hmmmm....
@Krissie -Your history is not completely correct. For one, the term "Roman Catholic Church" has nothing to do with the "Roman Empire". The term came about after the Schism in the Catholic Church between the Eastern Catholic Church and the Western Catholic Church, the latter being centered around the bishop of Rome. The term "Roman Catholic" wasn't used until the 11th Century, as it wasn't needed until then. Before then, it was the "Catholic Church", a term generally adopted in the early 2nd century. (Rome became Catholic in the 4th century, btw.)
My point in bringing up that piece of history was not to illustrate any villification of Pagans, but rather to point out that neither side is the Victim, nor are either the Villain, here. The same 2 millenia work "against your" argument as work "against mine", depending on the perspective taken.
Again, we could go back and forth on this for days, as our comrades have been going back and forth on this for millenia. I'd be more than happy to continue a civil debate on the topic with you outside of these commentaries, if you wish.
@Darren Starr: I quote Alex Nich there. "Many religious people have cogent reasoning for their beliefs, some are basically brainwashed. Many atheists have a good logical argument for not believing, others are just rebelling/knee-jerk rejecting."