...but removing this one from my list. This battle has been ongoing for a few thousand years now, so I’m probably not going to be able to check this one off any time soon. I’ll still be working at it though!
1) I don’t really know very many people who truly believe in God and with whom I thus could talk about their faith. Of course it’s possible that I don’t know many religious people because they don’t really want to talk about it with others, which might mean that they either don’t want others to interfere with their faith or they are maybe a bit ashamed or doubtful about it. (I admit that in the latter case it would be absolutely necessary to talk with them and make them think about the whole thing.)
2) I don’t know if changing people’s minds about this would actually be worth bothering. Well, of couse it would be great to make someone give up their blind faith but it would take really much time and it definitely wouldn’t be easy. I know people aren’t very keen on giving up the points of view they have adopted in a very young age.
3) I don’t want to jump all over people just because I think they are wasting their time with God. It’s their own choice if they want to believe in something and everybody has the right to live their life in the way they want. I believe in science, someone else may believe in God. I don’t care.
4) Even though my picture of the world is extremely scientific and I really think there is enough evidence to prove that my picture is correct (everybody that shares the same views can agree with me on that), I know that not all the people believe the same way, and some think that there is actually enough evidence supporting even the most religious views. I’m very sure about the correctness of my scientific picture of the world (with rational arguments) and I’m absolutely ready to debate over the composition of the universe (which unfortunately doesn’t mean that everybody is) and thus I may only concentrate on looking down on creationists and thinking to myself how naive and simple they are because they don’t get that nothing certifies God’s existence.
All in all, I may settle for thinking that I know the thruth about the world. I know that everybody thinks so, and that is also why this arrogant and elitistic behaviour of mine is completely acceptable. Therefore I also accept if you do that, even if you think that the world was created 6000 years ago, that Eve was made out of Adam’s rib and that Jesus’s birth was virginal. Go ahead.
Yet, if you are keeping up this goal I support your struggle and wish you all the luck to make some believers start living their life without fear.
This guy puts ti so perfectly, I wonder if God himself didn’t inspire his words… LOL!
http://www.43things.com/entries/view/2109236?page=0&new_comment=2180866
In the paper there was this lady from the Lestadian religious movement (this movement eg. forbids contraception) who said that she feel really disappointed every time she’s pregnant. She doesn’t want any more children, but she’s afraid to use contraception because she fears she’ll go to hell if she does.
She really needs to be able to live her life without fear.
Well, I think the greatest achievement of my life will be to convince as many people as possible that religion and belief in God is not only useless, but harmful. I make it my personal mission to help humanity, one person at a time, get out of organized religion.
I believe that 43T should be a starting point for atheists and people that don’t like to see their loved-ones brainwashed by religious leaders to reveal their opposition to religion.
I believe that we, the ones that either freed themselves from those beliefs or those who were lucid enough as kids to not start believing, should help those who are stuck in the vicious circle of religious beliefs.
Let us be heard, let us be clear : The message should be “Stop praying and start acting, for God, Allah, Jesus, Yahve, Buddha or whatever other fairy-tale creature will not help you.”
Share this goal with me, if only by adding it to your list of 43T and/or by cheering this goal, this entry or any other entry on anyone’s profile that is about being atheist or against organized religion.
So quit praying and start acting!
When we are kids, we grow up believing that Santa brings us presents at the end of the year (X-Mas) if we are good all year long. Of course, he will bring us presents if we my mistakes, as long as we do our best. This great mystical figure who lives all the way up there in North pole, helped by his elves, accompanied by his 12 reindeers, brings them their reward for their good behavior. Then, at the proper age, we learn the truth : Santa Claus doesn’t exist! It was all a fraud! A children story made to help us behave, make us believe in all the childhood as best to offer : a little magic, a little mystery.
One thing most people do not learn, though, is that God IS Santa Claus for adults. Oh, of course, the story has been written centuries ago, in so many languages, by so many people, that it is impossible to know who was the first person to invent that story. It’s probably not one single person anyways. Christianism is a collection of best-of of ancient mythologies, much as Judaism, Islam, etc. In fact, they share so many stories one can’t deny some if these events happened in some way or another. Take the flood for example. There was indeed, some 3000 years ago, a terrible flood in the middle east. There are archeological proofs of that. It was orally passed down from generation to generation, from a village to the next, until it because THE FLOOD, The Bible’s version™, starring God as the punishing superbeing and humans as the bad guys. It’s still only a tale that was exagerated by hundreds of years of oral tradition. Well, I’m disgressing. My point is, the Bible is so old, people tend to forget that it was written by humans, not by God. And it was translated hundreds of times, so a lot was changed or lost in translation. Some parts were added or removed according to the time. The Bible is, after all, a book that serves as the basis for the human law. And so, people have nothing at the end of the book to tell them that this is a work of fiction, like at the end of movies and novels.
People should learn that God is the Santa made for adults. God lives in a white and fluffy environment, symbolizing the purity, Heavens. Much like Santa’s North Pole, Heavens is portraited as clouds and we always figure it’s a peaceful and happy place.
Santa has elves, God has Angels. Both have tasks to accomplish, both are kinda prisonners also. Have you ever wondered where whould an Angel or an elf go if he were to quit? Oh, they can’t quit? My point exactly. After all, Angels are supposedly not even given the gift of free will, a gift God has given only to humans (my dog has a free will too, I can assure you of that!)
12 Reindeers to accompany Santa, 12 apostles to follow Jesus, who is, in other words, God’s human form. Why 12? Simple coincidence? I think not.
But most of all, the promise that if we behave, if we are goob little boys and good littles girls, we will be rewarded in the end. When child, a year is very long, so the reward must come more often and in a very easy way to understand. Gifts, presents. When adult, it comes at the end of life in the form of eternal happiness, redemption, etc. And since people will often react more to fear than to the promise of rewards, God also promises Hell for those who don’t behave.
It’s funny also that Santa and God are often represented very much alike : old men, white beard, big belly, big warm smile.
Anyways, that was just to say that God is the adult fairy tale to make people behave. Good people don’T ned religion, they have moral fabric. Without religion, I do not fear Hell, but I still have no desire nor intentions to commit any wrong doings.
And most of all, I don’t put my faith in the hands of a fictionnal character. My life is my responsability, I can be good or bad, great or lousy, but it’s my own personnal choice, not some great fatherly figure that decides for me.
