I spend a lot of time being critical of religion publicly. I do a couple of radio shows, blog regularly, and share thoughts on facebook as well as the occasional guest appearance on other radio shows and writing for the HauntedAmericaTours.com web magazine. I also attend skeptical conferences and meetings.
Being so vocal about my beliefs sometimes results in people thinking I lack respect for their own beliefs... I suppose some people could feel that way and be correct.
I do however refrain from posting my beliefs or thoughts on other people's walls, for the most part. Occasionally I will comment on a friends post, but I try to do it respectfully.
I really have no problem with anything that helps a person to be better, so to say I dislike religion totally would be incorrect. I do however dislike the way religion is used to excuse or allow the harming of others. I dislike the way religion is used to indicate if a person who has no religious beliefs lacks morals. That kind of mentality is stupid and only shows how unable a person is to pay attention to the types of people who are committing crimes against other people.
My father recently told me to figure out if I was mad at god or religion.
I can't be mad at god because he isn't here to be mad at.I am mad at much of religion because it has a habit of keeping people from acknowledging truth and instead, accepting things on faith. That keeps some chasing their tails due to the inability to realize we need to move past old stories written thousands of years ago.
Revelation has not come upon us...it has been well past the two-thousand years the bible told of.
Does that mean god does not own a watch? No, it means those biblical stories are just that, stories.
It is time to realize we are on our own. We need to do our best to understand the universe we live in without insulting ourselves by believing in an invisible presence who cares about us making wishes and talking to ourselves. We should not expect a higher power to make things happen while we sit with our palms together.
Great post Reap, really well put.
ReplyDeleteMark Cunningham
God may very well be a societal construct. A construct to help maintain an order of sorts in early societies. My favorite question to get things stirred up with zealots is Did God create Society or Did Society Create God? I thought I would be crucified for my thoughts on that one way back in Sociology Class!
ReplyDeleteI don't want to go down a road I'm sure you've been on before, Reap, but some of your statements confuse me. You express a dislike for religion, which I can certainly relate to, because religion is man-made. Anything made by man has the potential to be abused and misused, because of the sin nature that we're all born with. It's relationship that God cares about, not religion.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the issue of morals goes, if you lack religion, where do you get your morals from. What is your moral compass? Does everyone who is an atheist just get to make up his own morals, and if so, how do you reconcile them with others morals?
I'm not sure where you get the idea that revelation will come within two thousand years. My impression is that "no man will know the day or the time".......
...and lastly, I don't believe that the "higher power" does make things happen necessarily. He put us here, and He does know what we'll do, but He also gives us free will.
First Evan.... I believe we are all born Atheists. As far as morals go- I do care about people, I give money to the guy on the street and advise him to 'use it well' I don't steal and I despise liars. All these feelings I have without any religious beliefs. I like to believe we all (for the most part) dislike the suffering of others and have evolved to help the 'tribe' continue on peacefully....
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