I have been railing a lot about various aspects of modern faith and how removed they are from what I consider to be rationality.However, I think there's a very serious point regarding that which needs to be addressed.
Whatever you say about the irrational aspects of Mormonism or fundamentalist Christianity - or any other 'irrational' religion - one fact is inescapable.
With religion as the cornerstone of their community, religious people often live very community-focused and selfless lives. In Salt Lake City, the Mormons have built a beautiful community that looks after it's members and develops programs to help build community spirit and help the less fortunate. Because Brigham Young envisaged their new community as self-sustaining, the Mormons of Utah are a financially canny lot and have a tighter and more fiscally responsible attitude than most secular communities.
Evangelical Christians might protest against the rights of gay people, or demand we censor sex and violence from television, but they're willing to give up their free time to help less fortunate members of their church group or give selflessly to other community members in need.
Rational people may rail against some of the kookier ideas these people believe in - but it's worth pointing out that secular society often doesn't have the same strength of community spirit or dedication to 'old fashioned values' that religious groups do.
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