Remember the campaign: "What's your anti-drug?" Why can't we have a "What's your anti-religion?" campaign to replace the addictive mind-virus currently plaguing the world? My anti-religion (among other things) is music. I play traditional Irish and American folk.

Music offers everything religion can't, like genuine community--every church I ever went to was full of pious posers; not so with folk musicians, whom you can easily judge by the songs they write and sing. Real songs about real people, some we knew, others we wish we did.

Music offers excellence--study the bible and you bore the hell out of people; study music and you bring them joy.

Music offers meaning--while the bible destroyed Job's life to teach unquestioning obedience, and sent the prophet Isaiah to sabotage the Amalakites...to show us that some ethnicities just don't deserve to live, the ethical teachings of folk music are always useful. Woodie Guthrie and Utah Phillips teach us the importance of equality and workers rights. When I play the fiddle tune "Hector the Hero", I think of a revered Scottish General who was also a homosexual. When I sing "James Connolly, the Irish Rebel" I think of what's worth the ultimate sacrifice. When I play a fast reel, I think all that really matters is making people dance.

As fundamentalism wanes, a lot of folks will be needing an anti-religion. We Seculars should be examples there's life after god.