God is Dead. And Imaginary. And Irrelevant.

Invitation to a new community

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 21:15:06 GMT

Posted by: lunadelcorvo

While I still hope that this comm will revive itself, I have gone ahead and started anti_theocracy, a new community dedicated to gathering resources & information on theocracy and the activities of the religious right in the post-Obama era.

It is more imperative than ever that we be aware of what our politicians, religious and cultural leaders are up to, and what they stand for. I hope to make anti_theocracy, a clearinghouse and resource for anyone concerned with religious overreach both in the US and abroad.

Please come by and join! I hope to have some solid informational pieces up in the next few days, and I welcome contributions from members.

Here is our Profile Page that has posting guidelines, and a little bit about the purpose of the community.

It's open for everyone to join, so I hope to see some folks there!

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Is anyone still here?

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 20:57:28 GMT

Posted by: lunadelcorvo

It seems we need this community (or at least, discussion on this topic) more than ever.

Anyone out there? I'd be willing to help if there is interest in revitalizing this community....

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belief is the problem

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:34:40 GMT

Posted by: miriam_e

Note that the word "belief" has two quite different uses.
1. When belief is something you invest some of your identity in, then that is dangerous because of how easy it is for reality to appear to threaten your manufactured identity. That is the form that is often synonymous with "faith".
2. The more casual form is harmless, where I might believe the bus is due in a few minutes but am happy to desert that misconception when it turns up earlier or later.
It is the first form of belief I talk about below. I wish we had different words for the two.

Strictly speaking, I'm not an atheist, but an agnostic because I can't say absolutely that we weren't made as some other creature's experiment. However for all practical purposes I am effectively atheist because I understand that the likelihood of such a creature (or creatures) existing is vanishingly small, also I can say with certainty that all the religions of mankind are utterly wrong -- they disprove each other and themselves. And all the gods manufactured by humans quite clearly exist only in the minds of their makers.

Theist belief, historically the greatest instigator of violence and war, is probably the greatest danger facing humanity today, partly because it alienates people from each other and makes enemies of them, but also religion actively resists solving the twin perils of climate instability and population growth.

But religion is only part of the danger. Its insanity is the most visible, so it is easiest to see the threat it poses. The larger danger is belief itself, and it comes in all forms. By dismissing preconceptions and letting yourself understand the reality of the world, as revealed by careful experiment and logical thinking you can free yourself from belief systems.

Belief is a lazy way of viewing the world and is amazingly seductive. Belief in a country, or a race, or a religion, or an economic system, or whatever, can get us into real trouble. I can see a country as an imaginary thing mapped onto geography, and race as an imaginary construct using superficial traits to erroneously generalise about individuals, and religion as a futile attempt to get ready-made answers without the need for thinking, and economic systems as ways to justify ways of dealing with money without resorting to facts... and so it goes on. There are plenty of people who ditch their belief in some religion in order to believe in atheism. This is probably less dangerous than believing in religion (at least while atheists themselves are relatively disempowered), but even that belief is a risk to your and others' health.

Antitheism is important because it takes back some of the world from those who would so quickly destroy it in the name of their imaginary friend. Being against all other beliefs is important too, but perhaps less pressing than antitheism. If we could get rid of national boundaries then we would be forced to help fix tragedies elsewhere in the world (if only to prevent them spreading "here"). If we could get rid of racism (both negative racism where someone thinks less of someone based on superficial characteristics, and positive racism where someone is proud of the idiotic accident of lineage) then we would be forced to acknowledge all humans as brothers and sisters. If we could get rid of all the various, equally unfounded economic beliefs then we might start to use coins humanely, as merely the stupid little trading tokens that they really are, rather than a weapon to crush supposed competitors or a tool to confine most people to miserable poverty.

Life is for living, and your brain is for thinking, and beliefs are poisonous to both.

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Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:21:11 GMT

Posted by: hatman

Q: What's another way to say "give money to support an insane system of beliefs"?

A: Fund a mental ism.

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Thoughts on the Exodus

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:17:35 GMT

Posted by: hatman

It being Passover, I thought I'd take the time to talk about the story of the Exodus. Passover is, after all, the celebration of that story. And it's a story that has long bothered the heck out of me.

( Cut for length... )

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How to Defend Atheism

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:00:39 GMT

Posted by: brad

Library: Modern: George Smith: How to Defend Atheism (1976)

[This speech was delivered before the Society of Separationists in 1976. It was transcribed from an audio cassette which had the title, "Atheism: The Case Against God." However, in order to avoid confusion (since Smith has published a book under that same title), I have retitled this speech as "How to Defend Atheism." --jjl]

( Read more... )

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How To Out-Argue A Fundamentalist

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:59:23 GMT

Posted by: brad

HOW TO OUT-ARGUE A FUNDAMENTALIST

( Read more... )

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Creationists Are Insane, Now With Video!

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:55:41 GMT

Posted by: brad

"Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger."
-Abbie Hoffman

Bananas: The Atheist's Nightmare
DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNNN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4yBvvGi_2A

Atheist's Nightmare, Part Deux
ACK! PEANUT BUTTER! RUUUUUN!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZFG5PKw504

Atheist's Nightmare, Debunked
Don't eat or drink anything while viewing this clip, lest you die.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLqQttJinjo

Nick Gisburne's Take on The Atheist's Nightmare: Bananas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HW06Wz_R74

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Alrighty then - here it goes.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:54:26 GMT

Posted by: brad

It's no secret that I am not a fan of religion, Christianity's Catholic faction in particular, and I have a lifetime of reasons for it. I've had issues in the past with people who felt a need to convert me to their way of thinking in order to even accept me in conversation, and these sorts of people fail to understand that such things are not going to fly. Not just the door-to-door proselytizers, I always invite them in and offer something to drink and a snack if I have one and then have a conversation about religion and state my oppositions clearly and concisely in a nonthreatning and respectful manner. I have the luxury of knowing people on LJ and in my personal life who are devoutly religious and although I couldn't be any further from that thinking, I'm still appreciated and loved and respected as a human and as a friend because we're NOT the labels we wear, we're NOT the designs for living we choose, and there are many variables in life. This isn't a totalitarian state (not yet, anyway) wherein faith rules the land and dictates your thoughts and such, there is nothing tantamount to Sharia law here in the US - though the fundamentalist factions of Christianity would have us there if they stood any opportunity to bring it into fruition.

I find hypocrisy staggering and the refusal to question unacceptable, which is why I am the lone atheist in a family of devout believers. We never see eye to eye, because no matter how much I accept them as individuals in spite of our differences I'm always looked down upon because there's a truth I don't find that meets with their worldview - something I am denying just to spite them, their delicate sensibilities cannot handle anything but carbon copies of themselves. Religious superiority. I suppose it is only fair to be forthright in stating that I believe as an atheist that I am truly more evolved than they are, if only because I have no need or desire to tear their belief systems down in order to accept them. I can embrace them wholly as individuals without requiring them to be of a similar mindset to my own and not have to hold them at arms length based on such things. It's just my lot in life and I accepted it long ago so this is no big deal to me. Sooner or later I get "You need to get right with God" or "You're just rebelling against God because of X reason or Y reason, you'll see the truth one of these days". I think my father and oldest brother (practicing Catholic) are the only two that are evolved enough to find respect in my 10+ years of independent theological study and have a healthy measure of respect for WHY I believe as I do. They disagree with me wholly in the broadest senses of religion and its benefits versus its costs to humanity, but at least they come to hear me out when I point out inaccuracies and contradictions as part of the basis for my lack of faith, and the invariable failure of the concepts of religion and God to meet my standards of logic and reason. It all falls apart like a virus under ultraviolet light, something so seemingly perfect and methodical and complex just torn into pieces when you shine a certain light on it. I can only get so far in conversations with them, because once the wheels start to turn and actual ponderance and consideration for finding even a modicum of truth or logic/reason in what I have to say enters into it, they begin to question and that is when the walls come slamming down. Challenges of faith are difficult to reconcile, I suppose because for the religious mind it creates guilt and some kind of interpreted betrayal against God. I don't pretend to understand that, but I can at least see how powerful it is in one's heart and mind.

So here I've found a good bit of backstory to support why I think Christianity is such an unhealthy thing in my view - histrionically speaking, that is. Read and keep an open mind. I issue no challenges to anyone's faith, just presenting the things I don't believe many people consider about the history of certain branches of religious faith.

VICTIMS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

(Originally posted at Fuck the Lord!)

A religion of peace my ASS.
How many people have been killed by Christians since Biblical times?

by Kelsos
“WONDERFUL EVENTS THAT TESTIFY TO GOD’S DIVINE GLORY”

Listed are only events that solely occurred on command of church authorities or were committed in the name of Christianity. (List incomplete)

Ancient Pagans
* As soon as Christianity was legal (315), more and more pagan temples were destroyed by Christian mob. Pagan priests were killed.
* Between 315 and 6th century thousands of pagan believers were slain.
* Examples of destroyed Temples: the Sanctuary of Aesculap in Aegaea, the Temple of Aphrodite in Golgatha, Aphaka in Lebanon, the Heliopolis.
* Christian priests such as Mark of Arethusa or Cyrill of Heliopolis were famous as “temple destroyer.” [DA468]
* Pagan services became punishable by death in 356. [DA468]
* Christian Emperor Theodosius (408-450) even had children executed, because they had been playing with remains of pagan statues. [DA469]
According to Christian chroniclers he “followed meticulously all Christian teachings…”
* In 6th century pagans were declared void of all rights.
* In the early fourth century the philosopher Sopatros was executed on demand of Christian authorities. [DA466]
* The world famous female philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria was torn to pieces with glass fragments by a hysterical Christian mob led by a Christian minister named Peter, in a church, in 415.
[DO19-25]
( Read more... )

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How to Fight the Religious Right

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:51:27 GMT

Posted by: brad

How to Fight the Religious Right
A guide to defending yourself against Fundamentalist Christians
By Brian Elroy McKinley

"You're going to Hell!"

"Satan has blinded you!"

"If you support abortion, you are supporting murder!"

( Read more... )

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