I actually used to be an adamant Fundamentalist Christian. I hated gays, Catholics(I was Protestant), and sexually-frustrated as much as my fellows(though some were surprsingly more racist than I was) until about three years ago when I was faced with a situation all of my faith could not handle.
Basically, living the "Authentic Christian Lifestyle" did not store up enough good karma with God to help me when I needed it most desperately. Thus began a process of a slow unravelling of things until I reach the place I am at now.
Now, I would call myself a "Secularist". Basically, I think that the old traditions should be read but with a nod towards modern understanding and an appreciation of new knowledge that does separate us from our biblical ancestors.
My major issue with my old faith is that far too much importance is placed on simply having "faith", enough to the point where blatant discrimination can occur and no one bats an eye at it. The church has been opposed to rights to minorities, women, and now homosexuals enter the spotlight and it is history repeating itself once again. I shudder to imagine who the next group of unlucky bastards will be.
In nearly any other setting under any other pretext what "believers" do and say would be considered literally and figuratively insane. However, cognitive dissonance and group dynamics can truly perform miracles.
Further while I admire some of the new Atheists for their attempts at revving up some much needed discussion, I think that ultimately the best we can do is try to reach across the aisle whenever possible and call out as best we can the rest.
I know I would have never gotten "un-Saved" had I not had something so catastrophic happen it literally sent me into a breakdown. Something you absorb so deeply into yourself cannot just be pried out like an errant piece of dinner left in a crevice behind a tooth.
However I also believe that letting the bullshit just sit and ignoring it is running into a wall too since the bullshit is starting to vote and take office. It is starting to actually GET legislation passed(Prop 8 to my fellow Ahmuricuns).
I think it is a matter of wrangling the bullshit and calling it out, but ther eis a line between those options and outright attack. Every "Religionist" we may successfully beat-down in discussion we must also admit is a human being. Do we really think that kind is going to get them to at least cool their jets? Or simply polarize them more against even the most gentle plea?
So who knows.