Sorry, I have not read Richard Dawkins. I think some people do not like religion because they feel threatened by it. Some gay people like Elton John for instance. Some families are broken when a member ‘loses his faith’. Some are annoyed when it gets in the way of discussions of topics like abortion or evolution. Whether the complexity of the universe is organised or not does not seem to indicate the presence or absence of something as ill-defined as ‘God’. Nobody should be belittled for their belief in God, but it should be possible to question those beliefs the same as any other. Some religionists feel threatened by such questions. Some people are inconvenienced when they are trying to help people in Catholic countries combat Aids and the Pope says not to use condoms.

Religion should be choice of individual, not Rocket Man - Opinion

One is bound to resent religion if one has been harmed by it I suppose. One accepts it more if one is raised to associate everything good with it. Either you have faith or you do not. That is how these discussions always end.

Not only Atheists ask: are organised religions harmful? Arguably, religion facilitates conflict in a similar way to nationalism. It is not personal, private beliefs in God so much as organised religion that seems unhelpful nowadays. We need community and belonging, not religions. A spiritual need does not need a spirit world. Give me a boy of seven and I will give you a Catholic for life. Is that the Stockholm syndrome? Brainwashing? What is the difference between religion and superstition?

I like the sentiments expressed in John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.