It’s pretty predictable. In a large a majority of cases, if you tell someone who is a churchgoer that you’re an atheist, you get a reaction like you had told them that you practice Satanism.

Christians have been taught to equate atheism with evil. There is absolutely no rational reason for this – there is no history that supports or illustrates this association. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for religion. Still, most God-believers attach a stigma to atheism.

The truth is that atheism is nothing more than a non-belief in spiritual, mystical, and mythical beings. It is not a credo of violence and evil. Atheism means rationality and belief in science over mysticism and “religious faith”. We do not promote Satanism.  We don’t even believe in the existence of such a being.

If you look at history, you’ll find that since the dawn of civilization, religious organizations have been responsible for some of the most despicable actions imaginable. In particular, Christianity, in a large part Catholicism, has been responsible for untold evils done in the name of God. The Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, forced “conversion” of peaceful native civilizations, genocide, supression of scientific research, and witch hunts are responsible for untold numbers of people being tortured and killed over the centuries. Jesus’s message of loving ALL people has been ignored by Christians for almost as long as Christianity has existed.

On the other hand, none of these types of activites can be attributed to secular humanist organizations. So why is there so much hate of atheists by religious groups? The answer is pretty plain – religious leaders are afraid that if their followers are more exposed to rational reasoning, that they might actually start thinking for themselves, and realize that they don’t need someone else telling them how to live. Most religious leaders, in my opinion, are more interested in their own stature, power, and importance than the salvation of their followers. So they label any idea that threatens their power as evil,call  those who believe in it enemies, and attach a stigma to it that puts it out of the reach of the “faithful”.

The sad truth is that if you look objectively at historical events, you’ll find that in reality, it’s “the Church” that has been evil, not the atheists.

So please, don’t judge me for my beliefs (or lack of them), judge me on my actions towards others, which in many cases, are more “Christlike” than those of some people who call themselves Christians.

Take a look at the humanitarian work done by secular humanist organizations.  These people are genuinely concerned about their fellow man, and their morality is driven by love of people, not fear of the wrath of God.  There can be good without God.

In the video below, Stephen Fry does an excellent job of illustrating some of the points I made. Please watch it with an open mind. And PLEASE understand that no personal offense is intended in this post or the video below.

The Intelligence² Debate – Stephen Fry (Unedited)
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This entry was posted by Nick Bulka on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 9:52 pm You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.