Writer's Block: Peevish
Organized religion.
Stop looking at me like that. ._. I have plenty of others, but that's the big one.
I should explain before I'm burned at the stake.
If believing in something improves your life, go for it. Seriously. God, Allah, Krishna, the Cosmic Muffin--whatever makes you feel good. Attend service, pray, read the holy books to your heart's content. No one should have to give up something that gives them comfort and hope, and I know that faith has seen many people through difficult times. Please, don't assume what I'm going to say applies to everyone. The vast majority of believers--whatever they believe in--are entirely inoffensive. It's the institution and the tendencies of outspoken, pushy people that sour the whole thing for me.
I was raised Lutheran. I went through Sunday School and was confirmed in eighth grade; during this whole time, I was respectful and went along with the flow, although I never felt any connection with the religion. After I was confirmed, I felt that, as a full-fledged member of the congregation, I should be allowed to ask questions. This didn't fly well, and I became increasingly critical of my home church. What drove me away permanently was my father's "Faith Journey"--a talk he gave to the congregation about how his hardships had helped him grow in faith.
Half of it was lies. The other half was twisted truths. The congregation, however, ate it up. I lost respect for the people of my church then. I stopped attending services after I realized that every sermon included a bit about how much the church needs money and how wrong other religions are.
I've had a fascination with religion for a long time, and I've read multiple books on the topic and I've taken a few courses. Most religions are, by nature, horribly intolerant, and most have expressed that intolerance by killing other people who believed different things. (I'll let the Jainists go on this one; at one point, I would have let the Buddhists off, too, but now even they're killing others.) Religions, at their worst, tend to foster hatred towards those who aren't believers. This isn't to say that I have anything against individuals, and most people who are religious don't fall into an extremist category.
Now I'm going to voice my personal beliefs, which some may find offensive. You might want to stop reading, although I hope that, regardless of your spiritual affiliation, you possess an open mind and will entertain other thoughts. I don't expect you to agree with me; I don't agree with you, after all. I think the topic can be explored without starting a holy war.
I don't believe in God (I'm using the Christian God, primarily because that is the one I feel I know the most about, but assume that the term is broad and can apply to other personal deities). I'm a philosophy student, and, oddly enough, most philosophy students are ardent atheists. Why? Because the idea of God isn't philosophically sound. I won't present any arguments, since the faithful won't be swayed by heathen logic and I would rather not get into a fight.
Do you realize how difficult it is to be a confessed atheist? In a Gallup poll, 95% said they would vote for a Catholic president; 49% said they would vote for a Mormon; 4% said they would vote for an atheist.
I have been told (by enthusiastic Christians) that atheists are incapable of having morals and being good people. Atheists are going to Hell, regardless of how good they act in life, for that goodness isn't driven by belief in Him. Atheists are intolerant, and their attempts to secularize the government and science are harmful to humanity. Granted, I heard all of this in a religions class, and I was afraid to admit that I didn't believe in God.
I'm tired of it. I would like to think that I'm an open-minded person, even though I love debating theology, but I don't see that reciprocated in the creeds of religions. America is so painfully religion-oriented--specifically towards Christianity. While individuals seldom attack me for my beliefs (which I'm very quiet about, generally), society as a whole places such importance on religion. It's everywhere! I'm asked to pray for so-and-so, asked to feed God's children in Africa (because, of course, I wouldn't without God's orders), asked to donate to this and that and the other for the spiritual benefits. The constant exposure to organized religion puts me on edge, and I get twitchy when the subject comes up, as it always does.
Ergo, organized religion is my pet peeve.
While I'm here, I might as well say that, in addition to being an atheist, I fully support non-heterosexual love--indeed, love in all forms, even if it's not physical--and I believe that religion is, at this point in human evolution, detrimental to the race. Religion explains the world and makes it easier to cope with hardship, but now science can explain the world. I see God as an imaginary friend--one that people will go to war for or murder homosexuals for. Religion is a primitive comfort, and we have advanced to a place where we don't need it. Its benefits are no longer greater than the harm it does.
Whew! That felt good. It wasn't my intention to offend anyone, but I'm sorry if I did.
Stop looking at me like that. ._. I have plenty of others, but that's the big one.
I should explain before I'm burned at the stake.
If believing in something improves your life, go for it. Seriously. God, Allah, Krishna, the Cosmic Muffin--whatever makes you feel good. Attend service, pray, read the holy books to your heart's content. No one should have to give up something that gives them comfort and hope, and I know that faith has seen many people through difficult times. Please, don't assume what I'm going to say applies to everyone. The vast majority of believers--whatever they believe in--are entirely inoffensive. It's the institution and the tendencies of outspoken, pushy people that sour the whole thing for me.
I was raised Lutheran. I went through Sunday School and was confirmed in eighth grade; during this whole time, I was respectful and went along with the flow, although I never felt any connection with the religion. After I was confirmed, I felt that, as a full-fledged member of the congregation, I should be allowed to ask questions. This didn't fly well, and I became increasingly critical of my home church. What drove me away permanently was my father's "Faith Journey"--a talk he gave to the congregation about how his hardships had helped him grow in faith.
Half of it was lies. The other half was twisted truths. The congregation, however, ate it up. I lost respect for the people of my church then. I stopped attending services after I realized that every sermon included a bit about how much the church needs money and how wrong other religions are.
I've had a fascination with religion for a long time, and I've read multiple books on the topic and I've taken a few courses. Most religions are, by nature, horribly intolerant, and most have expressed that intolerance by killing other people who believed different things. (I'll let the Jainists go on this one; at one point, I would have let the Buddhists off, too, but now even they're killing others.) Religions, at their worst, tend to foster hatred towards those who aren't believers. This isn't to say that I have anything against individuals, and most people who are religious don't fall into an extremist category.
Now I'm going to voice my personal beliefs, which some may find offensive. You might want to stop reading, although I hope that, regardless of your spiritual affiliation, you possess an open mind and will entertain other thoughts. I don't expect you to agree with me; I don't agree with you, after all. I think the topic can be explored without starting a holy war.
I don't believe in God (I'm using the Christian God, primarily because that is the one I feel I know the most about, but assume that the term is broad and can apply to other personal deities). I'm a philosophy student, and, oddly enough, most philosophy students are ardent atheists. Why? Because the idea of God isn't philosophically sound. I won't present any arguments, since the faithful won't be swayed by heathen logic and I would rather not get into a fight.
Do you realize how difficult it is to be a confessed atheist? In a Gallup poll, 95% said they would vote for a Catholic president; 49% said they would vote for a Mormon; 4% said they would vote for an atheist.
I have been told (by enthusiastic Christians) that atheists are incapable of having morals and being good people. Atheists are going to Hell, regardless of how good they act in life, for that goodness isn't driven by belief in Him. Atheists are intolerant, and their attempts to secularize the government and science are harmful to humanity. Granted, I heard all of this in a religions class, and I was afraid to admit that I didn't believe in God.
I'm tired of it. I would like to think that I'm an open-minded person, even though I love debating theology, but I don't see that reciprocated in the creeds of religions. America is so painfully religion-oriented--specifically towards Christianity. While individuals seldom attack me for my beliefs (which I'm very quiet about, generally), society as a whole places such importance on religion. It's everywhere! I'm asked to pray for so-and-so, asked to feed God's children in Africa (because, of course, I wouldn't without God's orders), asked to donate to this and that and the other for the spiritual benefits. The constant exposure to organized religion puts me on edge, and I get twitchy when the subject comes up, as it always does.
Ergo, organized religion is my pet peeve.
While I'm here, I might as well say that, in addition to being an atheist, I fully support non-heterosexual love--indeed, love in all forms, even if it's not physical--and I believe that religion is, at this point in human evolution, detrimental to the race. Religion explains the world and makes it easier to cope with hardship, but now science can explain the world. I see God as an imaginary friend--one that people will go to war for or murder homosexuals for. Religion is a primitive comfort, and we have advanced to a place where we don't need it. Its benefits are no longer greater than the harm it does.
Whew! That felt good. It wasn't my intention to offend anyone, but I'm sorry if I did.