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:
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?
Atheism Sucks!
I saw a video recently from some kid who seems to have it all figured out. His thought process is a lot like mine was when I was a kid: my parents told me what to think, I adopted it as my own, and I knew I was right. His video is titled, "Atheism Sucks." Dislikes on this video currently outnumber likes 3,113 to 89. You can watch it here:
Family Ties
ne thing religious people cannot stress enough is that they're all about family. Their organizations even have names like Focus on the Family and the American Family Association (branded a hate group out of MS). For the most part I find this to be true so long as everyone's keeping the faith and maintaining the status quo. I can say from my upbringing (aside from corporal punishment and having no say in church attendance) that our Christian family was very tight-knit and we spent a lot of quality time together. It wasn't perfect, but it was far better than a lot of other families I've seen. Now, to clarify, some of these not-so-happy families I've seen are religious as well so it's not as though they have a corner on the market. I'm just speaking to the Christian view that family is important.
As I said, religious families are close-knit and happy so long as everyone's keeping the faith. They don't say, "The family that prays together stays together" for no reason. It's literally true. I found this out myself when I started to upset the status quo of my family and I was made to feel like an outcast. My family's treatment of me was mild compared to what some people endure at the hands of their religious parents, grandparents, and siblings.
Like Fish in a Barrel
Rick Perry's "Strong" ad (you can click the link if you haven't seen it; I refuse to embed it into my blog) has been getting a lot of negative press lately. I've been fuming about just how incredibly stupid the guy is for the last couple of days but haven't as yet done a whole lot of commentary on the thing. I wanted to make a YouTube video in response but I didn't get around to it and it doesn't seem like it would be timely and relevant anymore. Then again, it's such a timeless tragedy that people like Perry even have a voice in politics I may still make that video. For now, I'll devote a few minutes to a blog post dedicated to all of the "duh" in this ad. Luckily, it's so easy I won't even have to strain myself.
"I'm Rick Perry, and I'm an ignorant piece of shit."
Jon Willis
"Yes, I've read the Bible; it's why I'm an atheist."
Support WillisWeb!
Recent Posts
- Angry Atheist
- Facebook Affirmations, Vol. VI
- Hyper-Patriotism
- Spiritual vs. Imaginary
- Mind Your Manners
Blogroll
- Boolean Boycott
- Computing With Oil
- Dave Fitzgerald
- Defensible God
- Meaningful Memes
- Pharyngula
- Reasoning with the Unreasonable
- SkeptiChurch
- The Atheist Experience
- WWJTD
