Take an Atheist to Church (oh God!)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karl-giberson-phd/take-an-atheist-to-...
last week i posted a discussion about the worst article i've ever read about Atheism. i take that back. this is my new worst article ever. mainly because it is based on a COMPLETELY 100% FALSE PREMISE!
in it, the author exhalts "What I am not OK with, however, are the mean-spirited caricatures produced by people who have virtually no real experience with religious people, beyond reading about them in headlines. I don't recognize these religious people."
really?
we have virtually no experience with people like our mothers, fathers, siblings, coworkers, friends, aunts, uncles, teachers, former priests/rabiis/ministers, not to mention the political candidates, youtubers, religious debaters, mormons and witnesses knocking on our doors, and street preachers?
jeez, when will i ever happen upon one of these religious people i hear so much about? is there some kind of Believer Zoo i can visit?
additionally, the author seems to forget (or perhaps he doesn't know) that most Atheists were brought up in a religion, spent years or decades participating, and finally rejected their faith. why would we want to return? has there been some new information that we've missed out on? any religious breakthroughs that i have been kept in the dark about? how this author missed this incredibly obvious fact is beyond me.
finally, the author offers this thin olive branch: "Although I believe in God, I am actually fine sharing the world with people who do not and I have friends who fit in that category." oh, how kind of you sir. i feel blessed to be tolerated by your benevolence.
maybe i should take the author's advice and "go to church and do some research". i'll have my post-it-note and pen handy.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matthew greenberg on
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ugh, i can't believe that i used the wrong form of "their". the line should read "is there some kind of Believer Zoo i can visit?" sorry bout that.
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Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on -
Ummm, Matt? You CAN edit your post, guy!
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i have before, but for some reason there was no "you can edit your post for another 15 minutes" button. not sure why.
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ok, found it under "options" and edited it. thanks Loren.
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Permalink Reply by Pat on -
Don't worry about the editing in this case. I got it, and LMAO with the phrase "Believer Zoo." I plan on using it the next time something like this comes up in conversation.
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damn, i knew i should have copyrighted that. :)
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Permalink Reply by annet on -
Believer zoo would go well with "Jesus cannon" as a description for Michelle Duggar's birth canal.
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Be ok with it all you like. His material and writing style is just fine. If only it were true. I'm pointing out a severely flawed piece of journalism which just so happens to be centered on the topic that this forum (A/N) is about. Or do you think that most atheists should make a trip back to a house of prayer to do some research?
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Permalink Reply by Pat on
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Been to the house of prayer - catholic, whoop and holler evangelicals, jewish synagogue, mosque, etc. Have yet to hear one single thing that makes any sense with respect to reality
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ok, i got you now.
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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on -
The author is an arrogant, disingenuous man who publishes tripe in the name of religion. You are right - many atheists have been raised in churches, and preachers continuously spout hate and drivel. Families pressure family members to be religious. The guy is writing dishonest garbage.
*
By the way, many the comments on the editorial are spot-on, calling the author on his dishonesty and that he is part of the problem
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Permalink Reply by Crazy Cat Lady on -
But, but, but, their church is about peace and love and fuzzy kittens.
In this society, most people grow up in a religion, some of us did not have any bad experiences, I did not. I was even allowed to stop going to church when I decided I did not want to anymore as a teenager. In addition, I also studied history for four years in university, which inevitably leads to learning more about religion than most of the people who actively practice. Plus I worked in a theology library for a year and half.
Its still a bunch of BS. Yes, some religious groups treat church like some kind of community group. I know my 70 year old mother does. But peel below the surface, it still requires some kind of belief. Really could never get my head around any religion even a mild form of Buddhism, even though you could easily follow the eight-fold path and never have to believe in a higher power. My main criticism about religion is that I found that all of them have a problem with reality, like there is something tainted about the real world. Which personally I think is awesome :)
Especially fuzzy kittens.
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