Angry Atheist
I updated my Facebook status today. I had something running through my mind and wanted to post it so I could have it in words. This is what it said:
It is wild presumption to posit that there is an intelligent being in charge of the universe. It is arrogance to assume that your definition of that being is the right one. It is supreme egotism to presume that if such a being exists it would care about you at all, let alone think you important to its plans.
I don't think this is overly abrasive. Much of what I post is fairly innocuous with a few confrontational jabs thrown in when my feathers get ruffled. This particular comment has three points, and I can defend them all. Here's my reasoning explained:
Facebook Affirmations, Vol. VI
In my news feed on Facebook I will be served a daily dose of Christian affirmations from friends. In this series of posts, which I call "Facebook Affirmations™," I will post and discuss some of these gems. Here's the affirmation for today:
Satan plugged my pipes.
Hyper-Patriotism
I downloaded an app for my iPhone called "Thumb." This app allows you to ask questions and get answers from random strangers, with thumbs-up and thumbs-down ratings. It's mindless entertainment, as are most social apps. Anyway, while thumbing through questions I stumbled across one depicting a Marine Corps drill team with the caption, "Respect and honor????" I'm not sure why so many question marks were necessary.
Spiritual vs. Imaginary
Believers have long argued for the existence of beings in the "spiritual realm" which affect the physical universe but cannot be physically detected (except in very certain circumstances and with very few exceptions). This is convenient, of course, because the believer is free to posit whatever entity he or she wishes without having the arduous task of defending that assertion with actual evidence. What does "spiritual" mean though? The dictionary defines it as follows:
1. of, pertaining to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal.
2. of or pertaining to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature.
That doesn't really tell me much. If we're talking about incorporeal things apart from the physical nature, how is this any different from being imaginary or fictional? Why do we make such a concessionary definition for a word like "spiritual" when the end result is really the same?
Mind Your Manners
JT Eberhard's contributor, Christina, wrote today of an article regarding atheist billboards in Colorado and the reaction of a "research fellow" from Focus on the Family named Glenn Stanton. He calls the billboards "bad manners" because they mock the beliefs of no less than 70% of Americans. The billboards read as follows:
God is an imaginary friend; Choose reality, it will be better for all of us.
Jon Willis
"Yes, I've read the Bible; it's why I'm an atheist."
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Recent Posts
- Angry Atheist
- Facebook Affirmations, Vol. VI
- Hyper-Patriotism
- Spiritual vs. Imaginary
- Mind Your Manners
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