Can a nigga get an
AMEN?
Finished
"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. Basically amazing. I
really don't care if your up your Christian faith's ass or not its
one to read and think about. What people don't seem to get, if you
accept something as a fact, because it is proven as a fact, doesn't
mean that you've automatically denied something else. (Maybe not the
case for Mr. Dawkins as the atheist pope but….) This is something
starting to piss me the fuck off when I try to talk to anyone about
their "faith." They believe in belief to such an extent
that simply hinting to the side that proves them wrong sends a
childlike paroxysm my way. This is fucking ridiculous. If you have
all the answers tightly wrapped in the bible and you KNOW everything
then how can you contain yourself when an opportunity presents itself
to shut me up? Just because you haven't been presented with the right
facts or asked yourself the right questions doesn't mean you have any
room to start on some tangent of assumed claims somehow construed as
your "reasoning and logic" proving you right. How many
playground fights do I have to run into before someone is ready to
just fucking sit, listen, and discuss?
I
said before that a reaction with "the truth" so much less
telling than your actual expression of actual truth. And that is such
a true statement I don't even know what to pick apart first. I say
something about the un-originality of Jesus' story and about how many
Christian norms are evolved from pagan rituals. Basic level arguing
points to me, mind you. In retort I get "God
is great, I'm saved!, why are you attacking my beliefs!?, Your going
to hell!"
and all of a sudden all I see is some insecure child throwing a
temper tantrum. I'm sure as hell not stunned by your magnificent
version of god that makes you such a great soldier, full of peace and
love.
I
personally have never said nor can faithfully say "I don't
believe in god." To me, it would be the same thing as saying
that I don't believe in orbiting teapots or the flying spaghetti
monster. Whether some things exist or don't its not my place or
within my capabilities to make claims. This is the same case FOR
EVERYONE. Belief in something because it can't be disproved is
desperate and fucking retarded.
Literally,
with every ounce of pissed off connotation behind it can you ever
express, how dare you tell someone they are going to hell. I've
talked about how much I hate mental abuse. Though that was in
relationships the same effect applies to anyone with a mind weak
enough to take it. Convince someone that they will endure everlasting
hellfire and wah lah no shit a new "believer" is strapped
and ready. This is especially deplorable when it happens to children.
Dawkins makes the point over and over throughout the book.
Indoctrinating children is plain terrible. To label someone so young
and incapable of contemplating religion and their place in the world
as Christian or Muslim children instead of child of Christian/Muslims
parents is where he wants people to cringe. Doesn't that show how
weak religion really is though? It deliberately goes for people who
are fed up with or incapable of really thinking for its arsenal.
Don't you
wish you could be all you can be?
Its
really sad because I just kinda started hanging with this girl who is
entirely, and quite frustratingly, self defeatist. The too frequently
typical story of hard upbringing, messed up parents, whatever else.
Then all of a sudden she "found Christ" yada yada the story
goes on as expected. If there is a more picture perfect example of
crawling into a hole, trying to change the subject, outright fear and
resentment when the word religion is even said I challenge you. In
order for me to call someone a friend I need honesty, trust, and
talks. I don't try to shatter your view on life because I get a
feeling of conquest, but only because I respect what it is to be
human and wish you would do the same. I also was talking with this
guy who I work with as well. He had such a hysterically horrible
story I have to retell it.
One
day he's driving with his friend. She says something so stupid or
arrogant about God that he chooses to test her. He starts to speed.
Taking his hands off the wheel she starts to freak out and ask what
he's doing. Faster and faster he goes. She starts getting hysterical,
yelling at him to stop. He starts to slow the car and put his hands
back on the wheel. She starts to cry and wants to be taken home. He
sardonically asks, "Where is your God?" I was like daaaaamn
when I heard this story, and though its pretty fucked up it was a
harsh way that hopefully at least made someone see through their own
bullshit.
I want people to put
themselves in my position or at least allow me enough of themselves
so I can understand theirs. Do I understand that when your life feels
threatened and Jesus comes along with promises of perfection, love,
and happiness your compelled to fight, quite ferociously, to protect
that? Yes. Do I understand that we don't know everything and no
"little scientist" is ever going to disprove god? Duh. Is
it understood that some people can't imagine their lives as anything
meaningful or worthwhile unless their on their knees and brought to
tears? Unfortunately, again yes. This is the most tragic of the
realizations when pondering religion. It is a fact that if you can't
fill that void that some people will freak out and act irresponsibly.
You also need to remember they probably won't do anything more or
less than someone who was doing the same in the name of god
I can sympathize
with not being able to satisfy that "love" urge. I can
discuss what it feels like to be alone. I know how fucked up you can
get when your so confused you can't even rant coherently. I
understand the wave of thoughts that can overwhelm you when
depression sets in. NEVER has a simple promise of heaven and eternal
life and love made any of that less compelling or more easily
deniable. I will always believe that people can lie about their
faith, but never be able to lie to themselves. That pinch of doubt
you feel or have at any one time felt won't go away no matter how
many bible verses you throw at me, proclamations of being saved, or
condemnations of peoples' actions. I bet my reasons for staying
content and finding happiness, because they can't be based on a
"because," will provide an actually peaceful foundation on
which to express myself.
This is what
people believe.
They will be sort of good to people they kinda like and relate to
their entire life. They can, more or less, frequent church and "pray"
about the lottery ticket they've yet to win or relative that needs a
cure. One "miracle" will happen in their family that will
all but solidify god's existence.(who needs to acknowledge non
sequitur reasoning anyway) They will profess their undying love for
Christ to those feeble non-believers and feel "fulfilled"
knowing god's ego is satisfied making them saved. When they die, as
long as its not slow and agonizing, it will be with uneasy "pride"
and those few indiscretions they maybe forgot about will be forgiven
anyway. For the rest of eternity they get play with their new super
powers and dance across the universe. This
is what people believe.
It's
not an accident that the churches don't teach the history of their
religion, or any facts about other religions. It's about dominance
not tolerance. Its about "right" and "wrong"
instead of relativity and exploration, truth in your heart of hearts.
People don't know the real facts about their beliefs because they
don't want to know,
they don't feel they can handle knowing, their family and friends
will black list them and get anxious. FEAR. You are being controlled
at any one point in time by something because deep down at some
evolutionary level you are AFRAID. No one really cares that their
child might be sitting next to a Muslim child in class despite the
fact their so-subscribed religions would tell them to kill or
disregard the others existence as a person.
IT.
IS. NOT. YOUR.
FAITH.
YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU RELATE TO OR BELIEVE A MERE
STORY YOU GOT USED TO GROWING UP. YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE YOU
ARE COMFORTABLE GOOD AT GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. YOU ARE NOT A
CHRISTIAN BECAUSE ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WANT YOU TO BE. YOU ARE
NOT A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE YOU'VE DECIDED TO STAY IGNORANT ABOUT WHAT IT
REALLY MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN.
You
believe in a story that's easiest to swallow. You believe in what
makes you feel, too falsely, powerful. You believe that exhaustion of
thought and reason is where your comfort lies. Its bullshit,
fucking bullshit. Try to handle all the pain and guilt your
responsible for self inflicting and see how quickly the grand details
behind your heaven pile up. See how quickly people go from just being
wrong to being wrong and going to hell. See if you show up more and
sit up a little straighter in church when what's really being asked
of you starts to sink in. This isn't the fucking holy spirit "working
through you." This is your subconscious gripped by fear, say
hello. This is that one sentence, that one idea, the random thought
that crept in and said "how could god…." or "I can't
believe…." Your desperate attempts at maybe trying harder or
working more never truly quiet your restless mind. Nor do they
justify any bullshit action you take because you don't know enough
about yourself to take care of yourself. Your errant 'reasoning' and
'work' for the 'lord' wall you into a room of invisible barriers.
You
don't need a guide book and you don't really wonder where morals come
from. Punching fuckers in the face is harmful to your self
preservation. Killing your parents would've cut off the food supply.
Stealing friends girlfriend loses your ride to school. Cause and
effect keeping you in line? Nah.You can't say that life isn't worth
it unless god is pulling the strings. Unless your crazy ass is
Michael Fritzius your kids will be more than enough purpose to live
and die for. God forbid learning and understanding be enough to
satisfy you either. How dare you try to love and be there for someone
without doing it as a Christian. You'd have to be a monster or
something to think what you feel is valid. You don't think heaven is
up there and hell is down there because they just are, you just don't
care to discuss the relativity of down and up and the uselessness of
them in space. We are sooooo important because god gave us the earth
that didn't explode from a marble and didn't have to be inherently
improbable before we got here, and didn't take an incomprehensible
amount of time and energy to form.. In fact, if the odds were 1 in a
billion that the earth would exist. There would still be A BILLION
earths that could inhabit our universe. You think your so important.
That your worthy and dare I say capable of knowing the unknowable. To
me, your ignorance and arrogance are sickening.
