RE: Does Atheism Need to be Rebranded?
April 10, 2012 at 11:34 pm
(This post was last modified: April 10, 2012 at 11:42 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
All of the nasty shit we don't like about ourselves is a product of our minds Shell. To use this sort of metric to measure what we can or can't be "anti" about isn't going to leave us with much. Bigotry? "How can you be against bigotry but not against bigots?"
It's possible in the same way that being against bigotry without being against bigots themselves is possible. One can cease to be a bigot, one can cease spouting, believing in, or attempting to justify disgusting religious bullshit. It's not something that I feel that I can force other people to do, but I can help them along.
Religion has been reforming since the very beginning, it doesn't seem to help much, and reformation has historically not been a very peaceful process. There are a few key things built into every religion that amount to a recipe for absolute disaster. Even the pacifists. I can make this easy to understand, at least my particular brand of anti-theism.
-There are no gods, not in the sense that we use the word or term when we invoke it from a religious standpoint.
-There is nothing here to "disprove", it is not philosophy, it's not even lofty or spiritual, religion is simply an excuse for some other thing.
-At it's absolute best it is benign but largely ignorant (and ignorant is bad enough, our ability to think and reason being the defining characteristic and saving grace of our species), at it's worst it is malevolent and absolutely calculating.
-It doesn't work now, it's never worked, case in point it's done a hell of alot of harm to us.
-We know better than to believe in fairies, so why are we still going through this song and dance?
-Those that espouse hateful/ignorant/absurd religious beliefs are assholes (and I don't actually think that this has always been the case, I don't begrudge my paleolithic ancestors for their lack of understanding-though I would fault them for the hateful bits all the same).
-Those that profess belief sans the disgusting shit are enablers (at the very least).
We'd be doing ourselves one hell of a favor if we just dropped this shit like a ton of bricks. If that's going to happen, I'd prefer that it happened soon, and I don't mind being the guy who smashes my head against that wall (and helps others smash their heads against that wall) until a good idea falls out. Theism, and honestly, deities of any stripe (and all their attendant attributes and claims) are, to me, simply the shittiest ideas we've ever had.
It's possible in the same way that being against bigotry without being against bigots themselves is possible. One can cease to be a bigot, one can cease spouting, believing in, or attempting to justify disgusting religious bullshit. It's not something that I feel that I can force other people to do, but I can help them along.
Religion has been reforming since the very beginning, it doesn't seem to help much, and reformation has historically not been a very peaceful process. There are a few key things built into every religion that amount to a recipe for absolute disaster. Even the pacifists. I can make this easy to understand, at least my particular brand of anti-theism.
-There are no gods, not in the sense that we use the word or term when we invoke it from a religious standpoint.
-There is nothing here to "disprove", it is not philosophy, it's not even lofty or spiritual, religion is simply an excuse for some other thing.
-At it's absolute best it is benign but largely ignorant (and ignorant is bad enough, our ability to think and reason being the defining characteristic and saving grace of our species), at it's worst it is malevolent and absolutely calculating.
-It doesn't work now, it's never worked, case in point it's done a hell of alot of harm to us.
-We know better than to believe in fairies, so why are we still going through this song and dance?
-Those that espouse hateful/ignorant/absurd religious beliefs are assholes (and I don't actually think that this has always been the case, I don't begrudge my paleolithic ancestors for their lack of understanding-though I would fault them for the hateful bits all the same).
-Those that profess belief sans the disgusting shit are enablers (at the very least).
We'd be doing ourselves one hell of a favor if we just dropped this shit like a ton of bricks. If that's going to happen, I'd prefer that it happened soon, and I don't mind being the guy who smashes my head against that wall (and helps others smash their heads against that wall) until a good idea falls out. Theism, and honestly, deities of any stripe (and all their attendant attributes and claims) are, to me, simply the shittiest ideas we've ever had.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
