I've gotten about a
fourth of the way through "The Portable Atheist" and, go
figure, I can all but refrain from banging my head against the wall
when I think about what I'm reading in the book contrasted with what
I'm hearing from the faithful position. When I said that arguments
people use today were used, and thoroughly refuted in the past, it
was a grand understatement. People are slaves to themselves, and we
can see this when we understand why we are slaves to history. The
same recurring patterns in thought don't just magically arise from
the One True Basin of stupidity, but they do in fact remain alive
when people excuse their ignorance. I've made it a concentrated
effort on my part to not just be another non-believer. I cannot say
I've been equally respected from the other side. It angers me to
think that brilliant people have put sometimes their lives on the
line to expose the pure and blatant illogical premises and
contradictions in theistic arguments, and yet authors today are still
received with the same garbled and recycled bullshit, to put it
frankly, as some logical equivalent to be wrestled in a debate arena.
"An evangelical preacher is not obliged to be well read" George Eliot. This is one of I assure you many lines that stood out for me while reading and its simplicity speaks to why the factuality behind it is so powerful. It is not exactly easy to sit and read a 400 page book on anything, and most people today are masters at finding every excuse in the world as to why they are too busy or too disinclined to find the time to read anything. This is more than just a tragedy, because now instead of simply being able to write off the ill-informed as meaningless and insignificant, we now have a regular wall of ignorance of beleaguered despots who spout their "Divine Word" as if its stemming from this universal desperate position which requires a level of piety only understood by the truly inoculated to the falsehoods of this pitiful word.
I used to say that I was ok if someone believed in something as long as it did not hurt anyone and made them happy. I don't know if I'm entirely comfortable with the position as it is becoming too vast of an issue to account for solid definitions regarding harm, happiness, belief, or god. The one position I still maintain is that people are self centered and be it through a gaping hole or passive one, all of their actions will be traced back to something self fulfilling. This isn't to say that progressive and helpful actions have anything taken away from them, but when you read enough and listen to the brain scientists lecture the real facts about your humanly situation sink in.
Here's an anecdote that will help illuminate why I'm so presently frustrated. I'm reading this book, I have another one lined up, and I've just sat through another few hours of Beyond Belief lectures. My mother, who I've disregarded as such and never treat in a way that would make sense for her to continually talk of thinking and praying for me, sends me A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. This I not only found to be simply pathetic, but overtly offensive. I've spend the time to actually learn and establish a position, her half-assed attempt at reaching out and connecting is to throw a too typical piece of insufferable lacking in coherence book at the duh-fact that I like to read. It really bothered me that when I picked it up to discover it was a book within the wrapping, no other book popped into my mind about what it would be when I opened it. "Christian" is not some stance on life that can assert its truth and authority over your dominion, it's a PATHETIC and TELEGRAPHED set of demonstrable beliefs that work on the people who dwell in bullshit excuses. I'm sick of finding no other word to describe instances like this as anything but typical. I want to burn the book, take pictures, and send them to her with a simple "you've got to be kidding me" note attached. That woman actually believes that her prayers may in one way or another work and manifest into some "miracle" that I guess is supposed to make us civil with each other. And if not, o well it is still will be just some hard to deal with part of her god's plan.
All these people hoping for heaven and talking of this sad and depressing situation they find themselves in. Who are you and why are you looking for trouble? People who are this sad and lonely all the time must be asking for it because the, while pissed off, unbeliever here remains pissed off, I'm never sitting back rubbing my hands together for what may be some day promise from biblical yokels. You have a fucking choice in regards to how you think and act during your life and if you don't realize it soon I'm going to make it a personal vendetta to bring shame and ridicule upon dealers of this faith based drug. I tried to leave it up to people to take self responsibility and evolve, yet that does not appear to work ,so in retort the unapologetic activist can step in.
Another thing, stop levying the charge starting with "Have you read such and such book" because 99 times out of 100 what your trying to say about me has nothing to do with a bigger point I'm trying to make. The very title of Rick Warrens book to me presupposes that those without a belief in god cannot find purpose which is utterly insane and offensive. I've listened to Rick Warren talk about the book and his position, he seems like a nice guy. I've listened to Dan Dennett refute a key gaping logic aspect to the book and I've perused it a bit myself. Forgive me if I'm sick of hearing the same things and played out notions again and excuse my resistance to biblical quotes poised as evidence. Lee Strobel, who's famed "Case for Christ" is frequently suggested to me, has a degree in law, not physics, not theology, not biology, not astronomy, not a plethora of other things that he haphazardly skews together as this magnificent case. Not to mention the 2 part, like 3 hour long absolute tearing apart of the "documentary" he made based from the book. And finally the bible. What's the biggest thing people want to do in defending their faith? Hands down, quote the bible, close second comes some personal experience story. By me playing by their rules, quoting the bible, I can make them look just as stupid as they make themselves, yet unless I read the entire thing and from their opinion,or "faithful understanding" no less, my simple charges of it not being factually, morally, logically, and scientifically correct don't just up and disappear because you've tried to divert the issue and discredit my "interpreting" ability. Then try to get me started on all the people you've never even heard of, let alone read.
I don't think you deserve your truth. It'd be like handing a 12 gauge to a five year old. I still don't think I'm "better" than any of the people that so frequently piss me off, but I do think my information is better, trustworthy, and verifiable. I think my position is supported and can be independently confirmed. My way of thinking provides clarity and truth to people who are ready to find it. And this is not because I'm some ordained prophet who's had some secret revealed to me about the nature of life, nor because I think I can survive death.
For the love of Goodness will you please encourage the faithful to pick up, o I dunno, maybe 1 or 20 of the books written in the last few hundred years that explain why they no longer need to inculcate dogma to be happy. Maybe people will stop feigning like their glorifying god and start to glorify life.
