polly toynbee: sex and death lie at the poisoned heart of religion

at the guardian...

'women's bodies are the common battleground, symbols of all religions' authority and identity. cover them up with veil or burka, keep them from the altar, shave their heads, give them ritual baths, church them, make them walk a step behind, subject them to men's authority, keep priests celibately free of women, unclean and unworthy. eve is the cause of all temptation in abrahamic faiths. only by suppressing women can priests and imams hold down the power of sex, the flesh and the devil.'

and

'atheists are good haters, they [theists] claim, but feeble compared with the religious sects. atheists have dried-up souls, without spiritual or visionary transcendentalism. to which we say: the human imagination is all we need to hold in awe. live in optimism without fear of judgment and death. there is enough purpose and meaning in life, love and leaving a good legacy. oppose the danger of religious zealotry with the liberating belief that life on earth is precious because this here and now is all there is, and our destiny is in our own hands.'

the entire piece is here.