Living in a world without gods

I started having discussions about atheism, religion, philosophy and such over 36 years ago, in high school. While watching the movie Contact (1997), I heard Matthew McConaughey's character make the comment that he would not want to live in a world without god in it. I have heard that same comment made by my best friend in high school, people at work, at parties and in many other situations. My take on this comment is:

Too bad. You don't get to vote.

In this universe, either there are/is gods/god or there are no gods. Period. We don't get to vote, the universe is not a democracy/republic/monarchy. We don't get a vote, we can't push through an initiative, and we can't overthrow the king/dictator/ruler. So it doesn't really matter to the universe whether or not you want to live in it if there is no god. As a matter of fact, if there is no god pulling the strings (quantum or otherwise) then you have been living just fine without one. That's the funny part.

Imagine hearing someone, a child for instance, saying, "I don't want to live in a world without a Santa Claus". This kid is in for a rude awakening somewhere down the line. And all the belief in the world will not make Santa real. There is no Santa. Million's of believers in Santa, will not make him any more real. Building institutions meant to pass on his rules for life would only make money for the institutions, and likely silly rules to live by.

Given the number of efforts to prove a god exists, and the level of success, we can be relatively sure that there is no god. And here you are with all these folks needing to decide whether or not to stay in this world.

It is a silly statement. You are living in this world. Gods abound in our imaginations by the thousands, but only in our imaginations, and no amount of wanting will make them any more real. I'm just saying.

The Danger to the Middle Class

I'm thinking that somewhere in the late 60's or early 70's, the corporate rich, the people in high places, the really right wing folk at the top, decided they didn't like the middle class. As long as we did what we were told, and didn't overstep our place in life, we were fine, but when we started telling the pols what to do, and demanding that we actually be heard, they decided that they didn't want to share power.

In the 80's, with the help of Ronald Regan, the religious extremist on the right, lot's of fear and a very troubled Democratic party, the newly updated, even more corporate friendly Republican party started to give away the store.

They started by killing unions.
They continued by deregulating industry after industry.
They pushed so far to the right that many Republicans became Democrats by default.
They gave disproportionate power to religious fear and hate mongers.
They propped up their hate and fear machine with radio talk hosts who ooze venom.
And they squeezed the middle class as best they could.

When the Republicans lost the White House, they took control of the Congress and tried to make the eight years of the Democrats time in office as challenging as they could. They tied up the Administration with one attack after another, and finally had to make do with a blow job in the White House. Still, the Democrat in office left a trillion dollar surplus on exiting the job, and that was after the Republicans had run us into serious debt.

The job of the corporations got easier when they were able to take the Congress and the White House. The real push to sell out of the middle class began the day George W. Bush lied to the American people while taking the Oath of Office. He promised to protect the Constitution, when in fact, he was going to use it as toilet paper during his administration. George, Dick, and Co. sold us to their friends in oil, they let the banks run wild, they started a war and rewarded Dick's old pals with sweet contracts and the right to kill, maim and steal all they wanted.

Now they are facing a Democratic take over of the House, Senate, and Administration and they are still playing games. They want us to believe that the middle class isn't about to die a painful death. They want us to ignore the fact that the economy is in the toilet with the Constitution, and the Republicans put it there. The big spending, big government Republicans. The invasive, prying, hiding under your bed Republicans. The same Republicans that have created the biggest debt in our history, and a bloated government that beats anything any Democrat would ever try for.

I don't believe for a second that the Democrats are going to solve our problems without us putting boots to their asses, but at least with them, we stand a chance of putting off the train wreck a little longer, during which time, we will have a chance to try and diminish the damage, and perhaps start us on a path toward a healthy middle class once again.

What If!

One of the things that you will run into sooner or later if you go out at all is the hand out given to you by someone who wants to convince you that they have the real goods on some subject. One that I have seen on-line, handed out at a 4^th of July fireworks event is called, “What If...”. It asks several questions in a “what if” manner, and then answers them as though the only possible answer is the one they provide. In this case, the “they” I speak of are Christians. Each question is followed by their chosen answer and selected Bible verse.

While I don't have all day to address each and every “what if”, I will touch on a few.

What if there really is a Creator-God? What implications does that make for me, His Creation?

• Well, there are so many possibilities here. First of all, why assume this god is a He? Gender is a product of biological necessity which evolved in many species, and would have very little function in what most people think of as a god. Does he have female gods to share his time with? Are there little baby gods out there like Trelane of Star Trek's “The Squire of Gothos” episode? Without knowing what kind of god he is, there is absolutely no way of ascertaining what, if any implications there are for me. Actually, I can't see any that would matter. The “fact” that he is a creator-god, does not mean he created me.
  

What if that Creator will hold man, His Creation, accountable in a day of judgment?

• Well, now we have a problem. I know that the Christians handing out this pamphlet think this creator/god is “their” god, but there is no guarantee, now is there? There are as many religions out there as there are fleas on a dog, if not more. So we don't really know what he would hold us accountable for. It is possible that he doesn't like people who push their beliefs on others. Now what implications would that make for the bloody Christians?
  

What if the Creator-God really loves man, His Creation?

• Boy they really want to pound home that “His Creation”, thing don't they? Well, if he really loves me, then no problem. Just as I love my daughter and wife, and would go to all kinds of trouble to see to it that they ended up all right, I am sure that this god would want to do the same for me. IF...he really loves me.
  

What if the Creator-God has a son named Jesus?

• Well then, assuming this is the Jesus of the Bible, and that the current right wing fundamentalist view of him is correct, then I'm screwed aren't I? But ..., there is the problem that Jesus is such a sketchy historical character, and that there are so many possible ways of interpreting the New Testament (just look at all the different Christian denominations and individual beliefs about him), that I really don't feel that there is much chance of Jesus being a problem for me. And “what if” the Gospels got it all wrong (very likely), and Jesus really isn't about sending anyone to hell because we didn't buy into a 2000 year old fairy tale?
  

This is where I'll stop for now. Playing “what if” can be fun, especially if you can turn it around.

What if there is no god.

What if we are what we appear to be, an evolved species on a small planet near the edge of a medium sized galaxy amongst billions of galaxies in a nearly 14 billion year old universe?

What if all these religious trappings are man made madness that distract us from so many other important things in life?

What if, while wasting time praying, proselytizing, and pushing gods, the opportunity to enjoy life is passing you by?

Now that's sad!

Muslims and Sharia Law

The Traditional Values Coalition, a right wing group, have their panties in a twist about Muslims who are pushing Sharia law in the U.S. They are upset about attempts to get recognition for Islamic law in areas where Muslims are in greater number.

Efforts are already underway here in America to introduce Sharia enclaves in some communities. In these enclaves, Constitutional concepts like one person/one vote would be replaced by Sharia concepts which values a woman’s vote at half that of a man. In many instances, Sharia law allocates rights based on gender and religion (Islam is the only legal religion) rather than individual rights. In the United Kingdom and France, such enclaves exist and have caused conflict between Islamists and the country’s civil law.

They also worry about conflicts with Muslims who are complaining about having to violate their beliefs.

In Minneapolis in 2006, a number of Somali cabdrivers refused to carry passengers with alcohol. The Muslim Brotherhood was behind this publicity stunt. The airport’s initial plan was to cave to Sharia law and create Sharia-compliant and Sharia non-compliant cabs. An Islamic “fatwa,” or order was issued by the Muslim American Society in June 2006 and sent to the Metropolitan Airports Commission. The fatwa stated that Islamic law prohibits Muslim cabdrivers from carrying passengers with alcohol “because it involves cooperating in sin according to Islam.”

Now I do, in fact, share concerns about rampaging religions wanting to do things their way, all the while ignoring secular law. For example, Christian pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control, or the morning after pill, and Doctors who refuse to perform legal procedures because it, "involves cooperating in sin" according to Christianity. If you want to force women to wear large black sacks and then kill them if they don't? Fine. But as long as you live here, in the U.S., you don't get to force your stupidity on others. Ditto for Christians.

We live in a secular country, and if your wife or daughter wants to go about her day without observing Islamic dress codes, more power to her. And if you are stupid enough to assault her, or worse yet, kill her, then we will put your sorry ass in jail where it belongs. And I think it is time we showed that we mean what we say, and make sure that Christian pharmacists either dispense the medicine they are supposed to, or they can bloody well retire, and let more competent people do the job.

I really think it is time to quit giving religion the respect it doesn't deserve. You want to believe in a god? Fine, you have that right. But you don't have the right to force it on others, and just because I respect your right to believe, it does not mean I have to respect your belief.

Pat Condell

Pat Condell is an atheist. If your go to his website at http://patcondell.net/ , you will notice that he calls it Godless Comedy, and he hits it on the head. I've enjoyed listening to his videos on youtube, and just visited his site for the first time.

But what got me to write about it was the last comment he makes on his FAQ. I love the quick comeback, and this one is perfect.

Q: Prove God doesn’t exist.
A: That’s a tough one. Show me how it’s done by proving Zeus and Apollo don’t exist, and I’ll use your method.

Absolute perfection.

It's Evolutions Birthday

While I know that Americans are going to focus more on the 4th of July than on the 1st of July, it is an important note that 150 years ago today, papers written by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace were read to a meeting of the Linnean Society of London on July 1st 1858. In short, today is Evolutions birthday.

Evolution is the foundation of modern biology, and perhaps the most supported theory in science. Visit the web site The Beagle Project for a more complete description of the history of this day.

RichardDawkins.net has an exclusive video titled Dawkins on Darwin.

This will be a great opportunity to brush up on your understanding of evolution and it's history.

Enjoy.

Phil...