I don’t think of atheism as a sword. In fact, I rarely talk about my non-belief, even in these pages. For me, atheism is a personal choice (as I’ve written before). just as personal as someone’s religious beliefs may be to them. Not sacred in any way, just personal. I don’t have a need to evangelize atheism as I think that any person of reason will eventually come to the same conclusion that I and millions of others around the world have come to: There are no god(s) looking out for us in this life and. although I cannot prove it, I doubt there’s anything after this life as well.
What has religion done for humanity? Has it prevented any of what may be claimed, the evils of this world? War, disease, starvation? Those only account for the majority of what we witness daily. How about the weather? Any tornadoes or hurricanes turned away due to prayer or some other ritual? Just a quick scan of written history tells us pretty much all we need to know about the benefits of any and all religions. “Our god(s) told us to come take your land, your homes, and your food.” How many war stories have we heard concerning two sides, each claiming to have “god” on their side. How much evil has been done in the name of some god then? How much good?
Sure we see commercials for feeding starving people in third world countries that are sponsored by some religious organization. There is of course the political wings of some of these as well that ensure their ideology is represented well within government by having the right candidates elected. Then there are those Reverse Robin Hoods, as I refer to them that take from the poor and needy to make themselves rich(er). Just how many homes, boats(ships!) or private jets does one guy or gal need?
Will mass adoption of atheism change any of this? Probably not. People are people and those that want to create chaos will do so under a different banner. Atheism provides nothing for the average person with the possible exception of bringing some personal peace. so evangelizing atheism, although on the surface sounds like a good idea, actually will do nothing to change humanity’s condition. If the entire world gave up any and all religious belief overnight, little would change. Some would find other wayd to scam our hard earned money, and instead of a “god” leading their armies, it would be some bastardized “patriotism” that called the feeble minded to their own demise – while making their master rich.
There you go Jim, here is something we agree on, I concur with all of the above.
LikeLike
I disagree. There will be change, and any decrease in the lies and harm from religion is worth the effort to stand up against its nonsense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No harm ever comes from non-religious people? A few years ago, a look at the BJS, people in prison, showed that atheists in prison tracked well with the overall population(~3%). Evil is evil and religion is just an excuse to perform evil.
LikeLike
That’s just silly, Jim. Atheists can cause harm too. Atheists can be bigots, racists, liars, etc.
LikeLike
I had to re-edit my initial reply because the first sentence was supposed to be a question. That was my point: atheists are no better than the general population.
LikeLike
that makes more sense.
LikeLike