Richard Dawkins' book attacking religion is a surprise bestseller here in the United Kingdom. Strongly expressed and passionately held atheist views are used to justify the individual's autonomy in, for instance, asking for physician-assisted
suicide- there is no other being, nothing above and beyond us, so 'I can
do what I want with my body/life'.

There is also a great fear of what some call fundamentalist religious belief, particularly as seen in Islam, and no understanding of what lies behind and within it- so the easiest thing to do in response is to argue that all religion is rubbish.

But the real question we should be asking is why those religious trends of moderate
views, liberal Christianity, Judaism and Islam, have been so relatively
ineffective in expressing their passionately held belief in God, and their
strongly held view that the human conscience is the voice of God within
us, to which we have to listen, even if we do not use our beliefs and
convictions to justify attacks on others.

The moderate voice has been a weak one, allowing both religious extremism and militant atheism to capture the headlines. I think we need to get out there and make our case-reasonably, rationally, of course- but loudly and clearly.