Somehow I feel like Andrew Sullivan is doing more Atheist bating, since his friend Hitchens has passed on, with article such as:
1) Why Can't Atheists Organize?
2) Do Atheists need to come out?
So, basically... can we not organize? More to the point we don't have an agenda that we need to advance, so we really don't need to organize. There are plenty of secular organizations out there, but being secular doesn't make them Atheist.
Do Atheists need to come out? What does that even mean? I agree that it helps you mentally to stop lying to yourself and others about your beliefs or lack thereof. And if you can explain those thoughts to other people, so much the better. A good honest debate can really help clear your thoughts. But I think he's thinking that Atheists need to both come out and organize, and for the life of me I cannot imagine what that's about.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The 700 Club on Atheism
OY - I was flipping through channels and came across the 700 club this morning. They had a segment on a science teacher who declared himself to be an atheist, but then, of course, found faith and had a happier life.
The segment was full of the tired memes that they love to poke at us, but with a new twist, the use of a whiteboard to diagram out how he came to his atheism. He drew what we in the business call a mind map, and central to his atheism were two things. Science, he was a science teacher looking for answers of course, and the loss of close friends in a car accident which left him angry.
The Angry Scientist... isn't that the formula they try to stick us with? I understand that they need to drive a wedge into us. But most of us are quietly accepting and not angry at anyone or anything. They try to put words into our mouths that we gave up on god because "he did something to us" that we couldn't reconcile. Most of us just came to the conclusion that the world works perfectly fine without a big daddy in the sky, so stop wasting time and energy and enjoy life just as it is.
The scientist part is laughable as well. They made this huge emphasis on this poor guy being a science teacher. And clearly, science is based on reason. And reason, as Martin Luther might or might not have famously said, is the enemy of religion. But I'm perfectly happy with what science delivers as well as what it cannot.
I am sure there are angry people out there who turn away from god. But anger doesn't help anything. I'd encourage you to work on your anger and keep that separate from your god issues. A mindful meditation practice can often help you understand the roots of your anger. I do know several mediators, and I have seen those results in them. I myself do not meditate.
So, be of good cheer my atheist friends. We're not at all like they paint to be. Just be happy to be a quiet atheist and you'll be fine. It's a beautiful world out there. Enjoy the life you have each day!
The segment was full of the tired memes that they love to poke at us, but with a new twist, the use of a whiteboard to diagram out how he came to his atheism. He drew what we in the business call a mind map, and central to his atheism were two things. Science, he was a science teacher looking for answers of course, and the loss of close friends in a car accident which left him angry.
The Angry Scientist... isn't that the formula they try to stick us with? I understand that they need to drive a wedge into us. But most of us are quietly accepting and not angry at anyone or anything. They try to put words into our mouths that we gave up on god because "he did something to us" that we couldn't reconcile. Most of us just came to the conclusion that the world works perfectly fine without a big daddy in the sky, so stop wasting time and energy and enjoy life just as it is.
The scientist part is laughable as well. They made this huge emphasis on this poor guy being a science teacher. And clearly, science is based on reason. And reason, as Martin Luther might or might not have famously said, is the enemy of religion. But I'm perfectly happy with what science delivers as well as what it cannot.
I am sure there are angry people out there who turn away from god. But anger doesn't help anything. I'd encourage you to work on your anger and keep that separate from your god issues. A mindful meditation practice can often help you understand the roots of your anger. I do know several mediators, and I have seen those results in them. I myself do not meditate.
So, be of good cheer my atheist friends. We're not at all like they paint to be. Just be happy to be a quiet atheist and you'll be fine. It's a beautiful world out there. Enjoy the life you have each day!
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