We owe much to Frank Schaeffer who was raised as an elite son of one of the key founders of the modern religious right, and who came to his senses. Having been there, seen that, he doesn't mince words like many namby pamby Dems and progressive pundits who want to be polite and wobbly.

Schaeffer knows of the danger of dogma and those who manipulate human frailties.

From a review posted on Frank Schaeffer's blog:

"Frank Schaeffer, a former evangelist who once rubbed shoulders with such luminaries in that world such as Pat Robertson and James Dobson has come out with a book that delivers far more than it promises. The subtitle hints that Frank will take on both the right wing fundamentalist and the left wing atheists in one fell swoop. There is a lot more here than meets the eye, and it is profound.

In many ways, religion has turned into a consumer good. If there is market for some belief or religious practice, or if someone can come up with some that are popular enough, that person can amass wealth and become influential. Apparently, to my amusement, Frank in a few chapters lets us know that atheists like Richard Dawkins can do the same thing. Religion largely exists as a product on the market. If a lot of people buy one particular brand, it must be the best. Right?

Wrong, according to Frank, religion is a natural part of being human, something inherent in our species. In fact, it is one of the things that makes us human. Our individual and group spirituality is dynamic and ever changing, Fundamentalist Christianity, as Frank points out, is nothing like the Christianity of the early church fathers. No religion has ever stayed the same for centuries and has thrived."

Excerpt from Schaeffer's newest book:

Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series of sixteen novels (so far!) represents everything that is most deranged about religion. If I had to choose companions to take my chances with in a lifeboat, and the choice boiled down to picking Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins, or Christopher Hitchens, I'd pick Hitchens in a heartbeat. At least he wouldn't try to sink our boat so that Jesus would come back sooner. He might even bring along a case of wine.

The Left Behind novels have sold tens of millions of copies while spawning an "End Times" cult, or rather egging it on. Such products as Left Behind wall paper, screen savers, children's books, and video games have become part of the ubiquitous American background noise. Less innocuous symptoms include people stocking up on assault rifles and ammunition, adopting "Christ-centered" home school curricula, fearing higher education, embracing rumor as fact, and learning to love hatred for the "other," as exemplified by a revived anti-immigrant racism, the murder of doctors who do abortions, and even a killing in the Holocaust Museum.

No, I am not blaming Jenkins and LaHaye's product line for murder or racism or any other evil intent or result. What I am saying is that feeding the paranoid delusions of people on the fringe of the fringe contributes to a dangerous climate that may provoke violence in a few individuals. And convincing folks that Armageddon is on the way, and all we can do is wait, pray, and protect our families from the chaos that will be the "prelude" to the "Return of Christ," is perhaps not the best recipe for political, economic, or personal stability, let alone social cohesion. It may also not be the best philosophy on which to build American foreign policy! The momentum toward what amounts to a whole subculture seceding from the union (in order to await "The End") is irrevocably prying loose a chunk of the American population from both sanity and their fellow citizens.

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Schaeffer guides us all to a common, unifying spirituality in which a common good brings us together, rather than separates us in the name of any particular deity.

If you've seen Schaeffer on television or read his commentary, you know he pulls no punches and is riveting and insightful.