"Atheism is a Liberating World View"

[Tsyroc]

This opinion piece was published in The Tucson Citizen on April 19, 2006.




He's recieved three replies here. Two are negative. One being from a "Pastor/vocal teacher" and "retired clergyman". One is favorable and comes from someone with a Ph.D. (although it doesn't say what his degree is in).

[Guardsman Bass]

I'm not sure which of the 'negative ones' that I read, but the author just repeated the traditional "How can you look at the world and think that this all came from pond scum?" strawman.

As for the opinion article, I like what the guy has written, and only wish something like this could be published in my home paper.

[Guardsman Bass]

Crap, forget to add what I was going to add.

When you think about it, Atheism is a liberating view point. Sure, you may not have some divine and special place in the universe, with a giant, mystical parent to look after you, but you're also not a 'pawn' of God or Gods in a cosmic 'chess match' with their enemies.

[Molyneux]

That was an awesome read. This man has restored a bit of my regard for humanity.

Not much, but it's a start.

[Tsyroc]

I was actually kind of surprised that he hadn't recieved a whole bunch of hate mail already but it's only been a week I'm sure he'll get nailed with a bunch of snail mail in the next week or so.

There are a lot of fundamentalists Christians in the area plus decent sized populations of several other religions.

[Crossroads Inc.]

I am surprised we havnt heared about this in the local press up here. Things like this have come about in the past and usually gathered waves of angery zealots.

[Guardsman Bass]

I am surprised we havnt heared about this in the local press up here. Things like this have come about in the past and usually gathered waves of angery zealots.

Same here, although the atheist letters are never published as more than letters (i.e., no big editorials). It makes for some pretty lively debates in the newspaper Public Forum, and the paper loves to post it.

[Tsyroc]

Like I said, give it another week.


Actually it might have slipped passed some people with the way everyone is getting all bent out of shape over immigration and immigration reform.

Plus there's the high school students who were complaining about having to listen to some speaker claim that "Republicans hate Latinos" at a school assembly. (The daughter of one of my co-workers was in the paper for going before the state legislature on this "issue".).

[kheegster]

Living in a country for secularism and irreligiousness is the defaulty public position, it is alarming to me that one such article in a local newspaper can be made into such a big deal.

[Guardsman Bass]

Living in a country for secularism and irreligiousness is the defaulty public position, it is alarming to me that one such article in a local newspaper can be made into such a big deal.

Unfortunately in America, atheists are supposed to stay hidden, out of power, and away from children.

[Darth Wong]

I'm not sure which of the 'negative ones' that I read, but the author just repeated the traditional "How can you look at the world and think that this all came from pond scum?" strawman.

I like to respond to that by saying "how can you look at the world and not think that this all came from pond scum?" I find that it's an amusing way to deal with a lot of common religious non sequiturs. Simply reverse it and state it as if it should be considered self-evident.

[Faqa]

I'm not sure which of the 'negative ones' that I read, but the author just repeated the traditional "How can you look at the world and think that this all came from pond scum?" strawman.

I like to respond to that by saying "how can you look at the world and not think that this all came from pond scum?" I find that it's an amusing way to deal with a lot of common religious non sequiturs. Simply reverse it and state it as if it should be considered self-evident.

Religion is inherently based on emotionality rather than logic. The argument is only a natural one for such a worldview.

What I've always found amusing about religion is it's wild ARROGANCE. We are ONE planet, in ONE galaxy. The knowledge of the universe we have amassed cannot be expressed, cause there ain't a number large enough to express the fraction.

And the guy who created all this is focusing all his attention on US?! Where the fuck does religion get off assuming any deity would give two shits about us? We're less than a speck of dust to someone who creates a universe.

Even before I switched to straight atheism, I went with the idea that God is so fucking huge and inscrutable that I'd never understand him, so why try?

That said, every bit of sanity helps. Kudos to this guy, and may he at least get one or two fundies to sit up and take notice.

[FSTargetDrone]

I was actually kind of surprised that he hadn't recieved a whole bunch of hate mail already but it's only been a week I'm sure he'll get nailed with a bunch of snail mail in the next week or so.

There are a lot of fundamentalists Christians in the area plus decent sized populations of several other religions.

You should write a letter to the paper expressing support for his piece. Don't let the religionists get the only feedback in.

[DPDarkPrimus]

I'm not sure which of the 'negative ones' that I read, but the author just repeated the traditional "How can you look at the world and think that this all came from pond scum?" strawman.

I like to respond to that by saying "how can you look at the world and not think that this all came from pond scum?" I find that it's an amusing way to deal with a lot of common religious non sequiturs. Simply reverse it and state it as if it should be considered self-evident.

Or you can say "Oh, it's so much more rational to think that it all came from dirt!"

[Ariphaos]

Thirty million, a decade prior it was fifteen.

Here's hoping for sixty in 2015.