Godless Ranting

This is sort of simple, but for some reason I really felt like mentioning it *somewhere* other than in my own head.

I respect people a tiny bit less when they are religious. This includes strangers and friends. I can be good friends with religious people (most of my friends are), but there's always a part of me that is disappointed when they bring up their god.

"The lack of proof is not proof that something doesn't exist"

This could be argued in many cases, but I don't think that religion or common existence is one of them. There is no proof that unicorns exist - no one has ever seen one, found one's bones, had pictures or video, and so it is safe to assume that they do not exist. This is not a leap of faith or wild guess, it is simple logic. No one has proof that a God exists either (feelings and thoughts are easily manipulated, misunderstood, mistranslated, so they cannot be allowed to count as proof or evidence), so it is reasonable to assume that one does not exist.

The natural state of humans is to NOT believe, unless given reason not to. This is because it is almost ALWAYS right. Once again-- there COULD be a God, but no solid, documentable proof has ever been offered up to suggest there is one, so why believe?

The answer for most is probably going to be "because I feel that there is one." But if that's all you have, don't waste my time with it, because in my mind it is not valid. Billions of people have "felt" the presence of thousands of gods in thousands of forms, and still more have felt none at all. They can't all be right, and a "feeling" is not proof that something else is making you feel it. The want can be so great that you invent the feeling yourself. Other people can lie and manipulate you into feeling. Feelings are not proof.

"You are in the wrong because all you have to say is negative things like 'There is no God.' You shouldn't be allowed to say anything because all you can say are negative things. Christianity is better because we are more positive."

Not if you are an atheist. Heck, even to other religious people, how is "Believe or you go to Hell" or "We are all terrible sinners and don't deserve God's love" positive? Personally, I would much rather hear that I am not being watched by an invisible, all powerful being that could send me to an eternity of torture by imposing rules I never had a say in.

Many atheists find it very comforting to know there is nothing out there, that when they die they just disappear rather than sticking around forever. And that when bad things happen to them, it's not some awful being doing it to them because he has some mystical plan he won't even tell me about.

Even if you don't agree and the thought of some Sky Faerie who you can blame everything bad on rather than taking responsibility for your life comforts you, you have to realize that it doesn't comfort EVERYONE and some people want to hear these messages. Some people need to hear them, just like you need to hear yours. Your messages to us do not feel positive, they are just as offensive. So how come you get to have your Christmas displays and public billboards, but we can't? Because you are ignorant and hypocrites.

Which is a more likely explanation for that voice you heard? Your mind playing tricks on you, or...

When human beings die an unexplained, scientifically undocumented entity detaches from their physical bodies somehow, and roams the earth and occasionally makes noises or talks for some reason, even though they have nothing corporeal enough to vibrate the air to make sound waves?

You be the judge.

The following is copied from a reply I made on a facebook page about removing the phrase "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. A person argued that removing the phrase Under God is unfair to religious people, and if you are atheist you should just not say it. They also asked if we would stop using money because of "in god we trust," and we should forget this and move on to bigger fights such as starving homeless children. I sort of felt bad about the rant at the end but I didn't want to change anything, so I attempted a bit of humor there.

Whhaat? I'm sorry, but it doesn't matter if religious people think taking out "under God" is unfair. Having it in there is unfair to those who don't believe. Plus there is a separation of church and state, and this violates it. The government is not supposed to support or endorse any religion, and Under God very obviously does. Plus, so many people seem to forget that the pledge originally DIDN'T HAVE the phrase in it, it was added in later. What about the atheists of that time? Was that fair to them? I bet many felt ostracized and distanced from everyone else. We need to feel a sense of brotherhood through our being AMERICAN, leaving religion out of it. Any mention of God distances the atheist citizens from that fraternity. How about we return it to it's original and constitutionally compatible form?

As for the money issue, it's not practical or even possible to function in society without using it, but we can protest the "in god we trust" being on it, because it's another blatant support of a religion. On our money, representing America, it professes "In God We Trust," which just isn't true. Some citizens may, but the country and government itself should not.

Starving homeless children may be an important issue, but so is defending and enforcing the framework of our country and what allows us to help anyone at all.*

*All said while someone plays Battle Hymn of the Republic on a kazoo, in front of an American flag. lol

I like to read the comment threads in most atheist blogs to see what other people thing while reading this one a few people said something alone the lines of "If someone would break up with you for becoming an atheist, you shouldn't have been with them in the first place." I am going to disagree with that. Everyone has the rights to their own personal tastes, likes, dislikes, and needs. If your partner is the kind that needs to be with another Christian, they are allowed, and that is fine. They also have the right to break up with you should you change, especially if the change is in something as central to an individual's personality as their belief system. Turn that around on yourself. That if your atheist partner suddenly became super religious? You might still love them, but if they truly followed their bible and worked to convert you, spent their Sundays at church and donated 10% of their salary to the church, became pro life and rejected evolution and thought The Gays had no right to marry (assuming you are like me, you may not be) you might not want to continue to be with that person. And that's ok too. YOU have the right to your personal tastes, and sometimes changes can be too big to compromise on.

Please please PLEASE stop quoting the bile in order to prove your argument. I know you have little else, but like a random twitterer stated, using the Bible as proof of God is like using Harry Potter as proof of Wizards.

Atheists or members of other religions *do* *Not* believe that the bile is a real genuine holy book, so why would quoting from it convince us of anything?

I think a major problem leading to things like this is the assumption by Christians and some other religious folk that Atheists actually do believe in God, but are just rejecting him. This is *not* the case! Like with God, believing in something does not make it true.

I need to read some Harry Potter (even though I think the writing is garbage, sorry guys), so I can quote it back at Christians every time they try to use the bible to tell me I should believe. Just bewilder the heck out of them.


On an unrelated note, I read a lot of Christians asking how former theists could have believed before, but not believe now. Did you used to believe in Santa? The Easter Bunny? The Tooth fairy? Many (American) children believed in one or all of these at some point, but as they grow up they come to realize that these ideas are silly and stop believing them. It is almost exactly the same with atheists. As children or naive adults they were taught things that in reality are rather absurd or silly, and as they matured and became educated, these concepts no longer made sense to keep to heart and were discarded. That's all.