It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
--Thomas Jefferson
Below are my answers to the Atheist Questionnaire posted on The Friendly Atheist Blog
Why do you not believe in God?
One word, Evidence. I learned to use rational thought and practical reason to examine the world. In my high school days I kept reading the bible and the books on comparative religion and wondered how one could be right and the other’s not? I looked at metaphysics and actual physics and examined the idea of a supernatural force that interacts in our lives. I saw no evidence, anecdotal or scientific, that proves the supernatural or the divine. On the other hand, in my search I was turned on to the majesty of the cell, the virus, the photon.
Where do your morals come from?
Many places. My parents tried to raise me to be skeptical and reasonable; they gave me the emotional and logical tools to face the world. School taught me science and art and led me to discover the origins of thought. Philosophy has taken it from there. Using reason, a touch of Socratic Method, and comparative study in philosophy I have shaped my own morals. Not only those but the day to day events of our lives shape our worldview and do so regardless of our religious beliefs. The evolution of morals is a constant thing and I take what the world and its collected knowledge as it comes to me.
What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is that it has no intrinsic meaning. Everyday, we wake up and try to create our own meaning. Life is the struggle to imbue our lives with meaning.
Is atheism a religion?
No. A religion implies faith and belief in a metaphysical or supernatural worldview. Atheism is the rejection of the supernatural, the metaphysical, and the divine. Atheism is perhaps best explained as the anti-religion.
If you don’t pray, what do you do during troubling times?
I think, I cry, I talk with friends, family, and lovers, and I read. I cope. I move on and work toward getting myself out of troubling times knowing that no supernatural force will come to my rescue.
Should atheists be trying to convince others to stop believing in God?
Not as such… I believe it is the call of the exuberant (or militant) atheist to hold up the hard mirror to religion and let the world see the imperfections and atrocities. I believe it is the call of all atheists to promote reason and logical thinking and to fight religious oppression and intolerance wherever it rears its head.
Weren’t some of the worst atrocities in the 20th century committed by atheists?
Yes. Stalin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot, and others committed horrible atrocities; but they did not do it in the name of atheism. Atheists are people too and all people are capable of great evil. However that evil is fostered y the hateful teachings of religion. In the name of religion the average man rose up to slaughter his muslim brother in the ancient crusades and the streets of Palestine today. Because of the teachings of the priesthood and their bible thousands of women were burned at the stake and many more men and women were tortured in the inquisitions. Millions of jews, catholics, blacks, and homosexuals were slaughtered by Hitler and his Aryan Cult. Protestants and Catholics kill each other, Shi’a and Sunni kill each other, Jew and Muslim kill each other, Hindu and Muslim kill each other; all for no better reason than they are the wrong religion. Atheism has never advocated death and has never provided the encouragement for slaughter.
How could billions of people be wrong when it comes to belief in God?
Because human knowledge is always growing and evolving. In our early days were small tribes of nomadic barbarians who wandered the land with no law and no science. Those who sought power claimed to have the power and knowledge from god and set themselves up as the leaders of the community. The law was not informed by reason or science, but backed up by divine fiat. This system remained for thousands of years and was changed through science and learning. The roman senate, Athenian democracy, the enlightenment, and modern science hae all changed the way we look a society and the universe. We will continue to expand our knowledge and clarify our worldview as the centuries pass. Religion is simply the superstitious relic of our ancestors waiting to be shrugged off.
Why does the universe exist?
Because of the big bang. Of course, you probably want to know what created the big bang. We don’t know, yet. However there are many theories. I believe the universe is an infinite system and that the big bang was caused by the big crunch and that this cycle repeats constantly. Obviously this is an open question that continues to be studied by theologians and physicists today.
How did life originate?
Amino acids forming unicellular organisms in the primordial soup of our cooling world. Unicellular organisms formed colonies and then formed multi-cellular organisms that formed all modern life. It is a scientific and reproducible process that has been studied by molecular biologists and evolutionary biologists extensively. For all we know, this same process could be happening right now around Proxima Centauri or an even more distant star.
Is all religion harmful?
I believe so, yes. Religion fosters hate, ignorance, and subservience. Almost all religions are built with the idea that there are those among us who commit heinous sins and are worthy of death. Almost all religions teach that the punishment for transgression or sinning is to be forever punished. All religions teach the existence and acceptance of the supernatural; ghosts, goblins, and the like. All religions teach tha the divine and the supernatural is above our reasoning and therefore we should distrust reason. All religions have stood in the way of scientific and social progress. All religions teach that we are worthless and that this life is a sham; thus we should bow down to an invisible master and his earthly priesthood. Almost all religions preach the idea of theocracy and rule by the religious elite. Reason, Acceptance, and Self-Reliance are crushed by religion. What religion does good for society has been done by secular authorities that much better. What good religion does for human beings is outweighed by the atrocities and the message of spite and fear and ignorance.
What’s so bad about religious moderates?
Nothing per say… However, religious moderates act as a smokescreen against the larger evils of religion. Whenever Falwell or Robertson or Coulter or Savage or O’Reilly or Phelps stands up and spews hate and ignorance and theocratic madness the people are ready t attack their ignorant and superstitious beliefs until a moderate stands up and says, they may be wrong but god loves you. They deflect the public away from the hard questions about religion.
Is there anything redeeming about religion?
Nothing. The “good” morals and values that religion teaches are universal to all human cultures that we can cultivate without an invisible dictator.
What if you’re wrong about God (and He does exist)?
I’ll be dead anyway, what will I care? Besides, if I was wrong there would be some shred of evidence that a diety or supernatural being has interacted with this world outside of the myths and legends of ancient man. So, I’m confident.
Shouldn’t all religious beliefs be respected?
I respect people, not religions. People are free to accept and belief whatever they will, but I and other atheists and freethinkers have an equal right to challenge those beliefs. As long as you are not trying to force your belief on me we will get along smashingly. If you try to tell me I am going to hell or that this country is being corrupted by gays and pagans, I am going to rip you a new one.
How do you deal with the historical Jesus if you don’t believe in his divinity?
The “historical Jesus” is only ever mentioned by Josephus outside the context of Christianity. Most of the “gospels” were written long after Jesus died and were based largely off of older mythologies. The myths and “miracles” of Jesus are similar to those of Apollonius of Tyana, Mithra, the cultic Orpheus, and a few of the myths attributed to Heracles, Horus, Gilgamesh, and the Elusian Mysteries. So I am not that impressed with the historicity of Jesus and/or the bible.
Would the world be better off without any religion?
Yes, yes, yes. Science would make great leaps forward, sectarian violence would be a thing of myth, and universal human rights would be a reality.
What happens when we die?
We cease to be. All that we were and are simply stops. Our memories and deeds and works will continue to exist beyond us. Our families and community will continue, be we will simply cease to be. This is the question and the horrifying reality that has driven more people to religion than anything else. We don’t want to believe it, we don’t want to accept it, but we have only a short time on this earth and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Make the most of it, don’t live in fear of an invisible dictator and don’t give in to hate and intolerance. Live, love, and leave the world better than you found it. That’s all any of us can do.
