A clash between social, racial, economic beliefs?

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I'm very left-wing socially and economically. I used to be a Christian and I've always been 'pro-poor', in the sense of being a socialist (but not because I think they have any special spiritual superiority).

However, I loathe conservative Christianity and Islam. This is mainly due to life experience rather than liberal elitism. I'm a feminist too, so I loathe them from that perspective.

That said, I do find a lot of poor people hold annoying (to me) conservative views and I do disagree with everything they believe in. Being poor doesn't alter that fact. People don't earn special respect once their income drops below £14k, or whatever - if I think they're wrong, I think they're wrong. I never actually argue this with them, or preach my ideas to them, because I'm not that dogmatic and arrogant. I still don't hold respect for their ideas because just because they're poor. I have the same attitude to the rich.

I separate people from their beliefs.

For the record, I grew up poor and I'm a left-wing atheist (technically agnostic). I've fortunately been allowed to believe what I want (as an adult). People from other cultures have religion forced on them, and you can't get rid of it without becoming an outcast, or worse. Do you know what they think about apostates in Islam? I know many, many people born into a religion willingly continue to believe, but that's not my point. My point is that in some cultures, there is no choice - so sometimes culture, religion and actual person become confused. I always see the person underneath, however. Some critics of religion don't.

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm not anti-immigration at all. I just don't like belief systems that would seek to seriously damage my rights as a 'sinful' atheist woman. My issue isn't with the believers, it's with the beliefs. I don't want my country to become more Islamic or Christian because that would suck very much for me. I live in a part of the UK where Islam and Christianity proselytise a lot because there's a lot of social/economic deprivation, so I do feel like I'm going against this trend where I live. Generally, though, Europe is overwhelmingly secular and liberal, but there are these little pockets in European countries (mainly in the big cities) where you do feel this clash of ideologies.

I will admit that secular liberal agenda (yay) has been somewhat hijacked by anti-immigration sentiment (boo).

Religious people can seem pro-poor and this can be for a variety of reasons. If you actually believe Christianity to the letter, poor people are special by virtue of simply being poor. It's the whole Sermon on the Mount and camel through the eye of a needle business. Islam says that all people (well, men) who believe its creed are spiritual equals, regardless of income; the rich have a duty to support the poor as a foundation (a pillar) of its beliefs. Both of these pro-poor attitudes appeal to the sky-wizard, though, rather than to an actually thought-out political theory. Also, it's partly a recruitment drive. I prefer socialism, but that can sometimes be a pseudo-religion.

I'm a Socialist and an atheist who is currently reading Chris Hitchens' memoirs so i feel a should have something to add to this. (but i doubt that i will)

I think that the social gospel as practiced by Martin Luther King and Liberation theologists in latin america is a good thing. (people like hitchens will never praise or mention them)

I think religion is an irrational belief and it can't be proved anymore than the existence of faeries can. This makes me an atheist.

I think the likes of Hitchens and Cohen are right about reactionary islam being oppressive and we shouldn't support something that we wouldn't tolerate in our own culture just because it's foreign. So female genital mutilation is wrong wherever it is practiced , Misogyny is wrong wherever its practiced, homophobia is wrong where ever its practiced. In fact for the best take on the likes of Cohen and Hitchens read Johann Hari's review of Cohen's book "What's Left". It diagnoses both what is wrong with their worldview but also what is right with it.

I think people can have bad beliefs but do good things. I think there are people in the world who may be bigoted against a group, (ie think thye are inferior) but if they saw a member of that group hurt they would help them. Like darth vader they have some good in them.

Christ told the apostle Paul that Christians don't have to keep kosher diets. In book of Acts. Unfortunately he told him to keep up the old testament bigotry (in a much milder form).

That's really interesting. I heard a joke in Simpsons about Ned Flander's keeping Kosher, but I didn't know any really did it.