Religion poisons the world

**Despite some of his political positions, I still agree with Christopher Hitchens that "religion poisons everything." That's not to deny that some religious organizations and some religious people are antidotes to various poisons. But in general, the higher religion is esteemed in a society the worse it is for that society.

Much of the current oppression of women and minorities is impelled by religious dictates based on ancient texts written when cultures were uninformed, paternalistic and misogynistic. That these survive with a segment of the population in 2013 testifies to the tenacity of the irrational side of human nature.

What is now the United States was formed in order to rein in the extremes of religion. Harry T. Cook, still one of my favorite commentators from the "religious" field (because he's not very religious). His most recent essay (available via email subscription) is "An Argument for the Secular State," in which he reviews the inception of American democracy. He cites a response from Jefferson to an inquiry about religious freedom:

Jefferson answered the question thus: Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.

And yet he notes that the "present Congress is known for the overtly religious enthusiasms of some of its members." Since these legislators have awesome power to affect vast millons of citizens it's frightening to think of what we might have to live with (and through) if these fanatics hold sway.

Climate-change deniers eagerly support the coal and oil lobbies against the known fact that carbon emissions are poisoning Earth's atmosphere to the point of no return. Why? Because they believe (or say they believe) Yahweh's après-flood promise depicted in Genesis 8:22: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. That pious hope is coupled with the earlier Genesis passage -- which those honorable members of Congress take literally -- to the effect that God gave dominion of the Earth to His human creatures, so drill, baby, drill.

Among the other poisons he cites are efforts to pass laws suppressing reproductive rights, and creationism/intelligent design advocates who insist that "the biblical story of creation is fact and therefore 'in all fairness' must be taught in the nation's public schools as long as modern science is taught."

It's not "fair" to ingest a certain amount of poison when you have the opportunity to exclude it. And using the dictates of an invisible and unproven deity to force it on the public mind and body is suicidal for any society, especially one built on the premise that such tyranny should not be allowed.

He concludes with a restatement of that wise maxim: "freedom of religion must logically include freedom from religion."

Fortunately (unless it's too late) the rising generation of millennials is not so dogmatic and seems less susceptible to the arguments for a religious state.

You know it’s going to be one of THOSE emails when…

**You know it’s going to be one of those emails when you see these at the top of the page: 

It means the sender is most likely older, or more correctly, unsophisticated in modern communications. Those lines mean you are being sent a message that has previously been forward many, many times by similarly unsophisticated communicators. It probably also means they are so passionate about the subject that they don’t hesitate to spew it around liberally. Which doesn’t mean they’re a Liberal – most likely the opposite.

And if the next thing you see is a picture of Ben Stein looking dour and pompous as usual

then you know they’re not a Liberal.

And when the message is presented in 36-point EndTimes Extra Bold – in color of course – and in italics – you know you’re in for a right wing christian screed:

And if it comes from a relative, then you know it’s going to be a pile of right wing religious bullshit – because as far as I know all my relatives are right wing Christians. 

I don’t get as much of this crap as I used to, because early on I let people know I wasn’t interested in their religious or political views.  But every now and then righteous amnesia, or something, overtakes them and they send out drivel like his hoping it will be a “comfort” to me, whom they believe to be languishing in atheistic angst. (I am, but their drug is no longer a palliative for me). 

Maybe it’s because of the “holiday” season, and it gets harder to maintain customary prudence and yield to the pent up desire to celebrate one’s delusions and disseminate them widely, like xmas gifts.

I was going to post the forwarded message here but then realized it would make this diatribe much longer, but also would be cooperating with the evangelical recklessness of the original poster and help spread manure on what they hope will be a field of fresh-grown recruits. If you’re really interested, you can look it up using the clues I’ve given above.

I did a Reply All to that message so that the rest of the family would have no doubt about where I stand. Here’s the reply:

I must have been put on this distribution list by mistake. I am a born-again atheist who thinks Ben Stein reached his peak of intelligence when he did voice overs for Garfield.

That prompted a reply from the original sender:

No mistake. I don't use distribution lists. What little I forward goes only to those I love and care about. Funny, I thought "born again" and "atheist" were mutually exclusive. Be careful what you close your mind to; it's the only one you have, and darkness is clarity, as ignorance is bliss.

Finally, it's the message not the messenger you should pay attention to. 

And my reply to that (and only to the sender, not All):

"Born again." Ah, you get the irony. In my case it means, been-there-done-that-got-the-t-shirt so I know it's all bullshit. And my atheism is only one degree more than yours: I include your god in the same list as you include everyone else's. 
When considering the message, it's wise to consider the source. I defer, not to BenStein but to Einstein, who said "The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
My mind is closed to what I saw when it was open to this monstrous belief in an imaginary friend.

And then today, this from one of the All (notice the BloodOfChrist font):

Make no mistake for sure....the message has meaning to all of us. I personally take offense at anyone who expects me to respect their views and rights, but finds it completely fine...even their right and their privilege to stomp all over my rights as a Catholic, as a Christian and as a Parent. Thanks Daddy, From a standpoint of someone who is growing the future leaders of this country.

It’s the last line that bothered me and prompted me to write (the rest is the usual paranoid fist-pounding). This person has no idea of what “the future leaders of this country” will most likely be. This is someone who obviously doesn’t realize that “this country” isn’t what they thought it was going to be when they were young. It is increasingly diverse in cultures, ethnicities and religious persuasions, most of which are neither Christian nor Jewish. It also ignores the fact that the portion of the population who today profess to be “non-believers” in any kind of god-like entity has increased from 8% in 1990 to 15% today. And this percentage is expected to grow. The “future leaders of this country” are more likely to be secular than religious, and most of them will be atheists. 

The brainwashing of children by religious parents is one of the most egregious silent crimes being perpetrated daily. But I expect that a goodly portion of those kids will be able to break out of the mental addictions their parents are cultivating in them. With a more educated populace, and continued rapid advances in science and technology, fewer young people will be enticed to hold to ideas that are so patently ridiculous. Even those who are right now being “raised” by parents who hope they will become fully robotized religious fanatics like themselves and get this nation back to its religious roots. 

And by the way, the assumption that America was founded AS a christian nation is bogus. It was founded as a place where even religious people could believe whatever claptrap they want without having the government prevent them. Here’s an excerpt from my handy “Atheist Pocket Debater,” an iPhone app:

Our Constitution contains no mention of a God, a Creator, or Christianity. It is a secular document. It mentions religion only once, in a passage dealing with religious freedom, which states, “No religious test shall be required to serve public office.” 

…

Many of our founding fathers and patriots were not Christians. They were Deists! These include Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Monroe, James Madison, John Adams, and Thomas Paine. Some actually having much contempt for Christianity. Thomas Jefferson created the “Jeffersonian Bible,” in which he removed all of the supernatural events and miracles of Jesus, just keeping his teachings. Payne wrote” The Age of Reason,” a scathing critique of the Bible

And when these fist-pounders insist on the right to brainwash their children, and to be free to perform whatever form of hideous rituals and practices their delusions encourage regardless of their impact on innocents and bystanders, they grab all the freedom for themselves and leave the rest of society in want. In my own case, the belief that a god-like power would rescue a child dying from acute diabetes is not a delusion that anyone should have the right to practice without constraint. 

Religion thrives in a climate of fear. It shrivels in an atmosphere of reason, education and free discourse. What these spammers are possessed by is the fear that they could be punished for not believing enough in nonsense. They fear hell, and the wrath of some Uber-Parent they might piss off. So an underlying motive is to spread anxiety (which is why so many of them are Republicans) and in so doing build a widespread climate of cowering religiosity to ratify their own fears.