Under Construction

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do.  

When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."

• First, some points: 

   

  • The Reason most people in the U.S. pay special attention to xianity isn't due to some "magical" property of this type of religion, but simply because it's the most influential religion in the U.S..  Sorry, but it's true.  If we lived in Congo we might be discussing Aka deities, but we're not, so we don't.  

   

  • Xianity is, by modern moral standards, evil.  Think about if the government came to you and said that they had found out that one of your ancestors had committed horrible crimes.  Because you are a descendant of the criminal, you and your children (and your children's children, ect) must all serve your ancestors sentence.  Oh, but if you apologize and follow some contradictory, abstract, and just plain strange rules, they'll let you off.  That's real evil.  

   

  • Remember that the terrible crime was, according to xianity, gaining knowledge.  If "the perfect plan" had been followed, the only two humans to exist should not have known why it was wrong to cause pain or injury, nor should they have known why kindness and love were desirable.  It is a basic and prevalent theme of xianity (and most religions) that to question and seek knowledge is bad.  Yes there are a (very) few lines positive about learning (primarily about learning how to follow the religion), but the vast majority of the "lessons" of religion reinforce an aversion to asking and investigating "Why".  

   

  • Also think about someone who insulted you horribly.  To forgive them of this, you get someone pregnant, then have the child tortured to death.  Now, if the person who offended you accepts this sacrifice that you have made, you will forgive them.  Is this your definition of love?  

   

  • Now a lot of religious people I have talked to will compare the "discipline" of their god with the proper disciplining of a child.  They will say that, although they love their child, they may have to inflict discomfort on them so the child will learn not to do bad things.  Fair enough.  But how does that compare to say, having a list of rules somewhere in the house (along with several other sets of rules), some of which must be followed exactly and some of which are merely rules that had to be followed in an old house, and at some random time in the future if the "correct" rules had been violated and the child had not properly apologized for the violation, the child would be killed.  When a child is punished the idea is that they will learn not to do something detrimental to themselves or others in the future.  When someone is punished with no possibility of any corrected behavior resulting from it, what do you call it?  

   

  • Millions of people get along just fine without believing in your or any other deity.  Sorry but they're not even secretly or "unknowingly" worshiping your or any one else's deity, including the xian devil.  

   

  • Many religious people claim that "you have to worship/ believe in something", apparently in an effort to convince themselves of the validity of their own beliefs.  This opinion generally uses two assertions. 
    • 1. "Worship" or "believe in" is broadly defined.  Usually so broadly that any form of "worldview" or idea of how things might work becomes equated with systematic adherence to a set dogma.  
    • 2. "If you're not worshiping some religion, then you're worshiping yourself".  Once again, this broadens/ twists the definition of worship.  

     

  • While around 70% of U.S. citizens identify themselves as xian, the level of knowledge many people display, even considering the broad range of sects, is shocking.  If you're going to dedicate your life to something, no less your children's lives or people around you's lives, it might be a good idea to research it at least as much as you would a used car you were thinking of buying.  

   

  • If you're a non catholic xian, your church is almost certainly an offshoot of the catholic church.  While proto xianity was quite diverse 2300-1800 years ago, what became the catholic church was quite successful in killing off the competition until Martian Luther came around in the 1500's.  

   

  • According to the bible, when someone dies they don't go to heaven and become an angel, they rot in the ground (or float around as ashes or whatever) until "the resurrection".  After that what happens to them is less clear.  Angels are a separate species created by the judeo -xian deity.  

   

  • Those wonderful old testament laws (not suffering witches to live, slavery, raped women having to marry their rapists, ect) are still in effect (Matt. 5:17-18).  

   

  • The new testament is pretty much only "nice" if you compare it to the old testament.  

   

  • Xianity is not monotheistic, even discounting the whole trinity thing, saints, the virgin mary, and the "no other gods before me" statements.  Unless you don't call a number of beings created by a father deity who are immortal, can fly, and level cities, deities, in which case there aren't many religions which aren't monotheistic.  

   

  • Rape, eating shellfish, murder, homosexuality (male at least), and theft are all equal in the eyes of the xian deity.  Potential Solution.  

   

  • If you aren't a "biblical literalist" how do you determine what is "gods will" and what is mans (mis)interpretation?  If your answer is basically what feels right, how is that different then not using the bible?