Isn't It Strange... (A Piece For The Encouragement of Atheism)

Rakehell's picture

(This is an original post from my facebook page, I have posted this up on various facebook groups as well as atheist websites)

Isn't It Strange...

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Before you read this note I want to make clear this piece is just my opinion, nothing more or nothing less. I am aware that I may in the process of writing this note may offend some of my dearest friends, but please note that I do not have the slightest intention of upsetting anyone. This is just my intellectual opinion. I just could not bring myself to believe in a supernatural god. You are welcome to express opinions differing from my own, and I have no intention of forcing my ideas onto you. The main objective of this short piece is to bring out closet atheists and an attempt at persuading people that are on the fence about religious matters.
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Isn't it strange that...
while faith, which is a belief in something in the absence of evidence, is considered a virtue, and Skepticism which is challenging a belief until given enough evidence in the search for truth is frowned upon?

Isn't it strange (and sad) that...
people of faith who reference one book for all the answers in life, command more respect than People of Reason who reference and research hundreds and thousands of books, seminars, essays, experiments, theories, and ideas to try and attempt to provide the more honest and plausible explanation for the unanswered questions of the universe?

Isn't it strange (and utterly idiotic) that...
creationism (or the fairy tale of the bible) sets up a conclusion first and searches for evidence (in total and absolute vain) to support their conclusion, while evolution (or heliocentricity and any other scientific fact for that matter) is a RESULT of thousands and thousands of research and experimentation?

Isn’t it strange that...
if an immoral and/or insane act is done in context of religion, it is overlooked or even admired. And isn’t it also amazing that, (to quote Dr. Steven Weinberg) ''With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.'' (I highly doubt that suicide bombers would think that their actions were for good if they didn’t think their god told them to be a martyr)

Isn’t it strange (as well as insulting and disgusting) that...
some people actually use that argument that there would be no moral guidelines for mankind follow in the absence of religion? It is mind-bottling (haha, I love Will Ferrell) to think of all the implications that this assumption takes on. It is a very doubtful speculation to say that before any heavenly moral handbook, people really thought that murder, cannibalism, and thievery were ok. If people of religion really believe that morals are really mandated from heaven, do they do good things because god promised them candy, and refrain from doing bad things because satan will spank them? Is their moral decisions really dictated by a divine surveillance camera up in the sky (as said by the brilliant Richard Dawkins)? Isn’t it more likely that we evolved into moral beings and in order to survive in human society morality was an evolutionary imperative?

Isn't it strange that...
while atheists all agree on the one fact that god most likely (I only use most likely here because rationally there is no 100% method of disproving the existence of god along with the celestial teapot, the flying spaghetti monster, the invisible pink unicorn, and the intangible invisible dragon in your garage) does not exists, followers of faith are constantly bickering and waging wars over their personal god(s) of choice?
(To quote Bobby Henderson the founder of the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, “Religious warfare is the fight over who has the better invisible friend”)

Isn’t it strange...
how some people argue that atheism is much of a religion as Christianity, Islam, or Judaism. While in reality, agnosticism, atheism, non-theism, secular humanism, and even anti-theism is much of a religion as NOT collecting stamps, bottle caps, or all 150 pokemon (Gotta Catch’em All!) is a hobby?

Isn't it strange (and downright astonishing) that...
atheists are challenged to disprove god on a daily basis while people of faith become morally outraged when a rational man or woman asks them, in reverse to prove the existence of god. Isn’t it obvious that the burden of proof is on the claim? To take it even further; isn’t it funny how people of a certain religion don’t take it in themselves to disprove a god or gods of another religion?

Isn't it strange that...
while there is reasonable scientific explanation that the universe may be able to exist in and of itself (I’m referring to the fact that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed) religion tries to explain the beauty, power, and the complexity of the world by creating an even more powerful and complex being such as god? If so who created god? If god can exist in and of himself, why can’t the universe?

Isn't it strange...
how numerous people make the misstep in logic that because science can’t provide all the answers, religion can?

Isn't it strange that...
a revered philosopher like Blaise Pascal, can create a rationally idiotic, morally dishonest, intellectually degrading, and flat out insulting wager that almost seems like he is bribing one to conform to Christianity? IF, there is a god isn’t it much more honest to follow in Bertrand Russell’s example to say to him after you have reached the supposed pearly gates of heaven “But, my lord you simply did not provide enough evidence” and profess that you could not possibly bring yourself to believe in him. (courtesy of Christopher Hitchens)

Isn’t it amazing how...
many confirmed atheist are incredibly sexually attractive *ahem*, charismatic, wealthy, intelligent, respected, and remarkably eloquent (HAHAHAHA I just HAD to put this in). Atheist such as:
James Watson, E. O. Wilson, Marie Curie, Tomas Edison, Stephen Gould, Carl Sagan, Massimo Pigliucci, Steven Pinker, Michael Shermer, James Randi, Penn & Teller, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Stephen Hawking, Ernst Mayr, Sigmund Freud, Steven Weinberg, Douglas Adams, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Woody Allen, Lance Armstrong, Darren Aronofsky, Isaac Asimov, Dave Barry, Ingmar Bergman, Lewis Black, Richard Branson, Berkeley Breathed, Warren Buffett, George Carlin, John Carmack, Adam Carolla, John Carpenter, Asia Carrera, Fidel Castro, Dick Cavett, Noam Chomsky, Charlie Chaplin, Billy Connolly, Francis Crick, David Cronenberg, David Cross, George Clooney, Alan Cumming, Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Dawkins, Christoper Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, David Deutsch, Ani DiFranco, Micky Dolenz, Harlan Ellison, Brian Eno, Richard Feynman, Harvey Fierstein, Larry Flynt, Dave Foley, Jodie Foster, Janeane Garofalo, Bill Gates, Bob Geldof, Ricky Gervais, Ira Glass, James Gleick, Robert Heinlein, Nat Hentoff, Katharine Hepburn, Christopher Hitchens, Eddie Izzard, Billy Joel, Uma Thurman, Angelina Jolie, Wendy Kaminer, Diane Keaton, Ken Keeler, Neil Kinnock, Michael Kinsley, Richard Leakey, Bruce Lee, Tom Lehrer, Tom Leykis, James Lipton, Seth Green, John Malkovich, Barry Manilow, Todd McFarlane, Sir Ian McKellen, Arthur Miller, Frank Miller, Marvin Minsky, Julianne Moore, Desmond Morris, Randy Newman, Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson, Gary Numan, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Camille Paglia, Steven Pinker, Paula Poundstone, Terry Pratchett, Ron Reagan Jr., Keanu Reeves, Rick Reynolds, Gene Roddenberry, Joe Rogan, Henry Rollins, Andy Rooney, Salman Rushdie, Bob Simon, Steven Soderbergh, Annika Sorenstam, George Soros, Richard Stallman, Bruce Sterling, Howard Stern, J. Michael Straczynski, Julia Sweeney, Matthew Sweet, Studs Terkel, Tom Tomorrow, Linus Torvalds, Eddie Vedder, Paul Verhoeven, Gore Vidal, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Sarah Vowell, James Watson, Steven Weinberg, Joss Whedon, Ted Williams, Steve Wozniak
(And many, many, many more)

Isn’t it funny...
How a lot of people spell atheism with the “I” before the “E” so that they spell ATHIESM instead of ATHEISM? (Yes, I will judge you for poor spelling and grammar)

Isn’t it sad...
how some people search for answers and take the easy way out? Isn’t it sad how some people follow other people just to realize in the end that the people that they were following were in actuality not only clueless but looking to them for instructions? Isn’t it wasteful to deny all the information provided in this world alone and a pity to so eagerly cage one’s mind because of a holy text that was written in the bronze age of human civilization and translated more times than a one could possibly count?

Isn’t it a pity...
That most atheists fear the consequences of voicing their ideas while there opinions are equally relevant as that of any other people? Well, I humbly request all agnostics, atheists, non-theists, and even anti-theists not to be intimidated or afraid to speak your mind.

Please do not be afraid

" A personal god was nothing more than an exalted father-figure: desire for such a deity sprang from infantile yearnings for a powerful, protective father, for justice and fairness and for life to go on forever. God is simply a projection of these desires