madness to think that a group of people could expect to be free of criticism, when the only thing they do is criticize those who do not believe or those who do not agree. It is ridiculous that they expect us to do what they tell us to do over something that has been shown not to exist. It is outrageous to think that they expect us to believe in something, in spite of the evidence that displays otherwise. So I urge you, free thinkers of Tioga County, to come together and stand up for open mindedness. Stand up for free thinking. Stand up for our future. Let us not mindlessly venture into the folly of myth and faith, but let us climb the ladder of truth and reason, let us hunt for the facts. It is time for us to say that faith is not the answer - it is time for us to take the actions necessary to discover the truth, not to simply accept spoon fed mythologies.
