Category Archives: Humanism

Growing Tired of Atheism

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rant

I think I am rapidly reaching a place where I am no longer going to use the atheist label.  This does not mean that I now believe in God or anything like that. As far as belief is concerned, I remain an unrepentant, apostate, unbeliever.

What I am growing tired of is the drama that seems to be increasingly common in the atheist community.  I think this started in earnest when the atheism+ crowd decided to act like Fundamentalists and divide atheists into two categories…either you are with us or you are against us. Quite George W. Bush of them, I would say.

Then there are the atheists who hate religion and view accommodationists like me as cowards. They see no value in religious belief and often suggest that religious belief is like having a virus or a mental illness.

Then there are the mythicists who are quite certain Jesus never existed. Doubt their certainty, question their evidence?  You secretly harbor desires to be religious or you are not willing to look at ALL the evidence. Translation…you are not willing to come to the same conclusions as they have, and you should, since they are certain they are right and everyone should think like they do.

Then there are those who lack basic social skills when they interact with those who disagree with them.  I have learned a lot about atheism just by watching how people like PZ Myers, Richard Carrier, and the atheism+ evangelists treat those who disagree with them on issues like politics, social justice, and feminism.

I find myself at a place where I am having to say, I am NOT that kind of atheist.  When I was a Christian, especially over the last ten years before I deconverted, I found myself having to say, I am NOT that kind of Christian. What I am finding out is that there is a Fundamentalist form of atheism that is an awful lot like the Christian Fundamentalism I left years ago.

As I mentioned in a comment  to Paula earlier, I think I am having an existential crisis. Maybe this is what is fueling my distaste for what I see and read from the atheist community.

I remember coming to a point as a Christian where I was embarrassed and ashamed to say, I am a Christian. I am at that place with atheism. I am tired of the infighting and the pettiness. I am tired of of the shortsightedness I see, and the hollow, cheap victories we win in the name of atheism.

So I hope you will forgive me if I leave off calling myself an atheist.  I hope you will also forgive me if I take a hiatus from the various atheist groups/forums/blogs I support and instead focus on developing my thoughts and ideas about secular humanism.

Or, I can just quit….

And, as of this moment, I don’t plan on doing so.  When I get to the place where I no longer enjoy what I am doing or I think it is a waste of time, then it will be time for me to hang the gone fishing sign.

I am not there…yet.

This is just me talking out loud to my friends. I hope you’ll understand.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.  Smile

Why Doesn’t God Heal the Sick?

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jesus_great_physician

Take a look around you. Do you know anyone who is sick? Do you know anyone who is suffering?  Are many of them Christians? I am sure you have quietly asked yourself, WHERE is their God? Why does God ignore their pain and suffering? Why does it seem God is more interested in Tim Tebow scoring a TD than he is dear Christian Aunt Suzie finding relief from her suffering?

According to orthodox Christian belief, God is all-knowing and all-powerful. God knows who will be sick, who is sick, and what their outcome will be. God has unlimited power to heal them or keep them from getting sick. According to Christians, God is an AWESOME God and he can do ANYTHING!!

Ask yourself, how awesome of a father would I be if I saw my child suffering, knowing I could do something about it, and did nothing? I would rightly be considered an evil man, perhaps even subject to criminal charges.

But, God gets a free pass. When a plane crashes and one passenger out of the hundred that boarded the plane survives, God is praised for deliverance of the one passenger. He delivered 1% of the passengers. What about the other 99%? Were they not worthy of being delivered by the awesome God who can do anything?

Christians can say what they will, but look around…God is nowhere to be found. Every once in awhile a healing is attributed to God, but, for the most part, people get sick, suffer, and die. Christians go to the grave praising a God who they just know will be waiting for them on the the other side. If he wasn’t around when they really needed him, when they were suffering and in great pain, what makes them think God will be around once they get to the Promised Land?

Of course, Christian pastors have all kinds of answers for the issues I raise here. Sam Storms, in an article on the Resurgence website, had this to say:

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this [thorn], that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” 2 Corinthians 12:8–9

God loved the Apostle Paul. Yet God sovereignly orchestrated Paul’s painful thorn in the flesh and then declined to remove it, notwithstanding Paul’s passionate prayer that he be healed.

We are not apostles. Yet, God loves us as his children no less than he loved Paul. We don’t know the nature of Paul’s thorn, but each of us has undoubtedly suffered in a similar way, and some considerably worse.

We, like Paul, have prayed incessantly to be healed. Or perhaps knowing of a loved one’s “thorn,” we have prayed for him or her. And again, as with Paul, God declined to remove it.

Why?

It’s hard to imagine a more difficult, confusing, and controversial topic than why God chooses not to heal in response to the intercessory pleas of his people. I don’t profess to have all the answers, but I think I’ve got a few.

Storms goes on to list seven reasons why God might not heal someone. I have put these reasons in statements that are easy to understand:

  • A Lack of Faith-Occasionally healing does not occur because of the absence of that sort of faith that God delights to honor. This does not mean that every time a person isn’t healed, it is because of a defective faith, as if healing inevitably follows a robust and doubt-free faith. But it does mean that faith is very important…
  • Sin in the Person’s Life-Sometimes healing does not occur because of the presence of sin for which there has been no confession or repentance. James 5:15–16 clearly instructs us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we may be healed.
  • A Lack of Desire to be Healed-Odd as it may sound to hear it, healing may not happen because the sick don’t want it to happen. Jesus asked the paralyzed man in John 5:6, “Do you want to be healed?” What on the surface may appear to be a ridiculous question is, on further examination, found to be profoundly insightful. Some people who suffer from a chronic affliction become accustomed to their illness and to the pattern of life it requires. Their identity is to a large extent wrapped up in their physical disability.
  • A Lack of Praying-We must also consider the principle articulated in James 4:2, where we are told, “You do not have, because you do not ask.” The simple fact is that some are not healed because they do not pray. Perhaps they pray once or twice, and then allow discouragement to paralyze their petitions. Prayer for healing often must be prolonged, sustained, persevering, and combined with fasting.
  • The Person is Influenced by Demons-Some are not healed because the demonic cause of the affliction has not been addressed. Please do not jump to unwarranted conclusions. I am not suggesting that all physical disease is demonically induced…
  • Because God has a Reason and He is not Telling-We must also consider the mystery of divine providence. There are undoubtedly times and seasons in the purposes of God during which his healing power is withdrawn or at least largely diminished. God may have any number of reasons for this to which we are not privy, whether to discipline a wayward and rebellious church or to create a greater desperation for his power or to wean us off excessive dependence on physical comfort and convenience or any number of other possibilities
  • Because God Wants to Teach You a Lesson and Make the Person Stronger-Oftentimes there are dimensions of spiritual growth and moral development and increase in the knowledge of God in us that he desires more than our physical health, experiences that in his wisdom God has determined can only be attained by means or in the midst of or in response to less-than-perfect physical health. In other words, healing the sick is a good thing (and we should never cease to pray for it), but often there is a better thing that can be attained only by means of physical weakness…

For those of us raised in the Evangelical church, we have heard each of these statements many times as church leaders attempted to explain why so many Christians are sick and why God doesn’t seem to be healing them.

Did you see a common theme in Sam Storms reasons? It is YOUR fault if you are not healed. You lack faith, have sin in your life, don’t pray enough, are influenced by demons, or you really don’t WANT to be healed.

Of course, this is Evangelicalism 101. The sinner is always to blame. God gets a free ride because be is an AWESOME God and he has a wonderful, super-duper plan for our lives. God gets credit anytime something good happens, but when bad things happen God is absolved of any culpability. (if only life was like this) Smile

Storms does allow for the fact that maybe the reason a person is not healed is because God has a mysterious plan that he is not sharing with the sick person OR God has a lesson he wants to teach the person.

Why would anyone want to worship a God who uses suffering and sickness to teach people a lesson? Why would anyone want to worship a God who leaves people in pain because they don’t do EXACTLY as he says and even if they do EXACTLY as he says, he still leaves them in their pain? In other words, the suffering Christian is damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

whoop_assThis is why Christian pastors often teach that life is meant to be endured, a test from God. Those who endure to the end will be saved, the Bible says. If the Christians bears all the cans of whoop-ass that God opens up and pours out on their lives, God promises to give them a real nice place in Heaven after they die.

I find the humanist approach to suffering and sickness superior to the Christian view. As a humanist, I know there is no deity behind the health problems I have. Genetics, environment, lifestyle choices, and a healthy dose of, we don’t know why, are the reasons I am disabled and live with unrelenting pain, fatigue, and loss of muscle strength.

When I go to the doctor, I expect him to help me IF he can. I have told him many times, I don’t expect you to heal me. All I want is for you to help me as much as you can. The rest? I just have to live with it, and when I no longer want to live with it…well…I won’t live with it any longer.

As a humanist, I embrace my life as it is. I don’t live in hope of a divine payoff in the sweet by and by. This is my life and it is the only one I have. Either I embrace my life as it is and make the most of it or I roll over and die.

I know this seems hard and cold but it better than living under the Christian delusion that if really, really pray God might, if he is not too busy, heal me. Imagine going to the doctor every week for six months, and every time you went to the doctor he wasn’t there. I suspect, after a while, you’d be looking for a new doctor.

And that is exactly what I have done. I no longer have need of the mythical, absent Great Physician. I choose to embrace my humanity and hope that those who love me will help me when I need it.

Does Tone Matter?

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atheist_preacher

What is a tone troll?

The Urban Dictionary defines tone troll as:

A tone troll is an internet troll that will effectively disrupt an internet discussion, because they feel that some of the participants are being too harsh, condescending, or use foul language. They often complain loudly and target specific subjects, even though they may actually agree with their subjects’s point of view.

Tone trolls often emerge in the comments sections of the Pharyngula blog by Prof. PZ Myers.

It is interesting that the prime example given of where tone trolls can be found is the blog of atheist PZ Myers.

I have been accused from time to time of being a tone troll. It has been awhile, because I have given up trying to get atheists to consider how they are  perceived by the public.  The worst offenders love being offensive and trying to “reason” them out of their behavior will not work. (as I learned with Richard Carrier)

Nasty, hateful, mean-spirited, atheists are no different from Fundamentalist Christians who do the same. The only difference is the Christian believes in God and the atheist doesn’t.

Let me be clear…I am all for pointed, direct, forceful speech, and writing. I think atheists need to be very clear in their arguments against religion. Discussions and debates in the public square must be with language that can be clearly understood by all.

However, our debates and discussions in the public square are more than just our words. We must also consider our methods, how we deliver our words. People are paying attention, not only to our words, but to how we present ourselves.

They are sizing us up. We are making a “first” impression and people will often judge the value of our words from this first impression. Atheists naïvely think it is all about the evidence. All we need to do is present the facts, method be damned.

As a person who has spent a lifetime publicly speaking and writing, I know first impressions matter. My message doesn’t matter if a person forms a negative first impression of me. It is almost impossible to overcome a negative first impression. Yes, this is a flimsy way to decide the value of a person or argument, but that’s how it is.

This is why some atheists should never do public debates. They have a head full of good, solid arguments, but their debating skills and persona are not conducive to debating.  Their deficiencies turn people off, and once they are turned off they are no longer “hearing” their atheist debater’s good, solid arguments.

Take Atheism+. Generally, I support most of the goals of atheism+, yet I do not support it, Why? Simple. PZ Myers and Richard Carrier.

At the time, I told everyone who would listen that it was a bad idea to have PZ Myers or Richard Carrier speaking on behalf of atheism+. They are petulant children who lack basic social skills. They are the atheist version of the playground bully.

I am of the opinion that PZ Myers and Richard Carrier playing a prominent part in the startup of atheism+ has turned off countless people who might otherwise be sympathetic to the goals of atheism+. Perception matters.

Ask yourself…does tone matter?

Does HOW your wife or husband speak to you matter?

Does HOW your children or grandchildren speak to you matter?

Does HOW your mother or father speak to you matter?

Does HOW your neighbor speak to you matter?

Shall I go on? These are rhetorical questions. Of course, how they speak to us matters. None of us like being attacked, berated, belittled, or demeaned. None of us like being reduced to dog shit on the bottom of someone’s shoe.

Why is it then that we give notable atheists a pass when they treat the religious in ways we would not want to be treated?

Jesus said in Matthew 7:12:

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

This is a great maxim, even if it is found in the Bible. We should treat others like we would want to be treated. This includes those we vehemently disagree with. Yes, some Christians are quite hateful, but we don’t have to lower ourselves to their level. As atheists, shouldn’t we show the believing world a superior morality and ethic?

A good rule of thumb is this…when we are done discussing and debating, will our opposition want to eat a meal with us or drink a beer at the local pub? If we leave someone bitterly hating us, what have we accomplished?

The atheist movement needs to grow up. After the Reason Rally, I said, I hope atheists got everything out of their system . Pent up anger towards religion and religious leaders is understandable. Wanting to spend a day attacking religion is fine, but if every Reason Rally is the same, the media will rightly report that the sum of atheism is being angry at God and religion. (and I am not suggesting that we never be angry)

I am sure some atheists are going to think I am being preachy. Yep, guilty as charged.  Someone needs to say these things. Continuing to let the atheist movement be defined by the schoolyard bullies only hurts our cause.

We chide Christians over their schoolyard bullies. We tell them they must own their crazy-uncles. Well, we as atheists, need to do the same.  We can’t run off the schoolyard bullies, but we can quit presenting them as the face of atheism.

I have been critical of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Clergy Project, and most every atheist/humanist group, for their constant use of atheist/humanist superstars as their spokespeople. The community is broader than the roster of speakers many of these groups have. People need to hear diverse voices, lest they, like the religious, begin to think that only their beliefs are correct. (and yes, I think atheists can act just like the religious when it comes to their beliefs)

There are countless clergy who have left the Christian faith, yet, every time I see a news report or see a conference schedule, it is the same three or four ex-clergy giving an interview or giving a speech. Again, diversity is important and the best way to show the world the face of atheism is to present them with a diverse pool of adherents.

The future of atheism and humanism will depend on how we prosecute our case in the public square. IF we want a hearing, IF we want to be understood, then we must understand that perception matters. Our tone is every bit as important as what we have to say.

If we do not realize this…we should not be surprised that we will continue to be a marginalized group that everyone thinks is a bunch of angry God-haters. Once we have rid the public sphere, through litigation, of all the vestiges of Christianity…then what?

What we really need is big-picture atheism and not the reductionist, shallow atheism that is prominent in the United States. What is our end game? What do we hope to accomplish?

Our answers to questions like these will determine the viability of atheism and humanism in the future.

The Human Condition According to Evangelicals

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history_of_religion

According to Evangelicalism, ALL humans who are not saved are:

  • Born into the world with an inherited sin nature (from Adam)
  • Created in the image of God but that image has been marred by sin
  • Deceitful and desperately wicked
  • The enemy of God
  • The children of Satan
  • Dead in trespasses and sin
  • Taken captive by Satan
  • Unable to do good

And this is just off the top of my head.

Now, when a person is saved, born again, asks Jesus into their heart, puts their faith and trust in Jesus, supposedly they become a new person. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

This verse is clear, A saved person, a person who is IN Christ:

  • Is a new creature (creation)
  • The old things of their life pass away
  • All things become new

Of course, anyone who knows anything about Christianity in general and Evangelicalism in particular, knows that, for the most part, Christians are no different from their non-Christian counterparts in the world.

According to the Bible:

  • Christians have a new life
  • Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside them
  • Christians have the Holy Spirit guiding them
  • Christians have the Holy Spirit teaching them
  • Christians have the Holy Spirit convicting and correcting them
  • Christians have the mind of Christ

Surely, based on these things, EVERY Evangelical Christian should be a super-saint.  After all, according to the Bible, the Evangelical Christian has the righteousness of Christ imputed to him and they are sanctified. Why is it then that Evangelical Christians are no different than atheists, agnostics, humanists, Buddhists, pagans, or worshipers of the Spaghetti Monster?

The truth is, Evangelical Christians are human just like we ALL are. They have the same passions, the same desires, the same ability to be good or bad, as we all do. The only difference between the Evangelical Christian and the non-Christian is what they do with their time on Sunday Morning.

What we have in the West is cultural Christianity, a Christianity that is good for births, deaths, and weddings. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Imagine a world where Christians took every command in the Bible literally and made every effort to live by and enforce those commands?

The Bible demands there be no king but Jesus and no law but the Bible. Yes, God allowed Israel to choose their own king, but God was very clear that this was NOT his plan. Theocracy is always the goal when the Bible is taken literally.

Non-Christians in America should be glad that they live in a secular state. If Evangelicals ruled America we would be pushed to the margins and many of our behaviors and words would be deemed blasphemous and punished accordingly.

As a humanist, I reject what the Bible and Evangelicals say about the human condition. Each human has the power to be good or bad. Each human has the power to be a blessing or a curse. We are the final authority not a God.

When the Evangelical looks at the humanist he sees an evil person. (if he is true to the teachings of the Bible) When the humanist looks at the Evangelical he sees a person with potential. The humanist sees a person who has the capacity for love and goodness.

As a humanist, I do not divide the world into two groups like the Evangelical does. I see us all as one, each of us with a vested interest in the furtherance of the human race and the future of our planet.

Yes, I think religion gets in the way of progress. Look at how things are here in America.  Evangelical Christianity is never far from the center of our political debates. It drives the culture war. It is what is behind attempts to keep women chained to the stove with 10 children around their feet. It is what is behind attempts to promote ignorance in the public schools through the teaching of creationism and abstinence-based sex education.

There is no easy way to say it…Evangelicalism, with its Fundamentalist tendencies, along with other sects like the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Islam, and the Catholic Church, do their best to impede progress. Fidelity to a certain interpretation of the Bible or the pronouncements of a Pope is more important than progress, freedom, and liberty.

While we can not (and should not)  keep people from believing what they will religiously, we must not let their religious beliefs stand in the way of progress. They are free to worship whomever and however they wish within the four walls of their church and home, but when it comes to  public policy and the common good, their religious beliefs and practices have no standing.

All people of faith are welcome to take part in our democracy, but, when they demand their sect be given preferential treatment or demand that their Holy book be used as the standard for our laws, they must be rebuffed.

The U.S. Constitution begins with the words, WE THE PEOPLE. Not, we the Christian people.  We as a people decide what kind of country we want to have and what laws we want to govern us, It would be great if Evangelicals would join us unwashed, uncircumcised heathens in an attempt to make our country a land where hope, peace,love and justice reign supreme.

Today is the National Day of Blasphemy

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blasphemy

In the Evangelical world, today is The National Day of Prayer. President Barack Obama, unwilling to stand up to Evangelicals, has proclaimed, Thursday, May 2, 2013, a National Day of Prayer.

I want to encourage each atheist, agnostic, humanist, and non-Christian to commit an act of blasphemy. Pray to Christopher Hitchens or praise the name of Charles Darwin. Drink three beers and ask Dawkins into your heart.  Smile Do something to show that you are one of the heathen crowd that Evangelicals are praying for.

And above all else, notice how much effect the National Day of Prayer has on America. Surely, millions of Christians praying in concert should cause the hand of God to move in a visible, verifiable, mighty way. Perhaps God might even be moved to feed the hungry, heal the sick, shelter the homeless, and get Tim Tebow a new NFL team to play for.

Evangelicals will issue a press release stating that the National Day of Prayer was a great success. See you next year, and by all mean keep those donations coming.

Post-Atheism, Now What?

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secular_creed

Many atheists come to a place in their life where they begin to consider life beyond atheism. When a person first deconverts and decides they are an atheist, atheism is all they can think about.

THERE IS NO GOD, the atheist rightly thunders, but after awhile, in my case, after five years, the atheist begins to develop a more complex, comprehensive worldview. Those who don’t are found on Twitter, Facebook, and in the blogosphere, endlessly waging war against religion.

We have all been there. As we look back on our life as a Christian we feel duped and we feel lied to. Perhaps we became angry for a time and lashed out at anything and everything religious. But, as many of us come to realize, this is no way to live your life over the long-term.

Atheism is not a philosophy. It is not a comprehensive worldview and it most certainly is not a religion. Some of the most frustrating people to be around besides Christian Fundamentalists, is atheists who do no think any further than their belief that there are no gods. All they see is religion and religion must be destroyed if the human race is to survive.

This leads, of course, to a lot of immature, ignorant behavior by atheists. I am involved with all the major social media and I am ashamed and angered by some of things I read written by atheists about religion. Their writing reveals that they are every bit as ignorant about religion as as Christian Fundamentalists are about atheism, agnosticism, humanism, or secularism. Some of these ignorant atheists even have PhD after their names.

Many atheists need to grow beyond the infantile state they are presently in. Getting into a shit-throwing contest with a religious Fundamentalist might be fun and entertaining but nothing is accomplished.

Quite frankly, atheists need to mature beyond atheism.  For many of us, humanism is the vehicle that drives our maturity. We must begin to not only think about the big questions humans have but we must also begin to give thoughtful reasons as to why we think humanism is the best way forward for the human race and our planet.

Doing the atheist version of a two-year old stomping their feet  get us nowhere. The Christian Bible tells the Christian that they should be ready to give an answer to the hope that lies within them. The atheist should do the same.

We must be willing to engage the religious in thoughtful, respectful discussions.  This does not mean we can never use ridicule or sarcasm but it does mean that our defense of the humanist ideal must go beyond just ridicule and sarcasm.

We must be willing and able to defend our worldview and do it in such a way that people will actually hear and understand what we are saying.  If our bigger goal is for the humanist ideal to become the dominate worldview we must use mediums that best advance our message. (and a 140 character tweet is not the best medium)

As a blogger, I have an obligation to not only help people who are considering leaving Christianity or who have already left Christianity, but to also articulate why I think the humanistic ideal is superior to what Christianity has to offer.

I am a proud to be an atheist and I have no intentions to stop calling myself one. But, I am at a place in life where I no longer find atheism to be enough for me. I no longer find it as intellectually and emotionally satisfying as I once did.

I am beyond the “angry at religion” stage and I now must devote my energy towards fleshing out for myself and readers the humanist worldview.

I must get beyond the, “hating religion for religion’s sake” approach. I have always been an accommodationist when it comes to religion and I intend to continue to be so. I see no value in denigrating all religion, treating liberal and progressive religions with the same scorn I treat Fundamentalist religions with.

Not every religion is equal. I can appreciate the religious beliefs of people like John Shore, James McGrath, John Arthur, Fred Clark or the countless other liberal/progressive Christians who read this blog. While I may not agree them, I can admire and respect their beliefs. I don’t see where anything is gained by denigrating people of goodwill like those I just mentioned. In fact, they may just having something to teach atheists, IF our minds are as open as we say they are. (as I learned when I read and reviewed  Paulo Coelho’s book, Manuscript Found in Accra)

Some atheists live under the delusion that we can make the world religion-free.  While we could debate whether or not such a world would be a better place (and I am not decided on this) , the fact is we are centuries away from realizing such a world. Our time is better spent engaging religious people in hopes of making the world we live in more just, peaceful, and inclusive rather than taking a flamethrower to everything religious.

Why Do Christians Still Believe?

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jesus_wonderful

Lynn asked:

All those families that I went to church with in an IFB church-those that are still believing it all after all these years-How do they do it? Do they never analyze? This astounds me.

This is a great question, one that most former Christians ask themselves at one time or the other.  What is implied in the question is, I escaped, why can’t they?

There are many factors that affect how, when, and why a person leaves the Christian faith. It is different for every person.

The more intellectual among us want people to know that we left Christianity for intellectual reasons. Sometimes we minimize the emotional and mental component of our deconversion.  Christians, who can’t fathom anyone wanting to leave Jesus, say that people leave Christianity because they are angry, hurt, or bitter. If the former Christian admits this, then their deconversion can easily be dismissed as an emotional response rather than a intellectual choice.

For a long time, I refused to admit that I was angry, hurt, or bitter. I wanted everyone to see my deconversion as the product of my intellect.  After all, this is the kind of person I am. I am an intellectual. I am analytical. I like to think I am a man who values reason above all else. Yet, if I am willing to be honest, I must also admit that I am an emotional being.

My nineteen year old son and twenty-one year old daughter are driving me crazy. Both will graduate from College this year (Northwest State Community College and Bowling Green State University) They both plan to on their own by December. I can’t wait. Smile  (they read this blog and they know I love them)  They are ready to be on their own.

The other day my son came home from a meeting with the College dean and it was evident he was upset.  As he started to tell me what was up…I offered him some advice. He got upset at me…. And here is what I told him,  and later told his sister:

You need to develop a system to let me know when you want advice from me or you just want me to listen to you bitch.

My son and daughter, like all of us, are intellectual and emotional beings. Sometimes they want my advice. Other times they just want someone to listen to them bitch and complain. I have never been very good at distinguishing between the two.

The primary reasons I left Christianity are rooted in my understanding of the Bible; what it teaches and what claims Christians make for the Bible. As I tell every person who asks, I left Christianity because I came to see that the Bible was not an inerrant, infallible, God-inspired text.  I came to see that the Bible was errant and filled with contradictions. From this, I concluded that Jesus was not the virgin-born son of God, that he did not work the miracles ascribed to him in the Bible, and he did not resurrect from the dead. While I think Jesus was a real person who lived in Palestine, I think he lived, died, end of story.

Did my emotions play a part in my deconversion? Sure. Was I angry? Sure. How could I not be?  I spent my entire life following after and serving  a Jesus who I now believe was a fraud. I spent most of my life living off of poverty wages for the sake of the gospel only to find out that my reasons for living this way are a myth…if I wasn’t angry THAT would be the real story.

While I did not leave Christianity because of being hurt, I have been hurt since I left.  People who have known me for years have turned on me, called me names, questioning my sanity, suggesting I am demon possessed, or that I never was a Christian. My morals and ethics have been questioned, and life-long friends have treated me like dog-shit on the bottom of their shoes.

So yes, this kind of treatment hurts. It reminds me of the ugly underbelly of Christianity. For all their talk of love, Christians can be mean, nasty, hateful, and vindictive. As long as you are part of the club they love you…leave and they will do everything in their power to demean and marginalize you.

My counselor told me that it is rare for people like me to leave the ministry. After fifty years in the Christian church and twenty-five years in the ministry, most people like me have too much invested to walk away from it. While I am to be commended for walking away, the emotional and mental cost of walking away has been great. ( and it is one of the reasons I still see a counselor)

There are other well-known pastors-turned-atheists, but most of them did not have as much time on the job as I did. They were able to escape without spending decades in the ministry. They were able to flee before they wasted so many years of their life in a mythical pursuit.

So when we look back at the churches and people we left, we ask questions like Lynn asked above. Surely, if people just intellectually understood things like I did they would leave Christianity too.  Of course, the Christian thinks the same way. They think that if the atheist just understood how wonderful Jesus was they would want to be a Christian too. However, believing or not believing is not as simple as believing or not believing a set of “facts” about Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity.

The bigger question is, why do Christians go to church?  Why do people attend churches that preach things they disagree with or have a pastor they don’t even like?

The glue that binds a Christian to their church is the communal aspect of Christianity. Humans have an innate desire to belong, to be a part of something bigger than themselves. What is the one thing that atheists miss about church? Community. A sense of belonging. The connection every church member has with each other.

Many atheists miss the social aspects of attending a church. I know I do. Many days, I feel very much alone and I know a lot of atheists who feel the same way. This is why it is important for atheists/humanists to have groups that can meet the social and communal needs that atheists/humanists have.

People don’t leave Christianity because it still provides a benefit to them. I view Christianity and attending a church from an economic perspective.The Christian gets more out of the church than they are putting in and as long as it “profits” them they will likely continue to attend church. When the Christian no longer “profits” from attending church they will likely stop attending. (many readers of this blog are Christians who no longer have any connection with the institutional church)

If humanists want to grow their community, it is important that we show that we can meet the social and communal needs that people have.  Very few Christians will be “argued” out of their faith. To reach them we must present them with an alternative way of life. When they “see”  that a person can be moral and ethical without God, then they might be willing to consider whether what they believe is true.

We must be willing to be patient with people of faith. Calling them names, constantly ridiculing their beliefs, will only reinforce the negative view they have of atheists/humanists. (just like the nasty comments on this blog from Christians reinforces the negative view many of us have of Christianity)

We must never forget where we came from. We must never forget the sleepless nights and the emotional and mental agony we suffered as we wrestled with the loss of our faith. Instead of taking a scorched earth policy towards those who are still Christian, perhaps we should be people of love, compassion, and respect, remembering that we were once were where they are,

Judging People by their Works

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matthew 5 16

The Bible say in Luke 6:

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.  And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven…

…For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

These verses stand as a condemnation of every Christian who thinks what he believes is more important than how he lives. Christians who bitterly savage me with their words, threatening me and my family with AIDS and death, evidently are ignorant of what their Lord and Savior says in Luke 6. I ask them, like Jesus did, why do you call Jesus Lord and not do what he say?

The truth is, many Christians think  that salvation comes through believing the right things.  As long as their theology is correct and they stand against atheism, abortion, homosexuality, and Demoncrats, their place in heaven is secure.

However, the Bible says in Matthew 25:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

It is clear from Matthew 25, that the final judgment will a judgment of how a person lived their life rather than what they believed. As the late Keith Green said in a song about Matthew 25, what is the difference between the two? What they did and did not do.

Revelation 20:12 says:

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And it for this reason that I think that most of American Christianity is bankrupt.  I see nothing that would make me want to be a follower of Jesus. I see hate, anger, vengeance, spite, and judgment. What I don’t see is love, kindness, decency, and respect. Like judging a tree by the fruit it produces. I have judged American Christianity and found it to be a barren tree that should be cut down and cast into the fire. Perhaps out the ashes will rise up a Christianity that bears some semblance to the Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount.

Yes, there are Christians here and there who are kind, decent, loving, non-judgmental people. They take seriously the words of Luke 6. They think the Sermon on the Mount is the standard of living for those who claim the name of Christ.

I will never return to Christianity. My mind is made up. The only thing that Christians can do is show me that their religion is worthy of my admiration. So far, I see little to admire.

Note:

The same can be said for the atheist and humanist movement.  We are rightly judged by our works and some days our works don’t match what we say with our lips. If we believe humanism is a better way of life then we must show WHY this is so.

Humanists, Atheists, Muslims, and Homosexuals Out to Destroy America

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2026

Fundamentalist Christian Alex McFarland has started a project called Project 2026 that he hopes will be instrumental in stopping the secularism of America.

In a recent radio interview with Christian Fundamentalist radio host, Bryan Fischer, McFarland had this to say about Project 2026:

It’s a response, it’s a fifteen year program and we are beginning to get a lot of momentum, it’s a fifteen year program to re-remind our culture about some things that are core that I believe without the rediscovery and reaffirmation of these things we’re going to lose democracy: God; life; morality; family; freedom of religion; American exclusivism, not that we’re better or deserve better but we are unique on the stage of human history. The thing that prompted me Bryan is the four groups that are actively working to secularize and destroy America: humanists; atheists; militant homosexuals; and Muslims. All four of these groups got major momentum beginning in the ’60s and ’70s but they dug in their heels and they said: ‘we’re going to work forty years and we’re going to mainstream atheism; we’re going to mainstream militant homosexuality; dare we say it we’re going to see gay marriage legitimized.’ Why can’t God’s people dig in their heels and say: ‘we’re in it for the duration and America will not die on our watch.’

McFarland’s premise is simple:

Humanists, Atheists, Muslims and Homosexuals are out to secularize and destroy America.

While humanists and atheists certainly want to see secularism prevail in America, I doubt that the Muslim and homosexual community has one mind on secularism. Muslims are religious, as are many homosexuals.

McFarland is a fear-monger. By grouping these four instruments of Satan together, he hopes he can conjure up in the minds of Christians, a four horseman of the Apocalypse vision. Without fear, people like McFarland and Bryan Fischer would not have a voice within the Evangelical community.  By constantly crying wolf they hope people will pay attention to them and, above all, keep sending them money.

Make no mistake about it, McFarland’s Project 2026 is all about generating another stream of income for McFarland.  Evangelicals are quite good at starting a-n-o-t-h-e-r project/ministry to combat the various ills they think are afflicting America. These projects/ministry make little to no difference outside of putting more money in the pocket of those running them.

Here’s a prediction…America will be more secular than ever in 2026, gay marriage will be legal in most states, and Muslims will not have instituted Sharia law anywhere in the United States.

And maybe, by then, the Chicago Cubs will have won a World Series.

The Secular and Humanist Battle Against Evangelicalism

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secularism

Edit: grammar updated. Pain induced brain lapse? :)

Religion is at its best when it is used to improve the lives of those who worship that religion’s deity. Religion is at its best when it is used to promote good works among the poor, sick, dying, and disenfranchised. If religion focused on these two things people like me would have little to write about.

Unfortunately, in America, the religious scene is dominated by Evangelicalism, along with Fundamentalist Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and countless non-affiliated Fundamentalist churches.

These groups are not content to promote private piety and works of mercy and charity. They believe they have a God ordained responsibility to spread their religious beliefs to every home in America. In their mind, America would be a great country if only everyone believed like they believed and subscribed to their peculiar moral and ethical prescriptions.

In particular, Evangelicals are heaven-bent on every American becoming a Christian. They are convinced the good life begins with Jesus and people without Jesus are living vain, empty, selfish lives. According to Evangelicals, people who are not saved are the enemy of God and headed for hell unless they repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many Evangelicals believe in manifest destiny, the belief the Christian God has ordained that America be a Christian nation, and that America, because of her God-given power and wealth, has the obligation to spread the Christian gospel, Capitalism, and Western ideals to the ends of the earth. In their eyes, America is not just one nation among many; it is a Nation above all other nations, a nation favored by the one, true, and living God.

Many Evangelicals also believe in American exceptionalism. They believe our culture is superior to all other cultures and our culture is worthy of emulation by other cultures. According to Evangelicals, the reason America is exceptional is the Christian God’s blessing on America. Remove God from the equation and America ceases to be exceptional. Look at Europe, Evangelicals say, for proof of what happens when the Christian God is marginalized or removed as the focal point of a culture.

It should come as no surprise that many Evangelicals are theocrats. They are convinced America is a Christian nation and any attempt to change this must be thwarted. They are convinced America is in decline because abortion is legal, homosexuality is accepted as normal, prayer and Bible reading has been removed from public schools, and evolution is taught to school children.

They are convinced that all abortion must be banned, homosexuals forced back in the closet, daily prayer and Bible reading required in every school classroom, and every child taught the Christian God is the Creator of everything.

They are convinced the Ten Commandments, and by extension the Law of God found in the Bible, should be the law of the Land. What better law than God’s law, the Evangelical says. Surely being ruled by the Christian God and His laws is superior to any code of law that sinful humans could come up with.

Make no mistake about it, Evangelicals are only for freedom and liberty to the degree that it allows people to worship their God and obey their Bible. Atheists like me are Satan-personified, no different than witches and necromancers in the Old Testament, and we should not be allowed to spread our anti-God views.

In 1964, Ohio Republican Congressman John M. Ashbrook, a Baptist, offered the following amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1963:

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this title, it shall not be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to refuse to hire and employ and person because of said person’s atheistic practices and beliefs.

Ashbrook favored non-discrimination on the basis of religion, but when it came to atheists, Ashbrook thought it Ok for employers to deny atheists employment. Ashbrook’s amendment passed the House by a vote of 137-98. Fortunately, it failed to pass the Senate.

Ashbrook’s sentiment about atheists is still prominent among Evangelicals. They blame atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair for prayer and Bible being taken out of school and they blame atheist scientists for school children being taught evolution in the public schools. Every wrong can be traced back to people and ideas that are anti-Christian. (which is ironic in a country where the Christian religion dominates most every aspect of life)

Groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Atheists, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the American Humanist Association, continue to challenge the privilege and unconstitutional status Christianity enjoys. And they are winning. Evangelicals, recoiling in horror at the perceived assault on “their” Christian nation, push back and demand the Christian God be put back in his rightful place. Those trying to break the unconstitutional entanglement of Church and State are considered un-American and satanically influenced tools being used to destroy America.

Evangelicals are forced to revise American history to fit their vision for America. Any time the word God is used in our founding documents or uttered by our founding fathers, it is proof to the Evangelical that America is a Christian nation, guided by the truth of the Christian Bible.

Revisionists, like David Barton, twist and contort American history to fit the Evangelical Christian narrative. Evangelicals lap up the historical lies of people like Barton because this proves to them their beliefs are right and gives them the necessary motivation to continue their battle against the dark forces of secularism, humanism, and atheism.

Try as they might, Evangelicals are fighting a losing battle. While they continue to scream louder and louder, America is becoming increasingly secular. Young people are more likely to be indifferent to religion than ever before. Atheists, agnostics, secularists, and humanists are more vocal and more forceful and demand the wall of separation of church and state be strengthened.

On almost every front, Evangelicals are failing to get their way. Abortion? Still legal and a majority of Americans think abortion should remain legal. Homosexuality? Americans no longer view homosexuality a sin akin to bestiality and child molestation. Same sex marriage continues its march to approval in state after state. Public schools? Increasingly secular, with no hope of school prayer and Bible reading being allowed. Creationism and its dressed up cousin Intelligent design are not welcome in science classrooms.

Evangelicalism, long a religious tradition that demeans and devalues women, has lost the battle to keep women barefoot and pregnant. While the patriarchal system so ensconced in Evangelicalism is still formidable, woman are gaining power and controlling their own lives. Birth control frees them from the fear of pregnancy and gives Evangelical women control of their own sexuality.

Some Evangelicals, like Southern Baptist Al Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary admits Evangelicalism is losing the battle:

“The most basic contours of American culture have been radically altered. The so-called Judeo-Christian consensus of the last millennium has given way to a post-modern, post-Christian, post-Western cultural crisis which threatens the very heart of our culture.”“It’s that the entire moral landscape has changed. An increasingly secularized America understands our positions, and has rejected them”“Far fewer Americans now attend church, and a recent study indicated that fully 20 percent of all Americans identify with no religious preference at all.”“Massive theological and moral shifts have taken place in the United States in recent decades and with that, the Christian worldview has receded into the memory of many Americans,”

This does not mean we can safely ignore Evangelicals. We can’t. They continue to push their political and social agenda, and those of us who believe America is her best when secular, humanist ideals are promoted, must not be lulled to sleep. Yes, we are winning the battle, but we have a long, long way to go before America is a shining example of secular and humanist ideals.

The internet has afforded us a great opportunity to wage war against Evangelicalism and their theocratic tendencies. Before the internet, church members were sheltered from competing or alternative ideas. Today they anonymously travel the back streets of the Internet investigating secular and humanist blogs and websites. Some will find their fears confirmed and will double down on their effort to return America to her former Christian greatness. Others, however, will find themselves swayed by the pervasive presentation of secular and humanist ideals, and when this happens the hold Evangelicalism has on them is broken. (Valerie Terico has written an excellent article, Religion May Not Survive the Internet, on this subject)

It is important for atheists, secularists, and humanists who live in the public marketplace of ideas , to engage Evangelicals rather than call them names and ridicule them. Our objective is not to convert everyone to atheism and humanism. Like it or not, most Americans will continue to believe in God! and it is naïve to think we can rid America of all religious belief.

To effectively change our culture, we must present an alternative worldview. What do secularists and humanists believe? What is our vision for America? What values do secularists and humanists consider important?

Above all, we must encourage Evangelicals to carefully investigate their religious beliefs. (and this is why I won’t debate the Bible with Evangelicals until they have read people like Bart Ehrman) Evangelicals must see for themselves the house built on the foundation of Biblical inspiration and inerrancy is built on a faulty foundation. Ridicule, calling names, implying they are stupid, ignorant, Bible thumpers, will do little to change their thinking. Most often, it just reinforces their view of atheists, secularists, and humanists.

When Evangelicals move away from the inherent Fundamentalism found in Evangelicalism, they are likely to embrace more tolerant forms of religious expression . This is good for America and should be encouraged. Long and lasting change takes time, often decades and generations of time. Secularists and humanists must realize we are in this for the long haul. Our eyes must not only be on the present, but also on the world our progeny will inherit some day.

Evangelical power is waning, but like all authoritarian systems of belief, their death is slow and will not come overnight. We must trust we can win the battle against them in the marketplace of ideas. We must continue to demand our government live up to the secular and pluralistic ideals this country was founded upon.

We have little hope of reaching Evangelicals who have spent their life imbibing at the bar of Fundamentalism. People like me, who leave Evangelicalism after fifty years, are rare. Our focus must be on the youth of America. Rob Evangelicalism of their children and it dies. This is already happening in Evangelical groups like the Southern Baptist Convention. (the largest Protestant religious group in America)

I am not wearing rose-colored glasses. I know we have a lot of fighting left to do, and we can not afford one moment to rest. I am optimistic about the future. Perhaps, the best days for America are yet ahead. I can not predict the future. All I can do, on this day, is be a voice for the values and ideals that have the power to make America a secular beacon of freedom of liberty. We have the power to be great and good, but until we completely break the unhealthy, dangerous entanglement of church and state, we will never be great or good.