Why Hate Religious People?
April 16, 2008
Sometimes, as someone who is an “unbeliever,” I am asked why I hate believers; why am I so against their beliefs?
It’s a funny question. Maybe I come off arrogant and intolerant. That’s entirely possible (I’ve been known to be so), and if that is the case I must apologize both to people of faith, and atheists. I apologize to the people of faith because I really don’t mean to project hate. I apologize to the atheists because I don’t want to contribute to the stereotype “angry atheist” that is often portrayed.
Let me be perfectly clear: I don’t hate “believers.” I hate their beliefs.
What people of faith are probably picking up from me is impatience and my discomfort with an absolute certainty on their part, and a double standard.
Somehow, it is okay to question and debate someone’s beliefs about physics, astrology, medicine, politics, psychology, parapsychology and astrophysics. Yet it is (as far as I can tell) not acceptable to debate someone’s religious beliefs.
Here I am simply re-phrasing Sam Harris. None of this is new to atheists, though I am sure it is new to some people of faith. For them, I would suggest reading Mr. Harris, or at least spending twenty minutes watching him here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=J3YOIImOoYM
He’s not perfect, and I don’t agree with everything he says.
But I do think he makes quite a few good points.
Let me be clear: I don’t hate religious people. I just hate their religion. I’m not entirely sure how different this is from “love the sinner, hate the sin.”
I hate what religion does to people. I hate the evil that has been committed in this world in the name of God/Allah/Jehovah — whatever.
To be honest, that’s kind of a funny thing because I don’t believe in evil. Let me quote Robert Jay Lifton of Harvard (visiting professor of psychiatry):
“…one has to be aware of any claim to absolute virtue, because it’s absolute virtue that you call forth to kill large numbers of people. It may be impossible to do that without that claim.”
I’m hard-pressed to come up with a more apt description of the horrors of history.
Most of the evils of the world can probably be traced back to such sentiments. It is the adherence to absolute virtue, the belief one is serving God, that provides us with the means to commit unspeakable horrors. Some evils can be traced to selfishness, competition for resources, exploitation, racism, untreated mental illness and just plain stupidity. But I still believe the majority of the atrocities that have taken place on our planet were done in the name of “absolute virtue.”
I’m posting this on an atheist site, obviously. I suppose I am posting this to ask all of you atheists to recognize that we don’t hate people, we just hate what their beliefs have contributed to.
In a future post, I’ll address the popular belief that atheism has given us the dictators of the world. What makes that ludicrous is the belief that atheism is a philosophy that has adherents.
But for now, let’s agree that people of faith are not people to be hated, and we (atheists) don’t hate them. We just don’t like the bi-product.
I’m new here. But ….. Is that a fair start?
I want the Witnesses to leave me alone!
March 24, 2008
I can’t stand it anymore! I came home from the store the other day and found my husband standing at the back door talking to a young lady. In the driveway, blocking my way into the garage is a minivan being driven by a young man dressed in a suit. Great, I thought, another one. My husband and I have lived in our new home for less than a month and this is the third time we have had a Witness on our door step. The first thing that I wanted to do was whip the door open and apologize to the girl, maybe tell her that he was visiting for Easter from his group home or something…anything to save her from all of his questions. The poor girl had no idea what she had gotten herself into when she knocked on our door. None of them ever do. She finally left after stuttering a little about Easter and her beliefs. I don’t know if she cried. Maybe she got into the van and they all prayed for our family. Maybe (please please PLEASE) they crossed us off the list of places to stop. Either way, we got noticed, for you see, I am married to a special man. My husband is TJM admin, and the Witnesses will never leave me alone. First I was invited to the memorial service for Jesus, and then they had a meeting of some sort to talk about who was qualified to rule the world. I would have LOVED to go to that one. I can’t remember why this poor girl was here this time. She told him that she had talked to me before, so I guess I am in her precinct. I should go back and read the “Porch Monkeys” article again. When we were first married we lived literally right next to a meeting hall. We would watch those little 6 year olds run into the building carrying their little brief cases. We were there for 4 years and were only visited once. I miss those days. My hubby told me that those “No soliciting” signs don’t work either. Did you know that? They aren’t solicitors. I guess I will just have to let TJM admin keep answering the door! Poor little Witnesses…
New Year, Same Quiz…Just for Fun
March 7, 2008
Last February was our first year on the net so not many came across this Easter quiz. I still think that organized religion as a whole makes about as much sense as rabbits laying eggs… Of course, if you are one of our fine readers that know your history, then you know that Easter was celebrated long before Jesus came along which means that you already know about the rabbits and the eggs…… Read more
Middle East earthquakes: It’s the gays what did it
February 24, 2008
SIX earthquakes have struck Israel and neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan in recent months, with two coming last week alone – and what is to blame? Homosexuality.
That’s the view of imbecile Shlomo Benizri, MP, of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas party, who, according to the Telegraph, believes that the tremors could be stopped by repealing various liberalising laws on homosexuality that have been passed by the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, in recent years.
Since decriminalising homosexuality in 1988, Israel has passed several laws favouring gay Israelis , including decisions to recognise same-sex marriages carried out abroad, and granting inheritance rights and other benefits held by married couples to gay partnerships.
Last Sunday, to the outrage of the religious Right, the country’s attorney general, Meni Mazuz, ruled that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children.
In what Mr Benizri clearly believes is no coincidence, the first of last week’s quakes hit the country just two days later.
Why do earthquakes happen? One of the reasons is the things to which the Knesset gives legitimacy, to sodomy. God says that if you shake your genitals where you are not supposed to he will shake the world in order to wake you up.
In 1999 this crazy god-botherer caused controversy by saying homosexuals were mentally ill. Quoted in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, he said he was “ready to fund the creation of special closed sections for them in psychiatric hospitals.”
Can the Bible be Used to Prove Jesus’ Divinity?
February 5, 2008
Ru laid down the following argument at the forum. Thanks Ru. Read more
What Would Jesus Buy? (W.W.J.B.)
December 8, 2007
Everybody is out buying this and that for their kids, aunts, uncles, parents and other loved ones in preparation for the big event, Christmas.
Christmas in America has become a time of greed, and the ever inevitable arrogant assumption that all should celebrate by buying gifts. If you tell someone that you do not participate in gift exchanging at Christmas, they attempt to label you as cheapskate or an interplanetary alien. Read more
A White Christian lashes out
November 26, 2007
This is en excerpt from a blog:
Rapport (A South African Sunday paper) has decided to kneel at the feet of the idol of WHITE AFRIKANER CHRISTENDOM. The very same sacks of filthy white shit who supported APARTHEID. We must bow the knee to these racist scum!?
Fuck white Afrikaner Christians! White Afrikaner Christians suck the shit out of a dead man’s colon!
They clearly don’t know me and my absolute antipathy for white Afrikaans Christians.
I am a white English Christian. A confirmed Anglican. I attend Church regularly.
I am not so insecure in my beliefs, my faith, and my religion that I feel the need to squelch all those whose opinions differ from mine. I don’t require the people I do business with to align their religious and political views with mine. Clearly these cocksuckers do.
I would feel sorry for the poor little insecure white Afrikaans (fuckers) Christians, who feel that they have to organise boycotts over a religio political issue, but WHERE the fuck were you cunts when Apartheid was devastating our country?
Where the FUCK were you cunts THEN?
I’ll tell you WHERE! You were in your little kerkies (churches) praying to dear Jesus to save your white arses from the SWART GEVAAR (Black Danger).
Guess what? He didn’t listen.
Why not?
Because, you insane little bastards, you were praying to SATAN! As you still are, because you have NOT repented your Apartheid sins. Only when you get down on your knees and beg forgiveness for the heresy that Apartheid was, and properly kiss black arse, can you arise forgiven. Until then, you are damned to Hell!
Jesus will say to such people, “Begone from me, you evildoer! I never knew you!”
Those mamparas (dumbasses) will soon discover that the only poephols (assholes) that they are hurting are their own ones. The moment anyone caves to religious morons, is the moment they start their slide into The Abyss.
No surrender to racists.
The above is a quote from the blog of Richard Catto:
http://capetownnews.co.za/2007/11/17/
So South Africa has it’s very own Fred Phelps, in the person of Richard Catto, who preaches hate in the name of Jesus. He is extremely proud of the fact that he is a WHITE ENGLISH CHRISTIAN who hates other white Christians and wants all white Christians out of South Africa.
Mr Catto is a racist who hates whites and is not ashamed to acknowledge it openly in his blog; he is even proud of the fact. He claims allegiance to a religion that has nothing to do with his ideologies. He is intolerant to the point of being a vile pig. He calls himself a liberal but his actions speak louder than his words.
He wrote this to me in a letter: My whole point is this: people must stop fucking with other people.
Mr Catto, isn’t that exactly what you are doing?
He has so much anger and hatred in him that I believe he is a danger to society. He clearly has a problem with color, as he specifically calls himself WHITE.
As far as I am concerned he is a throwback from evolution; a subhuman.
He is shooting himself in both feet. This is Christianity speaking.
I asked him where he was 20 years ago; when Nelson Mandela was still in jail? During that time I was a card carrying member of Nelson Mandela’s political party, the African National Congress. I risked my freedom for my own sanity and to live with my conscience. During that time the ANC was classified as a Terrorist Organization, today they are the ruling party in South Africa.
Where were you, Mr Catto? You have not answered me.
Lu
NEW THEORY SUGGESTS PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO RELIGION FOR 16 REASONS
November 20, 2007
People are not drawn to religion just because of a fear of death or any other single reason, according to a new comprehensive, psychological theory of religion.
There are actually 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people to seek meaning through religion, said Steven Reiss, author of the new theory and professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University.From Ohio State University:NEW THEORY SUGGESTS PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO RELIGION FOR 16 REASONS
People are not drawn to religion just because of a fear of death or any other single reason, according to a new comprehensive, psychological theory of religion.
There are actually 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people to seek meaning through religion, said Steven Reiss, author of the new theory and professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University.
These basic human needs which include honor, idealism, curiosity and acceptance can explain why certain people are attracted to religion, why God images express psychologically opposite qualities, and the relationship between personality and religious experiences.
Previous psychologists tried to explain religion in terms of just one or two overarching psychological needs. The most common reason they cite is that people embrace religion because of a fear of death, as expressed in the saying ‘there are no atheists in foxholes,” Reiss said.
”But religion is multi-faceted it can’t be reduced to just one or two desires.”
Reiss described his new theory which he said may be the most comprehensive psychological theory of religion since Freud’s work more than a century ago — in the June issue of Zygon, a journal devoted to issues of science and religion.
”I don’t think there has been a comprehensive theory of religion that was scientifically testable,” he said.
The theory is based on his overall theory of human motivation, which he calls sensitivity theory. Sensitivity theory is explained in his 2000 book Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Action and Define Our Personalities (Tarcher Putnam).
Reiss said that each of the 16 basic desires outlined in the book influence the psychological appeal of religious behavior. The desires are power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, saving, honor, idealism, social contact, family, status, vengeance, romance, eating, physical exercise, and tranquility.
In fact, Reiss has already done some initial research that suggests the desire for independence is a key psychological desire that separates religious and non-religious people. In a study published in 2000, Reiss found that religious people (the study included mostly Christians) expressed a strong desire for interdependence with others. Those who were not religious, however, showed a stronger need to be self-reliant and independent.
The study also showed that religious people valued honor more than non-religious people, which Reiss said suggests many people embrace religion to show loyalty to parents and ancestors.
In the Zygon paper, Reiss explains that every religious person balances their 16 basic human needs to fit their own personality.
”They embrace those aspects of religious imagery that express their strongest psychological needs and deepest personal values.”
One example is the desire for curiosity, Reiss said. Religious intellectuals, who are high in curiosity, value a God who is knowable through reason, while doers, who have weak curiosity, may value a God that is knowable only through revelation.
”People who have a strong need for order should enjoy ritualized religious experiences, whereas those with a weak need for order may prefer more spontaneous expression of faith,” he said.
”The prophecy that the weak will inherit the earth should appeal especially to people with a weak need for status, whereas the teaching that everybody is equal before God should appeal especially to people with a strong need for idealism.”
If religion and personality are linked, religion must provide a range of images and symbols sufficiently diverse to appeal to all the different kinds of personalities in the human population, Reiss says. Religious imagery potentially accommodates everybody because in many instances the images and symbols are psychological opposites.
”How we value and balance the 16 psychological needs is what makes us an individual, and for every individual there are appealing religious images,” he said.
”The values that guide a personality with a strong need for vindication are expressed by a God of wrath, or a war God, while the values that guide a personality with a weak need for vindication are expressed by a God of forgiveness.”
”The values that guide a personality with a strong need to socialize are expressed by religious fellowship and festivals, while the values that guide a personality with a weak need to socialize are expressed by religious asceticism.”
The need for acceptance makes meaningful images of God as a savior, while its opposite inspires the concept of original sin, according to Reiss. The need to eat motives some people to value abstinence and others to value sustenance.
”Because this theory can be tested scientifically, we can learn its strengths and weaknesses, and gradually improve it,” Reiss said. ”Eventually, we may understand better the psychological basis of religion.”
Reiss emphasized that the theory addresses the psychology of religious experiences and has no implications for the validity or invalidity of religious beliefs.
http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/2788
Where Have All The Miracles Gone?
November 10, 2007
One of my personal favorite quotes is from someone that you may not have heard of, Dr. Delos Mc Kown.
Though often reported, miracles, so-called, are suspect because human beings lack the criteria for discriminating between any divinely engineered event and any rare (even unprecedented), unexplained (at the moment), but perfectly natural phenomenon. So, until distinguishing criteria are apprehended and explicated, nothing that has happened can legitimately be called a miracle.
Jehovah’s Witness mother dies after refusing blood
November 7, 2007
A young Jehovah’s Witness has died after giving birth to twins, amid claims that she had refused a blood transfusion because of her faith. Emma Gough, 22, of Telford, Shropshire, gave birth on 25 October. The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital said an internal review into the case would take place.
The twins, a boy and a girl, are healthy and are being cared for by their father, Anthony Gough, 24.
A friend said the family was going through “immense… turmoil and grief”.
“We follow the Bible and abstain from blood and I’ve got no reason to believe that Emma didn’t share those views,” the friend Terry Lovejoy added.
Christine Harris, a friend of Ms Gough’s mother-in-law Sham Gough, said: “The family have told me that a blood transfusion wouldn’t have saved Emma.”
Tom Taylor, chief executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “We have offered our deepest condolences to the family, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.
“Because events such as this are so rare, it is normal practice to undertake a full internal review and also to inform the coroner so an inquest can take place.”
An inquest has been opened and adjourned for a date to be fixed.T.
Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions because they believe that God has forbidden it in the Bible. They believe that accepting a blood transfusion is a sin.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/7078455.stm
Being a mother myself I find this unbelievable and reprehensible. The dad is only 24, now he has to care for his twin babies because it is against their religion to have blood transfusions? These babies have to grow up without the mother because of a verse in an ancient book full of mistakes?
This is sick and wrong on so many levels.
The god of the Jehovah’s finds it preferable that a mother die and leave her children without a stable family than accept a blood transfusion. Always handy to know where a particular deities priorities lie.
I cannot help but wonder how much comfort Bible verses are:
Isai 49:13 (KJS) Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
1Pet 5:7 (KJS) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Reve 21:4 (KJS) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
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