I've never understood why it's impolite to talk about religion. Of course it's folks who strictly follow a specific religion that make the topic taboo.
If you tell me that atheism is a bunch of hooey, I get excited because it means a lively debate is forthcoming.
If I tell a religious person that they're full of hooey, they start foaming at the mouth and then string together a bunch of euphemisms for parts of the female anatomy before perfectly segueing into descriptions of unladylike sexual acts they'd like to see me perform on myself.
True, throwing a temper tantrum at the declaration their religious beliefs are not universally held is much better than brutally murdering those with whom they disagree, but still does not excuse exhibiting child-like behavior due to the opinion of a fellow human being.
There should be no topic rational adults must refrain from discussing for fear fists will fly.
And it's not just fear of a violent response that prevents many atheists from bringing up the origin of man...
Organized religion has done such a stellar job of making it seem as if non-believers will suffer an eternity of horror that the prospect of revealing oneself to people about whom they care deeply is extremely nerve-wracking.
It's about a thousand times worse than saying you're too busy to come home for Thanksgiving dinner.
The following sentence is likely what Christian family members hear while a loved one is announcing they've taken to atheism, "You know what, I don't believe in a word of the Bible; so, instead of us being together for an eternity of perfection, I'm just going to hang out in hell where I will exist in agony. Since your time in heaven will be perfect, I suppose they'll somehow wipe me out of your memory so you won't be forced to imagine the desperation emanating from my tortured screams."
Obviously one of the reasons organized religion is so popular is because they enjoy pretending that they're absolutely certain the reward for believing is perfection while the punishment for not believing is absolutely horrendous.
Not only does extreme punishment for non-followers influence individuals to believe, it also discourages debate. If I genuinely believed members of my family would suffer in the afterlife simply because they made a rational conclusion after the gathering of facts, I would do everything in my power to convince them of their error. I would be so adamant they change their opinion they'd probably take a, "It's best not to bring it up," attitude toward the topic of religion while speaking with me.
I suspect it's not only fear that a horrific fate will come to those who do not accept a traditional religion... Perhaps holy people have a problem with the discussion of religion because their argument is based solely on ancient people telling other ancient people stories about how god spoke to them. For us non-believers, the follower of a traditional religion is equivalent to someone who wholeheartedly accepts the word of a nut who approached them on the sidewalk and said, "If you don't believe my pants are the creator of the universe, you will rot for all of eternity!" I suspect religious folks don't much like to hear that kind of talk; especially considering the fact that a good comeback doesn't exist.
Or perhaps religious folks are afraid of actually changing their opinion after hearing ironclad facts backed up by science.
Because religion is spread by fear, I suppose it's only natural that those who follow a specific denomination are afraid to speak about their beliefs and mask said fear with anger when the subject is broached.
It's a shame organized religion uses scare tactics so harsh that families cannot openly debate the existence of god when one member is not of the same belief as the rest, but then again, if there were no consequence for failing to attend church, them pews would be some kind of empty.
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