Comic relief

British comedian Ricky Gervais does not believe in God, but he's no Christmas killjoy. In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, he wrote:

"I don’t think there is a god, but belief in him does no harm. If it helps you in any way, then that’s fine with me. It's when belief starts infringing on other people's rights when it worries me. I would never deny your right to believe in a god. I would just rather you didn’t kill people who believe in a different god, say. Or stone someone to death because your rulebook says their sexuality is immoral. It’s strange that anyone who believes that an all-powerful all-knowing, omniscient power responsible for everything that happens, would also want to judge and punish people for what they are."

Refreshingly sane. Too bad the warring clans of christianists and atheists cannot embrace this simple, rational concept of tolerance.