Friday, October 14, 2011
Nothing more annoying
There's nothing more annoying than arrogance. You speak too loud, you laugh too hard. You think too little about what you project on your surroundings. Quiet your voice, budget your laughter, and meditate on who it is you think I think you are.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Dug this one up from October 2006...
Nice little piece from an 18 year old me that still (mostly) applies. Had to share...
Thoughts on God. (Inspired by the article "The New Naysayers" by Jerry Adler of Newsweek.)
Before I Begin:
I don't know how many times I've felt as if I was not being taken seriously during discussions over "heavy" topics (politics, religion, et cetera). I guess there is some legitimacy to this skepticism, but I am a firm believer that even the youngest of human beings can be full of worthwhile wisdom and knowledge. In other words, keep your mind open. I am not going to simply rant.
I am not what I would consider your "typical Athiest". I was not raised among non-believers or even skeptics. A vast majority (probably between 85 and 95%) of my immediate and extended family members are practicing Catholics and about a quarter or third of those are devout. In fact, my maternal grandfather is a Deacon (sort of like a Priest who's allowed to be married, but without the power to "bless" things) who sent all of his children to private Catholic grade schools.. As for myself, I was raised under the impression that the idea that God existed was not just an idea, but an indisputable fact and I bought that line, unquestioningly and silently until the age of 12.
I don't know why, but I've always been (and hopefully always will be) one to question and investigate with a depth which many people seem to see as a waste of time or "unprofitable", as the Capitalist might say. However, it is this intrinsic nature of mine which caused my faith to sputter as I entered my teens and slowly lead me from thoughts of Christianity, to Judaism, back to Christianity, to Agnosticism, and finally to Atheism over a period of 5 years. I've conversed with friends and family on many occasions for hours at a time. I've read countless pieces of literture on various religions and the raw concept of religion itself, yet I still, like everyone else, cannot prove either side of this argument.
My position on the concept of God, however, is perhaps somewhat more complex than other Athiests'. For one thing, as a former Christian, I feel my understanding of the Christian way of thinking is at least a little more full than a large portion of Athiests. I think that the main belief which sets me apart from other Athiests is my complete disregard for the popular argument that the suffrage of the living represents solid proof of the nonexistence of a God, or at least one charachterized as loving and just. In the Newsweek article, "The New Naysayers" by Jerry Adler, Atheist author Sam Harris is quoted as asking: "How can anyone believe in a benevolent and omnipotent God who permits a tsunami to swallow 180,000 innocent people in a few hours?". The way I see it, God is seen by religious people as the overseer of not just the world, but of the entire universe. With that in mind, I believe that a natural disaster can be looked at relative to a parent (or overseer of a household) spanking their child. Obviously, I realize that a tsunami and a spanking are not at all comparable, but I think my point here ought to be easily understood. On the other hand, it should also be understood that my thoughts on this matter do not in any way represent the slightest amount of faith in the concept of a God.
The bulk of my Atheist doctrine lines up fairly well with the ideas expressed by the scholars in the article. My belief in the concept of evolution includes all of the scientific evidence provided in the article. By this, I mean to say that I believe that all human behavior has a rational explaination which can often be explained through millenia of evolution of not only physical, but mental traits such as personality and emotion.
If I could share only one reason for my firm belief in the absence of God, it would be this: fear and its relationship to mankind's seemingly inherent need for a sense of purpose. I believe that at some point in the history of man, this need for a purpose became so strong that we had to essentially, conjure up a "point" to this life and the idea of a God was born. Finally, everything could make sense. How was the Earth formed? How did we get here? All of these puzzling questions were suddenly answered with the simple belief that God willed it so. Centuries passed and a more developed human mind decided to find a way to cash in on this idea of God. Here we find the birth of religion. Using a cleverly devised combination of a loving God who will take care of you and the wrath of the same loving God, should you betray it, religion took hold of the two strongest emotions of which humans are capable: love and fear. Now, centuries later, the majority of our species remains captivated by this genius combination, with no relief in sight. I cannot imagine how I could possibly forgive the creators of this idea, this giant hoax so many have been fooled into worshipping as a God. By this, I mean to call the creation of God a betrayal of mankind against itself and for me to believe that the elaborate lie of God would be to betray my own self. I refuse to betray my own self. Therefore, I will always remain an Atheist.
-Rob
I don't know how many times I've felt as if I was not being taken seriously during discussions over "heavy" topics (politics, religion, et cetera). I guess there is some legitimacy to this skepticism, but I am a firm believer that even the youngest of human beings can be full of worthwhile wisdom and knowledge. In other words, keep your mind open. I am not going to simply rant.
I am not what I would consider your "typical Athiest". I was not raised among non-believers or even skeptics. A vast majority (probably between 85 and 95%) of my immediate and extended family members are practicing Catholics and about a quarter or third of those are devout. In fact, my maternal grandfather is a Deacon (sort of like a Priest who's allowed to be married, but without the power to "bless" things) who sent all of his children to private Catholic grade schools.. As for myself, I was raised under the impression that the idea that God existed was not just an idea, but an indisputable fact and I bought that line, unquestioningly and silently until the age of 12.
I don't know why, but I've always been (and hopefully always will be) one to question and investigate with a depth which many people seem to see as a waste of time or "unprofitable", as the Capitalist might say. However, it is this intrinsic nature of mine which caused my faith to sputter as I entered my teens and slowly lead me from thoughts of Christianity, to Judaism, back to Christianity, to Agnosticism, and finally to Atheism over a period of 5 years. I've conversed with friends and family on many occasions for hours at a time. I've read countless pieces of literture on various religions and the raw concept of religion itself, yet I still, like everyone else, cannot prove either side of this argument.
My position on the concept of God, however, is perhaps somewhat more complex than other Athiests'. For one thing, as a former Christian, I feel my understanding of the Christian way of thinking is at least a little more full than a large portion of Athiests. I think that the main belief which sets me apart from other Athiests is my complete disregard for the popular argument that the suffrage of the living represents solid proof of the nonexistence of a God, or at least one charachterized as loving and just. In the Newsweek article, "The New Naysayers" by Jerry Adler, Atheist author Sam Harris is quoted as asking: "How can anyone believe in a benevolent and omnipotent God who permits a tsunami to swallow 180,000 innocent people in a few hours?". The way I see it, God is seen by religious people as the overseer of not just the world, but of the entire universe. With that in mind, I believe that a natural disaster can be looked at relative to a parent (or overseer of a household) spanking their child. Obviously, I realize that a tsunami and a spanking are not at all comparable, but I think my point here ought to be easily understood. On the other hand, it should also be understood that my thoughts on this matter do not in any way represent the slightest amount of faith in the concept of a God.
The bulk of my Atheist doctrine lines up fairly well with the ideas expressed by the scholars in the article. My belief in the concept of evolution includes all of the scientific evidence provided in the article. By this, I mean to say that I believe that all human behavior has a rational explaination which can often be explained through millenia of evolution of not only physical, but mental traits such as personality and emotion.
If I could share only one reason for my firm belief in the absence of God, it would be this: fear and its relationship to mankind's seemingly inherent need for a sense of purpose. I believe that at some point in the history of man, this need for a purpose became so strong that we had to essentially, conjure up a "point" to this life and the idea of a God was born. Finally, everything could make sense. How was the Earth formed? How did we get here? All of these puzzling questions were suddenly answered with the simple belief that God willed it so. Centuries passed and a more developed human mind decided to find a way to cash in on this idea of God. Here we find the birth of religion. Using a cleverly devised combination of a loving God who will take care of you and the wrath of the same loving God, should you betray it, religion took hold of the two strongest emotions of which humans are capable: love and fear. Now, centuries later, the majority of our species remains captivated by this genius combination, with no relief in sight. I cannot imagine how I could possibly forgive the creators of this idea, this giant hoax so many have been fooled into worshipping as a God. By this, I mean to call the creation of God a betrayal of mankind against itself and for me to believe that the elaborate lie of God would be to betray my own self. I refuse to betray my own self. Therefore, I will always remain an Atheist.
-Rob
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)