Assume Nothing

I know I'm just speculating, but it's not difficult to imagine that you'd want her to stop hurting - and as we both know, the drugs are hurting her - maybe not physically, but even on a psychological level. Depending on the drug, it alters judgement. It does sound like you're trying to help her get out of these things - perhaps you're better off being a friend than a boyfriend. If you really want to date her, then fine - we're of no authority to tell you otherwise, but don't say we haven't warned you.

If you disagree with her life choices, and by being with her you'll be impeding her freedom to make these choices, it's very unlikely that your relationship would work out as intended. It'll take some time, but it's an eventuality that someone/something would bring up that discussion and tensions would be created. In any relationship, you need to respect eachother's boundaries and obligations. It doesn't sound like a great idea that you're bringing yourself down into a chaotic world of drug-abuse either. tl;dr - stay right away.

... are you high?

I'm hesitant to use that phrasing since irreligion isn't a belief system as such - it's not a worldview. The only thing two atheists can agree on, presuming that all we know about them is that they're atheists, would be that they don't believe in a deity. We don't know why, what they do believe in, etc. - they could believe in any other superstition, e.g. ghosts if they wanted to, as long as it's not a deity. The same cannot be said for any other religion or ideology. My answer would be something like: teach no religion as the truth, but rather - a philosophical thing. I wouldn't take a child to church until they are of sufficient mental maturity to really choose, and by that time - they should be able to reason why they've chosen a specific religion and adopt its values. I'll always encourage them to think for themselves, with no bias towards any religion or irreligion. I'll offer my say in it - I won't impede their freedom to choose. In theory, it should bring them naturally towards atheistic views if delivered impartially. I'm fine with that.

I agree - it may cause outrage, but does that make it outrageous - for that is to say, does that make the claim grossly implausible? It doesn't - because it's a natural claim based on the effects of religious belief, and there is good reason to accept it (request elaboration if you may). It doesn't require the evidence that you claim it does, simply because we can operate on the notion of causality. If we could identify something in religion that operates as a tool for causing ignorance, then the claim that religion can propagate ignorance would be well-founded. I think a better question would be - 'even if it can, would it? - and does the counter-effects supersede it?' I see that you've touched on the point that all in all, it's my opinion - a truism. It's a little meaningless/trivial to make that claim, as it does not invalidate my position (unless you are implying that it's a subjective matter - but that doesn't seem to be the case here). As a sidenote, I don't understand why you would be so defensive of religion. If you are trying to balance the equation so to speak, you could try providing effective reasoning and counter-reasoning as opposed to adding to the number of respondents.

Banned for being inefficient.

I'll try to rephrase: 'Would religious persons raise their child to accept their own religious ideas/beliefs, or would they expose them to all beliefs/ideas without bias? If the former, should they?'

I do believe that it's fair to say it depending upon context, which is why definitions are often called for in debate. Does religion, in its entirety - i.e. not omitting the fundamentalist views, impede scientific/social/educational progression? If it does, it's a tool for 'propagating ignorance' - for that is to say, a thing which aids the increase of ignorance.

I'd say this could be the major turning point for RuneScape, or it could be the major [bleep]-up that'll make RuneScape infinitely more frustrating. Given their track-record, I'll remain skeptical as to whether it'll turn out 'good'.

'entirety of Christianity' ... what does that entail, precisely? If it's beyond scripture, what follows? Oh, and even if we've established that you were raised as a Christian, which was in reality a sidepoint - how does that relate to whether you should have been?

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I would then be faced with the accusation of providing a loaded question, as it would imply that religious doctrines may only be forced. I can't categorize you as a Christian in the context of holding Christian beliefs - rather, you're Christian by name, not nature. That is, if I'm not misinterpreting you.

I can't claim they are douchebags because of religion - that's a bit far-fetched. I can claim many of their immoral actions are derived from religion, yes. Of course, I accept your point - they could have withdrawn the medicine anyway, but with far less convincing causes (religious dogma, regardless of how fallacious, is still convincing for the uncritical mind) - they are far less likely to. I think you're missing the point a bit, as for your second paragraph. Religious doctrines are the foundation of a religion, which is why they're so inherently relevant to religious discussion - without doctrine, it's difficult - if not impossible for a religion to exist.

... it depends on your interpretation of what being raised as a Christian entails. If it entails the acceptance of religious doctrine, then no - that's not being a freethinker at all. I would operate on that definition, unless you can help me clarify your own definition.

You're deliberately evading the notion of causality. Douchebags without religion aren't douchebags because they aren't religious, they're douchebags because of the way they were raised or whatever other external factors caused them to be douchebags. Religions, specifically Christianity, often entails acceptance of religious doctrines. It's also why I mention them so often.

This is kind of a strawman because the two options are by far not mutually exclusive. I've been raised as Christian yet was allowed to think freely and to change my religion once I was old enough to think about it and expressed that wish. You're confusing your logical fallacies. Straw-man arguments would be fallacious argumentation because it misrepresents the position. False dichotomies would be fallacious argumentation because it falsely limits the options by omitting plausible alternatives. I'd say you were raised as a freethinker with a greater emphasis on Christianity, if not being exposed to cherry picked Christian ideals. I'd say it would be better to raise children as true freethinkers by exploring every avenue of belief, and drawing conclusions from there.

Religion isn't merely a detour, it's a tool which propagates ignorance. The actions are quite evident - it's verifiable by observing what religious persons believe and whether their actions are consistent with it. It's a bit far fetched to say that a religious person who withdraws medicine from their child because their doctrine says so were not motivated by their religion to do so. I can't say I disagree that it's human nature to be ignorant, but given that religions often impede our ability to get out of it - it's not hard to conclude that religion is a cause of social ills. EDIT - it's a cause for concern when the only reason some people are charitable is because their doctrine says so - it provides a framework for abuse, which often happens (of which I've provided ample examples of already). I'm not sure whether you could fairly say the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, in all honesty. What's preventing secular organizations from doing the same?

I should rephrase my original claim: many outspoken atheists are more concerned for whether their religious/irreligious are well-founded than their religious counterparts, based on quantity/quality of sound argumentation provided. EDIT - that's a problem of ethical decision making more than religion. If we can agree that social progression is a good thing, then it could be easy to start a discussion on whether religion is good/bad. I value social progression and prosperity, so I'd categorize religion as 'bad'.

It depends what you're referring to. If we're referring to actions caused by religious belief, it can be evaluated easily.

I like how you've posted a different genre to prove your point.

Of course - they're just interlinked in this specific case.

I think this thread is worth bumping. I'll propose a question which goes hand in hand with the religious debate: is it better for Christian parents to allow their children to think freely and let them choose their religion, or should Christian parents raise their children as Christians? I realise I've asked a similar question before, but it's still a discussion worth bringing up.