You Don't Know Jack...

I was driving to the airport to pick up my girlfriend yesterday and I started thinking about what happens when flying ceases and gravity takes over. I tend to think pessimistically when airports are involved.

So I'm thinking about downwardly spiraling airplanes and my thoughts went to how many Christians say they "know" what's going to happen to them when they die and are very quick to lament your life if you aren't preparing yourself for the same bliss they're counting on. If you try and convince them that there's a chance they might be wrong they are very quick to discount the possibility. "The bible tells me what's going to happen when I die, the bible is the word of god, therefore I KNOW it to be true," says a hypothetical Christian who for the purposes of this entry we'll call Stu.

But here's the thing. God requires faith of this adherents. Faith is defined as belief that is not based on proof. If there were proof of the afterlife, then faith wouldn't be possible. So can you know, with certainty, that what the bible says is absolute truth? No, of course not. That would require absolute proof and absolute proof would destroy completely the potential for faith.

So really, an essential factor for any believer having faith in the bible as the true word of god is an understanding that they COULD be wrong. That is in essence what faith is. Faith is saying, "I don't have any proof for what I believe, and understand that what I believe could be wrong, but I choose to believe it anyway." As an atheist, I am equally beholdant to this definition of faith. I don't "know" there is no god. I choose to believe this with the knowledge that I could be wrong.

So ultimately my point is this. Christians, you don't KNOW anything with certainty about your god or his policies. Intrinsic to your dogma is the possibility that it's incorrect. And my two cents...it probably is. So screw you, Stu.

Ending a Long Hibernation

Yeesh. It's amazing how much real life can interfere with a mostly frivolous pursuit. It's been almost a year since my last post! Apparently Christianity only raises its nasty mug around July each year. I won't let that kind of time pass again. There's far to much inanity to comment on. This post was provoked by an almost year old comment I received anonymously from one of my previous posts. I knew I'd come across these. Well-meaning christians trying to save me from myself and my semantic spiral down to hell.

Here's the thing. They might think they're being kind when they wish blessings from god for me. But I don't believe in god. So you might as well be saying, "Yoda bless you!" I don't need their blessings. They're useless to me. In fact, in a very real sense, they're useless to the world. I get that these people are genuinely concerned for me. I suppose I appreciate it, but its misplaced energy. If most of the well-meaning christians put the energy they spend praying and wishing blessings on people into actually working on the world we currently live in, I think we'd all be much better off. There are a LOT of christians praying and wishing for god to help people. What a waste of time and energy if there's no one listening!

This sums up one of my major beefs with christianity (and many other religions.) Since they consider this world transitory, simply a prep class for our eternal souls, it makes it easier for believers to ignore the pain and injustices going on around the world. And, by thinking their prayers are accomplishing something, they remove themselves from any personal responsibility to do something themselves to fix the situation. So the world goes to pot while all the well-meaning Christians are gazing skyward, waiting for the rapture.

Garbage.