This is a guest post from a very good friend, Deana. When she’s not galavanting around the globe, digging up history, she writes at the Secular Scarlet blog. You can follow her on Twitter: @SecularScarlet
This week I found myself re-reading or should I say listening to the late great Christopher Hitchens, narrating his own work ‘God is Not Great’. Wow. No matter how many times I listen/read I never ceased to be amazed, such a great orator his words have a calm certainty that is and will always be missed by us all.
As a born atheist without any horrific indoctrination stories, I went through life thinking everyone was just like me. In fact, it wasn’t really until my teen years that I realised the awful indoctrination and brainwashing many of my friends had had to go through. I hear so many stories now of friends who read many of the secular authors like Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris and Dennett. However, I was in my mid-thirties before I picked up any of these books. Why, you may ask, as an atheist had I never read any? Well, the simple truth is for me atheism was one simple fact, I didn’t believe in a deity, I never had, why would I need to elucidate.
It took the intervention of social media to highlight the thoughts of like-minded atheists. Imagine my amazement, I was not alone in my thoughts, I was not as smart as I thought, everyone within the secular society thought like me! I think in fact that was the epiphany for me, religion you see has its ‘novel’ in order to all believe the same you all need to read the rules and regulations. The difference is with ‘ Atheism’ we all independently come to the same conclusion we don’t need a rule book. Funny huh?
Do you honestly think, dear theists, without your book, you would come to your conclusion?
Hmmm?
MORALITY
Most theists I ever debate with on social media tend to denigrate atheism as a lack of morality. Apparently, we have no morals we must live in constant mayhem if the truth is to be believed by our god-fearing theists. However, as with Hitchens, I know morality predates their foolish sky fairy beliefs. There is, in fact, a very long tradition of ethical thinking, that predates Christianity by a millennium. There are millions of non-religious men and women on the planet. We live our lives as best we can. Atheists are not the ones filling our newspapers with tales of carnage, debauchery and murder. You can look any day of the week and find a list of news stories involving religious peoples.
This week alone I can list
A Jehovah’s Witness stands accused of child abuse and sexual abuse against four of his daughters.
Anjem Choudary – accused of helping ISIS bring westerners to Syria.
19 women killed in Mosul for refusing to have sex with ISIS members.
The list goes on. I’m not picking on one religion, as they all seem to have the same lack of respect for human life. I am not, of course, surprised. Religion lacks morality. I find it wanting!
We only have to look at Christianity and Judaism. Have a close look at the 10 commandments. Do you find anything unusual in them? For me apart from the fact he is obsessed with himself, God seems to lack basic humanity. Why does he omit the following:-
Protection of children.
The condemnation of: Rape.
The condemnation of: Slavery.
The condemnation of: Genocide.
Of course, the answer is simple, move along and you will see their man-made god seems to perpetuate these horrors.
The truth is the Abrahamic religions looks forward to the destruction of the world.
IN CONCLUSION
I find debating with theists a pointless exercise. It’s a bit like a playground. We can play on the swings, slides, roundabouts, but it's going to get us nowhere. Atheists aren’t trying to get you to change your mind, you have to find it all out on your own.
Unlike religion, we are not telling you anything you don’t already know. Cognitive dissonance allows you to hide behind your sky fairy mythology. The only person you are deceiving is yourself. Fear you see, a need to conclude your existence is controlled by a higher being!
So between faith which is based on wishful thinking and prayer which is pretty much like wishing on a star, I will pass, thanks 🙂
Christopher Hitchens came to the following conclusion:-
Religion and the Church are manufactured.Ethics and Morality are independent of religionReligion is amoral and immoral.
In the middle of writing this post a fourth atheist blogger Mr Niloy Neel has been murdered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is so important for atheist bloggers across the world to carry on being a voice for people persecuted and killed for the simple right of freedom of speech.
No-one deserves to die for words.
This is a guest post from a very good friend, Deana. When she’s not galavanting around the globe, digging up history, she writes at the Secular Scarlet blog. You can follow her on Twitter: @SecularScarlet. If you would like to be a guest blogger on Godlessmom.com, please contact me.
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