Jesus // Current TV

How Did You Lose Your Religion?

Why don’t you believe in God? I get that question all the time. I always try to give a sensitive, reasoned answer. This is usually awkward, time consuming and pointless. People who believe in God don’t need proof of his existence, and they certainly don’t want evidence to the contrary. They are happy with their belief. They even say things like “it’s true to me” and “it’s faith.” I still give my logical answer because I feel that not being honest would be patronizing and impolite. It is ironic therefore that “I don’t believe in God because there is absolutely no scientific evidence for his existence and from what I’ve heard the very definition is a logical impossibility in this known universe,” comes across as both patronizing and impolite.

Arrogance is another accusation. Which seems particularly unfair. Science seeks the truth. And it does not discriminate. For better or worse it finds things out. Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know. It bases its conclusions and beliefs on hard evidence -- evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn’t get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge. It doesn’t hold on to medieval practices because they are tradition. If it did, you wouldn’t get a shot of penicillin, you’d pop a leach down your trousers and pray. Whatever you “believe,” this is not as effective as medicine. Again you can say, “It works for me,” but so do placebos. My point being, I’m saying God doesn’t exist. I’m not saying faith doesn’t exist. I know faith exists. I see it all the time. But believing in something doesn’t make it true. Hoping that something is true doesn’t make it true. The existence of God is not subjective. He either exists or he doesn’t. It’s not a matter of opinion. You can have your own opinions. But you can’t have your own facts.

Why don’t I believe in God? No, no no, why do YOU believe in God? Surely the burden of proof is on the believer. You started all this. If I came up to you and said, “Why don’t you believe I can fly?” You’d say, “Why would I?” I’d reply, “Because it’s a matter of faith.” If I then said, “Prove I can’t fly. Prove I can’t fly see, see, you can’t prove it can you?” You’d probably either walk away, call security or throw me out of the window and shout, ‘’F—ing fly then you lunatic.”

This, is of course a spirituality issue, religion is a different matter. As an atheist, I see nothing “wrong” in believing in a god. I don’t think there is a god, but belief in him does no harm. If it helps you in any way, then that’s fine with me. It’s when belief starts infringing on other people’s rights when it worries me. I would never deny your right to believe in a god. I would just rather you didn’t kill people who believe in a different god, say. Or stone someone to death because your rulebook says their sexuality is immoral. It’s strange that anyone who believes that an all-powerful all-knowing, omniscient power responsible for everything that happens, would also want to judge and punish people for what they are. From what I can gather, pretty much the worst type of person you can be is an atheist. The first four commandments hammer this point home. There is a god, I’m him, no one else is, you’re not as good and don’t forget it. (Don’t murder anyone, doesn’t get a mention till number 6.)

When confronted with anyone who holds my lack of religious faith in such contempt, I say, “It’s the way God made me.”

But what are atheists really being accused of?

The dictionary definition of God is “a supernatural creator and overseer of the universe.” Included in this definition are all deities, goddesses and supernatural beings. Since the beginning of recorded history, which is defined by the invention of writing by the Sumerians around 6,000 years ago, historians have cataloged over 3700 supernatural beings, of which 2870 can be considered deities.

So next time someone tells me they believe in God, I’ll say “Oh which one? Zeus? Hades? Jupiter? Mars? Odin? Thor? Krishna? Vishnu? Ra?…” If they say “Just God. I only believe in the one God,” I’ll point out that they are nearly as atheistic as me. I don’t believe in 2,870 gods, and they don’t believe in 2,869.

So what does the question “Why don’t you believe in God?” really mean. I think when someone asks that they are really questioning their own belief. In a way they are asking “what makes you so special? “How come you weren’t brainwashed with the rest of us?” “How dare you say I’m a fool and I’m not going to heaven, f— you!” Let’s be honest, if one person believed in God he would be considered pretty strange. But because it’s a very popular view it’s accepted. And why is it such a popular view? That’s obvious. It’s an attractive proposition. Believe in me and live forever. Again if it was just a case of spirituality this would be fine.

“Do unto others…” is a good rule of thumb. I live by that. Forgiveness is probably the greatest virtue there is. But that’s exactly what it is -‐ a virtue. Not just a Christian virtue. No one owns being good. I’m good. I just don’t believe I’ll be rewarded for it in heaven. My reward is here and now. It’s knowing that I try to do the right thing. That I lived a good life. And that’s where spirituality really lost its way. When it became a stick to beat people with. “Do this or you’ll burn in hell.”

You won’t burn in hell. But be nice anyway.

-By Ricky GervaisWhy don’t you believe in God? I get that question all the time. I always try to... more

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Romney's Bain past continues to haunt him. ~msnbc.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45810812#45810812

For Mitt Romney, his association with The Bain Capital Investment Group has become the bane of his candidacy. His recent claims of having a history of job creation in the private sector are under a deluge of attacks by the people whose jobs he ended. He and his cohorts did in fact save some jobs. However, they did so by gutting the companies they took over and out sourcing the labor over seas.
The link above shows a great interview aired on MSNBC's The Ed Show. In the clip the host ( Ed Schultz ) provides a former employee, of one of the companies Romney took over, an opportunity to explain how effective candidate Romney was at keeping and creating jobs. It is disturbing how politicians will try to Spin stories like this to claim how the things they did out of corporatist greed are examples of their leadership proficiency.

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what
will sell.~Confucius

I feel that far too often it is the focus of the "Upwardly Mobie" to look to find the "loopholes" or "back-doors" through which they may slither as they attempt to get over on "the system". In their efforts to amass wealth, they seek only the "Ends", free from concern over the "Means".
Those who strive only to get over, that are never content to get by, are amounst the most abhorrent of greed consumed people.
It saddens me to think, that we have regressed to a society so compelled by the bottom line, that integrity is construde as a weakness rather than a virtue.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that being driven to succeed or having aspirations of greatness are not admirable qualities. I just find them to be despicable obsessions.
As a child, I was taught, that the meter by which Greatness is truly meassured, is not by what you've done for the betterment of yourself, rather, by what have you done for the betterment of society.

Furthermore, while I'm not so naive as to think greed and corruption are exclusive only to conservatives, I do feel that Republican ideals are far more sympathetic to the plight of the Greediest and most corrupt business practices. I guess I just find it ironic how the so called "religious right" are so adamantly opposed to all the teachings of their God... Jesus Christ.. If I'm not mistaken he was all about "help thy Brother".

Anyhow, on that note, I'll leave you with this:

He who earnestly seeks good finds favor,
But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like foliage.~Proverbs 11:27,28http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45810812#45810812 For Mitt Romney, his... more

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