Hiya kids, I guess I should start off by saying I'm an atheist and give a little history. I grew up in a predominately Methodist home to good and intelligent parents. Church was required until I turned twelve and got to make my own choices. Oddly enough for an atheist, I've had some very positive experiences with the church and my time in the halls of methodism were remembered fondly. Oddly enough, two other long time atheist friends are from the same church.
So twelve years old I decided to give another church a try, an episcopal church with a mostly grey population. Older folks worshiping in their own way, guided by an incredible pastor that eventually went to work for the United Nations. So one day, in our marvelously small youth group, I was chatting off to the side with Father Renegar and he intimated that he didn't believe in hell.
Wow, a Pastor serving in the second oldest church in the US (built by the Wesleys) and to hear him say, "I just don't believe in hell, I think it was merely a scare tactic. God preaches love, kindness, caring and charity and hell is the big slap in the face." He went on to explain how he didn't even believe the God of the Israelites, in the old Testament was really a different deity.
Somewhere in that conversation the seeds to seek out knowledge were sown. I spent years reading philosophy, history, religious texts, positively engaging Christians who would answer me, help me despite our differences. And the cold hard realization that I didn't believe didn't turn me against the stodgy control mechanisms of the church, honestly, it set me free.
So my question is, why, as atheists, are we so bitter? We are able to marvel without bias at the wonders around us and to gaze on the mysteries of the universe awed by its complexity. So then, why are so many of us negative? Yes, the church has been a terrible influence on history and every religion is filled with hypocrites. I don't deny the source of the anger, but is the negativity a necessary reaction to our freedom? Do we need to demonstrate with such hubris where gaps in knowledge and socio-cultural influences hold down the religiously inflicted?
I'm guilty of it too, despite my mostly positive experience of the church, but I ask, seriously, is the path to opening more minds cloaked in hubris a necessity?
We have the wonder of the universe before us, why do we seem so bitter?
So twelve years old I decided to give another church a try, an episcopal church with a mostly grey population. Older folks worshiping in their own way, guided by an incredible pastor that eventually went to work for the United Nations. So one day, in our marvelously small youth group, I was chatting off to the side with Father Renegar and he intimated that he didn't believe in hell.
Wow, a Pastor serving in the second oldest church in the US (built by the Wesleys) and to hear him say, "I just don't believe in hell, I think it was merely a scare tactic. God preaches love, kindness, caring and charity and hell is the big slap in the face." He went on to explain how he didn't even believe the God of the Israelites, in the old Testament was really a different deity.
Somewhere in that conversation the seeds to seek out knowledge were sown. I spent years reading philosophy, history, religious texts, positively engaging Christians who would answer me, help me despite our differences. And the cold hard realization that I didn't believe didn't turn me against the stodgy control mechanisms of the church, honestly, it set me free.
So my question is, why, as atheists, are we so bitter? We are able to marvel without bias at the wonders around us and to gaze on the mysteries of the universe awed by its complexity. So then, why are so many of us negative? Yes, the church has been a terrible influence on history and every religion is filled with hypocrites. I don't deny the source of the anger, but is the negativity a necessary reaction to our freedom? Do we need to demonstrate with such hubris where gaps in knowledge and socio-cultural influences hold down the religiously inflicted?
I'm guilty of it too, despite my mostly positive experience of the church, but I ask, seriously, is the path to opening more minds cloaked in hubris a necessity?
We have the wonder of the universe before us, why do we seem so bitter?