Why I’m An Atheist (In 200 Words Exactly)

• Because I was BORN an atheist. Two people I loved unthinkingly indoctrinated me into believing in something that didn’t exist. Key word – “unthinkingly”. The state of my knowledge at birth was the correct one.
• Because religion, super-naturalism, has never explained anything. From the very beginning of civilization to the present, whenever religion has tried to explain  previously mystifying natural phenomena (from lightning through mental illness to the size of the universe) it has always gotten it wrong. Always. It has not been right yet, and the odds are it will never be right, if we ever get to the point in human knowledge where we know everything.
• Because religion is an inherently anti-human phenomenon. I’m a human, not a spirit. Religion explains spirits. There are no spirits, and there’s never been any evidence of spirits. As a human, there is a natural, logical way to treat other humans, and it does not involve burning them at the stake, making them believe what I believe at the point of a blade, or flying airplanes into buildings. Religion is cruel and inhuman, in almost all aspects of its justifying rationalizations.
• Because I don’t need religion to be a good person.

The End

Dig This

Everyone knows who the Duggars are, don’t you? You should. They are the clan (and I do mean clan) of 19 children, and a few grandchildren, that have made a career out of being big (i.e a large family from one womb) and Christian. They have their very own reality TV show that showcases their big family and their Christian values.

Photo Essay

Evidence for the proposition “There is no god”.

Hutu Death camp survivor - Rwanda 1994

Just Ruminating

I haven’t written any posts in awhile, partly because I have been having a long debate with someone on another blog post, in the comments, about the conflict between Religion and Science, which has gravitated, as usual, to the existence of god. This is as it should be. It is where atheist/theist debates should properly end up. One can talk about the merits of religion, or the efficacy of religious belief, or the overwhelming preponderance of theists in the world, but ultimately none of it means anything in the debate until you’ve resolved the TRUTH of religion – i.e. does god exist. If he does, then there should be significant consensus, if not universal and unanimous acceptance, of that one truth. It should be obvious. The fact that there isn’t even something close to human consensus gives the lie to the proposition.

Are There Roller Coasters In Heaven?

I don’t know about you, but my idea of heaven is somewhat vague. I think that’s intentional on the part of the powers-that-be, those who encouraged my juvenile and adolescent belief in heaven, but that doesn’t clarify for me exactly what heaven is, where it is, or what it will be like if and when I get there. So I checked around.

The Christian Delusion, Take 1

I guess we all know what that is…

I’m reading a book now, (The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails) edited and partly written by John Loftus, of Debunking Christianity fame and {ahem} fortune. I had previously reviewed his first book, originally titled Why I Rejected Christianity, but subsequently published by Prometheus with the more positive title, Why I Became an Atheist.  I’m three chapters in, and thought it would make a great topic to post about, so as I proceed through the book, I’ll stop and post about it. It won’t be so much of a review as a travelogue through the book, perhaps to pique your interest.

Sam Harris on Science and Morality

A lot of food for thought.

How Solid Is Belief?

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently released a(nother) poll about belief (pdf) in America. In this one, the conclusions reached are that people’s loyalty to their particular denomination, and even the beliefs of their denomination, are not sharply delineated, and are in fact somewhat amorphous.

I Wish I’d Written That

One of my favorite bloggers, Greta Christina, wrote a very sound, well articulated piece that she linked to from her blog, and you can read over at AlterNet. When I posted a few months ago asking Christians to show me their evidence for gods, what Greta wrote is kind of what I had in mind, although I was lazy, hoping that I might actually have someone present something in the way of evidence, other than anecdotal happenings or intuitive personal feelings, that I might then put under the blog-ial microscope to examine. Unfortunately, that post and a few afterward got hijacked by commenters who will remain unnamed, and we never really were able to sink our teeth into it (which, in hindsight was probably their goal). As Greta makes clear, deflection, deflection, deflection.

The Golden Rule

I’ve come to the conclusion that the only source of morality we need is the Golden Rule.  Morality is the code of conduct we humans impose on ourselves in dealing with other humans.  I suppose we could have a separate morality for our dealings with animals and plants, but for purposes of creating a harmonious environment for humans on this planet, the Golden Rule is the key.