playing in the religious ecosystem

Now this is a game show I would watch! (hat tip to Boingboing)

Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist holy men compete to covert the most atheists. Of course, the concept is kind of a sacrilicious train wreck, but we are drawn to horrifying spectacle, aren't we?

The comments, both at the news site and boingboing, illustrate the atmosphere of contempt (veiled as skepticism) for religion that seems to proliferate in the tech-savvy, enlightened crowd that makes up much of the part of the blogosphere I frequent. One commenter on boingboing says:

Maybe this is a good thing. When several unique religions are are seen in close proximity to each other, the thought that follows is 'Well, obviously they can't ALL be correct'. The thought that follows that is 'Maybe NONE of them are real'. (Carl Sagan said this years ago)

OK, sure, thought systems that are mutually exclusive do tend to lead people to this conclusion. But the factions of these religions that advance a "monopoly on truth" tend to be dogmatic, fundamentalist, and yes Mr. Sagan, ultimately absurd. But why not focus on what the religions share? Each certainly contains some wisdom, and the thought that follows is "maybe ALL of them are real" or at least contain a certain truth or truths.

We need to look for the good in other people's thought-systems. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Unless you don't like babies.