5) I am an agnostic who yearns for the early days of FreeRepublic when it was just a conservative website.
We have both been members a long time..and I never remember a time when the discussion of religion or doctrine was not a part of the mix ..
I am not familiar with what the early days of free republic were like.
However, religion is often related with conservatism.
Notice that the description of the site gives God top billing. It only makes sense that religion is discussed then.
The world is not agnostic and so religion will always play a part of politics.