Why not believe in god? God is love. How is it that people can say he is a hateful god? An English professor made an interesting point today when talking about racism. Racists are idiots. Why? There are many people who are always looking for someone to step on. Everyone might be looking for someone to step on. It makes people feel better to have someone below them. If you are a poor, white man, you may hate black people because you consider them below you. You look at them strange in the grocery store, or lock your doors when driving through their neighborhood. If you are rich, you may be tired of the poor man always griping about not having equality. There are so many different cases. That is why we have stereotypes.

But take a look at the bible. Most Americans condemn the hate written in the Qu’ran, but what about the hate in the bible. Christians like to say theat christianity is the only religion that asks you to have a personal relationship with god. In fact, the bible says NOTHING about a personal relationship with god. Christians often call for this and quote scriptures that they interpret to mean god wants a relationship with you, but once again – NO PROOF. Muslims and Wiccans can make the same argument.

In my opinion based on biblical study, one cannot have a true personal relationship with god, because god holds the same racist beliefs as man. Today, almost one hundred percent of American society considers slavery wrong, but it is NEVER condemned by god or Jesus.

There are comments about the servants inheriting the riches of heaven. I see this as a means of control over slaves. “It’s okay that your life sucks now, because god will make it up to you in heaven.”

God also hates homosexuals…or Paul does at least.

Romans 1: 26-29

26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, 27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 29 They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice.

God does not provide equality to the people he loves so much. I DO NOT believe that a person can help who they are attracted to. God is hateful toward people based on race, ethnicity, and sexual preference. How could I ever believe this?

1 Corinthians

14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.

14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

My comment was recently deleted from a blog because I used this verse. The woman who posted the blog is a fan of Joyce Meyer, a female televangelist. She gave me the greatest reason a Christian could ever give – I took the verse out of context.

How? It seems to me that these verses are clear as day. This is going to be a regular blog. I am going to really focus on this picking and choosing from the Bible. Christians say this does not happen, but it is PRIMARY REASON for the development of thousands of denominations in the Christian religion.

Women CANNOT preach. They are not supposed to be leaders of a congregation. They are not even supposed to open their mouths. It seems to me that the Christian’s favorite argument is “you took that out of context.” Whatever, I am just preaching the good word.

Let me state that I do not have a problem with a woman preaching…well, that isn’t true. I have a problem with anyone preaching from an outdated book, and telling you that if you don’t believe it you will go to hell. To tell you the truth, I am a little disappointed that this is the best God could do. A friend of mine (see his blog here - K-Daddy’s Blog) says it is pretty embarrassing that the bible can be so boring. Apparently, god is smart enough to create people like Shakespeare and Twain, but not smart enough to get them to write his holy book that he wants everyone to follow.

Women, I am sorry I have to say this…but SHUT UP!!! Be submissive. Be a servant. Do what your husband tells you to do, and DO NOT ARGUE. I am going to close tonight with a few more verses. The Bible is much better at destroying itself than I am. I am also going to use ONLY the New Testament. Apparently, Christians argue all day long that they do not have to follow the Old Testament. I guess they got tired of murdering their own children.

1 Timothy

2:9In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

2:10But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. 

5:9 Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the life of one man.
5:10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.

5:11 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;

5:12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.

Did you catch that…Ignore the young widow, because they have sensual desires that they place ahead of Christ. HAHA

There are SO many more, but I am way to lazy to post them.

I think one of the biggest problems in our country is the attempt to legislate Christian morality. My next comment is something that I believe – not just believe, but I KNOW. Christianity is not supposed to form a government. Religion is a personal experience. It is meant to be left to the individual, not forced upon any one else. I believe this verse shows that:

Matthew 22:21 …Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

This seems to be commentary on the separation of church and state – in a sense. I know that Jesus isn’t “literally” saying this, but he is saying that the government has its own responsibilities outside of religion. The preceding question was, “Should we pay taxes to Caesar?”

If I were to ever become a Christian again, I could never return to my old ways. I would never believe in the superiority of one denomination over another. I would continue to believe in equality for EVERYONE. I would fight for the right of gay marriage because everyone has the right to be happy. Everyone has the right to be equal. Christian legislation which denies equal rights based on religion denies the fact that the Bible calls all people sinners. Christian legislation tells people that their sins are worse than the legislators (as well as the majority).

This is the best way I can describe it. If homosexuality is a terrible sin that will cause people to be cast into hell, why can’t homosexuals be allowed to be happy while living on Earth. It is a victimless crime. It does not affect the sanctity of your marriage, because marriage is not exclusive to Christianity. Marriage has been around for a very long time.

Is it possible to ever change the mind of someone who absolutely believes in god/gods? Is it possible to cause them to question? I have come to believe that it is absolutely true. It happened to me. It was a process of getting older – coming to understand the world a little better. I began to see things a little bit clearer. I fought the loss of faith. I ran from it. After I stopped running, things became clear. My thinking has evolved to the understanding that faith is a crutch, and it is hard to let go of. Faith relies on the individual. How much is this person willing to close their mind to truth? Faith stands in the way of reality. My purpose in this blog is to examine exactly what faith is.

Definition of Faith

confidence or trust in a person or thing
belief that is not based on proof
belief in god/gods or in the doctrines or teachings of religion

I will sum it up as believing in god/gods without definite proof.

Why faith?

The end result of a debate with a religious individual will always lead an answer declaring the importance of faith. Faith is an absolute REQUIREMENT to believe in god/gods. It is because of this that I declare war on the idea of god/gods.

Why war?

I declare war because the hardest and most rewarding things in life come from the hardest fights. The war can be internal or external. In the Bible Belt, atheism is both.

Faith is Unacceptable

Your eternal faith depends on whether you worship god/gods or not. This is completely unacceptable. I have read and heard arguments for the existence of god/gods, but all of them use inductive reasoning – using effect in order to prove the cause (i.e. the universe shows a design, so there must be a designer). It is impossible to use deductive reasoning in regards to faith. If a person says, “god/gods did it,” they provide no proof.

Everyone on earth who does not suffer from a disability stopping a sense has five senses – sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. Everything on earth can be detected with at least one of these senses. Not one of these senses can detect god/gods. You cannot see, smell, taste, touch, or hear him. This is the NUMBER ONE REASON why religion requires faith. No one can sense god/gods with the senses they have. Deductive reasoning – we know through our senses. These senses cannot sense god/gods. God/gods are unknowable.

The religious world still tries to search for reasons why god/gods exist. They look at the constants that we know about the Earth. This is a fallacy. The only thing constants prove is that there are certain conditions that must exist to sustain not only human life, but all life on Earth. This is NOT a reason for god/gods. It is just the reason we are here. As Richard Carrier so eloquently put it, “If the Earth and mankind is the center of god/gods’ tension and focus, why wouldn’t the Sun revolve around the earth?” He also described how the brain is a nutrient hog, as well as an extremely sensitive organ. This organ is easily damaged permanently, yet is completely responsible for our senses, actions, reactions, and thoughts. This is not the creation of a perfect being. It is an imperfect creation. Most religions claim that the person has a soul which is eternally responsible for all actions by the body. Why does the body need a brain at all?

Faith is Essential

My conclusion is that faith is not only the most important reason for believing in god/gods, but is the only reason for a person to believe in god/gods. This makes faith incredibly dangerous. It makes religion incredibly dangerous. People believe in god/gods who let their ETERNAL FATE rest on whether they guess right or not. He provides no proof of his existence. He says you should love, worship, and obey him, but you don’t even know if he exists or not. This is what faith really is – basing your entire life on a possibility (an extremely small possibility).

People always ask what the purpose of everything is if there is no god/gods. This question is easy to answer – The betterment of myself and humanity without the fear of punishment from an invisible, all-powerful being.

I have been asked what my purpose is more times than I can count. I am an atheist. The question is always asked by a religious individual – always asked by a Christian I should say. I live in the “Bible Belt.” I heard an interesting comment yesterday. “What’s the purpose of everything? If there is none, here is a gun – show me.” This person wasn’t attempting to be rude. He was attempting to make his point. He is what you might call an intellectual. He holds a Ph.D. in English, but the argument was just a stronger version of what I have heard time and time again.

I feel the common mistake comes from believing that God is the point and purpose of everything. He, she, it, they are the end all be all. That is the point of view you are supposed to have as a Christian, but the fact is there can be purpose without God. What most people cannot see is that every person on Earth creates or chooses their own purpose. A Christian has chosen God as their purpose. I feel it can be quite dangerous because their entire worldview is defined by this purpose. Christians will argue against this, but the Bible is a long book. The Old Testament contains an extensive list of laws. The New Testament upholds these laws and adds a few more. Modern America has created a society in which laws are passed, or attempted, trying to force Christian law to become governmental law, thereby pushing their own created purpose on every person living in America. This view has made it difficult for America’s citizens to understand how anyone can have a purpose outside of their idea of God.

As I said before, people choose their purpose. What makes atheism so special is no longer relying on God for this purpose. We can create any purpose. If I want to, I can live for cheese. Obviously, this is ridiculous. This leads Christians to call us dangerous. Are they wrong? Absolutely! For most atheists, the purpose is not self indulgence. It is humanity. We do enjoy ourselves more, because we are not bound to the zombie filled realm of fundamental Christianity. We are allowed to look at the world with an open mind and see it for what it is. Most often, the atheist purpose becomes a struggle to make mankind better. How do we make sure that man survives until the Earth is no longer inhabitable?

My conclusion – purpose does not rely on God, but on the individual.