Religion in America is like the Civil War — it divides families. I am an atheist and think that all religion is wrong — but not just wrong — it is divisive and destructive. In the privacy of their own hearts and lives, people can believe what they want. Unfortunately, religious belief affects politics in America in perverse ways, e.g. abortion, gay rights, capital punishment, etc.
Religious belief also prevents rational thought processes to solve important problems of the time. Some of the most hateful people in America are religious people. The religious right is opposed to immigration, universal health care — they love the fetus but hate the person from the moment of birth. These same religious zealots think they are better than everybody and have the answer to life’s eternal question. They are mentally ill because they cannot reason rationally. They believe in magical thinking — they pray — god will rescue — bullshit all.
Nearly all religions have the view that if you believe in their tenets you are going to have a great afterlife. Many of these religions believe in an all-powerful god who can do anything he wants. Yet, the religious right will not rely on such a god to do the right thing. In fact, such a god could stop abortion if he felt it was wrong. He could strike down evil in any form he saw. Yet, there is absolutely no sign of such a god. Innocent children are diagnosed with horrible diseases and die. Seems unlikely that a good god would torture the innocent while evil politicians live long lives. The only way to reconcile such observations is to conclude their is either no god or he just doesn’t care — atheism.
In my family there is a variety of religious beliefs — not among my children. After my wife died of cancer many years ago, all of us rejected religion independently. It was clear there was no god. Since then, there have been other illnesses with much better outcomes — all absent any religious belief. It was science, not god, that cured illness. Yet, people still cling to their prayers and religious bullshit even though there is absolutely no evidence it does any good or even that there is a god.
The one good trend in America is more people are rejecting the god bullshit. This is particularly true of the younger generation. They realize that once you reject religions there is no problem with gay marriage or abortions being legal. They realize that abortion or gay marriage doesn’t mean you have to have an abortion or marry somebody of the same sex. Yet, if people want to do choose such that is just fine. Once you reject religion you understand the world better — bad stuff just happens. It happens to the innocent or the strong. It is all just random, possibly influenced by environment, food, water, etc. It is only science that can provide any answers. Pile up all those bibles or other religious bullshit and throw that crap away. Replace them with rational scientific books that rely on the scientific method to figure out the world. God won’t cure cancer but science one day will. God won’t land a man on the moon but science has.
Religions have divided family and causes horrible problems in America. It makes it so that people cannot get along. Even religious people will debate and argue about their beliefs. Reason takes a back seat when debating with religious people. Seriously, how can you have a rational conversation with somebody who thinks that the Catholic cracker is Jesus’ body or the wine is Jesus’ blood? They think the earth is 6000 years old, contrary to all scientific thought. A religious person that believes such crap is seriously delusional, even mentally ill. He might as well say he talks to aliens — oh — he does that too — he calls him god. Yet, it isn’t the fact that he believes it, it is the fact that rational thought ceases to exist.
Religion has hurt America, particularly in the last 40 years, since it has taken such a prominent place in American political life.
America is doomed.
I’d love to comment. This is from an old athiest who is now an agnostic. You make some good points, but you make far more bad ones. Let me say that I’m sorry about your wife, especially since she died of a totally preventable disease, cancer. You hand pick all of the worst attributes of ” fundamentalist” religion and rely on those “ripe appples” to condemn all who have any form of faith. I am an ex-athiest/current agnostic. Most of my friends and most of the people who are dear to me have some sort of religion. None of them are delusional. None of them are murderers. And few of them even oppose abortion, at least early term abortion. My mother was a devout Cahtolic who happened to know that the world was older than 6000 years. My dad was Amish, and truely one of the most decent, humanistic, forgiving, loving, and sociable people on the planet. He was also a “naturopathic” phycisian, who didn’t rely much on “modern science”. If you and your past wife knew 1/10th of what I know, whe would be alive today. You see, you are a religionist. Science is your dogma, and abortion is your sacrament. Science gave us not only penecillian, but the Hiroshima bomb, the Nagasaki bomb, Zyclon B, 6,000,000 dead Jews, Thalidomide, Celebrex, Avandia, Vioxx, and one in 88 “chiddens” with Autism. And the list and the beat goes on. Atheism also gave us luminaries like Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler, Josehp Stalin, Pol Pot, and the nut case in North Korea. Atheists have killed over 100 million people in a short 100 years. It is one thing to be Athiest on an individual/intellectual scale, but quite another to implement it with the oppressive, overbearing wrath of “da gubsamunts” behind it when you know that the sheeple will rally to all and any cry to stamped off the cliff. Lemmings, one and all!!!My mother never “pushed” her beliefs on anyone! she was a silent warrior. She gave untold amounts of money to the less fortunate, and died quietly by “death induced by doctors” through their filthy “scientific” allopahtic, hocus pocus, petroleum poisons that they administer to the “Ignunt” worhsipers at the altar of godless science. My father practiced naturopathy and homeopathy. He died a very old man, not rich, but rich in spirit and compassion. According to you, all we need is more radiation and chemo!!! Ask your departed wife how well science served her. sorry dude, but I’d take my parents over you in a heartbeat. If any of your “fambily” gitts shit up, call me. I can connect you with the realt thing, not allopathic disease for profit scientist like you believe in. Not like the ones who murdered your wife, and shortly will kill you and your “chidddens”. les
The original post didn’t call all religious people delusional, just ones who believe various things cited in the post, e.g. the earth is 6000 years old, Catholics are ingesting Jesus’ body, etc. The point is how do you have a rational discussion with somebody who believes such nonsense.
Also, one can no more blame science for all the bad things that people do with it, as one can blame computers or automobiles that are used in their activity. It is a very lame argument.
What distinguishes science and religion is that science probes for the truth and incrementally get closer over time. Science has no problem updating their theories as new information is discovered. Alternatively, religion adheres to tenets based on mythology. Sometimes religion is force to change its views, e.g. Galileo, slavery. However, it is always painful.
amen brother. i like your writing. however the guy who replied infered cancer is preventable ? what is that person thinking ? cancer is not preventable.
Cancer is totally preventable, but not for you who listen to allopaths. The people who put the poison on, and in our food, are scientists. I think that they call them “food scientists”. Read a label, dude!!! How “ignunt” are you”? And the people who suppress symptoms rather than address the causes of disease, are called allopaths. Cancer is totally preventable. Why would they prevent it? Bigger than housing!! Bigger than automotive, BNigger than Aero Space. What is it? Disease for profit!!! It drives our sick country. And everyday I howl with glee at watching the illness and death that i reaps!! I would never harm and individual through violence. If i truelyt hated them, I would buy them some nitrie laden processed meat, filled with nitrates, nitrites, monosodium glutamate, and 10 other petroleum chemicals from the grocery store. Just give it to them as a gift. Give it once a month, Sit back and wait!! BwaaaaaHaaaaaHaaaaaa!!!I’m a very old man and look 1/3 my age. I haven’t seen a doctor in 30 years!!! And haven’t been sick in longer. Where on earth do you people live? I walk 18 miles/week, grow all of my food organically, screw gals 1/3 my age, and still play hard!! And I take no pills!! Are either of you on cancer causing pills? Cancer is big bidnuss!! I call it the “cancer industry”. 1/2 to a full million to check out!! BwaahaaaaHaaaaaa!! I love “ignunce”. Big bucks. Only an idiot gets cancer, and then a dumbass can’t cure it!! HeeeeHeeeHeee!!
One more thing about athiests and cancer!! Atheists aren’t preventable, but cancer is. Has this “fschrist” guy heard that smoking causes lung and other cancers? Or that hundreds of chemicals in the air and water cause cancer? Or even that cyanide causes death? That radiation causes cancer, as in Hiroshima and Chernoblyl!!! Is this nutcase even grounded on planet earth? Does he even know that thalidomide causes “flipper babies”? Didn’t he see the correlation between excessive red meat consumption and colon cancer. Does he even know that high fiber diets prevent heart disease and colon cancer? Does he know that rGBH in dairy causes breast cancer in women, now at age 40 rahter than age 50!!! Does he know that black women begin ovulation at age 7.5 and white women start at 8 yrs old because of BST in dairy and meat. Does he know that the increased exposure to these killer chemicals take 10 to 20 years from their lives becuase they develop soft tissue cancer, sepecially in hteir breasts? Has he ever heard of “prevention”? Preventive medicine”? probably not in the doomed USA. What a fart this uneducated clown is!! What a “public high skrool” gradjeeate!!