Your question reminds me of a favorite quote from the late longshoreman Eric Hoffer’s 1951 book, The True Believer. I wouldn't dare claim to always display the nature of the "gentle skeptic" of which he speaks -- truth be known I'm more of a true believer myself doing daily battle with the worst elements of my nature -- but I do consider the continuing move away from fanaticism and toward reason a worthy one. Here’s a rather length portion from Chapter 62 of The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer (my bolding):

"Though they seem to be at opposite poles, fanatics of all kinds are actually crowded together at one end. It is the fanatic and the moderate who are poles apart and never meet. The fanatics of various hues eye each other with suspicion and are ready to fly at each other’s throat. …[I]t is easier for a fanatic Communist to be converted to fascism, chauvinism or Catholicism than to become a sober liberal. The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a God or not. The atheist is a religious person. He believes in atheism as though it were a new religion. He is an atheist with devoutness and unction. According to Renan, 'The day after that on which the world should no longer believe in God, atheists would be the wretchedest of all men.' So, too, the opposite of the chauvinist is not the traitor but the reasonable citizen who is in love with the present and has no taste for martyrdom and the heroic gesture. The traitor is usually a fanatic—radical or reactionary—who goes over to the enemy in order to hasten the downfall of a world he loathes. Most of the traitors in the Second World War came from the extreme right. 'There seems to be a thin line between violent, extreme nationalism and treason.' …All of us who lived through the Hitler decade know that the reactionary and the radical have more in common than either has with the liberal or the conservative."

I agree completely.

I'v lived with religious women before. The only rule was don't try to convince me of your way of thinking. She could believe what ever she wants.

With any community, there will be a variety of people with different experiences. Some experiences more severe than other. This community allows the expression of these experiences and a form of healing that comes from the understanding of others who may have had similar experiences in a safe environment.

For others, this is a community to get away from the constant harassment from theists. This community becomes a sanctuary.

For some members, it a place to share and learn about science.

For me, this is a place to learn and share opinions and ideas. I have found that most are open-minded and very caring.

In a previous post, the blocking option was suggested as a good way to choose who you do or do not wish to communicate with. There are also groups that exist and can be created as an option.