graphic by James Ellis
I follow the hashtag #atheism on twitter in order to keep abreast on what people are saying about religion and other controversial subjects. Often the content contains thoughtful discussion or bits of news that interests me, but much of it resembles typical “zinger” one-liner material: pithy 140-character messages that resemble confrontational bumper stickers instead of well-balanced arguments against religion. Yeah, I’ve done it too. I admit it! Twitter is the safe-haven of the verbal jab.
I spotted one such “zinger” today:
Without faith there could be no genocide, no racism, no bigotry; faith breeds evil. #christian #jesus #bible #god #atheism #islam #muslim
-@FlyingFree333 (Flying Free), 29-4-2011 13:30:22
I’ve certainly heard this hyperbolic argument before, and as an atheist I do not agree. I realize you cannot easily present a reasoned argument for an enormous claim like this on twitter, but even if there were paragraphs of explanation behind it I’m not sure I would ever be convinced that the sole reason for racism, bigotry, and genocide is faith. To avoid an argument about vocabulary; “faith,” could easily be replaced by “religion.”
I am far from being an expert, but I think there are sociological, psychological, and economic causes unrelated to religion that cause these problems in the world. Religion is certainly used to justify many horrible actions such as genocide (e.g. Deuteronomy 20:16-18) and slavery (e.g. the Curse of Ham). However, I do not think all religions or faiths bring about these results, nor do I think ruling out other causes for the evil in the world is wise.
I’d really like to have a discussion about this claim. Is faith the cause of genocide, racism, and bigotry?
And as a side question: What do you think about these kinds of pithy statements on twitter? Do you think they help anything or perhaps give atheists a bad name?
photo by Russell Harrison
What gets you riled up? Which topics of conversation, political positions, controversial ideas, social causes, (and I could go on) excite you? For a lot of us, atheism’s place in a religious society is one of our top issues to explore and debate. What other interests or causes makes you want to shout from the rooftops or throttle those who just don’t get it?
Examples:
Hunger, poverty, homelessness, fair trade, sex trafficking, child labor, LGBT rights, taxes and government spending, corporations, ethical food industry, gun rights/control, media bias/monopoly, sex education, net neutrality, disease awareness and research , disabilities, health care, religious persecution, alternative energy, pacifism, circumcision and genital mutilation, education reform, child abuse, rape and molestation, and on and on!
Pick some favorites and let us know what you think about them in the comments.
photo by hipposrunsuperfast.com
It’s really not.
When I began this blog, I had this sense of being part of a great discovery, a wondrous evolution of mind. I felt exhilarated and puffed up. In some ways, I felt like a new convert. My ferocity and passion about my new journey away from religion seemed so important, so radical.
But being an atheist isn’t a big deal. Not believing in one deity or a thousand deities doesn’t make me a revolutionary or unique individual. It’s actually kinda bland. My life isn’t packed with people flocking to hear what I have to say. It’s more or less packed with my everyday activities: I sleep, eat, goof around, work at my job, hang out with friends, talk to my boyfriend, daydream, read, enjoy entertainment and the internet, and sleep some more. Somewhere in there I might have a thought about someone else’s religion or a question about some philosophical idea, but more or less I’m just your average person living life.
Being an atheist isn’t a big deal. There are heaps of us … everywhere. I’m sure I see more atheists every day than I could ever guess, and these people aren’t any more cool or outstanding than I am. We’re just experiencing life in somewhat unremarkable ways, just like everyone else. We walk right past religious people all the time and no one explodes or runs away in panic. The world doesn’t end because we don’t believe in the supernatural.
Being an atheist isn’t a big deal. In fact, we’re all born this way. I’m not sure why we make such a fuss about it, especially here in the USA. In fact, atheism is so “ok yeah, whatever” that I’m not sure I should even need to blog about it. It’s just your average state of being. Atheism is just another ordinary trait. It’s a shame not everyone sees it that way. That’s why people think we need awareness campaigns and books and slogans and symbols and media icons and organizations and blogs and public speakers and rock stars.
But being an atheist isn’t a big deal. It’s actually quite… normal.
We’re all allowed to change our minds. I’m not sure if this is a credit to my character or a blight on it, but I’ve changed my mind about many varying topics over the past—sometimes from one extreme to another. A lot of these changes happened because I went off to college and was finally out from under my parents’ influence. Having to find your own way and discover how you feel about certain ideas sometimes inspires radical shifts. I was a perfect example.
Another reason I’ve been moving from one side of a debate to another is my radical switch from Christianity to atheism. When I was a believer, I always knew what to do and what to believe in because it was an established system in my religion, my family, and my community. Atheism flung me outside all of those groups quite suddenly, and I had to do even more thinking on my own. With no one to tell me what to believe, and not much practice being a truly critical thinker, I had a lot of catching up to do! In fact, I know I’m still not done reconsidering my positions. Perhaps I never will be.
I came up with four examples of how I’ve shifted my opinions in the past five years.
photo by Tony Case
1) Masturbation
Then: A few years ago after wobbling between “masturbation is a sin” and “if it’s awesome, why not?” I settled on the view that masturbation was okay so long as you didn’t lust. This is a popular position in some Christian circles because it allows the person the physical release, but it keeps people from sinning according to Jesus “Thought Police™” Christ (see Matthew 5:28).
Now: My new guiltless sexuality and self-confidence are mainly a direct result of leaving Christianity. Now I’m not ashamed of my actions nor filled with self-loathing about being a sexual person. I can embrace healthy expressions of this side of my nature; I can be mature and wise about it instead of secretive and ignorant. The human body is an amazing thing, and we should enjoy it!
Check out my previous post on masturbation.
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