The vast majority of us in the U.S. now are born into and reared in families and communities that are profoundly and reflexively religious. It can take time and effort to slowly, maybe painfully, maybe heroically, come to a conclusion that religion -- all of it, all of them, today and always -- have simply been WRONG: mistakes, habits, fables, what-you-will.
Arriving to that world free of gods and other superstitions is a personal journey that many will never even begin. The silver lining in the recent escapades by America's religious right is that it must be acknowledged that there are several, perhaps even thousands, preferably millions, who will view this spectacle and start to ask themselves: "Do I really want to be associated with this nonsense? What brought these people to this point, and am I consenting to it in some way, with my continued respect for religious thought?"
Long after Cirque de Schiavo packs up its tents and moves on, what will remain are the questions this event and its repercussions have raised in the minds of those who have swallowed religious dogma for decades. Many will begin questioning religion in ways they never had before, and perhaps never would have, without this remarkable and abhorrent story. My thanks to the theocrats for exposing themselves once again as the irrational, power-mad, intolerant, lying, and even scary thugs they are.
And to those who are not among the religious "right", but consider yourselves religious anyway, or in some vague way "spiritual", start wondering if the kind of world you want to see and the attitudes and approaches necessary to accept religious belief are really compatible. I assure you that you won't be alone.
Some groups that cam be helpful in guiding you along the way:
American Atheists
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
Freedom From Religion Foundation