An hireditary curse?

Someone I know once described them self as a ‘protestant non-believer’. I found this confusing for as I understand it, if you are a non-believer then you are by definition NOT a protestant, or catholic, Muslim, etc… In fact, if you are a non-believer, you are an atheist.

I am assuming that what my friend meant was that his parents were protestants or he was otherwise brought up a protestant. But this implies some kind of inheritance, either ethnic or cultural. But how can this be? Religion is a matter of faith is it not? A philosophy, a belief?

But this is quite normal isn’t it?

Just imagine for a second that you have a child and you go to register them at a school, or you take them hospital. Inevitably you will be asked what your child’s religion is. What most humanists say (because most of us are cowards) is that our child is of no fixed religion. What is almost never declared is ‘my child is an atheist’. First and foremost because it is a ridiculous notion and most sane people recognise this.

The irony is that both protestants and catholics, as well as other ‘believers’ recognise this while completely failing to appreciate how equally ridiculous it is to brand a child ‘protestant’ or ‘catholic’! OK parents have their children baptised, christened, confirmed, circumcised, etc… If religion is a matter of ‘faith’ then a child – a baby – can be no more catholic than atheist, than communist… Are children of fascists born fascist? I think not. In exactly the same way that the children of members of the Tory party were not born Conservatives.

Just because someone decides to anoint a non-consensual minor a follower of this or that moevement – before they are even old enough to speak, let alone experienced enough to make an educate choice about political or spiritual philosophy – does not make it so!

Christian justice

Here’s one for you ‘tolerant’ christians. How about I ask you to pay out of your own pocket to fund an atheist school? This school will teach Evolution as a core subject and will base it’s entire policy around the principles of Atheism. This school, by the way is a very high performer, not because it is Atheist, but because it delivers great education.

But then I tell you that your children are not welcome to be educated at this school. You probably wouldn’t want your kids to go to this school being an Atheist school, but it’s very tempting given it’s wonderfully bright educational record. But there are only three other schools to choose from: a scientologist school, a communist school and an islamic school. All these schools are state funded – that is, you help support them with your taxes. But your child is not welcome to any of them unless you get a signed letter from a leading representative of an affiliate of either respective organisation testifying to your allegiance.

This is what happens in the UK when you try to enrol your child into a catholic state-funded primary school. Isn’t it mad that I have to donate my own money, by order of the law, to the funding of schools who teach a faith-based belief that not only do I not believe in but to which I am diametrically opposed? Not only this, I have to help support hundreds of these schools and other schools of conflicting philosophies none of which my child has a fair chance of attending. Even worse, while the British state forces me to support these schools it refuses to provide an alternative atheist school for my child to attend.

That is christian justice and tolerance for you.

Classic example of spineless pandering to christians

Robert Metteta in his article entitled On the tolerance of Christians toward Atheists, and vice-versa is a classic example of spineless pandering to christians. He suggests it is more prudent for us to be to be less critical and more respectful.

He points out what he believes to be some of the atheist failings including:

‘…They also do not capitalize the names of any religions, … which is simply an open act of disrespect.’

Why should the word for a particular religion get a capital letter? what about astrology? is there a difference? And Robert, why do you feel christianity, god or judeism, etc deserves a capital letter when atheism does not?

Why are Atheists so intollerant of christians?

I must admit this is a reasonable question. On the surface, it does seem that many of the atheists views you read on the Internet are pretty confrontational and seem perhaps to be openly disrespectful of christains. Well, there is a perfectly good reason for this. If you had bothered to take the time to research it this fact would be blindingly obvious. The reason is  that those atheists brave enough to speak out at all are pretty damn angry. We are angry of the hypocrisy and intolerance of the rest of the world and especially of you christians.

Please do not speak of intolerance when atheists are (by you) today the single most disrespected and least-tolerated group on the planet after terrorists and dictators. Our problem is that the vast majority of atheists do not speak out. You do not hear their voice for fear of persecution. We are marginalised, therefore the only voice you hear and the majority of opinions you find in the open public domain are of those atheists that have just had enough. We are well pissed off.

Please observe your christian reaction when you read the following headlines:

1. State-funded atheist school opens in Kansas
2. US  Atheist Presidential candidate ‘outed’;
3. Atheism makes it onto the British National Curriculum

For a US member of state or a British prime Ministerial candidate to confess to atheism would be pure heresy and political suicide (we still await a politician in both the US and the UK honest enough and brave enough to ‘come out’ – Parliament and Congress are absolutely bursting with closet atheists). Other groups that have fought the battle of intolerance, prejudice and bigotry (I’m thinking of the Blacks, the Gays and Women) have succeeded in making us all think twice about our prejudices and have ultimately secured a much better life for themselves, and we now support their cause whole-heartedly. Each one of these campaigns has suffered violence and aggression on both sides. I have yet to hear news of an atheist activist setting fire to himself, sabotaging a Royal event by jumping in the path of a racing thoroughbred, or hijacking a commercial airliner.

Our anger is justified because we continue to be ignored, ostracised and disrespected. You do not even bother to afford us the same false respect you give to other groups. In order to conform to the current vogue of political correctness, you must respect other religious communities. Of cause you claim to respect the religious beliefs of others, but you do not. You think them deluded. Your god is the real god, right? You tolerate, encourage and fund (with my money) religious community groups, schools, clinics and support groups. I was unable to find an atheist school for my son (you think it’s ridiculous that I could even think of such a thing, right? Would you be happy to pay for one with your taxes?). We were automatically turned away from schools when we checked the ‘No’ box for the ‘Are you Catholic’ question.

The most ridiculous part of it all is you get further in almost any social or political situation if you claim to be a follower of a religion. Any religion:  please subscribe to one of the popular faiths – but not atheism (that’s not a faith).  Atheism isn’t supported, respected, or tolerated. So, enough of the hypocrisy. I am an angry opponent of your belief system. But rest assured, you are very lucky because in spite of my anger I will never cause you any physical harm, I won’t shoot you, bomb you or strap dynamite to my body and walk into your home.

I do not respect your beliefs so I do not expect you to respect mine. But I am the safest enemy you have. At least respect that.

Holy Fallacy #6 : Atheism is just another religion

Of course, this is nonsense. There is one plainly simple fact that separates athesism from all religions.

And it is this: Religions are based on what followers call ‘Faith’. This ‘Faith’ is a belief in something despite, and in many cases, in the very face of undeniable empirical evidence to the contrary. Religious believers believe what they believe for some other reason very, very apart from a close examination of the facts and rational evaluation of available evidence. Some religious people will say there is evidence, but there isn’t. I haven’t seen any, most other Atheists will also tell you that they haven’t seen any either, and finally, no religious person (or any other person) can provide you with any evidence.

The very opposite is true of Atheists. Genuine Atheists arrive at their conclusion by one of two ways: 1) They are never introduced to the concept of religion (very unlikely), or 2) they thought good and hard about the stuff they were taught at school, see in the media, and in many cases were encouraged to believe by their parents. Atheist are free-thinking, critical people, religious people are not. Atheists do not readily believe stuff simply because somebody (or even everybody) tells them it’s so. They seek proof, and when they don’t get it they suspend belief until they do get it instead of taking the easy option and just believing because it’s easier, which is what religious people do. Atheists tend to believe in Evolution because there is tons of evidence to support the theory. Religious people believe in a god or gods in spite of the fact that there is no evidence to support the theory. ‘Faith’ by its very nature shuns evidence – doesn’t want it, doesn’t need it. Evidence is in fact the very Nemesis of ‘Faith’. When religious people are faced with enough evidence and are prepared to accept it, it often destroys their ‘Faith’. Most of the time, however, religious people do not accept evidence because they are too cosy in their cocoon of ignorance.

Atheists seek the truth; religious people seek The Truth, and they are very different. The truth is what scientists endeavour to understand and explain. The Truth is a description of what religious people would like the answer to Life, The Universe and Everything to look like.

Atheists, like scientists, look for answers to phenomena by seeking real explanation; religious people simply turn to miracles or ‘divine intervention’, which is a fantastically lame catchall solution.

Finally, if atheism is just another religion, why aren’t we treated with the same respect? Atheist rights are as elusive as Gay Rights, Women’s Rights and Black Rights were. In the 21^st Century, we are still waiting for the first Atheist Prime Minister or President. You cannot just lump us in the same category for your own convenience because atheism is not just another religion.

Holy Fallacy #5 : Atheists hate god

No we don’t. It’s not possibe for us to hate god.

You cannot hate something that does not exist!

Holy Fallacy #4 : Atheists are amoral

The problem many religious people have with us atheists is that they believe we have no morals; we lack that essential certain something, like a Good Code of Practice, or the ten commandments I suppose, with which to lead a good and sin-free life.

Now, regardless of our possible differences, in specific instances, regarding our respective measures of what is and what is not sinful, I would gladly bet my wedding ring that in general and overall we share a more or less common interest in doing good and treating people fairly and with respect. I truly believe this. I am sure you are a good person, I know I am.

I am as righteous, honourable, morally upstanding and honest as the next man. But I will tell you this: I do not get my morals from a book. Neither am I instructed by a man in a dog collar or Yarmulke, or long beard as to what is right or wrong.

I have a question for all you catholics out there: If, just for example, you were to discover that Purgatory was discontinued by the Pope and passage to Beyond was a dead cert with no penalties, would you immediately descend into an orgy of fornication, rape and murder? I don’t suppose for a minute you that would. I don’t do those things either, surprising to you as that may seem. But luckily for me I am able to live a good and honest life without your fear. I also manage to do it without some community leader telling how to do it.

Those of you who posses all the virtues I listed above because you fear hell would be the alternative, by the very nature of that fact you posses none of those virtues above.

But don’t worry, you won’t burn in hell because there isn’t one.

Holy Fallacy #3 : You must respect people’s religion

“You shouldn’t criticise strongly-held religious beliefs for fear of offending. You must respect people’s religion”.

Why?

Why should it be supposed that mine or anybody else’s criticism of your ‘belief’ be offensive? Why should your deluded opinion be protected from scrutiny? Why are your religious beliefs afforded a higher status than my political beliefs?

God damn it! Why should your religious beliefs be afforded – as they are the world over – a higher status and institutionalised protection than my atheist beliefs? Why?

You are at liberty to criticise the Republicans, Democrats or Communists if they conflict with your political stance. You do not feel restrained to attack the leader who offends you with his foreign policy. But political beliefs are the very basis of our existence – not religion. There can be absolutely no justification for treating the Deluded with kitten gloves. Unless of course the delusion is the effect of genuine clinical illness, which in some cases it is, but not in most.

You have your opinion. Fine.

And I have mine. Fine.

But don’t expect me to respect your opinion any more than you would respect mine if I were to tell you that I worshiped Medusa and I believed the world was created on the back of a Rizzler packet (in just three hours) by the former incarnation of a divine Hendrix. Because you can no more prove my delusion in that case than I can prove yours.

Holy Fallacy #2 : You’re not an Athiest, you are agnostic

No, I am an Athiest.

The argument goes: ‘Because you cannot be absolutely sure, that is, you can’t actually prove that god does not exist, you must be agnostic to the idea and therefore can not be an athiest’.

Nonesense. This is no more true than suggesting that I must therefore be agnostic to the notion that faries live at the bottom of my garden. Or your garden. I am no more agnostic to the existance of god than you are to the existance Thor, Neptune, or Father Christmas.

‘If you can’t prove a fact, you must be agnostic to it’ is a silly argument.

Holy Fallacy #1 : There is a god

No there isn’t.

I say this with exactly the same conviction as I say ‘There are no toothfaries’ or ‘Father Christmas does not exist’. I cannot disprove any of this, but I am satisfied with my belief based on the lack of – sorry, total absence of - any evidence to support the case for god.

There is no proof. There is no evidence. And therefore, there is no rational basis for believing that any kind of god exists.

There is no more reason to ‘beleive’ in god than there is to believe in Father Christmas or gosts. In fact there is at least as much, and I would chance far – FAR-  more, documented ‘evidence’ or reports of the existance of ghosts and aliens. There is no more reason to believe in god than there is to believe in garden fairies or leprechauns.

Those of you who do ‘believe’ are deluded. You base your belief not on evidence or rational thought but on something you call ‘Faith’. You have this faith because your parents taught you to have it. Or you went to a school where they told you about the ‘Truth’, and all your friends believed it. Or you have experienced a ‘spiritual awakening’ of some kind. Or you just feel safer or more secure ‘believing’ that somebody or something other than yourself is responsible for or in control of your life. But none of this means there is a god. THERE IS NO GOD. And of this fact I am (almost) absolutely certain.