Why Do I Care About Other's Religions?

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Tuesday, May 20. 2008

I emailed a link to my previous blog posting about the Hello Kitty Jesus tattoo to a mailing list I am on. I got the following question in response.

Tim, with all due respect, I get not you not believing in religion - specifically Christianity, but I don't get why you seem to care so much about the belief system of those who do. (?)

This was my response:

I care because I feel the people who believe things "on faith" with no evidence do harm to all of us. Believing things because the are written in a book, with no supporting evidence, makes no sense. Denying rights to people based on what is written in the same book (e.g. gays and lesbians) is abhorrent. Basing your moral system on the same book, when if you read it at all you will discover the moral system in it is bloody, brutish and not the one currently in use, is insane.

I care because believing things "on faith" with no evidence is irrational. If you believe some things "on faith" and some things you know due to evidence you have a schism in your world view that causes problems.

I care because people who "believe" hassle those of us who don't. Both of my daughters have been hassled at camps and at school (public school) by children who have been brainwashed by their parents and religious leaders into believing they are superior to anyone who does not follow their "faith". And yes, I consider religious indoctrination of young children brainwashing.

I care because like it or not, and regardless of what the "Christians" believe, the USA was formed as a secular nation. Where belief in god is not a requirement to be a citizen. Where there is no state religion.

I care because all the right-wing religious "Christian" politicians are two-faced hypocrites and they are horrible role models for the youth of America. Shall I make a list of them for you?

I care because religions are supposed to get unquestioning respect, just because they are religions. Why should we not be able to question religious viewpoints? Why should we respect religious viewpoints that are clearly irrational?

I care because religion gets a free ride from the press, the police and the government. How many sex scandals have there been with Catholic priests and alter boys? So many that we make jokes about it while the church just quietly shuffles the priest off to another parish where he can molest more children. If I molested a 12 year old boy I'd be in prison faster than you can say "Pope Ratzi". But priests just get reassigned. How is this possible?

Man, you really opened the floodgates. Thanks for asking the question. Do I really need to go on? Yes, I do. Click the Continue Reading Link .

I care because the right-wing "Christians" have made abortion such a hot-button morals issue that the country can't even have a civil discourse about it.

I care because "Christians" blow up family planning clinics and block women's access to health care.

I care because "Christians" murder doctors because they perform legal abortions.

I care because "Christians" like Fred Phelps picket the funerals of soldiers with placards that revel in the fact that they are dead.

I care because "Christians" are trying to get Creationism taught in the science classes of our public schools. Sure, they call it "Intelligent Design", and they talk about "Teaching both sides of the issue", but it's nothing but tarted up Creationism. There is no science involved. There is no evidence. There are not "two sides" - well, maybe there are. There is the science side with all the evidence, and there is the religious side with "goddidit." If you want to teach Creationism, do it in a comparative religions class, because it's not science.

I care because all religions think they know about the "one true god" (except for the Catholics with their weird three-part god.) How can any of them be right? Why is Thor no longer on the table as a "real god"? Why not Odin? Why not the Flying Spaghetti Monster? They are all equally as likely. And there is just as much evidence for one as for any other.

I care because many "Christians" feel that science is a snow job because they don't understand it. So they don't listen to the climatologists for example. Many of these "Christians" are in our government.

I care because most religions teach that after this life you will go to a better place (heaven, etc.) There is no evidence for this belief. No one has ever come back that told us that it's true.

I care because the TV preachers bilk little old ladies out of their life savings so they can buy jets and cars and huge houses - and build theme parks so they can make more and more money. And what do the little old ladies get out of it? The poor house.

I care because some religions (including the one that many of our government officials belong to) teach that The Rapture is coming and all the good people will be lifted to heaven. This means several things. One, we don't care what happens to the earth so who gives a shit about global warming? Two, accelerating the rapture (like with a nuclear event) would be a good thing. This one scares the shit out of me.

I'm going to stop now, but I bet there will be an "I Care" part two in the future.

Posted by Timothy Foreman in Religion at 18:38 | Comment (1) | Trackback (1)

Defined tags for this entry: Atheism, rant

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Why is Religion Still Here?
I sent my last missive - Why Do I Care About Other's Religions - to my email list and got this thoughtful message in response: Tim, You raise many good points. In our age of better communication and open exchange of ideas, this list is a very good examp

Weblog: There's no place like home
Tracked: May 21, 21:31

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In the face of everything you've written how do you define and prove unconditional love? That seems to me to be central to a parent/child relationship. Yet it is taken on faith. There is no proof (of which I am aware) that such exists. Yet, would you not do everything in your power to protect your children regardless the cost to you or your life?

I would pose that science has a long way to go before it can successfully quantify and qualify the intangibles (love, beauty, sentimentality) that help define homo sapiens as a species. That religion makes an attempt and, admittedly for some less successfully, helps people come to terms with their humanity should not be tossed aside lightly.

The United States was never formed as a secular nation. Rather, it was formed with the ideal of equity for all. Acknowledgement of the Divine was a central tenet of all period thought and documentation. It was the notion of a specific religious sect having a controlling interest in our system of government that our founders worked to avoid.

I'm not a big fan at pointing out the problems the major Christian religions have (or have hidden). Those problems are pervasive and exist in every walk of life. Do they get the same amount of publicity? No. Did the religious heads act in ways contrary to our current thought? Yes. I would point out that in the case of the Roman Catholic Church, it is run as a country with its own sense of nationality that at times is at odds with the United States. Is it correct? No, nor am I claiming to support or justify this position. Your rant could just as easily be turned to any of the major professions (law, medicine, finance, etc.). Each has their tainted past and continued abhorrent behavior.

I offer you a challenge. For each item you don't like, offer two viable resolutions and ten positive items. Your questions and insight are valuable - use them to close the chasm.

#1 Sean Murphy on 2008-05-23 11:41 (Reply)

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