Category: religion

1 Because I am an atheist: kagekiri

June 13, 2012
by Crommunist
· Because I Am An Atheist · blog

Today’s contribution was submitted by kagekiri as a comment.

…I can take reality as it comes and with free honesty, instead of trying to cram evidence into my pre-conceived notions of reality and running away from anything that doesn’t fit.

Because I’m an atheist, I don’t have to ignore thoughts and desires lest they cause me to fall into “sin”. I can assess them more calmly and still find reasons to not do evil besides “because if I do them, I’ll go to Hell!”

Because I’m an atheist, I no longer have to blame myself or others for our suffering or short-comings. I can love myself as and others as we are instead of tearfully thanking God for loving us despite our sinful selves.

Because I’m an atheist, I can be happy now, instead of suffering with depression and self-loathing for the sake of an afterlife.

Because I’m an atheist, I love my family even more than ever, because I realize life isn’t all about worshiping God: it’s about those we love and interact with.

Because I’m an atheist, I can take a clear look at how my life will impact the world beyond Christian evangelizing. All meaning is relative, but the world is important to our species, so I can fight for it rather than feel guilty that I should be doing things to get people to a better afterlife.

Because I’m an atheist, I care about our collective future, because God isn’t going to magically step in and fix everything/blow everything up.

Because I’m an atheist, the world has become far less black and white, and I’m far more able to understand and empathize with others and their differing outlooks and experiences in life.

Consider submitting your own statement, by e-mail or as a comment!

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0 Because I am an atheist: Pharm Sci Grad

June 12, 2012
by Crommunist
· Because I Am An Atheist · blog

Today’s contribution comes from Pharm Sci Grad via e-mail.

Because I am an atheist…

…I am more accepting of the transient nature of my relationships with people

There’s an old religious line that goes “People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime” and I always had a hard time accepting that. This whole religious concept of eternal life meant you never really let anyone “go” forever but I still didn’t like the idea that sometimes people would be friends and then friendships would fall apart. I struggled with that. Strangely enough, since I let go of any belief in eternal life, I realized that I would never really have anyone with me for a lifetime – and, well, since there is no god, it’s not like I’ve got any god with me either. So all that leaves are temporary friends, those for a reason or a season, which means that is just the nature of life, of friendship. What a freeing notion.

How much easier it is to accept the wonderful friends I have and to accept the changes in a relationship when the time comes, without anger or blame, because of course the time would have to come eventually. That is just how it is. You change, you adapt, sometimes you allow friendships to fade, but you move forward forever altered by the people who’ve entered your life. Not because a god placed them in your path, but because we’re all fortunate enough to coexist together on this pale blue dot, and you and your friend, however briefly, recognized your shared humanity.

Consider submitting your own statement, by e-mail or as a comment!

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10 Less relevant by the minute

June 12, 2012
by Crommunist
· blog · Catholic church · crapitalism · news · religion · science · sex

Since I was a little kid, I’ve loved stories. Even as an adult, I am drawn to the narrative arc – the pacing, the twists and turns of a good plot, the art of a well-crafted climax – these have always been like magic to me. In my younger days though, I was drawn to Greek mythology in a big way. It wasn’t just the fanciful tales, although I liked that aspect a lot – it was the fact that each story was attached to some kind of lesson. They weren’t just stories told for amusement – they were expositions of human foibles and an accounting of how ancient peoples saw the world.

While Aesop’s Fables are not, strictly speaking, Greek mythology, they are perhaps the best exemplar of that type of morality and psychology as taught through story that we have. While Jesus of Nazareth (supposedly) taught in parables, it can often be an arduous exercise to pick out the nuggets of useful knowledge from the heaps of nonsense (what kind of shepherd abandons an entire flock to search for a single lost sheep? A bad one, I’d imagine). The fables attributed to Aesop are far clearer and more real-to-life.

One of the most famous, at least among the secular community, is the Emperor’s New Clothes. The reason it’s famous in our clique is because it so perfectly mirrors the public perception of religion – everyone is told how important and meaningful and significant it is, but as soon as someone takes a critical look at it the whole edifice quickly unravels to reveal one naked fallacy after another. However, turned on its head, there’s another valuable lesson contained in that story. One about the vanity and blindness that accompanies unchecked power and how it can lead people into situations where they completely fucking embarrass themselves: … Continue Reading

39 Songs in the key of H(umanism)

June 11, 2012
by Crommunist
· blog · bmusic · psychology · religion · secularism

As you may know (and should certainly know if you followed my Blogathon Songathon yesterday), one of the many hats I wear is that of musician. I am no great talent, to be sure, but I’ve got some moderate game. I’ve been a musician as long as I can remember – somewhere there exists a photo of me as a 3 year-old sitting on the steps, banging out rhythms on my knees. I started guitar lessons at age 6, singing lessons a couple of years after that, picked up the guitar at age 14, started my first string quartet at 15… I’ve been in the game for a minute.

Which is why I was torn this past weekend when James Croft, a person I otherwise respect for his outspoken defense of humanism, came out in favour of using song as part of humanist gatherings. His position (and I am trying my best not to straw man) is that because narrative and song have such a persuasive power, humanists should involve it as part of our regular discourse. Humanist gatherings should involve group participation in song and storytelling (he actually used the word ‘witnessing’ at one point), because they are useful in building consensus and community, and what he calls a more ’emotive’ humanism.

I attempted to point out that, given the number of humanists who have actively fled religion, the adoption of a quasi-liturgical form to humanist gatherings was pretty likely to spook a lot of people. When I attempted to defend James’ idea of a church-like gathering for atheists who were in need of the kind of stable community and group interaction that churches provide to believers, there were a number of people who responded that, even if they thought the idea had some merit there was absolutely no way they would attend. Any attempt to ‘churchify’ humanism is going to alienate a lot of people.

James’ response was basically “Yeah? So?” … Continue Reading

10 Because I am an atheist: Lousy Canuck

June 11, 2012
by Crommunist
· Because I Am An Atheist · blog

Today’s submission comes from fellow FTBorg Jason Thibeault, who writes at the brilliant and therefore deceptively-named Lousy Canuck blog.

Because I am an atheist…

I’ve been an atheist since I was 13. This is well before I knew the word, or the implications, though I had a vague inkling that a lot of people were probably wrong about a lot of things. When I further realized that my own parents counted among those people, I figured it was a very bad idea to let anyone else know what I thought about theology.

Several years ago, my sister came out to me as gay. The way she approached it was to ask me, “what is the worst possible thing you could imagine me telling you about myself?” I joked, “that you vote Conservative.” So, she apparently took that as an indicator that I’m safe, and came out of the closet. … Continue Reading

0 Because I am an atheist: Carina

June 7, 2012
by Crommunist
· Because I Am An Atheist · blog

Today’s submission is courtesy of Carina from South Africa

Because I am an atheist…

…I no longer live in fear

I do not have to fear eternal torment that would be forced upon me because of my human nature.

Because I am an atheist I am a better parent to my daughter

I raise her to be independent in her thoughts, sceptical of accepted “truths” and above all to always question. She will never have to travel the long and painful road that I did and she will be better off for it. She will grow up to be confident in her opinion and able to accept and admit when evidence proves her wrong. She will not subscribe blindly to fairy tales and make-believe. She will fight for her rights, speak her mind and not be downtrodden by misogynistic and ignorant fools who would fit her into the cardboard cut-out that they perceive to be a lady. Though she is only 11 she has started her own blog and also writes for Teenskepchick. She will “rock” this world.

Consider submitting your own statement, by e-mail or as a comment!

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32 Because I am an atheist: mouthyb

June 6, 2012
by Crommunist
· Because I Am An Atheist · blog

Today’s contribution was submitted by reader mouthyb via e-mail.

Because I am an atheist…

…I am not married to a Christian man who mistreats me, forced to have no more ambition in life than to have his babies and try to be obedient to his whims, because he is male and doctrinally superior to me. This is what I was trained to do, growing up: to say nothing, to think nothing, to do nothing which could be construed as competition for authority with the men around me. Being an atheist allowed me to start routing that bullshit from my brain.

Because I am an atheist, I know that my actions have consequences, and that if I do a bad thing, it is because I chose to do it, not because I was possessed by satan or because an imaginary god was ‘working through me.’ The action was mine, the consequences are mine as well, and the reward is mine. I am freed of the weight of being a pawn in a war between good and evil, free of the fear that an angry god is always watching me, even when I use the restroom. I am free to learn to behave more ethically, not bound to a predestined plan. … Continue Reading

1 Because I am an atheist: Denis Robert

June 5, 2012
by Crommunist
· Because I Am An Atheist · blog

Today’s contribution was submitted as a comment by Denis Robert:

Because I am an atheist…

…I no longer feel cursed.

I’m an Aspie (Asperger’s Syndrome), and throughout my life, I felt like I was targeted by whatever my conception of the divine was at that time for “special attention”. I kept having difficulties no one else I knew had. I had no relationships, or bad relationships. I just couldn’t adapt to my educational environments, even when I excelled (perfect GPA, Dean’s list).

Once I finally gave up on the concept of some sort of Agency underlying the Universe (I went through a dozen iterations of the concept, from my Catholic upbringing to a very new-agey/pagan view to a relatively long interest in Aleister Crowley), I was liberated of this delusion. I really saw that my “condition” was just that: a condition, a state of being. It was up to no one but myself to make the most of it, and no amount of wishing could make it any different; only acceptance of who I was, and hard work to dull the hardest aspects of my “condition” would make my life any better.

And it has. I’m free of this overarching sense that I’m “specially targeted”. It’s given me a sense of self I never had, a belief in my own power, and a healthy dose of modesty: I’m just a human being. And that’s more than good enough for me.

Consider submitting your own statement, by e-mail or as a comment!

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1 Because I am an atheist: Brianne Bilyeu

June 4, 2012
by Crommunist
· Because I Am An Atheist · blog

Today’s contribution comes from fellow FTBorg Brianne Bilyeu who blogs at the most excellent blog ‘Biodork’.

Because I am an atheist…

I am very aware of time. I don’t believe that there is an afterlife, or a second chance offered by reincarnation, or a ghostly plane where I will continue to exist in some nebulous form. I have a few short decades in which to experience all that I will ever know.

Because there is only this I value the friendships and family that I have. I grieve for my loss when friends and family die. I wish desperately that I could see them again, but knowing this is unlikely I love deeply and fiercely while I have the chance, and take comfort in having loved them well when they are gone.

Because I am an atheist I am never hopeless that my life is out of my control. I know that the responsibility for my decisions and actions rests solely on my shoulders. I bear my failures and recognize myself for my achievements. If I’m in a rut, I don’t waste time praying for guidance; I seek guidance from earthly sources. I thank the people who have supported me along the way and I don’t diminish their efforts by giving the praise to fabled non-interventionist beings that have done absolutely nothing to help. … Continue Reading

Full interview with Ashu Solo

May 17, 2012
by Crommunist
· blog · Canada · law · news · politics · religion

Here is the unedited e-mail interview with Ashu Solo. … Continue Reading

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