A Sound of Sheer Silence

There is a conservative line of argument that goes something like this: "Sure, I get it, you hate religion and think it is bad and retrograde.  But, you haven't thought about what will replace it--that's going to be much worse!"  Now, I happen to think there is merit to this line of inquiry.  I think that people are religious on a fundamental level, and so will find some sort of religious cause or content, no matter what label that content is given. The problem, and this is where the conservatives get sideways, is in the examples of what that would look like.  In the conservative narrative, the nightmare scenario is something like gay couples living in the suburbs and going to the PTA meetings of their adopted kids, or women flying airliners and having economic autonomy.  Oh, the humanity!  No, the real danger is replacing the (flawed and often not consistent with their own principles though they may be) account of human dignity and the inalienable rights...