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My attacks on religion go beyond a mere personal rejection, because i don't like people being dumbed down by any propaganda, including religious one, and those who believe in biblical god are more likely to believe anything they're told.
Religion teaches blind obedience without questioning the authority. That's never a good thing.
I won't speak for all atheists, but my main problem with organized religion is not the mere fact they believe there is a deity in the skies. I know a lot of people who are simply saying 'well, maybe there is some higher power out there'. That's one story and I'm totally cool about that.
My main problem is the quality of organized religions, their dogmatic nature and the absurd immoral stories they are feeding people. Religion has a constant war on doubt, war on the right to wonder and question. Religion actually prevents humanity from exploring new horizons, because it demands you believe one story and never dare to doubt it.
All the progress, the greatest achievements of humanity were made through wonder, a quest, an experiment, not through prayers and miracles. Yet throughout history the church was opposed to any kind of freedom of thought, demanding the monopoly over peoples minds.
If something is ridiculous - it is ridiculous, even if its a part of someone's ancient religious beliefs.
The 'god loves you' and 'he is gonna be burning you and your unbelieving family in flames forever' is a ridiculous and a cruel teaching.
If someone were to say to me 'i love my children, but im gonna kill them for disobeying', id think this statement is ridiculous, crazy and horrible.
The teachings that say non-believers who haven't accepted Christ as their savior will burn in hell for that mere fact along with the mass murderers like Hitler and Stalin are disgusting because they preach injustice.
The lack of personal and social responsibility that is being cultivated where everything is the will of god, not the result of our actions or lack thereof. Can't subscribe to that.
It may be tougher to acknowledge but closer to the truth that we are the ones to blame or praise for what is going on in this world. Perhaps not the tsunamies and things like that but all the injustices we turn a blind eye to - our responsibility, not god's.
So i dont see a fair fluorishing society with millions sitting on their hands and still feeling good about themselves coz they are sure god will forgive everything, right after they pray.
As Einstein said, "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
Indifference and inaction is the true evil. And all those useless prayers that do not feed the hungry or cure the sick but make the praying person feel as if he or she is actually helping are harmful on the big scale. Because those who don't pray know they're not helping and can be more motivated to actually do something, while others will spend all their lives feeling righteous just for closing their eyes and asking an imaginary deity for help.
So to answer the neverending questions that can be summed up to 'if you don't believe in god, why don't you keep it to yourself' I'm explaining that I will do just that once those who do believe will learn to keep their religion private as well.
But while the theists are trying to maintain the right to preach their harmful ideology on the radio, on tv, in schools and even knocking on the doors, I'll be questioning, attacking and ridiculing it.
More posts from this category: Re: why peaceful majority is irrelevantNine nations abolishing religion?
John Ellington
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13-04-2012
I LOVE how Atheists say they don't like Christians shoving their beliefs down peoples throats. Yet when it comes to no belief in God, you are the ones who annoyingly jam it into peoples minds. Why do we attack Atheists sometimes? Most of us don't. But some, like me, will also attack after being verbally insulted and abused. ATHEISM: Like genitals. Don't show it off in public, don't jam into down childrens throats. Christians let people decide if they want to be Christians or not, and we respect their decesions even if they say no. At least Christians help out the community, versus Atheists who sit all day long trying to disprove something they know exists. Pastors are willing to give everything to help one family of the church, Richard Dawkins doesn't care for anyone other than himself. If you don't believe in God, you don't believe in morals. So you're better off commiting crimes, why would you care? If you TRULY don't believe in God, then you'd just go on with your daily life. But you don't. Instead, you act like a little know-it-all prick who feels its right to attack anyone with a different belief. Have a nice freaking day, jerk.
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Irina |
13-04-2012
Yet when it comes to no belief in God, you are the ones who annoyingly jam it into peoples minds I've never seen an atheist wandering the streets handing out atheist leaflets, yet just a few days ago I got stopped on the street and offered one from a Christian. My mother is getting calls from some religious woman trying to preach to her. Just last year at least twice Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on our door. This year our orthodox church convinced the parliament to start working on abortion banning laws. You want to compare this kind of jamming with personal blogs and youtube videos that atheists make? Christians let people decide if they want to be Christians or not, and we respect their decesions even if they say no. And that's why they insist 10 commandments to be hanging in US schools and public prayers to their Christian god. Right. At least Christians help out the community, versus Atheists who sit all day long trying to disprove something they know exists. Unproven bold statement. Pastors are willing to give everything to help one family of the church, Richard Dawkins doesn't care for anyone other than himself. Another one, highly generalized unsupported claim. And why compare pastors (a group of people) to Richard Dawkins (one person)? If you don't believe in God, you don't believe in morals. So you're better off commiting crimes, why would you care? The golden rule was discovered by people long before it was found in Bible. Morals existed before Christianity. Thats a fact. People are better off not committing crimes simply because then they have a better chance of survival in a society where crime is condemned. If you TRULY don't believe in God, then you'd just go on with your daily life. I am. This is one of the topics I write about. And if you believe in god, you should be seeing everything as part of his divine plan and thus, maybe be a little bit less aggressive, try and love your enemies, etc. Sounds like something Jesus would do. |
John
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14-04-2012
Sounds like a defensive Christian to me..
It's difficult when our beliefs are challenged, no? That's the problem with living from dogma. The insecurity it breeds.. the subconscious knowing that it is false.. produces an incredible forward motive force that impels the believer to evangelize and defend. The same happens in mental illness: the need to pull others in to not feel alone. The crusades and inquisition came from the same human feeling, only on a larger scale. |
Irina |
14-04-2012
The crusades and inquisition came from the same human feeling, only on a larger scale. Ernest Becker explains this insecurity and touchiness in the sphere of religious beliefs by the fact that the individual's illusion of immortality is being threatened. Thats why the hatered towards the members of other death-denying clubs. Everyone from a different religion puts your own into question. They can't all be right. On the other hand, if you convert/eliminate all the members of other religions, the anxiety will subside. So you go on a crusade. I think religious people become hostile when they start doubting their own beliefs, someone has actually succeeded in shaking them, so now they are angry because they don't want to lose their faith, but in the same time find themselves unable to completely turn off the voice of reason. |
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20-05-2012
Well said. It's true, for all the good that religious organizations have done, religion does more harm than good. Primarily because it teaches people to believe in things that are not reasonable, nor supported by evidence.
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iconoclast
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21-05-2012
Atheists are believers as much as non atheists. Atheists have a belief of what god is, and then they say 'this belief that I have, I don't believe'
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Irina |
21-05-2012
Then we're also all are the believers in ghosts, bigfoots, chupakabras and UFOs. |
Iconoclast
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21-05-2012
Yes, in a sense you are right. The point is though that it is not possible to address the fundamental human problem with 'beliefs'. Because a belief is fundamentally insecure.
Security is in understanding what is. Either something is to be understood or it is to be believed. You can see the absurdity of common thinking in that people are happy to discuss 'God' without ever defining it. And since everyone has there own definition it's rather absurd. You can ask someone "do you belief in God" and they are happy to answer, when really the only answer you can give to a question like that is "please define what you mean by God". |
Irina |
21-05-2012
Either something is to be understood or it is to be believed. Theres the third - suspending judgement. Acknowledging the limits of your understanding. Also, accepting insecurity as part of existence. |
Iconoclast
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21-05-2012
I'm not sure how you mean 'judgement'. Many people in the past judge concepts like 'black holes' to be nonsense. But it was never a subject of judgement it was a matter of knowledge. Judgement is only a matter for courts.
You cannot say insecurity is part of existence until you have made a genuine inquiry. Maybe it is maybe not. If not then it would be wise check first because it's the difference between living a good life and living a life of suffering. |
Irina |
21-05-2012
I mean evaluations. It is much more wise to suspend evaluating something you have too little information about. If a part of the box is hidden behind the curtain, and you still want to describe the whole box, even though you only can see a part of it - this is silly. The honest thing to do is to say 'we have too little information to conclude what the whole box is at the moment'. Clearly, you're unable to do that. You have to think you have knowledge and clarity on all possible questions. (judging from your other comments) Insecurity is part of existence from the 1st day a child is born. Fear and pain are ingrained in us. Later on we grow up and want to deny our insecurity because it feels better, and we're just animals driven towards pleasure away from pain. |
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22-05-2012
"Atheists are believers as much as non atheists. Atheists have a belief of what god is..."
Iconoclast, you are mixing up belief and religious faith. Atheists do not have faith in any god, but they do have a concept in mind of what religious people mean when they use the term, perhaps an accurate concept, perhaps not. I would say that most atheists are agnostic on the nature or existence of god. They don't have faith that god does not exist, they simply don't want to waste time with such an unlikely possibility, until such time as some evidence comes to light. At least, that's how I feel about it. As far as "the difference between living a good life and living a life of suffering", I have been much more relaxed and happy since I was able to give up trying to reconcile the idea of a loving god, the picture presented of that god in the Bible, and reality. I wish you could experience the joy I feel not having to pretend to have "the assurance of salvation." |
Iconoclast
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22-05-2012
Hi Steven.
>>but they do have a concept in mind And this concept is still a belief. It's a subtle point. However even without defining god it's possible to eliminate god by dividing the world up between "I" and "not I". There is not third thing, if you say 'what about god', well then if god is either you or not you, either way they both reduce down to the original two things. To live a good life one only needs to be honest and use commonly sensed ethics. However there is nothing wrong with religion per se. People perform good actions or bad actions with or without religion. |
DaithiDublin
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07-07-2012
"I will do just that once those who do believe will learn to keep their religion private as well."
Those who do hold religious beliefs are so cocooned in those beliefs that they don't notice the prevalence of religious propaganda in their daily lives. So long as the imagery they see is in line with their own beliefs, it hardly registers with them. A poster bearing a religious image or line of scripture is no more remarkable than an advertisement for a new car. If they see one sign or image of an atheistic nature, then all of a sudden there is a co-ordinated attack on God under-way. It as a form of confirmation bias, in my opinion. As a way of supporting their own beliefs it is common to point out those who believe differently. And as non-believers are the ones most likely to be pushing for civil rights such as contraception, abortion, gay marriage etc (at least in their eyes) they are primed to see an 'atheist agenda' everywhere. They may hear a lot about atheism, and if they want to find it there is a lot of atheist activism to be found, but they seem to forget or ignore the fact that they did actually have to seek it out. It is incredibly rare to find atheists openly advertising themselves in public. But because these religious people are so primed to think that their way of life is under attack, they fail to see how proportionally miniscule examples of atheist advertising or proselytising actually are. In the medium sized town where I live (Bray, Ireland) there are dozens of places of worship, two exclusively Christian graveyards, a dedicated Christian bookshop, Mormons and JW's calling to houses, Church newsletters posted through the letterbox, several Catholic primary and secondary schools and religious charities. We don't even have an atheist group of our own here, nor have I ever seen any anti-religious messages anywhere. Yet I occasionally read in the local papers about the rise of atheism and why it needs to be opposed for fear of society crumbling into an immoral wasteland. I'm planning on creating a simple and non-offensive atheistic advertisement here soon on a piece of public ground that is often used to convey political messages and protest signs etc. These signs rarely receive any overt criticism, even when they are sometimes nationalistic or divisive in nature. I'm very curious to see what the reaction will be. I would be happily surprised if it was similarly ignored. But no doubt some will see this lone example as the latest assault on the poor, down-trodden, embattled, persecuted religious majority. Time will tell. |
Irina |
07-07-2012
Thanks for your comment, DaithiDublin, I agree, and good luck with your advertisement) |