June 29th, 2009
Photo by Campin Guy
When you reach eighth grade, you’re at the top of your game: You have an amusing case of senioritis that provides an abundance of confidence and slackitude (yes, that is a word today). Compared to your 7th and 6th grade peons, you’re mature, smart, attractive, and “have it all together”. While they’re still in training bras or hoping a chin hair will suddenly appear, you’re at the top of the food chain, dolling out advice and wisdom to whatever child will take it. You’ve found your niche. You finally feel like you have a voice. Eighth grade was one of the best school years of my life. I loved it.
And then you become a freshman. Suddenly you’re thrust into an unfamiliar environment with people bigger than you who know more about absolutely everything. You can’t even find your way to the water fountain, much less lead a clique or have control over your life. Books are heavier, assignments are longer, and you are suddenly taught something called “critical thinking” (well, in some schools, anyway). Not everyone is like you anymore, and you feel lost, intimidated, and insecure. You have a lot of growing to do. I remember hating my high school for months before I finally accepted the transition into the new environment.
For me, leaving Christianity was a lot like graduating from eighth grade to high school.
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christianity, godless blogs, my past | 
19 Comments »
June 28th, 2009
According to the common usage of this phrase, I am a “Militant Atheist”. Here’s why:
- I speak out publicly about my critical view of religion and spiritual belief.
- I maintain an atheist blog. le gasp.
- I will engage theists in discussion and debate about theology.
- I vehemently support the separation of church and state.
- I love science so much, I’d have its babies.
- I use sarcasm and ridicule to illustrate why I think certain things are, indeed, ridiculous.
- The most violent thing I’ve done in the name of godlessness is to gleefully throw a bible into the recycling bin.
Why is this a bad thing? Why should I be quiet simply because I lack faith in mythological creatures? Why do we give religious people a free pass to express their loud, evangelistic points of view and then shy away from expressing our own thoughts?
The word “militant” should not be assigned to someone like me who at worst is loudly expressing opinions and ridiculing the irrational.In the words of twitter user @HHeliBebcnof:
I don’t stone you for being a Christian/Jewish/Hindu/Wiccan. I won’t burn you at the stake for being a witch. I will never kill in order to please a lack of deity. My lack of spiritual belief doesn’t make me want to hurt you. My lack of belief doesn’t tell me to bomb a building or damn someone to eternal torture. If I ever do something violent, it’s because I’m an ass–not because some imaginary friend would like it.
The term “militant atheism” needs to be utterly rejected by skeptics and atheists everywhere. If anything, call us Proud Atheists or Pain-In-Your-Ass Atheists. But don’t call a peaceful, intelligent movement a name that equates it with acts of violence, hatred, and bigotry. It’s easy to slander your opponents–to poison the well in order to make yourself the good guy. But cheap shots don’t make for a winning argument.
Check out a discussion on this topic at deconversion.org. Watch two great videos about “militant atheism” after the cut!
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godless blogs, religion, videos | 14 Comments »
June 23rd, 2009
This twitter conversation is currently in process:
Me: I think it will take at least 2 generations more to get some of the “old time fundamentalism” on the way out the door.
J: How would you contribute to get that “old time fundamentalism on the way out the door”, being a first generation ex-Christian?
Me: what can we do but engage each other and help people reason and hopefully stop indoctrination in its tracks. WDYT?
J: What if all your family (wife & young children included), friends & co-workers are Christians? How would you make a difference?
Me: that’s my life, so I’m working on it. What do you think would influence you if you believed and a fammembr/friend didn’t? I honestly think that we can make a difference by just being honest and asking questions. encouraging skepticism and freethought
Honetly, I feel a little sad when my mind draws a blank when it comes to the practical ways I can influence things around me. But should I instead feel at peace with a “live and let live” default? I don’t want to press my lack of beliefs on anyone like I did my spiritual beliefs. But I want things to change in this society for the better.
What do you think? How can atheists–especially those surrounded by believers–make an impact on those around them? Do we need to “evangelize” (sorry for poor word choice; it even makes me shudder) in some way? In what ways do you (or do you not) strive to end the cycle of hereditary indoctrination, social/political religious bias, and the other poisons caused by religion? How can we make a difference?
christianity, godless blogs, questions, religion | 32 Comments »
June 23rd, 2009
It all started in early June with a challenge. The Atheist Missionary (TAM) was contacted by a Christian missionary known as da:
I am a convinced theist (new-born christian) and also a missionary. You propose a book I will read, I propose a book you will read. … If your book is convincing you might convert a theist into an atheist and get rid of one of their missionaries. This blog is about convert, isn’t it? So what about cutting the chitchat and getting serious. Who dares?
Ooh, ooh, pick me! Pick me! TAM nearly frothed at the mouth for a chance like this, and accepted this duel of literary exploration.
The books of choice are The Purpose Driven® Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?
by Rick Warren, well-known evangelical pastor of Saddleback Church, and The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
by Sam Harris, a prominent Atheist and founder of The Reason Project. [Enough links for ya?]
I am very eager to catch up on the chapters these two intelligent people have already examined. I think you’ll enjoy their insights and humor.
It all starts with TAM’s first post on TPDL chapter 1 (scroll down) and da‘s initial installment on chapter 1 of TEOF.
Da‘s posts are all titled “Why the End of Faith is just its beginning #__” and TAM’s posts are called “Deconstructing The Purpose Drive Life Chapter __”. Until an archive is set up just for these posts, you’ll have to do a little hunting through the monthly archives.
You should keep an eye on the posts over at TAM’s blog and follow him on twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed to get the updates! Let’s see how it goes. We might learn something!
christianity, godless blogs | 5 Comments »
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