I was raised a Catholic and started questioning the religion in my early teens.
I was born different and church told me acting on what I was born meant eternal damnation. Even thinking about what was the core of my being meant eternal damnation. No being true to myself for me. Live a life of lies and denial, punish myself for even thinking or feeling what was at the core of my being of suffer eternal torment.
This brought me to the place where I asked the first question every blossoming skeptic and free thinking atheist asks.
What the fuck?
What are you people telling me?
You mean that I should lead a life of utter misery, lying to people about what I feel in the core of my existence, not even acknowledging that core to myself based on the promise of some sort of eternal reward I might get after I die.
What the fuck?
Not only that but the invisible, all powerful, all knowing and all loving magic sky daddy did this to test me and if I fail I will be tortured and suffer for all eternity?
What sort of really sick bastard would do that to anyone?
Much less to a child.
There you have it a thirteen year old’s version of the Epicurean Dilemma.
David Hume’s version From Wikipedia:
David Hume‘s formulation of the problem of evil in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion:
“Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him god?”[72]
Suddenly the very idea of there being a god seemed as feeble as there being a Santa Claus.
Indeed Christianity by eliminating the majority of gods and goddesses made the questioning of their god almost inevitable.
I mean seriously isn’t Atheism about believing in one few gods than monotheists.
But there was something more.
Religion seemed like a con game that sort of loses its reason to exist with wide spread literacy.
If most people can read why do you need to go and pay someone to read the stuff to you?
Ah the reality is that religion is a whip and shackles that help the rulers maintain their power.
Divine Right of Kings.
Does anyone really believe a bunch of inbred cousin fuckers deserve to rule over people who have no say in their holding that position of power?
Or that some uptight asshole who has sworn an oath of total chastity (except for molesting children) has any right what so ever to dictate how the rest of us deal with sex and or procreation?
Who appointed these fuckers eternal dictators channeling magic invisible sky daddy like Shirley Maclaine channeling Ramtha as any sort of moral guides?
Why don’t they quit begging, pay their property taxes and get a real job like the people they con into giving them money?
Most of all I despise assholes who claim magic invisible sky daddy tells them to be bigots and hate mongers.
Fuck you there is no god.
And gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and transgender people who take a stand for equality and in opposition to racism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny are more ethical and moral than you are with all your hate filled Bible thumping.
October 16, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Brilliant post!
Religion is about control, pure and simple. The whole premise of it is based on a con that promises something that can never be delivered. The biggest problem is that religion and education have not been separated. The moment that happens with their superstitious nonsense confined to the churches instead of being peddled in the schools, organised religion will be doomed.
As for their threats of eternal damnation if we don’t obey their instructions – total codswallop.
I saw the comment by the saddo on the post about our brother in the forces – my reply to the idiot who said we face destruction is thus – life is a terminal disease. We start dying the moment we are born.
I am a great believer in evidence being required to prove something – there is no evidence whatsoever for the mythical deity that these poison-peddlers are selling.