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There is a belief among many christians that without god, we would degenerate into murderous, selfish, pillaging bastards. They say that he gives us our morals and our guidance, and keeps us civilized. They seem to forget that belief in god has been the cause of many of humanity's greatest wars and slaughters, an excuse for our greed, and a justification of our hate. There have been wars in the name of god, atrocities committed because "god told me to" (holocaust, crusades), and everywhere, religion discriminates against and hates almost everyone who differs from them (Jews, homosexuals, Islam). I am not saying that all religious people are hateful bastards. Quite untrue. There are many who are very kind, wonderful people. Deluded, but that's beside the point This is not because of god, it is because of their interpretation of god. God is simply a middle man, a scapegoat who can be praised for our achievements and cursed for our failures. I say, cut him out. Think for yourself and common sense will supply you with all of the morals, ethics, and selflessness that people attribute with religion. Free will, not god, allows us to think for ourselves and choose not to be bastards.
Not all Atheists are not hateful or spiteful. We do not wish to destroy spirituality or goodwill, or the search for answers. However, most of us do wish for an end to organized religion, because it stops people from finding those answers. Those who follow religion believe they have the answers already. We as Atheists don't hate religious people, we pity them. As you try to convert us to your religions, we hope to convince you to open your eyes, if just for a second, so that you can see past the limitations of the hypothesis of god and start searching for your own answers, outside of the ones provided by religion. We have our own morals and scruples, as freethinking Atheists. I don't want to sound condescending, I want to be blunt and to the point. As a scientific hypothesis, god is over 2000 years out of date and still has no evidence to support it; your texts are full of errors and contradictions and are comprised mostly of older stories taken from earlier systems of belief. (yes, they did exist). Yes, religions have answers. The wrong answers.
This is my call any religious person reading this blog. Stop focusing on recycling flawed ideas that were conceived millenia ago, and experience thinking for yourself. Choose to work towards something more worthwhile than religion. Science is not an organization trying to bring you down, it is a system for finding answers; not so different from religion. It is, however, more careful, more precise, more up to date, more malleable. It is powered by free will and the motivation to learn, where religion is powered by faith, and this is precisely why science has disproved and shaken so many of the foundations of the religions, respectively. Don't let some imaginary being or some old book tell you how to act civilized. You will have so much more power and confidence in yourself if you choose to be civilized on your own.
14 December, 2008
12 December, 2008
Deceit, Corruption, and the Church..
By Daniel the "Scientist"
Why do you trust them?
The church has been filled with corruption since its creation. When the odds, logic, and science are all stacked against it, the Church will still cling to the beloved book. The Christians will cling to the church. It is an unfortunate and dogmatic chain, but it has largely controlled the western world since the dawn of Christianity.
Galileo was the first astronomer to challenge the Church's beloved concept of the earth-centric universe. He had a new theory of a heliocentric universe revolving around the sun. Galileo backed his claims with maps of the (solar) system, observation from his telesope, and with mathematics. According to the church, the new Heliocentric Theory contradicted the bible, thus it could not be true. Galileo took Augustine's stance on scripture (to not take everything in the bible literally) in order to defend this new system. Despite the strong evidence in his favor, the church failed to agree. Galileo was tried before the Spanish Inquisition for Heresy and forced to revoke his theory, now stating that it was false. Problem is,
Galileo was right. (Well, he was much closer than anything the other Catholics had to offer)
Did you know when the church finally recognized that the earth revolves around the sun? 1992. It took 300 years for the Christians and their church to recognize that the Earth is not the center of the universe. That is 300 years that the Church lied to everyone. I'm not sure if its a commandment, but I'm pretty sure "thou shalt not lie" is a pretty basic part of Christianity. So now that we have established that the Church is corrupt (forcing a scientist to revoke his opinion), not all knowing (the Earth was actually not the center of the universe), not all honest (I'm pretty sure they realized that they were wrong before finally admitting it in 1992),, and not all in good faith (they nearly executed a man for having a different opinion), I have a nail to drive in.
So how about that homophobia the Church is so famous for? How can god hate homophobics when His priests are so notorious for molesting little children on the altar. Scratch that, not little children, just little boys. They tell you that open homosexuality is bad, but what about closed, non-consensual homosexual rape? So in addition to being corrupt, not all knowing, dishonest, and not in good faith, the church is also hypocritical – and you say that man would have no morals without god...
Besides all that, there is the theory of evolution that the Church so dogmatically denies. Why? Because it conflicts with their dogmatic Creationist theory. FLAWED. Creationism and Evolution are not mutually exclusive. Evolution is based on natural selection, otherwise known as survival of the fittest. Over long periods of time, natural selection will eliminate those who could not survive. In other words, nothing new is created, just the good of the old maximized in the new. For a metaphor, imagine that a picture you make in Microsoft Paint is a species. Now use the magnifying glass tool and zoom in on a part of the picture. You have just "eliminated" part of the "species" (picture) through "natural selection (zooming in)." As you may have noticed, its still part of the same image, but its a smaller part, and its qualities are maximized within the part you now see. Evolution is in no way mutually exclusive to creationism, because we are simply descendents of the older beings with our specific human traits concentrated into our species. The church seems to ignore the evidence in favor of reading scripture. The field of Paleontology has some choice words for your bible, and your theory of Creationism. Are you sensing a pattern? You should be.
Religion is not for your benefit. Its for Church's. The Church is not interested in anything more than doggedly holding on to the power they currently have and the wealth they control. Why else would they accept “pardons” (you pay the church to cleanse yourself of your sins) throughout history? If you want to be a true Christian, do yourself a favor and read the bible the way it was meant to be interpreted: by you.
Atheists don't exist?
http://christiantheology.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/atheists-dont-exist/
Go ahead, read it. I don't think it contains a single shred of fact. Not even a shadow of a fact?
Go ahead, read it. I don't think it contains a single shred of fact. Not even a shadow of a fact?
11 December, 2008
The Fallacy Of Faith
By Silas The Philosopher
One of the things that many Judeo-Christian religions seem to cling to is the idea of faith. Faith, for a member of a religion, is a very powerful tool. It can be used to explain yourself, your actions; it can be used as an excuse; it can even be used to “defeat” an atheist or agnostic in an argument. This is, of course, is due to the fact that faith is based not off of facts, but assumption. Religious faith can be described with this simple, concise epigram: When you believe in a reliable source, that's trust. When you trust in an unreliable source, that's faith.
True belief is supposed to be based upon facts, or at least educated, logical hypothesizing. When you believe in something or someone, it is understood that you have a logical reason for doing so. For example, I believe that the three judeo religions are wrong because I know that their teachings are full of contradictions and because I have seen members of those religions arguing over the meanings of the same, vague book. However, modern faith doesn't require any logic, backup, proof, fact, or otherwise to support it. It is belief with no logic and no reason. Because of this, I am regularly puzzled by people who seem to hold faith in such high regard. Faith has become something to admire by the general religious populous. Saying "I have faith" has transformed from the default answer of a factually deprived speaker into a motto of religion.
Yet, we have to understand as a people that actions without throught and logic is extremely dangerous. Suicide bombers kill hundreds because their faith promises gratouitous female companionship in the afterlife. Several christian sects deny global warming and are determined to consume our natural resources because they have faith in god's ability to provide us with more. If we continue this decline of logic and reason, we will literally destroy ourselves.
At its core, modern faith is still an excuse. A loophole. It allows people to bypass logic and facts and move straight conclusions and action. They can avoid the massive holes and discrepancies in their respective religions and somehow claim that they know what is right based on their faith. When someone says "I have faith", it really means "I don't have any factual basis for what im saying, but I still stubbornly believe it". If the human race is to survive and indeed evolve, we must bypass this ignorant practice.
True belief is supposed to be based upon facts, or at least educated, logical hypothesizing. When you believe in something or someone, it is understood that you have a logical reason for doing so. For example, I believe that the three judeo religions are wrong because I know that their teachings are full of contradictions and because I have seen members of those religions arguing over the meanings of the same, vague book. However, modern faith doesn't require any logic, backup, proof, fact, or otherwise to support it. It is belief with no logic and no reason. Because of this, I am regularly puzzled by people who seem to hold faith in such high regard. Faith has become something to admire by the general religious populous. Saying "I have faith" has transformed from the default answer of a factually deprived speaker into a motto of religion.
Yet, we have to understand as a people that actions without throught and logic is extremely dangerous. Suicide bombers kill hundreds because their faith promises gratouitous female companionship in the afterlife. Several christian sects deny global warming and are determined to consume our natural resources because they have faith in god's ability to provide us with more. If we continue this decline of logic and reason, we will literally destroy ourselves.
At its core, modern faith is still an excuse. A loophole. It allows people to bypass logic and facts and move straight conclusions and action. They can avoid the massive holes and discrepancies in their respective religions and somehow claim that they know what is right based on their faith. When someone says "I have faith", it really means "I don't have any factual basis for what im saying, but I still stubbornly believe it". If the human race is to survive and indeed evolve, we must bypass this ignorant practice.
09 December, 2008
Young Earth Creationism (Daniel)
The Genesis system of creation is outlined in the first two chapters of the bible. The gist of it is that God created the universe in 6 days, starting on day 1 by creating light and darkness. On day 2, God proceeds to create the heaven, saying "Let there be an expanse...." He then divides the waters that were above this expanse from the waters below it, and calls this new expanse "Heaven." Day 3 sees the creation of dry land and sea. On the fourth day, God lights up the heavens. Day five has brand new sea creatures and birds unveiled. On the 6th, final day, land animals and human beings are created. I'm an Atheist, so naturally, I feel obligated to point out the flaws in this Hypothesis. I can't even call it a theory, because theories are supported by scientific evidence. The YEC (Young Earth Creationism) hypothesis has very little scientific basis. What is scientific is highly questionable.
So if this almighty being can do whatever the hell he wants (he has unlimited power, yes?), why does it take six days to create the universe? It seems to me that it could be done in a matter of seconds by an almighty being. A simple "BANG!" and a wave of God's finger should suffice.
Of course, this all happened 6,000-10,000 years ago, and all the land animals were created at the same time. By this logic, humans and dinosaurs lived together, so why do all the dinosaur bones appear to be so goddamn much older than ours? I've asked this question to a few Christians, who promptly reply "God is testing our faith." Do they really believe that? Why would a god judge humans based on a befief for which no evidence was supplied, and in fact, much evidence contradicted? Thats not a test at all of moral quality or heaven-worthiness. If you believe in YEC, the Paleontoligist field of science would like to have a word with you.
As a Christian, you believe that god has existed forever and created the universe. As an Atheist, I believe that matter has always existed, and that the universe simply always was. You tell me "something had to create the universe," to which I reply without hesitance that "If something had to create the universe, didn't something have to create God? " Double standards, my friend, double standards. To the people I've asked, their response to that is "So why would you believe that matter has existed forever instead of god?" My answer is quite final. "I see matter here. I see no god."
A final point that Christians in particular seem to deny is the Theory of Evolution. Notice the word "theory." I used it because the Theory of Evolution has scientific evidence to support it. Many Christians believe that all species are exactly as God created them. Once again, Paleontology would like a word with you. Ya know all those bones from thousands of years ago that look like ours? I believe "she" was named Lucy. Her bones seem a bit similar to ours, but so much older... its almost like we humans descended from a species like Lucy! Oh, my bad, that just God testing your faith again.
You know what faith means? Belief not based on proof, evidence, or fact. You know why I believe in evolution? Fact, and strong evidence support it. Creationism has a 2,000 year old book to support it, a book of questionable dependability at best.
As Stephen Henry Roberts, "I contend that we are both Atheists. I simply believe in one fewer god than you. Once you understand why you reject all the other gods, you will understand why I reject yours."
So if this almighty being can do whatever the hell he wants (he has unlimited power, yes?), why does it take six days to create the universe? It seems to me that it could be done in a matter of seconds by an almighty being. A simple "BANG!" and a wave of God's finger should suffice.
Of course, this all happened 6,000-10,000 years ago, and all the land animals were created at the same time. By this logic, humans and dinosaurs lived together, so why do all the dinosaur bones appear to be so goddamn much older than ours? I've asked this question to a few Christians, who promptly reply "God is testing our faith." Do they really believe that? Why would a god judge humans based on a befief for which no evidence was supplied, and in fact, much evidence contradicted? Thats not a test at all of moral quality or heaven-worthiness. If you believe in YEC, the Paleontoligist field of science would like to have a word with you.
As a Christian, you believe that god has existed forever and created the universe. As an Atheist, I believe that matter has always existed, and that the universe simply always was. You tell me "something had to create the universe," to which I reply without hesitance that "If something had to create the universe, didn't something have to create God? " Double standards, my friend, double standards. To the people I've asked, their response to that is "So why would you believe that matter has existed forever instead of god?" My answer is quite final. "I see matter here. I see no god."
A final point that Christians in particular seem to deny is the Theory of Evolution. Notice the word "theory." I used it because the Theory of Evolution has scientific evidence to support it. Many Christians believe that all species are exactly as God created them. Once again, Paleontology would like a word with you. Ya know all those bones from thousands of years ago that look like ours? I believe "she" was named Lucy. Her bones seem a bit similar to ours, but so much older... its almost like we humans descended from a species like Lucy! Oh, my bad, that just God testing your faith again.
You know what faith means? Belief not based on proof, evidence, or fact. You know why I believe in evolution? Fact, and strong evidence support it. Creationism has a 2,000 year old book to support it, a book of questionable dependability at best.
As Stephen Henry Roberts, "I contend that we are both Atheists. I simply believe in one fewer god than you. Once you understand why you reject all the other gods, you will understand why I reject yours."
Same Sex Marriage (Daniel)
And almost as long since I wiped nearly my whole blog. So I figure I should post something important now. The topic of gay marriage came up today and I had a nice argument on that so I suppose I'll summarize my position on that.
From a moral standpoint, you have problems if you don't believe in gay marriage. If a man I know marries another man, no harm is done. If I'm a christian (which I'm not), they will be going to hell. What harm is done to me and other faithful Christians? None. If they want to live out life in happiness with each other and then suffer for eternity in hell, its their choice, not mine, not yours. I'm not the one going to hell (that all is from the standpoint of a christian, which I am not), nor is it my right to choose their fate for them.
Some people say society is based around the family, and that gay marriages cannot create families (they still keep trying, right?!). I suppose next, marriage will be a requirement by this standard. If you don't marry you should die! That is no less wrong than denying a gay couple marriage. Chances, those two gay people weren't going to marry someone of the opposite sex anyways, so they would not create a family either way. Even if a gay couple cannot create a child of their own, there is an option known as adoption. A gay couple can love an adopted child as much as any other couple can.
Now that the moral part is over, its time to talk about the constitutional part. Even if gay marriage is "wrong," (which I don't believe it is), it is unconstitutional to deny it. Why? The USA is supposed to have equal rights for all citizens. A woman can marry a man (assuming they are both citizens). Denying another man to marry that same man is applying a different standard to them. A woman can marry said man, but a man can't? That's NOT equal. We value equality here in the USA, and if you don't believe in equality, get the hell out and let the country be better off without pricks like you.
In this country, our educational system (idea for another blog...) practically brainwashes us to appreciate differences. So why are gays and lesbians outcasted in so many areas of the country? Religion, mostly. Most people who are against gay marriage can have that belief traced to a 2,000 year old book commonly known as the bible. If you are letting that 2,000 year old( rewrite of an older rewrite (the old testament)), book (which is supposedly the word of god) dictate your modern opinion 2000 years later, I have some advice for you: THINK FOR YOUR SELF YOU MORAN (typo=joke). Don't allow an author from 2000 years ago do your thinking. You don't even know if god exists, nonetheless if he has something against homosexuals.
Free thinking. That is the answer. Every time you need an answer to a moral question, ask yourself, not a 2,000 year old artifact. Once you do that, you'll realize that gay marriage does no harm to anyone, and it makes some feel much more completed. No harm to any, great benefits to many. Weigh the pro's and cons. The pros are obvious: many couples could be free to love and marry, the constitution would be upheld, and we could move on to the next civil rights issue. Cons? I guess it costs money to marry, thats about it.
I shall finish this with a last bit of advice. Don't bring a 2,000 year old sword to a modern gun fight.
Don't bring 2,000 year old morals to a modern problem.
From a moral standpoint, you have problems if you don't believe in gay marriage. If a man I know marries another man, no harm is done. If I'm a christian (which I'm not), they will be going to hell. What harm is done to me and other faithful Christians? None. If they want to live out life in happiness with each other and then suffer for eternity in hell, its their choice, not mine, not yours. I'm not the one going to hell (that all is from the standpoint of a christian, which I am not), nor is it my right to choose their fate for them.
Some people say society is based around the family, and that gay marriages cannot create families (they still keep trying, right?!). I suppose next, marriage will be a requirement by this standard. If you don't marry you should die! That is no less wrong than denying a gay couple marriage. Chances, those two gay people weren't going to marry someone of the opposite sex anyways, so they would not create a family either way. Even if a gay couple cannot create a child of their own, there is an option known as adoption. A gay couple can love an adopted child as much as any other couple can.
Now that the moral part is over, its time to talk about the constitutional part. Even if gay marriage is "wrong," (which I don't believe it is), it is unconstitutional to deny it. Why? The USA is supposed to have equal rights for all citizens. A woman can marry a man (assuming they are both citizens). Denying another man to marry that same man is applying a different standard to them. A woman can marry said man, but a man can't? That's NOT equal. We value equality here in the USA, and if you don't believe in equality, get the hell out and let the country be better off without pricks like you.
In this country, our educational system (idea for another blog...) practically brainwashes us to appreciate differences. So why are gays and lesbians outcasted in so many areas of the country? Religion, mostly. Most people who are against gay marriage can have that belief traced to a 2,000 year old book commonly known as the bible. If you are letting that 2,000 year old( rewrite of an older rewrite (the old testament)), book (which is supposedly the word of god) dictate your modern opinion 2000 years later, I have some advice for you: THINK FOR YOUR SELF YOU MORAN (typo=joke). Don't allow an author from 2000 years ago do your thinking. You don't even know if god exists, nonetheless if he has something against homosexuals.
Free thinking. That is the answer. Every time you need an answer to a moral question, ask yourself, not a 2,000 year old artifact. Once you do that, you'll realize that gay marriage does no harm to anyone, and it makes some feel much more completed. No harm to any, great benefits to many. Weigh the pro's and cons. The pros are obvious: many couples could be free to love and marry, the constitution would be upheld, and we could move on to the next civil rights issue. Cons? I guess it costs money to marry, thats about it.
I shall finish this with a last bit of advice. Don't bring a 2,000 year old sword to a modern gun fight.
Don't bring 2,000 year old morals to a modern problem.
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