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:
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I agree with this kid that atheism sucks, but not for the reasons he would expect. I think atheism sucks just because it’s necessary. The simple fact that atheism is a word in our vocabulary means that we have to differentiate between groups of people who believe in supernatural garbage and people who don’t. Somewhere along the line, so many people started believing in invisible friends that we had to invent a word to describe the people who didn’t (before these invisible friends came along, atheists were called “people”). That sucks!
Even more sucky is the idea that these kinds of terms can be applied to people who believe in the wrong invisible friend! If all of the Christians like this kid traveled to a predominantly Muslim country they would be considered atheists (at the very least, heretics) by the Muslims. Likewise in a predominantly Hindu country.
The problem with this kid’s tirade is that it boils down to nothing more than a threat: either accept Jesus Christ or you’re going to Hell. I’ve heard this before. It doesn’t scare me, else I wouldn’t be an atheist anymore. I am likewise unafraid of the Muslim hell, reincarnation as a dung beetle, or being boiled in pasta sauce. These threats don’t work on people who see them for what they are: a vain attempt to force other people to think the way you do for no other reason than you want them to. Yes, the Bible says things but so do a trillion other books. I find it hard to believe that a book full of rape, incest, murder, injustice, and bigotry has any more wisdom in its pages than Stephen King’s IT. Why should I? It all sounds like nonsense.
This kid, in true Christian fashion, hasn’t taken the time to really think through why he might believe what he believes or on what those beliefs are based. It saddens me that these people are trying to take control of our government and educational systems. This kid id the future of this country. That’s way scarier than Hell!
I always find it amusing when I can find such a concise, simplistic thesis with which I agree. Yes, atheism sucks. However, the alternative — Christian group-think — is worse. I’ll proudly adopt and personify my sucky atheist label.
