I may blog more politics here and there, but it isn't going to be the focus. I am not really a very political person, and frankly, I find it depressing and frustrating. It wasn't like it was intentional, like I woke up one day and said "hey Corvid, lets make a political blog." I am not politically savvy enough to do something like that, I am just overly opinionated and I write about things that grab my attention. I suppose having to explain myself defeats the whole purpose, or whatnot... or is there even a purpose to begin with? I don't know.
Which brings me to my topic of the day. Lately on Twitter I have been noticing a lot of tweets from atheists... or 'anti-theists' as I like to call them. Now, what is the difference between an atheist and an anti-theist you may ask? Well... an atheist doesn't believe in god. They don't stress about it, they don't have to examine it or analyze it, they just don't believe. Period. They go about their business, it's no big deal. Why argue about something that doesn't exist when you could be.. I don't know... surfing.
An anti-theist on the other hand has to tell everyone they are an atheist. They have to declare war upon religion, they buy advertisment space on billboards so they can declare god doesn't exist and anyone who believes in god is foolish. They tweet constantly about how wrong religion is, at every gathering and party it is the main focus of their conversation, as if they feel the need to prove their nonbelief. They spend tedious hours attempting to debunk the bible, to expose believer's circular reasoning... I am getting tired just typing about it. Anti-theists are the fundamentalists of the Athiest set. They are extremists, they are evangelical nonbelievers who feel the need to proselytize everyone around them. They have declared a Jihad on religion.
On top of it all, they feel the need to invoke the name of Science... because they operate under the false assumption that science supports their arguments, and that scientists are the high priests of their cause. I am forced to vigorously disagree, but we will come to that in a moment.
First an observation: Many of these tweeting anti-theists justify their positions by stating that they at one time used to be evangelical christians or fundamentalist christians of some flavor or another. So basically, they have taken all that fanaticism, close mindedness, and zealotry and simply applied it to their so called non-belief. Now I say this not to hate on these folks, but rather to point out that they are engaging in the same behavior that they claim their religious counterparts do. Let me also say that I too was once a fundamentalist christian. It's true. And I understand the mental anguish and uncertainty that accompanies breaking away from that belief system (not to mention the loss of friends, family, etc. who think you are 'backsliding' and now refuse - in the most extreme cases- to have anything to do with you. I haven't spoken to my birth mother in over 16 years for just this reason). It seems to me that, more than anything, they are proving their nonbelief to themselves. It is hard to undo that kind of religious conditioning. It's scary, especially if you come from a background that has a strong belief in hell and judgement. And there is anger... anger that you are so goddamned afraid. That anger can turn to a lot of vitriol aimed at your former religion. But here's the deal, you ain't gonna change anyone's mind with it.
So, it seems they turn to what they perceive as the opposite of religion, science.
But let's get one thing strait. It is not the pursuit of science to disprove god. No, on the contrary, a lot of early sciences made many of their discoveries in the quest for god. Because someone is not a fundamentalist christian, does not make them a nonbeliever in any type of higher power. Isaac Newton had faith. His faith would seem odd and 'incorrect' to most christians, but it was faith nonetheless. Newton, like many of the men of science of his time, was not an atheist, and yet he set the scientific stage for future discovery. His science was done in the quest for god. Even the Positivists (scientists who tried to be so scientifically hardcore that even their own propositions were ruled out by their principle of verification, but who laid the groundwork for the empirical sciences of today) said that there was no logical grounds for antagonism between religion and natural science. Because science dealt with the physical world, and religion with the metaphysical world (which cannot be observed) questions of faith were irrelevant to science. Questions of gods existence or nonexistence were meaningless and were not the pursuit of science because they were not observable. God could not disprove science any more than science could disprove god*(Ayer, 1936). Besides, discovering atoms and fusion and genes, etc. was much more fun and interesting and actually do-able, so what was the point?
So basically, arguments about the existence of a metaphysical being whose attributes are super-empirical are illogical and fruitless. You cannot conclusively prove or disprove what you can't sense, so stop saying science is on your side, because it isn't.
Now... if someone is saying "well I believe the earth was created 6000 years ago, etc." well, then by all means, whip out the empirical evidence of the fossil record, but stop short of saying it proves there is no god, because it does not. ( and please, make sure you can actually explain natural selection before you play the Darwin card).
Now, why am I taking the time to comment on this?
Well...
I guess I wonder why these anti-theists feel the need to strip others of their belief and faith. I understand that many are offended by the use of religion in politics, but most laws that fundamentalists attempt to pass are usually voted down. But, even so, the way to combat this is not by attacking god, or people's belief system, but rather, by getting involved in the political process and becoming active in your schools, communities, local and state governments, etc.
Believers are going to believe, regardless of what you do to assault that belief. In most cases it will only make them cleave to it more tenaciously. It will make them think you are persecuting them. As far as the whole persecution thing goes, there is a provision written into the bible for just this situation:
Here are just a few scriptures that tell them that what you are saying and doing proves they are right -
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 2 Corinthians 4: 8-11
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…. If they persecuted Me they will persecute you… for they do not know the One who sent Me.” John 15:19-21
"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."—2 Corinthians 12:10
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11″Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. 12″Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians, 2:14
So in most cases, antagonism doesn't work, it just reinforces.
I can't speak for everyone, I can only speak for myself. I had some awful experiences that broke my faith. Broken faith is a terrible thing, it is a heart breaking thing, and I have a great deal of compassion and empathy for anyone who's faith has been broken. After that I was angry, I was enraged, I was terrified. I was an anti-theist.
What helped me past anti-theism? Education. I learned.
And as I learned, I healed.
And as I healed, I began to open my mind and my heart again.
Do I believe? Yes... I believe in "I don't know, but it's all pretty damn cool." I believe in wonder. I believe in hope. I believe in being the best human being I can. I believe in compassion. I believe in equality. I believe in the social contract. I believe in discovery, no matter what it finds out in the end. I believe in reaching out with all our intelligence and capacity and technology and yes, all our faith. Faith in what? Well, that part... I don't know.
Am I an agnostic? Probably...
I would just like to think that perhaps, somewhere, there is a little magic in the world. Sometimes magic goes by another name... Science.
(if you don't believe me... ask a physicist ;)
*Ayer, Alfred Jules. 1936. Language, Truth, & Logic. New York. Dover Publications, Inc.
