Religion relies on beliefs that are not rooted in objective evidence, can not be measured, and the supernatural claims purported by believers can not be demonstrated or verified. One might as well believe in fairies because they, like God, fit within the same category of untestable beliefs. Religion is so very obviously a human institution and so very obviously a means to give people a sense of control, which leads to feelings of security, hope and creates purpose. The oblivion we humans can maintain while never seeing, or experiencing anything other than natural life is amazing and testifies to our basic susceptibility as a species to remain basically irrational in nature. It is why we are able to enjoy extraordinary fiction in movies, books and stories. It is our minds ability to suspend belief coupled with our instinctual need to feel secure that allows religion to exist.
There are so, so many religions and spiritual groups vying for attention and all of them, and I mean all of them, believe theirs is somehow real, but everyone else is deceived, misled or "whatever". The kind of evidence a rational mind requires in everyday life is missing in religion, but that's not a problem because faith covers this seemingly innocuous and inconvenient little truth that all of us live in a natural universe and depend on natural laws to govern our science, medicine, and technology. It's only in everyday unscrutinized life that we can make the claim of faith with little to no accountability regarding its lack of reality and substance in everything else.
It's in this mental fugue state of religious belief that people appear immune to reason and evidence which should lead people away from supernatural explanations. The mind is truly amazing. It is apparently capable of believing fantastic things with little to no evidence, even to the point of death. Religion is somewhat predictable though. It accomplishes the same thing for every stripe of other worldly faith. It is a mechanism to feel something other than despair, or fear, concerning the unpredictability of life, and it is enmeshed with our strong natural desire to maintain happiness.
I’ve always said that reality is grim. We grow old, get sick, lose people we love and eventually die. Those hard cold facts are sobering and tragic, but none-the-less they are immutable facts. Our basic self-awareness seems to demand some sort of meaning behind these seemingly un-meaningful facts of living. Religion seems to fill that gap between living and dying. Religious beliefs try to void what all of us will realize at one time or another. We will all die, our consciousness with end, and we will return to dust.
Don’t shoot the messenger. I didn’t ask for consciousness and self-awareness. The evolution of our cerebral cortex makes us self-aware. Much to the chagrin of my fellow religiously inclined homosapiens, there isn’t a soul located with some trans-mystical corporeal connections, which is released upon death. No evidence of any kind points to such a fact. No…. we live and we die, and we hate to be reminded of it. Yet we continue, for the most part, moving toward anything that we believe will make us happy or dull the ache we often feel from living with reality.
Even with religious belief bogging us down or lifting us up, we overeat, overspend, neglect those who love us, drug ourselves, create risk just to feel alive (as so often proclaimed by extreme sports enthusiasts, or bored to death one time sky divers) and yet those pesky beliefs, which people in lemming like droves run toward, do little to circumvent our failure to harm ourselves or our fellow human being. Consider the statistics of divorce among true believers within Christendom, or the many religious believes in prison today, or the many teen pregnancies and abortions in every state of this God fearing union.
The non-religious make up less than 16% of the U.S. and atheists and make up less than 2%, so do the math. Believers are the ones aborting, killing, stealing, overeating, overspending, lying, and filling prisons like there is no tomorrow. Yes, the unreligious do it too, but stats in the U.S. show a connection between unbelievers and a low divorce rate, low crime rate and higher educational achievements, among other things.
Reality ought to tell us something, but it doesn’t for everyone. I'm not saying a lack of faith makes one a moral person, or that faith makes one moral. Jesus is attributed with saying something about letting those who have ears to hear actually hear, so I ask you to listen and watch with an open mind. The truth is smacking us in the face every day with war, pollution, waste, greed, gluttony, hate and whatnot, yet our species looks the other way.
Did you know that less than a 100 years ago our country participated in the lynching of black Americans? People would turn out in droves with families in tow. The crowd would fill with doctors, lawyers, clergy, housewives and children to celebrate this form of public hate and murder of our black citizens. After the killing, people would take pieces of the body as souvenirs. How did such an entrenched part of our public mentality change? When those few people, who saw it for what it really was, stood up against the majority belief, that's how it changed.
Reality may bite, especially in the end, but it is the only reality we have. Try altering it with anything you like, but you can’t escape what you are, or what life is, or how it will end. Live in a dream if you must, but there are those of us who seek comfort in reality, who face the fear and meet it head on. In my opinion, it's better to call a spade a spade then to make believe you have an ace up your sleeve. Better to educate one’s self with real facts, work towards objectivity, and fight bias and prejudice rather then to go about your day “make believing”.
But you aren’t asking me are you? Ask yourself if reality is what you truly seek, or is comfort your real goal? Are you looking for a way out, or someone like God to rescue you? Objective people living in a real natural world view are in short supply, if you ask me, and it’s a shame because there are so many things that need addressing by clear minded people unencumbered by irrational morals and unseemly thoughtless ideas of a rapture and a new earth. Reality demanded justice when our “One Nation Under God” turned away an ocean liner full of Jews during WWII, or when minorities were used for experiments, lynched, and relegated to separate lines, bathrooms, water fountains, etc.
Be ye clear minded, seek objectivity, face facts….don’t allow your untrained mind to create reality for the benefit of personal pleasure or internal security. Let's not rely soley on our feelings and subjective experiences as guides toward moral behavior, or creation of our value systems, and certainly let's not rely on them as confirmation of fantastical claims.
Is it too much to ask my fellow humans to question beliefs addled by mysticism and hand written by ancient homospapiens? Is it too much to ask to consider object facts and utilization of science rather than depend on beliefs touted as truth by bronze age men? Is it too much to consider that God, if there is such a being, wouldn't admire those who apply critical thinking to refute irrational laws, behavior, discrimination, bias and face reality? Is fear what motivates people to avoid striving to remain objective and question anything unsubstantiated? Religion seems like a placebo, which only delays the inevitable and covers the eyes of reality with a shroud of make believe. Who am I to say any of this? I am a former believer who saw the light of reality and, at first flinched, but eventually embraced it for what it is…..life as it is, not as we wish it to be.
Honestly,
Bill
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Good Simple Belief....
I believe and I act accordingly says the religious folk. In doing so, I guarantee myself a better life now and for sure.... after I die. I believe all this in my head and that's all the good spirit, or God asks of me... to believe as a child and act accordingly. Nice simple package! What's not to like??
Makes one wonder why using your rational mind to question the irrational is somehow wrong according to most supernaturally based religions? It's a nice way to limit people from doubting what their mind would otherwise question.
Bill
Makes one wonder why using your rational mind to question the irrational is somehow wrong according to most supernaturally based religions? It's a nice way to limit people from doubting what their mind would otherwise question.
Bill
Monday, July 26, 2010
2008 ARIS Report on Atheism in the U.S.
The ARIS report found in 2008, 34.2 million Americans (15.0%) claim no religion and 1.6% explicitly describe themselves as atheist or agnostic. It's so ironic how Evangelical Christians act as if atheism is their main foe when in actuality there are very few of us in this country. Who are they really fighting? Most likely they are fighting among their own denominations, other religions, and/or believers of a higher power.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sex and the Single Evangelical
What do single Evangelical and conservative Christians do with sexual needs and desires? They can't lust, masterbate or have any sex outside of marriage. Are they doomed to marry for sex? How can something so normal be so wrong unless you sign a piece of paper legally binding you to another person?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Benefit of Belief
Believing in something beyond the self can have a beneficial psychological impact, even if the belief is false.
Just having a perspective to view life is helpful even if the perspective is incorrect. Religion gives people a perspective to judge the world. Sometimes it helps, but ultimately it suspends certain areas of growth, reason and compassion because religion is based on assertions that can not be verified or demonstrated.
Take for instance the view of homosexuality in the Bible. There is nothing rational about the Bible's view on Homosexuality, but some Christian people accept such an ancient prejudicial view simply because it is written in their Bible. Why do we tolerate such discrimination in the name of religion? Because too many people believe the Bible it truth from God.
I think religion mirrors the fear people have toward the unique, unknown, or different. Why is homosexuality condemned in the Bible? My guess is because it was different and not the norm, so people used their religious mythology to justify their fear and discrimination. After all, isn't God made in the image of people? In other words, the view that God hates homosexuality is really an irrational based on human irrational reasoning not ultimate truth. Yet this false belief is perpetuated in the modern world in the name of conservative religions. Does this aspect of religion have any bases in fact, science or rationality?
The Old Testament mirrors ancient views of morality and ethics. Some ideas are helpful and rational and some are irrational and hurtful. Take for instance the Old Testament view that if a woman is raped and she doesn't scream loud enough then she is also guilty and deserving of death. The punishment for not obeying the 10 commandment are equally barbarous. The remedy for not obeying the commandments is death. In fact, death is often the chosen form of punishment in the Bible. Not obeying the Sabbath was death. The first four commandments have nothing to do with morals, or eithics yet this is the best an all knowledgeable god could do for humanity.
Another modern Evangelical perspective, I believe could use some tweaking, is the concept of marriage. We seem to believe it is an all or nothing type of system. What is marriage? Is marriage only to one person until death? Is marriage a relationship only with the opposite gender? Is marriage the only way to successfully raise children? Is marriage necessary to be happy? Is marriage the only morally acceptable means for a couple to live together?
How about we define marriage so that it maximizes our potential thereby maximizing the relationship. How about we take a rational and individual approach to marriage, rather than trying to shoehorn everyone into the same belief? How about we let people tailor make their marriage to benefit themselves and each other?
Jesus supposedly asked if man was made for the Sabbath, or was the Sabbath made for man. I would like to ask the same question about marriage. Was marriage made for man or man made for marriage? Maybe marriage can be a fluid relationship where people learn to grow and change toward self awareness, honesty and confidence. Maybe the end result is that people learn to be authentic and relational without artificial barriers.
A religious belief system can help if you believe it, but it is inevitably a matter of faith, or simply put... irrational claims. It can not be tested and it is unrepeatable, therefore it can not be proven nor disproved. The only proof religion has are its own writings. It is a psychological fact that having something to hold onto emotionally comforts people especially in vulnerable times. A belief system can compel us to act either compassionately, or contemptuous.
Just as an abused child clings irrationally to an abusive parent for fear of being alone, so, it seems, the religious person seemingly clings to a belief in a god.The challenge today is to determine if what we believe is rational, accurate and helpful. It's time to let go of dogma, prejudice, false hope and fear and forget what we want to believe. It is time to have the courage to seek the truth no matter where it may lead us.
By Bill Jeffreys
Just having a perspective to view life is helpful even if the perspective is incorrect. Religion gives people a perspective to judge the world. Sometimes it helps, but ultimately it suspends certain areas of growth, reason and compassion because religion is based on assertions that can not be verified or demonstrated.
Take for instance the view of homosexuality in the Bible. There is nothing rational about the Bible's view on Homosexuality, but some Christian people accept such an ancient prejudicial view simply because it is written in their Bible. Why do we tolerate such discrimination in the name of religion? Because too many people believe the Bible it truth from God.
I think religion mirrors the fear people have toward the unique, unknown, or different. Why is homosexuality condemned in the Bible? My guess is because it was different and not the norm, so people used their religious mythology to justify their fear and discrimination. After all, isn't God made in the image of people? In other words, the view that God hates homosexuality is really an irrational based on human irrational reasoning not ultimate truth. Yet this false belief is perpetuated in the modern world in the name of conservative religions. Does this aspect of religion have any bases in fact, science or rationality?
The Old Testament mirrors ancient views of morality and ethics. Some ideas are helpful and rational and some are irrational and hurtful. Take for instance the Old Testament view that if a woman is raped and she doesn't scream loud enough then she is also guilty and deserving of death. The punishment for not obeying the 10 commandment are equally barbarous. The remedy for not obeying the commandments is death. In fact, death is often the chosen form of punishment in the Bible. Not obeying the Sabbath was death. The first four commandments have nothing to do with morals, or eithics yet this is the best an all knowledgeable god could do for humanity.
Another modern Evangelical perspective, I believe could use some tweaking, is the concept of marriage. We seem to believe it is an all or nothing type of system. What is marriage? Is marriage only to one person until death? Is marriage a relationship only with the opposite gender? Is marriage the only way to successfully raise children? Is marriage necessary to be happy? Is marriage the only morally acceptable means for a couple to live together?
How about we define marriage so that it maximizes our potential thereby maximizing the relationship. How about we take a rational and individual approach to marriage, rather than trying to shoehorn everyone into the same belief? How about we let people tailor make their marriage to benefit themselves and each other?
Jesus supposedly asked if man was made for the Sabbath, or was the Sabbath made for man. I would like to ask the same question about marriage. Was marriage made for man or man made for marriage? Maybe marriage can be a fluid relationship where people learn to grow and change toward self awareness, honesty and confidence. Maybe the end result is that people learn to be authentic and relational without artificial barriers.
A religious belief system can help if you believe it, but it is inevitably a matter of faith, or simply put... irrational claims. It can not be tested and it is unrepeatable, therefore it can not be proven nor disproved. The only proof religion has are its own writings. It is a psychological fact that having something to hold onto emotionally comforts people especially in vulnerable times. A belief system can compel us to act either compassionately, or contemptuous.
Just as an abused child clings irrationally to an abusive parent for fear of being alone, so, it seems, the religious person seemingly clings to a belief in a god.The challenge today is to determine if what we believe is rational, accurate and helpful. It's time to let go of dogma, prejudice, false hope and fear and forget what we want to believe. It is time to have the courage to seek the truth no matter where it may lead us.
By Bill Jeffreys
Sinful Thoughts
I recall being a young Christian and sitting in church, when all of a sudden, I'd have these intrusive sinful thoughts. Come to think of it, I had these thoughts even as an older Christian. I remember contemplating why I never seemed to be able to get rid of them. I even recall quoting scripture to take every thought captive. I was good at getting on my knees and confessing to God all my sins every day. I strove to humble myself so as to please the All Mighty and be a good Christian.
Battling sin is such a big part of the Christian life in which almost every sermon I ever heard mentioned this in one form or another. Even though we are saved by grace, sin abounds continually in the Christain life. The Apostle Paul even wrote about how he continued to sin, and toward the end of his life, he called himself chief among sinners.
Is this really good, to think of yourself as a sinner saved by grace? Is it helpful to constantly flog yourself over your failure to be a pure and holy believer? I can answer only for me. Since I deconverted for good two years ago, I don't have intrusive thoughts, I don't worry about being something I am not and I don't feel like such a failure in need of a good confession and deliverance to feel better. I also don't see every negative thing in my life as some form of punishment from God or a life lesson to teach me how much I need His grace to succeed.
I actually feel free to love my nieghbor, or not. I feel free to be myself without fear of screwing up, because when I do screw up I have to answer to myself and not a quiet, invisable god. My own conscience and/or my family, friends and coworkers are pretty good mirrors of my actions. I can no longer hide behind my religion or use my prayerful confession as a defense against changing. Not that I did that much when I was a Christian, hide behind my religion or confession. I've just heard other Chrisitians use this way too many times as an excuse not to go and make amends for their wrongs.
To be sure, I am much more content then I ever was as a Christian. I've also found that not focusing on your sinful failings means you have that much more energy to focus on the helpful things in your life. Life also makes a lot more sense to me when morals are based on reason rather then bronze age writings that include far too many accounts of genocide, rape and irrationality in obiedence to God's will. I am no longer plagued by sinful thoughts, or the need to constantly humble myself, and guess what? I am still the same loving, forgetful, everlearning and thoughtful person I always was. I just feel a whole lot better and freer then I ever was trying to rest in the supposed grace of God.
Sincerely,
Bill
P.S. Sin is a theological term. You can't find it anywhere else except in religious writings. Meaning, in my opinion, sin is a term ancient man used to describe why things are not perfect, or why imperfect people needed dead animal blood to appease their god. Jesus became the dead animal blood that covers all believers. His mystical blood is the atonement until God gives them a perfect mind and body. I guess this means that dead Christians will live forever and never have a sinful thought again. I'm much happier not having them now.
Battling sin is such a big part of the Christian life in which almost every sermon I ever heard mentioned this in one form or another. Even though we are saved by grace, sin abounds continually in the Christain life. The Apostle Paul even wrote about how he continued to sin, and toward the end of his life, he called himself chief among sinners.
Is this really good, to think of yourself as a sinner saved by grace? Is it helpful to constantly flog yourself over your failure to be a pure and holy believer? I can answer only for me. Since I deconverted for good two years ago, I don't have intrusive thoughts, I don't worry about being something I am not and I don't feel like such a failure in need of a good confession and deliverance to feel better. I also don't see every negative thing in my life as some form of punishment from God or a life lesson to teach me how much I need His grace to succeed.
I actually feel free to love my nieghbor, or not. I feel free to be myself without fear of screwing up, because when I do screw up I have to answer to myself and not a quiet, invisable god. My own conscience and/or my family, friends and coworkers are pretty good mirrors of my actions. I can no longer hide behind my religion or use my prayerful confession as a defense against changing. Not that I did that much when I was a Christian, hide behind my religion or confession. I've just heard other Chrisitians use this way too many times as an excuse not to go and make amends for their wrongs.
To be sure, I am much more content then I ever was as a Christian. I've also found that not focusing on your sinful failings means you have that much more energy to focus on the helpful things in your life. Life also makes a lot more sense to me when morals are based on reason rather then bronze age writings that include far too many accounts of genocide, rape and irrationality in obiedence to God's will. I am no longer plagued by sinful thoughts, or the need to constantly humble myself, and guess what? I am still the same loving, forgetful, everlearning and thoughtful person I always was. I just feel a whole lot better and freer then I ever was trying to rest in the supposed grace of God.
Sincerely,
Bill
P.S. Sin is a theological term. You can't find it anywhere else except in religious writings. Meaning, in my opinion, sin is a term ancient man used to describe why things are not perfect, or why imperfect people needed dead animal blood to appease their god. Jesus became the dead animal blood that covers all believers. His mystical blood is the atonement until God gives them a perfect mind and body. I guess this means that dead Christians will live forever and never have a sinful thought again. I'm much happier not having them now.
Hostility Blinds Us from Truth
It is an interesting fact that the when we take a stake in an argument we often shut down open minded thinking. Our minds seem to have a need to seperate us into a "for" or "against" stance, which only serves to divide us against one another and keep the truth from being understood. Sent-ts'an wrote, "If you want truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle between "for" and "against" is the mind's worst disease." My ability to remain calm often dictates my ability to remain reasonable. More importantly, my ability to keep my perspective accurate and my assessment honest keeps me fair and thoughful, but I do this best when I don't take sides on every occasion.
The outcome of such "for" or "against" thinking is that it keeps us from insight, understanding and truth. We see this divided thinking in religion with all the many different religions pitted against one another. We see it within a particular religion with its many different sects and denominations. We see it within our country through its divided political parties. And we see it within marriages when they end.
I have been afforded enough time in my life to have once, been for religion, and now skeptical of religion, for one political party and now another, to have been married then divorced. I'm moving toward another path, one where I don't have to be "for" or "against". I try to just be assertive and honest. I share my feelings and thoughts with the hope that the other person will work with me toward a solution and not against me. Of course I don't believe I will change them. I simply hope that my authenticity will allow me to remain true to my intent.
I realized long ago that we can't change people, we can change only ourselves. I don't strive to be right, I strive to understand. I believe this approach helps me remain reasonable even when the other person isn't. Personal change depends on our ability to take responsibility for our lives and make an honest and accurate assessment of life each and every day, especially when a major even shatters our dreams. Simply taking a stance against, or for something with the undesired result of blinding ourselves to truth both personal and real need not be the outcome. We need not be divided and fighting if we seek to understand rather than take sides.
Sincerely,
Bill Jeffreys
The outcome of such "for" or "against" thinking is that it keeps us from insight, understanding and truth. We see this divided thinking in religion with all the many different religions pitted against one another. We see it within a particular religion with its many different sects and denominations. We see it within our country through its divided political parties. And we see it within marriages when they end.
I have been afforded enough time in my life to have once, been for religion, and now skeptical of religion, for one political party and now another, to have been married then divorced. I'm moving toward another path, one where I don't have to be "for" or "against". I try to just be assertive and honest. I share my feelings and thoughts with the hope that the other person will work with me toward a solution and not against me. Of course I don't believe I will change them. I simply hope that my authenticity will allow me to remain true to my intent.
I realized long ago that we can't change people, we can change only ourselves. I don't strive to be right, I strive to understand. I believe this approach helps me remain reasonable even when the other person isn't. Personal change depends on our ability to take responsibility for our lives and make an honest and accurate assessment of life each and every day, especially when a major even shatters our dreams. Simply taking a stance against, or for something with the undesired result of blinding ourselves to truth both personal and real need not be the outcome. We need not be divided and fighting if we seek to understand rather than take sides.
Sincerely,
Bill Jeffreys
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