What a Joke!

One way to make a lot of people mad is to poke at the things that they hold close to their hearts. It’s understandable, no one wants to be laughed at.

When it comes to society, jokes often break barriers. I can’t count how many times a political cartoon has opened up my eyes to situations unknown. Jokes are powerful. They ease tension, while offering up the possibility for a thoughtful discussion. That’s why you often see jokes portraying generally touchy topics, topics like religion.

Search the internet long enough and you will find that atheists are generally described as fedora (they’re actually trilbies) wearing, male neck-beards, who’s only arguments against religion sound a lot like Spongebob’s “Squirrel Jokes.”

"They’re just so darn stupid!"

But zoom out to your local religious communities, and you will find that atheists are described another way, as pure evil:

Psalm 14:1 “The fool says in his heart, ”There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

And that is not meant as a joke. In this sense joking is very important for theists and atheists because it relates the two on a common subject. Laughter ("maybe all atheists aren’t evil hahahaha… well maybe?"). As silly as it may sound jokes opened up my eyes to a lot of things I had never thought about before, and helped pave the way to my atheism.

Finding the right prescription of of laughter is difficult though, and here is my general rule:

Don’t insult the person, critique the doctrine.

This can be difficult, especially for me because I am anti-religion (side note: not all atheists are anti-religion. Many don’t care, many do). It can be very difficult for me to come up with educated responses, especially when I honestly find something incredibly stupid.

Critiquing is very important though, even if through jokes. There is a very big problem when people don’t allow others to critique their viewpoints.  I don’t think anyone should be afraid of hearing other people’s opinions.Open discussion allows for a greater sense of knowledge and understanding. On the same note, if what you think IS the truth, then a joke shouldn’t matter. If it’s not the truth, then maybe you should look a little deeper. Not allowing other opinions shows that someone is desperately trying to control something. We see censorship like this all over the world in oppressive regimes. If it can’t be talked about, then there is a chance that it’s hiding something bad.

The same things goes for religion. It’s not always easy to hear things you don’t agree with, but I would rather see christian’s joke about atheism than see a world unable to call out each others flaws. Trust me, I’ve got a lot of flaws to be pointed out.

So if you are going to joke around go ahead, but let me give you a few pointers first (and hopefully I can do a better job of following them myself):

1. Don’t be hateful: saying, “god is not real,” is not hateful. Saying, “you have to be the stupidest asshole on the planet to believe in god,” is hateful. 
2. Be Educated: make jokes all you want, but make sure you can have a meaningful discussion after it’s made. It doesn’t make sense to take sides on a topic that you know little about. Being well versed in what you are talking about will make you come off as respectable, not scummy.
3. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT make fun of incredible serious and sensitive subjects. These include race, gender, death, rape, suicide, etc. It’s not funny ever. It’s incredibly hurtful. All it does is make you and those around you look bad.

Remember, here is no reason for us to hate one another, and questioning something does not always equal to discrimination or force feeding.

As always, keep on questioning.

Love,
Liana

Being an Atheist in a Christian Family and Community

I live in Springfield Missouri, a town that a recent survey listed as the 5th most bible conscious city in the United States. It’s not surprising, because when you Google how many churches are in this town it comes up with 489 listings.  There are at least six churches that I know of that are on the road that runs past my boyfriends house.

It’s not surprising then that I am not very vocal about my views. I mean, sure, the majority of my posts are a mix of science, fashion, and extreme atheism, but I go to church almost every Sunday, and it’s a direct result of where I live.

Often when I’m at church I hear leaders say, “don’t be afraid to be a christian,” but they have honestly nothing to be afraid. In fact the small suburb I grew up in not only regularly had Christian Assemblies, it also suffered from severe racism, often caused by those who were apart of FCA. Before graduation, they held a religious ceremony for seniors, and though it was optional it was purely Christian.

In my own home Atheist is a dirty word. Being a non-believer is not only illogical, it is pure evil. It’s the worst environment for a skeptic, and has caused so much guilt. 

It’s easy to see why. Psalms 14:1 says: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Revelation 21:8 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

While calling an Atheist a fool is hypocritical (Matthew 5:22), it’s easy to see why becoming an atheist is so difficult. I went to a Christian preschool. Since that time, I was preached the same thing. Atheism is bad, they have no morals, you will burn in hell. It was terrible, and when I had doubt I would punish myself to no end, because it was wrong. My mother would chastise me to know end for my interest in science. She would tell me not to talk about scientific theories. “People around here don’t like things like that. It makes you look weird and snobbish. No one will like you.” On top of that imagine being told anything you accomplished was never because you actually worked for it, it was only because of god. If something bad happened to you, well god was teaching you a lesson.

I battled for years with whether or not I was actually a terrible person, or someone just growing up in a terrible society. When I found out my parents would disown me if I ever actually gave up my faith, I realized it really was society. I have never actually come out to my mother and step-father, but my father does know.

Since opening the door on my isolation I have began to meet others who share the conditions I live in. Those who can’t share their own personal truth, unless the wish to face the wraith of those who believe they are evil. I have also lost a lot too. I lost lifelong friends who could not look past a simple belief.

I laugh when I hear theists complain about there rights being trampled on. While I will not deny those who are persecuted in other countries, those I live with will never know what it’s like to say they are going to work, when really they are going to a convention to meet other atheists. They don’t know what it’s like to be told they can’t be an American citizen or person of political power because of their religion. They don’t know what it’s like to loose the people you care about. Even though I want every right they do, I hope they will never really know what it’s like to be persecuted.

As always keep on questioning.

Love,

Liana

Five Arguments You Can Beat

So earlier this evening I came across this wonderful article from Beliefnet. Besides the fact that you should always spell out numbers under ten, the article was a complete mess.

Part of the reason why I do not like debating with those who hold religious beliefs is because they do not come into the argument with logic. Instead they manipulate sentences until they are too confusing to question any longer. With this article, they don’t even try to answer questions, but I will (and I’ll use sources). .

Here are Five Arguments You Can Beat:

1. Jesus Never Existed:

Their argument was that many scholars agree that Jesus existed. Without naming any historical texts that actually state without a doubt Jesus existed, they tried to prove that Jesus existed, but here’s the kicker. The article listed Bart Ehrman, as a scholarly source of Jesus’ existence, but in his bool Did Jesus Exist? he stated that the historical Jesus did not exist, and if he did,  he had virtually nothing to do with the founding of Christianity.

Now if your first source is already a shame, how can you expect to have a strong argument for your case? The thing is, most sources for his existence are not the most reliable, and it’s honestly just easier to think the Christ existed in some form or another, but even if Jesus did exist there are NO accounts made about him within the first CENTURY ("Jesus Outside the New Testament" Robert E. Van Voorst, 2000, p=8-9)

2. You Can’t Trust the Gospels:

This argument I find the most difficult to comprehend. Originally they state a source of a writer who claims the Gospels are eyewitness accounts, and then they state that if they weren’t it doesn’t matter (as if that is logical).

They state, and I quote,

“Suppose, he says, you were to read a newly written book about the JFK assassination. Even though the book itself may not have been written by someone who witnesses every moment, we don’t automatically assume that the information has been corrupted and has lost its reliability. The same applies to the Gospels.”

The fact is JFK was assassinated in in 1963. That’s 51 years ago. The gospels weren’t written until at least 70 years after the death of Jesus. On top of that we have photos, videos, hundreds of eye witness accounts, police reports, news paper articles, you name it for sources. An accurate book can be written about JFK because we have CREDIBLE SOURCES. We do not have credible sources for the gospels. 

The Gospels can’t even pass a credible source test. You cannot easily identify a group or individual responsible for the content. The book has been translated and rewritten for certain uses, on top of that the different books disagree with each other, and if you don’t believe me look in that actual book. It can’t even agree on how many people were at his tomb the day he was resurrected. There are no external sources. It’s main purpose isn’t to provide facts, instead if provides opinions. It is clearly bias, and you could even state that is exists to sell a product: Christianity.

The fact is, no one is sure who wrote the Gospels (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/emergence.html). Many times the writings appear to be from people who are far more educated than the people the claim to be. And it does matter if they are a credible source. Christianity is constantly trying to change the rules and society based on the bible, but what how can it be responsible to accept doctrines that can’t even be proven to be 100% true?

3. The Crucifixion:

Their answer does not argue for the historical aspect of the crucifixion but the meaning behind it, saying that it is a simple of god’s love and forgiveness. They even quoted Jesus saying “Forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

This really isn’t even an argument. It’s really just a matter of opinion, but since I’m rebutting these I’ll bite.

1. All knowing, all loving god creates man.
2. All knowing, all loving god creates the tree of knowledge from right from wrong.
3. All knowing, all loving god, being all knowing, knows that Adam and Eve will fall for temptation.
4. All knowing, all loving god punishes his creations for something he created and knew would be abused.
5. All knowing, all loving god constantly punishes man for sins he allowed to exist.
6. Finally all knowing, all loving god decides to forgive his creations for the sins HE created, and KNEW they would fall for.

When I think about this I think about my dogs. I’m kind of like a god to them. They are smart, but I’m smarter. I provide for them, and they are gracious. The thing is, I know my dogs will fall for temptation. I know if I leave a bag of chocolate out they will eat every piece of chocolate, including the foil. I won’t let that happen. I know they will do it, but I would rather them be healthy and happy then suffering. I don’t want to try to teach them a lesson, because I know they won’t understand. God on the other hand seems to not care. He knows his creations will repeat their actions over and over again, instead he lets them suffer. Then in a last ditch effort he “kills” himself to prove his love. It’s completely irrational, and it is not loving.

4. The Miracles are Impossible:

Their answer: They wouldn’t be miracles if they weren’t impossible. This answer is completely stupid, so I’m not going to write a full response. If you need a rebuttal go back to question 2 and realize you can’t even know for sure that the miracles existed because the Gospels, and the rest of the bible isn’t a credible source.

5. Christians are Hated and Bigoted:

They say that you can’t accurately display Christians as bad for you know, the acts of Constantine, the Crusaders, or many modern day Radicals. It’s funny though, because these “radicals” are often the Christians who follow the bible the most. But here are some things the bible does say:

1 Samuel 15:3: “This is what the Lord Almighty says … ‘Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ 

Psalm 137

Jeremiah 19:9  ”And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.”

2 Kings 23-25: where god sent BEARS to eat children who were mocking a man.

And let’s not forget the 2 MILLION people god killed. If REAL Christians are not like the Crusaders, then REAL Christians are not even close to what their god is.

But of course it’s not a real argument unless it’s added in the Christians don’t necessarily have to argue with logic, they can argue with faith. 

That’s my problem, and that’s I don’t argue with believers. If faith comes before logic and proof there is a problem. 

I will pick stone hard facts any day, and I hope you will too.

Keep on Questioning,

Love,

Liana