To be fair, this is essentially anecdotal evidence about the harm silly beliefs have. It isn't quite as scientific as statistics that show that over X years, vaccination rates dropped by Y, preventable diseases increased by Z, and autism rates changed by... nothing.

But, still, interesting to see the very real damage that irrationally based beliefs cause on actual people:

http://www.whatstheharm.net

I'm an IT geek. Right now, I work in a Network Operations Center, basically babysitting servers to make sure they behave. None of my coworkers are idiots.



I brought in my Dawkins - Greatest Show on Earth. I had not one, but TWO of my coworkers get really uncomfortable. One actually has a biology degree, but he has (and I quote) "a real problem with evolution." I didn't press, since that tends to make things awkward. As he left for the day, he said "My problem with evolution is that I… Continue

So, inspired by CaraColeen's post of her old journal, I went and found some of MY old journal entries.



My father (biology teacher/devout Catholic) was very surprised to hear of my budding atheism in the past few years. His memory of me in high school is as a Bible-thumper, youth minister wannabe. He likes to tell himself that I stopped believing because I absorbed my husband's perspective.



Not so. Even when I was very much mired in the depths of religiosity, I had doubt,… Continue