Hello again to my Loyal Follower… This will likely be the longest post I will make here. When I was witting it on my laptop it easily spanned 15 pages. I trimmed it down just over 5, but it is still a doozy. I had planned on working on it more, and releasing it later in the year, as I have multiple writing projects on the go, but a recent event with a friend on Facebook has inspired me to expedite the process and release it a bit earlier than originally intended. My process has been slow and calculated. Every step taken with careful planning; and executed with military precision. I can’t imagine taking this whole process as one giant leap. My mind would have gone into stimulus overload. This post was pieced together over a 7-8 month period, so parts may seem a bit choppy, but none the less, I think it gets the point across. I will quote a particular person a number of times, only because no matter how long I sit and think, I can’t express my feelings through words better than he already has. I kept going back to the same words he used, so I figured I’d just quote him when appropriate. So here it is. Hope you enjoy it.When I was little, I always did what I was told, as any good Christian boy should. My parents went to church every Sunday like clockwork. I liked those Sundays, because I got to see some of my other friends, play with the wide array of toys, and run around in the gym. And on the way home we went to McDonalds for a Happy meal! Oh, and they threw in some religion too. They taught us about Jesus, God, and the bible, but never really getting into too much detail. We were young, and impressionable. We believed our elders knew more than us, and so we believed it with out really thinking about it. Ok, Jesus Died for our sins. Sucks to be Jesus. I never really thought about it too much. I took what our teacher said at face value. My parents seemed to think everything here was on the up and up, so I went with it. I was one of those blind followers, who didn’t examine what I was being told. That was until I reached about 14. That’s when my Eyes began to open.
In our Church, which happened to be Lutheran, at 14 a person qualified for what is called “Confirmation Class.” It is a 2-year program of Bible study, and once a week classes. Upon completion of this course you are paraded out in front of the Congregation in a white robe and you proclaim your commitment to God in front of all your friends and Family. It was in those two years where I started to realize… I didn’t believe a word of this crap!
In Sunday school we were read specific passages from the bible. Just the stuff they wanted us to know, or accept. The usual, like how a guy lived in a whale, another guy put 2 of every living creature on a boat, how some other guy died and rose from the dead, and how his mother was a virgin, Blah blah blah. But in Confirmation class things were a little more in depth, and that is where my belief in this deity began to waver. Part of our “homework” (yeah, homework from Bible class, yippy) was to read the bible. We were only given specific chapters to read, but being a keener, I read the whole damn thing… twice! “In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth…” “Ok, so if god created everything, how old is the universe?” I asked our Pastor. His answer was, according to the Bible, the earth was approximately 5000-6000 years old. “Ok, but if that is true, then how do you explain the dinosaurs? Aren’t they over 65 million years old?” He told me that the earth wasn’t old enough for that to be accurate, and that carbon dating techniques are flawed. Hmm, right off the bat I had pinned him in a corner, because I knew that carbon dating was fairly accurate, we were taught that in our grade 9 Science class. Not a hard concept to grasp, really. Carbon degrades at a specific rate, and using that you can determine how old an object is. Score 1 for me.
Adam and Eve, the first 2 humans on the planet, placed in the Garden of Eden by god. “Ok, if we are all descendants of Adam and Eve, and if human in-breeding leads to Genetic Mutation, how have humans been able to survive this long without being deformed? And didn’t the bible say incest was a sin?” “Well Jason, Adam and eve weren’t brother and sister, so that would be OK.” “But the bible says they only had 3 sons. So wouldn’t that have meant that one of those sons would have had to sleep with his mother? And wouldn’t that have been incest, and a sin?” The pastor didn’t really have an answer for that one. Only 2 weeks in and I’ve got him on the ropes. Sorry Pastor, 2-0.
I guess the next step is Noah, the ark, the flood, and 2 of every living creature. “Ok, how was it possible for someone to build a boat capable of carrying 2 of all 10 billion+ species on earth, and then have them dispersed so that they all end up in the right place afterwards?” The only answer he could offer was that God had helped him. Sorry dude, but that answer doesn’t work. “Oh, and since god had killed everyone on Earth, and left only a single Family… aren’t we back to the incest question again?” Again I had him stumped. 4-0. There are many Cultures that have “Noah” stories. They are all along the same lines. Big flood, boat full of goods and animals, happy landing on a hilltop, etc. Many of these stories originated in the areas around the Tigris, and Euphrates rivers, around what is now present-day Iraq. One such story involves a Sumerian King, named Zyethsudra. One year, about 2100BC, there was a 6-day storm and the Euphrates River overflowed the levys, and a lot of people got killed. Zyethsudra commandeered a local barge, and rode the flood down stream where he eventually ran aground. Being thankful to be alive, he offered a sacrifice in a hilltop temple. Big flood, boat full of goods, happy landing on a hilltop! And there is historical, and archaeological evidence to support that.
I should probably mention that I wasn’t the only person in this class. There were 5 of us in this group. Unfortunately, while I was grilling the Pastor to provide me with any evidence, or proof of some kind, the others were taking notes, and reading ahead so they would be ready for next week. So far all of my questions, and logic, had fallen on deaf ears. They were so convinced that God existed, that they didn’t even want to hear what I had to say. I was challenging their Faith, and God is infallible, and shouldn’t be challenged… apparently. I’ll be honest, at this point believed in God, but I was starting to wonder if maybe my faith was misplaced. My parents and grandparents were still avid Christians, and if I didn’t get confirmed, I would be letting them down. So I toned down the questions a little bit, and tried to accept things. But really, that train had left the station, and there was no going back.
Well, back to our in-flight movie… As our Bible readings continued, I discovered many more passages along the way that I felt required some explanation. Yeah, I’ve got more… lots More!
Moses, and the Red Sea. So the bible tells us that there are thousands of Hebrews enslaved in Egypt. “Ok, so if there were these Hebrew slaves, how come the Egyptians, who kept immaculate records, never mentioned any Hebrew slaves anywhere in their history?” Apparently they were stricken from the record, so as to not cause any undue embarrassment for the Pharaoh. Sounds reasonable, I guess. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for the loss of an entire Kingdom’s working class either. But… “If they wandered around in the desert for 40 years, wouldn’t they have left behind some kind of evidence? A hundred thousand people, in the desert for 40 years… they had to have left something behind, right? Nope! And, it’s really not that far between Egypt and Israel. “Did Mosses really have to part the Red sea? I mean if they were building pyramids, wouldn’t they have been slaves at Giza, which is far enough North that they could have walked around the tip of the Red sea with out having to cross a 40 mile wide patch of water?” “And why did god need 10 Plagues? Couldn’t he just appeared to the Pharaoh, and delivered his message in person? And why kill the first-born sons? They were just innocent children. Not the people that committed the crime, but their children? Is that really the work of a loving God?” Apparently this god works in Mysterious, inefficient, and breathtakingly cruel ways.
And I can go even further. Here are a few specific examples of some of the Passages in the Bible that, for some reason or another, are never mentioned in Church.
1) Exodus 21:7, says it is OK to sell your daughter into Slavery. (not even in Nevada!)
2) Exodus 35:2, states that any person who works on the Sabbath should be put to death. (You gonna feel good about enforcing this one?)
3) Corinthians 11:14, “Doth not even nature itself teaches you that if a man has long hair, it is a shame unto him.” (ever seen a painting of Jesus?)
4) Corinthians 11:19-24, Commands that no man shall go near a woman when she is in her “Period of menstrual uncleanliness.”
5) 5) Matthew 1:16; “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” But in Luke 3:23, “And Jesus himself began to be about 30 years of age, being the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.” So who is Joseph’s daddy? Jacob, or Heli?
6) John 10:30, “I and my Father are one.” But in Jon 14:28, “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.” So who is greater than, or equal to whom?
7) Genesis 32:30 "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." But, in John 1:18, "No man hath seen God at any time.”
If it’s your God, and your God is Infallible, you can’t throw out some of the rules just because you don’t like them. Just a note, that that is one of my biggest problems with Christianity. The bible contains so many contradictions. If it is the “word of God” then it should be immaculate, right. And why do Christians, specifically Catholics, pick and choose the rules they like and the ones they don’t like. The double standards are really obvious, and I don’t know why more people have it figured out. Faith, of all the supposed “Virtues” is by far the most over ratted. “Faith is believing in something you know ain’t true.” –Samuel Clemmons.
“We were told long ago, and for a long time, that there was only the earth. That we were the center of everything. That turned out to be wrong. We still haven’t fully adjusted; we’re still in shock. The universe is not what we expected it to be, it’s not what they told us it would be. This cosmic understanding is all new to us. But there’s nothing to fear. We’re still special; we’re still blessed. And there might yet be a heaven, but it isn’t going to be perfect. And we’re going to have to build it ourselves. If I have something that could be called a soul that needed saving… then Science saved it, from religion!” –Phil Hellenes
I asked the Pastor about many of these, or similar, passages and got the generic excuses. Two or more Authors, You have to have Faith, Sometimes the Bible is Literal and sometimes its symbolic. These excuses continued for the 2 years of the course. I even got the same answers from my parents, grandparents and friends when I asked them if they ever thought about it. This was the beginning of the end for my Faith. I was still a Christian at this point, but my scepticism had grown to a point that by the time I was 16, and preparing for my Confirmation into the Lutheran Congregation, I was firmly Agnostic. I had progressed from Lutheran, to Agnostic in less than 2 years, but this was only the tip of the iceberg. I had made great progress, but I was still torn between the two sides. My family, and friends were pushing me in one direction, but my Mind was pushing me in a completely different direction. Being a young man, and not very mature at the time, it was difficult for me. I moved fully to Atheist a little later, but for now, back to the classroom.
Now I’ve never been any good at Science, or mathematics. I would write it off as having very poor teachers from grade 3 through 12. The kind of teachers who when I would ask a question would treat me like I was an idiot for even asking. “Why? What do you mean why? It’s because I said so, that’s why. Now get back to your desk and be Quiet.” So my question asking was stunted for about 4-5 years. I just sat in class, and tried to absorb what the teacher said without ever questioning the reasoning. That was, until I got to that Class at the church. I was told there to ask any questions I may have, whenever they came up. (insert “devilish” Smile here) So suddenly my curiosity was being stimulated. I was allowed to speak up, and get an explanation. So up went my arm, on a regular basis. I was actually told to stop asking so many questions, as the class is only 2 hours long. “Save those questions for Sunday morning after the sermon, young Man.” But I digress. I love Science, I was really interested in learning about Physics, and Chemistry, and Biology; the how, the where, and the why of life and the universe. I knew that those classes could offer me more insight into the origins of the planet and the universe. But sadly, my math skills were so diminished by poor teaching at earlier grades that the concepts were difficult for me to grasp, and I ended up Flunking out of those classes I so thoroughly enjoyed. So since I knew I wasn’t going to be a physicist, or a chemist, or a biologist, I turned to places that I could get that information, the Library (the books on Darwin, and Planets, and the big bang were always there. I don’t think anyone besides me ever read them), PBS (Bill Nye the Science guy), and Discovery channel (many programs on Geology, astronomy, galactic motion, Atoms, continental drift, carbon dating, Solar Cycles, global climate patterns etc). I was fully convinced at this point that the earth was not 5000 years old as the bible claims it to be. More like 3.4 Billion years. The church is off by a fraction or two! I’d give them a few million years or so, but to be off by over 3.3 Billion… Seriously?? And we now know the approximate age of the universe to be around 14.7 billion years. I was also taught in school, at a young age, that the earth moves around the sun, a little tidbit that was contradicted by the bible by the way. I made a point of brining that up in Bible class as well, and got those same generic responses. “Well that may have been an exaggeration. There were many Authors whose godly work was collaborated to form the Bible, it was possible that someone may have misinterpreted God’s words, and said the earth was the center. Also the original Bible was written in Latin, and possibly a word or two may have been mistranslated.” Ok, so the divine word of God was misrepresented by an idiot author, or mistranslated by another idiot. What all-powerful god would have allowed his divine word to be mistreated as such??).
“When I compare what scientific knowledge has done for me, and what religion tried to do to me… I sometimes literally Shiver! Religions tell children that they might go to Hell, and they must believe. While science tells children they came from the stars, and presents reasoning they can believe. I’ve told plenty of young kids about stars and atoms and galaxies, and the Big Bang, and I have never seen fear in their eyes. Only amazement, and curiosity. They want more. Why do Kids swim in it, and adults drown in it. What happens to reality between our youngest years and adulthood? Could it be, that someone promised us something so beautiful that our universe seems dull, empty, even frightening, by comparison? “–Phil Hellenes
“There is no word for such experiences that come through Scientific, and not Mystical, revelation. The reason for that, is that every time someone has such a “Mindgasm,” religion steals it, simply by saying ‘Ah, you’ve had a religious experience.’ And spiritualists will pull the same shit. And both camps get angry when an Atheist like me tells you that I only had these experiences after rejecting everything supernatural. But I do admit, that after such experiences, the moments when reality hits me like a winning lottery ticket, I often think about religion. And how Lucky I am that I am not religious.” –Phil Hellenes
At about the halfway point of the class, we moved on from the Old Testament, to the New Testament. The virgin Birth, Jesus, the crucifixion, and Jesus rising from the dead were the main focus. Jesus’ mother was supposedly a virgin, blessed with the Son of God. I like what Denis Leary had to say about that. “I have no doubt that a guy named Jesus existed. But 9 months before he was born, I believe that someone sure a shit banged the hell out of his mom!” Of course I was sceptical of a virgin birth. I didn’t sleep through health class in grades 8 and 9, so the mechanics of making a baby were not all that foreign to me. And by this time (15), I was no longer a virgin, so I had some first hand experience with those mechanics. I could imagine though, that 2000 years ago, the whole baby making process would be a bit of a mystery. I’m sure they understood the cause and effect of sex, but not quite sure they knew about what happened once the deed was done.
Of course if a guy named Jesus lived, he had to die, right? What was interesting to learn was that Jesus was not the only Messiah at the time. There were hundreds of them. Monty python’s “Life of Brian” was more historically accurate the Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” One prime example was Apalonious of Tyana. He claimed to heal the sick, walk through walls, and walk on water. He was persecuted for his beliefs, tried by the local Roman courts, crucified, and his followers claimed he rose from the dead a few days later. Sound familiar?
“Let’s take a moment to go over some of the relevant lessons we can learn, from the King of Kings…
Elvis Aaron Priestly, Died in 1977. He was born and Lived at time when most people in his land were Illiterate. We have many firsthand reports about Elvis’ Life, we have many reliable records, Medical, Musical, and otherwise. Even so, there are people, Lots of people, who Insist Elvis is not really dead. Sound Familiar? Even the dozens of books written by People who actually knew Elvis contain Conflicting Stories of his life. Sound Familiar? We have Photographs of Elvis, in the Morgue, Dead as F%#King Doornail. And in Just 30 years, there are stories that he’s not dead. In “Fit for a King” an important work delving into Elvis’ eating habits, the author suggests that in order to make Elvis’ Beloved Fried Chicken you will need ¾ cup of flour, Paprika, salt & Pepper. In “Are you Hungry tonight? A definitive look into Elvis’ Favourite foods.” The King’s Beloved Fried Chicken Recipe calls for ½ Cup of Flour, Salt & Pepper. Glaring Differences… ¼ cup less Flour No Paprika! F#&&ing Heretics! Now Imagine trying to figure, which was the real Elvis Chicken, 2000 years from now.” – Penn Jillette.
One thing I have to mention here, is probably the most disturbing thing any religious person has ever said to me. I should probably have been less shocked to hear it, but it was really unexpected at the time. I had just barely started sticking my Toes out of the closet, when my Kidneys started to fail, and someone I won’t say whom, but if they ever look me up, and read this they’ll know who they are. She said to me… “Maybe God is mad at you for saying he doesn’t exist. And he’s punishing you by putting you through all this pain. Maybe if you went back to Church, he’d heal you.” I was both Insulted, and dumbfounded at the sheer Ignorance, and stupidity of that statement. And It set me back a few months in my Escape from the closet, but in actuality that incident turned into one of the 2 Key events that year that would send me out of the darkness, Guns a Blazin!
Having a Long-term, what most doctors would classify as a Terminal Illness, takes a lot out of you. It really affects who you are as a person. It severely alters your perception of life and death. I, like most people, when getting the news, went through my own process of denial, grief, bargaining, and acceptance. But at no point in that process did I ever “Pray” or ask God to make it go away. I knew better than that. I went to a Hospital, and talked to Doctors, Pharmacists, Dietitians, and Specialists. I felt they had a much better chance to do some good. Even though the help was there, I still had a lot of trouble accepting it, and living with it. But what made that trouble worse was the constant badgering I would get from Religious friends and family. Always wanting me to pray with them, or wanting to pray for me. The worst among them would invite me to church, or send me emails about a spiritual healer who was going to be visiting nearby. I can’t count the number of Emails I got in the first few months after my Initial round of Dialysis began. I actually had one distant friend send me an email about Reverend Peter Popoff. I would suggest you look him up on You tube, and refer to the episode of the tonight show where he was Exposed as a fraud by James “The Amazing” Randi (more on Him in other posts). It was 2005, and I was firmly an Atheist, but I was still Hiding my beliefs from those closest to me. My Parents, and grandparents. In fact, I still haven’t told my Grandparents in California, simply because I think it might crush them emotionally. They are retired, and spend every spare second they have working in, for, or on the church, at various functions. Finding out their eldest Grandson won’t be joining them in Heaven might just destroy them. I’m not without compassion, so in this one case I felt it best that they just remain blissfully unaware where I stand. They are smart people, so I’m sure they will figure it out, when I won’t join them for Sunday service during my next visit, or spend any unnecessary time in the church. If I start hissing and spitting at the cross, or get hit by a very accurate bolt of lightning, would possibly be other clues, but as I have stated earlier… the likelihood of any type of divine intervention is zilch! But I appreciate the concern these friends and family have shown for my condition, I just wish that they would do something much more productive to help. 2000 years of prayer hasn’t done anything, why would it start working now? I have had my name added to “Prayed chains” that have circled the globe. Again, the concern has not fallen on deaf ears, but the methods of expressing that concern have. I don’t want or need any prayers, what I need is a donor, really. Ok, question for you, my dear reader… what is your Blood type?? Ha Just kidding. Or am I? Yeah I am. Or maybe not! If someone wants to help me, but isn’t willing to give up an organ, there are many other ways that I would love for you to help. Go to your local Blood clinic and Donate blood. I have needed blood in the past (when they gut you like a fish to get access to your innards and poke around for an hour or two, you lose a bit of blood), and it is a worthwhile cause. If someone from the Kidney foundation (make sure they are real!!!) asks you for a donation, give them $5 bucks. Every little bit helps. Attend a fund raising event in support of the kidney foundation. I’m sure there will be one near you at some point. Or hell, just come spend 10 minutes with me at dialysis. All most of the people there really want is someone to talk to. It pretty freaking lonely sitting there for 4 hours, alone. But for F**ks Sake, don’t pray for me. I don’t want you to waste your breath, or your precious Neurons.
Up to about 2006, I would only tell my closest friends that I didn’t believe in God. I still hadn’t informed my Mother, or sister (my dad Knew, and definitely has been very supportive. I think he’s still on Gods side, but he is seeing my Point.) of my beliefs, but thought they would figure it out in time. But it was in 2005 I discovered a Television show called “ BullShit.” Out of the USA. Now most of my friends have heard me sing it’s praises, but that’s not what I’m here to do today. The two stars of the show are Penn Jillette, and Teller. Both very talented Magicians, and entertainers. I had known about them for years, and liked their magical routines, but had no Idea they were out of the closet atheists. Watching interviews of them discussing their faith, or lack thereof, was the second event that gave me the confidence to make it public where I stood. It was so inspiring to me, just to hear that from someone that I had admired. Just hearing a famous person say, “There is No God” was profound. Seeing them speak so openly, and confidently, really did give me the push I needed.
I suffered through discrimination similar to what Gays went through in the 80’s and 90’s, and what Blacks went through for 400 years. Not to the same extent, but it still affects you. Your friends shun you; people give those awful stares of fear and hatred. The worst was the Catholics. I received the worst bullshit from them. “You’re a sinner and you’ll go to Hell! You’re a tool of the Devil! You’re an Evil person! Why do you hate God?” Awe, how 1742 of you to think that. Don’t worry, your rotting corpse will be in a hole in the ground soon enough. So in order to keep my beliefs a secret, I hid them away, down deep in my soul, and paid lip service to friends and family, just to avoid the segregation I was already starting to feel. And that is exactly what the Church wanted me to feel. They wanted me to feel alone, un loved, and un wanted by society, so that I would come running home to the church, tail between my Legs, begging for their forgiveness and love. In exactly the same way Alcoholics Anonymous brings people to the church, although, that is another blog entry all together. But I didn’t go crawling back; I cut ties with the church all together. I stayed true to what I knew was right. And I knew it wasn’t them. The hate and disgust I took away from the church wasn’t from the people themselves. Away from religion they are kind enough people. But it’s when their beliefs are challenged in any way that the forked tongues began their assault. With “Saving me” as their ultimate goal, the people I once called Friends, my classmates from Sunday school, and even my family began their attempt at twisting me back in to the Pew. They began talking behind my back, pointing, and whispering, “there’s the Atheist!” I was honestly waiting for them to start throwing rocks at me, like they would have done in the Old Testament. “Stone to death the disobedient children.” But their assault had taken on a much more diabolical method. Mental torture. I know they were trying to do what they thought was best for me, Bring a lost sheep back to the herd, but what would have been best would have been to just let me go quietly. I did try to take few with me when I left, (I can be a bit of a vindictive jackass when people go out of their way say, or do, something hurtful to me. “To thyne own self be true!”) But, they were so firmly Brain washed it was a hopeless endeavor. It’s like a scene from a bad movie where the hero gets away, but walks away slowly, watching his friends chant, and walk like zombies back to the alter in a trance. It was just like that! Really eerie!!
Now, as far as I know, in the Lutheran Faith there is no official way to renounce your baptism. I’ve thought about it for years, how would I go about it, what would I do, or what would I say, or hell, who would I say it to. Well if there was a God, then a prayer should suffice, but since I know that won’t work, for obvious reasons… I’ll just put it here.
As of this day (the day this is posted, it may have been written weeks before, or even months. I’m a slow writer, what are you going to do? Cut me some slack!)… Where was I, Oh right? As of this day, in front of the witnesses who have read my Blog, and by those who have spread its message to others, I Jason Michael Hofer of Calgary Alberta, baptized at Prince of Faith Lutheran church, herby Renounce my Baptism, and cut all ties to the Lutheran Church and it’s Deity of Choice. There. To me it’s official. If anyone reading this knows someone at that particular church, can you please inform them that they wasted their time money and precious holy water on a heretic!! I thought for sure, if there was a God, I would have just burst into flames… wait for it… waaaaaaait for it…. Nope No flames. I’m good. Oh, and they aren’t the only dumbasses I should renounce my connection to. To the Congregation of Concordia Lutheran Church in Penticton, BC. The 2 years you spent preparing me for a life as a loyal member of you parish (that confirmation class I spent so much time mocking, and picking apart piece by piece for a dozen or so paragraphs before), has backfired. But I do wish to thank you. It was you, Pastor Knowles that really opened my eyes and allowed this mental transformation to occur. Your inability to hide the truth behind lies and propaganda has brought me true contentment with my world and myself. It’s because of your mediocre teachings that I was able to stand up, split myself from the herd, kick the shepherd in the balls and run like hell for my own salvation! So, also, if anyone reading this knows Pastor Knowles, please inform him of his folly. He’ll likely want to know what happened to his “Star” Pupil.
Unlike religious people, I look at all religions the same. As Christians believe in only 1 god, they are only one step away from being Atheist. To a Christian, Allah is not God, Buddha is not God, Krishna is not God, and the great JuJu up the mountain is not a God. Well as an Atheist, I just took it one step farther. I don’t believe in any God. And it’s funny how not a single Christian I try to talk to about his can understand it. I ask them, do you believe in Allah? No. How about Zeus? No. So what is the difference between them, and the Jewish/Christian God? “Well My God is the right one.” Well says who? “Says God.” Or “Says the Bible.” OK. Well let’s get god in here to defend himself then. You call him up, and I’ll wait.
It occurred to me, about 2 weeks ago, when the topic of God came up with my Mother; she still doesn’t want to accept me as an Atheist. Ever since that day in the car, she has been asking me to “Come back to the Winning team,” or “can I at least pray for you?” Now, I love my mother to death, but I’m sorry Mom… I AM on the Winning team, and after 2000 years of observation by humans on the effectiveness of prayer… it’s clearly not working. If it were working I would imagine that things around here would be a lot better. And I was on this team before we started winning. “I was here before it was Cool!”
As Atheists, we’re still several years behind Homosexuals when it comes to being accepted by society, but I do think we are on a much faster track to being accepted. A Religious person would rather accept a homosexual into their group of friends (even though being gay is strictly forbidden by their god) than they would an Atheist. To them it’s the lesser of 2 evils, I would guess. “At least the gay guy believes in the same invisible puppet master I do”, sort of deal. As an “out of the closet” Atheist, I still get the discrimination everywhere. At work, the avowed Christians won’t even talk to me. But before they knew my views, were always inviting me to lunch. I have lost some very dear friends because of it. I no longer fit into their model of what a friend should be. I guess if you want to be their friend, you have to believe in the same invisible man. Its really saddens me that one of my best friends doesn’t want me around his children, because I’m an Atheist.
I live my Life by a set of values, and I don’t need a God, and eternal punishment hanging over my head to want to do good. That’s another hard thing for the Hardcore religious to understand. “Without God, there is no Morality. So to whom do you hold yourself accountable?” I hold myself accountable to the other 6,999,999,999 people who inhabit the planet. It doesn’t take God to tell you that Killing, stealing, cheating, and lying is wrong. All it takes is the acknowledgement of your own humanity. I want kindness done to me, so I am Kind to those around me. No need for the threat of eternal damnation, or Fire and brimstone. Just be good. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. It’s simple it’s direct, and it’s honest. If we all could follow that principle, then who would need a God to tell us what is right and wrong. Bearing in mind this is the same God that condones slavery, segregation, racism, torture, incest, and Murder is his tell-all autobiography called “The Bible.” I know I won’t be rewarded after I die for being a good person. My reward is that the people, who liked me, will remember that I treated them well, with respect, kindness, love, and compassion. That’s all the reward I will ever need. I know what will happen when I die. My body will shut down, rot away into dust, the nutrients will be reabsorbed in the ground and the cycle will start again. Maybe if I’m lucky, someone will plant a tree above my grave, and the atoms that once made up the cells in my body will be absorbed as nutrients into that tree, and in a sense, part of me will live forever.
I am still recovering from the trauma of the treatment I have been getting from the Pious, the righteous, and the religious. I have found myself lately becoming less tolerant of religion in general, and even straying to an “Anti-Religion” point of view. I see the damage that religion has done to us as a culture, and a species. It has divided us along Imaginary lines in the sand. “You stay over there, and I’ll stay over here, because we don’t believe in the same Spooky, incompetent, father figure! And if you get to close, it’s all out war!” I really have trouble accepting people who are willing to fight, argue, or even kill, over something they are too Naïve, Ignorant, or Scared, to figure out on their own. It’s a tough line to walk, especially considering that, according to some polls, over 80% of the planet believes in a God, or Deity, of some kind. It’s staggering. Are 6 Billion people wrong? Well… the short answer is Yes. But the longer answer is, probably. I know in my mind, I’m 100% sure, and I have no doubts I have chosen the right path. All the facts are there to support that God didn’t create us; we evolved from lesser beings into an intelligent species. If you were to call Atheism a religion, then it’s the fastest growing religion on the planet. People are getting smarter, and they are figuring things out for themselves. So I do see some hope that man kind can pull itself out of the Dark ages and begin searching for the real answer to that age-old question… Why are we here? Not because some magic man said “POOF”… there’s life on the little green-blue rock. We know that life took over 3.4 Billion years to evolve to this point, and life will continue to evolve until time stops. At best estimates, that’s another 30 billion years… give or take. And I sure hope it doesn’t take that long for mankind to figure out its place in this great cosmic puzzle. But I would sure like to be around when we do. God will not show us the way to our own salvation. But maybe science, understanding, tolerance, and acceptance will. We are all human. Regardless of Race, religion, sexuality, height, weight, or Gender, we all deserve to live our lives on this “Pale Blue Dot. The only home we have ever known.” (Carl Sagan) Until we have the technology to start colonizing other worlds, we are stuck here with each other. And this continued bickering over these ridiculous superstitions is holding us back. It’s time we moved on… its high time we Evolved.
If I can offer any advice to someone who is either thinking about coming out, or is going through the initial stages of coming out, it’s “ride it out.” Just ride it out. Stick to your guns, and don’t waver, not for a second. If it’s your family that is the problem, they’re your family, they love you, they just don’t understand you, but they will come around, eventually. If your friends desert you because you no longer fit the mold of a friend that they want, then they aren’t true friends. I know, I lost a few friends already, and I’m sure I will lose more, but the good ones will stick with you, even if they believe differently. And coming out as an Atheist may even open new doors, and bring you new friends. It has for me, it will likely work for you too. Just remember that you are not alone in this fight. You are now a member of the team that “Wining.” And winning Hard! Go Team!
Thank you.
“Religion paints everything not of itself as unholy, and sinful. While it beautifies and dignifies it’s lies and Bigotry. Like a pig, wearing the finest robes. In its efforts to stop us facing reality, religion has become the reality we cannot face. Look at what religion has made us do, to ourselves and to each other. Religion stole our love and our loyalty, and gave it to a book. To a telepathic father that tells his children that love means kneeling before him. Now I’m not apparent, but I say those kids are gonna turn out messed up. It cannot be healthy, for a child or a species.“ –Phil Hellenes
As a bit of an add on, if you enjoyed this, or are looking for more. I would recommend looking up a gentleman on You Tube by the name of Phil Hellenes. And watching his videos, “Science Saved my Soul,” and “65 million years with a Creationist.” Both very good videos, one serious, the other quite humorous. I hope you enjoy them, and thanks again for taking the time to read this, and I hope it provided something for you. Or if it really pissed you off, and offended you to no end, then I’m glad also. I do thoroughly enjoy making the Pious, the Righteous, and the religions, angry. They look so funny when they’re mad, it makes me laugh!J
