Lowering the Bar
hen I was a Christian it seemed like everything I saw pointed to the truth of god's existence. I had the Bible, my parents' word, my Sunday School teachers and preachers, any number of books and pamphlets, and nature itself bolstering my faith. I felt like I had good reason to believe what I did and I didn't even have to look for evidence: everything was evidence!
That is, until I actually started examining my beliefs and my reasons for holding them. What I found was not that the evidence for god was strong, but that I was willing to accept pretty much anything as evidence so long as it adhered to my preconceptions. Those things that didn't conform to my beliefs were simply ignored without any thought at all.
Christian? Evidence? Hmmm.
The “War” on Christmas Begins Anew
Every single year, without fail, controversy will brew and boil over regarding the Christian-hijacked Winter Solstice celebration known as Christmas. You might ask what kind of petty, childish, arrogant group of non-believers would subject our good, kind, religious society to such ridiculous outbursts of intolerance and hatred. Maybe you wouldn't. Regardless, it may or may not surprise you to know that it's the religious people themselves who continue to stir this pot and we irreligious people can either react or let them fight it out among themselves. I choose to react, but only in a limited capacity. I'll comment on the religious mindset and attempt to dispel any myths being spread about how I feel toward Christmas.
This year, Ben Stein has written an essay detailing the problem with not saying, "Merry Christmas." You might think that not saying something is harmless. I know I do. However, Mr. Stein makes it perfectly clear that not greeting people with a, "Merry Christmas" is directly tied to the downfall of society and the destruction of this country. Let's begin.
Respect for Respect’s Sake
I've been in a number of debates in person and online where emotions flared and the conversation eventually boiled down to a variant of the following:
Why can't you just respect a person's beliefs?
Here's the problem with that: not all beliefs are created equal and not all are worthy of respect. The person saying the above is usually emotionally invested in the beliefs I've questioned and is usually unable to present any rational reason for a person holding those beliefs in the first place. What they're really saying is, "Since I can't defend my untenable beliefs I really wish you would leave them alone so I don't feel like I have to!"
Jon Willis
"Yes, I've read the Bible; it's why I'm an atheist."
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