On Atheism, Queerness, Fundamentalist Totalitarianism, Organizational Fear, and Common Sense

[jesus_h_biscuit]

In a post I wrote a couple of years ago I expound on why I am an atheist. There are always more reasons than the ones given there, which is in part what motivated this. I think it is a given (unless you subscribe to the opinions of the religious Reich) that being Godless makes you a worldwide minority. Common sense dictates that there are always

Comments

[ladysisyphus]

My Uncle James told a story at my grandfather's funeral: When he (Uncle James, now a follower of Meher Baba) was about fourteen, he was entirely of the opinion that he was too cool to believe in God. That summer, they were up in the Yukon with a old man named Scout, who was, by James' admission, the only man he knew tougher than his father/my grandfather. So one day James and Scout were hanging out, and James asked Scout if he believed in God, expecting to hear his own beliefs mirrored from someone he presumed certainly to be too cool to believe in God. And Scout thought on it a long time, and finally said, "Son, sometimes there's nothing else."

However, just to be a pain in the butt: Since deconstructing and running away (I'll be away from the computer most of today) is gauche, I'll leave off discussion of the (mis-)use of the word 'fundamentalist' by the large chunk of modern society (way too short version: we're all fundmantalists, because there's always something we need to be fundamentally true, whether that be the inerrancy of

[jesus_h_biscuit]

I do agree with you on the proselytizing by atheists, I know far too many who use it as a club to beat others with and it's just sad

[city_of_dis]

Honestly, I've not met too many proselytizing atheists. The only time I've ever known an atheist to mention their atheism, (aside from perhaps in writing, a blog, an interiew, etc)is when a religious person has initiated the discussion in an attempt to change their mind. I've never met an aggressive atheist in terms of public social practice. Maybe I don't get out enough.

The fact of the matter is that we're in such a minority that I'm surprised we're not all foaming at the mouth and screaming our heads to the nut house on a regular basis - we have to hear the rantings of insane people, who believe insane shit, CONSTANTLY. It's maddening.

[jesus_h_biscuit]

That's where I tend to float between being rabid and being rational, it largely depends on my mood at the time. There are also those times when I get the door-to-door ones, whom I usually invite in and offer lemonade or tea or something and whatever snacky thing we have on hand. I hear them out, I offer my position, it never goes anywhere but them being wholly confused by me, and they leave like "WTF just happened, can you still see me?"

I accept that I'm a minority in many ways, this is just one of them. Sometimes it is maddening, but that's almost always reactionary on my part. I do know of atheists who beat others over the head with their idealism, but I don't see as much evidence of it as much as I do by biblebeaters. I have to believe it has nothing to do with numbers and more to do with us not having anything to prove, and be default we don't really care as it is a nonissue.

[city_of_dis]

If one does not believe in elves, does that mean that they should take up a neutral position on the existence of elves? If we're to accept that God is possible, then we have to accept that anything, no matter how lacking probability, is also just as likely to exist as to not exist. That's inane.

To me, the lack of free will inherent in religion is one of fearmongering, programming and good, old-fashioned brainwashing. Conditioning someone from early childhood to believe in these things, obey these rules and act in a way completely contrary to your instincts...that's child abuse, in my view. *shrug* I think that the majority of people have been so saturated by the vats of religious effluvium that they can't see past the fact that their culture has programmed in them a need to believe in something that simply isn't there.

[city_of_dis]

Certainly, just because something is invisible doesn't mean it isn't there. But see, we can observe air. We can see how it moves the leaves on trees, we can feel it enterting our nostrils and our lungs. We can use equipment to get a closer look at the particles it carries. We can do none of this with God. Once upon a time, the faithful said that God was in the sky, up above the firmament, where the stars were hanging. As we got more advanced, learned that the stars were far away, that there was no firmament, and all of that fun stuff...once we went into space and didn't find God there, the faithful just adjusted the way they imagined he existed

[city_of_dis]

I don't believe in God for the same reason that I don't believe in the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Ghosts, el Chupacabra, or an invisible 100-foot-tall polka dot-strewn hippo that only the faithful can see.

Like you, I've read volumes of material on all things God. The history of the world is brimming with stories like the Bible, many of them older and most of them better written. Humanity is a very creative species and that is to our credit, but why people believe in one set of stories and not all of them, I'll never understand. Talking snakes, parting seas, whales used as transportation, every species on earth fitting into one boat...This stuff is ludicrous. If that isn't blatantly obvious to someone, well, he or she is an idiot. Religious people are Trekkies, only one step more malfunctional and obsessive.

Sorry, folks, but we Atheists spend our days in a world filled with crazy people and very few sane people. That can be tiring.

[jesus_h_biscuit]

*whispers* ...your recruitment numbers are geting low again, don't make me get the blowtorch...

[city_of_dis]

Whatever do you mean?

[jesus_h_biscuit]

Bad joke, apparently.

[arie]

You, sir, use a lot of big words in your posts.

This comment was completely non-productive, but I've been lax in the commenting department lately so thought I'd make up some. ;)

[jesus_h_biscuit]

Nuh uh!!!

[sisyphus238]

You realize, of course, that you're going to burn in hell, right?

[jesus_h_biscuit]

YAY!! I'll smoke guilt free of health anxieties once again!