Your religion is stupid.

[pasithea]

As the title implies, this is directed at everyone, not just 'those christians' or something. Maybe I'll lose some friends over it but I need to say it.

Your religion is stupid. They're all stupid. They're a waste of time and they benefit the world NOTHING.


Blahblahblah god saved me from drinking/got me through some rough times/etc.
I know you're going to say it, I've heard it before. It's BULLSHIT. God didn't get you through jack. Maybe having a fantasy got you through it but it was your own inner strength that got you through it.

There aren't any fucking miracles. There's the skill of surgeons, the many years of study and education of people who make the world better, and there's random chance. It wasn't God that removed a tumor. It was a doctor. It was a nurse, an anesthesiologist, hundreds of years of study, etc. It's not a 'miracle we thank god for every day' that you survived. If you want to believe in God, who the fuck put the tumor there, huh? Was that just bad luck and then God came along and saved you? Riiiight.

Pissed off yet? Why? I guess there's some embarassment if you're the last kid of the block to realize there's no Santa Claus but that's life, and you grow up an learn that the spirit of giving is more important that your childish greed.

And that gets me to my proof that religion is stupid.

The universe is a HUGE place. We're tiny little specs on a single planet. Our planet is a tiny spec in our solar system. Our Sun is in a galaxy which contains more stars than all the people on Earth, and even our galaxy is just a spec in the universe and that's just what we can see with our limited senses. There could be millions of dimensions. We are so tiny that you can't even begin to understand it. It's utterly beyond us.

That puts us in quite a quandry for talk of God. You have two options if you REALLY want to believe in God. God is infinite and holds the entire universe or God is finite and limited.

If God is infinite, religion is supremely arrogant. To think for even a second that God made use masters of the universe, or cares in the slightest that we obey some absurdist set of rules is completely juvenille. It's akin to a 2-year-old who thinks they are the center of mommy's universe. The religious are but toddlers throwing a tantrum and banging some pots together. Furthermore: All the religious leaders say you must worship God in THEIR way. Books capture only a piece of a moment. They tell you only what the author sees. Two people experience a situation differently. If God is this vast and uncomprehendible, ANY attempt to describe it are utterly pointless. No book, no story, no set of rules will ever possibly be adequate. I know a hundred million times more about God than any religious person. There's no way you can disprove that. Just cling childishly to nonsensical texts, stamp your feet and say you MUST be right because someone wrote a book on it. It's stupid.

If God is finite, you're even more stupid. Now you've got the possibility for multiple Gods. Which one is the right one? There's no way to chose. Taking the religion your parents took is a damn poor ignorant way to chose. If you put any thought into it, you're just going to chose the one that's convenient. The one that you like the best. Determining your vision of the ruler of the world by a popularity contest based on the opinions of others. SHEER GENIUS. And what of the choices? Fucking rotten lot there. All of them have their bad parts. The best you could do is maybe buddism but that's more like atheism with some religious decorations on the outside. Most of the other Gods are petty and selfish, chilidish. Why would you WANT to worship a God that says you must suffer? If you're gay or eat pork or drink wine or whatever it is against your religion and God is going to punish you for all eternity because you weren't an obedient child, why would you WANT to worship that God? That's not love or caring. That's abuse and domination. If a stranger corner you in an alley and said, 'GET ON YOUR KNEES AND SUCK MY COCK OR I'LL BREAK YOUR KNEES', you probably wouldn't be talking about how great he was in the morning. You'd feel violated, hateful, resentful, vengeful. The finite God that makes demands is nothing but a petty thug. Who needs him? And if your God doesn't care what you do, what's the point in worshipping them?

I know you want to 'justify' your beliefs. You want to say 'God gives me comfort' or 'cultural heritage' or something else like that. It's all a bunch of excuses so you don't have to think about it. If you're angry, or trying to come up with a justification for your religion. Rather than bothering me with it and wasting my time debating your childish rage. Why don't you just think about why you're angry? I mean sure, it's because of what I said, but what specifically about it makes you angry. If you think you're smarter than me, I'd love to hear you prove to me beyond any shadow of doubt that YOUR religion is THE right one and that all of those other religions are wrong. Your proof must be rational enough that anyone will accept it. Even the most devout baptist, muslim, or hindu. And don't bother with the 'I just have a special feeling.' thing. That's not only unprovable, it's a lie. Maybe one that you believe but a lie none-the less. If you need proof, you need only look at the divorce rates. How many people have said, 'forever' and lost that conviction in less than a year.

When you work through your anger or contempt or whatever, please consider this: YOU have a lot of power within you. You can work to MAKE the world a better place. YOU have your own inner strength. All those bad times you got through was because YOU are strong. God, like Santa Claus. Nothing more than a lie to pacify children. You're a better person since you came to understand Santa was an idea instead of a person. You can grow even more if you let go of God. Learn to believe in yourself and the strength and beauty of all the other people around you. If you think the stories about God made you a better person. Fine, keep that. Use it. Just use it wisely. You can understand even more from the story once you accept that it's only fiction.

If you want to repost this, you may.
If you agree with me but you're afraid to take the heat for it, go ahead and reference this.
If you want to unfriend me. That's fine. I'm really that sick of religion and there are plenty of other people out there, and you can probably find someone else who doesn't challenge you as much.
If you want to scream and throw a tantrum, I'll ban you from my journal.
If you want to quietly suck it in an pretend I didn't say it, that's your choice. I'm sad you don't want to think about it.
If you think you can prove your religion is the right one and that your God is real beyond any shadow of a doubt, I'd love to hear it. Just make sure you've got a good tangible argument.
If you think you're clever and you're going to point out that I'm one of those nasty liberals who talks about freedom of thought but doesn't REALLY mean it. Save it. First off, that's a personal attack and has NOTHING to do with my arguments. Second: I would WELCOME an intelligent counter. Saying something ignorant like that is just a feeble attempt to change the topic. Lastly, it's not even a valid argument. This is my journal. I can ban anyone I want. I am NOT trying to prevent you from making a fool of yourself in public. I just don't feel like wasting my time on your ignorance.

Finally, if you're one of those ignorant pieces of produce who says, 'well, I guess we'll find out who's right in the end.' with the implication that God is gonna punish me for my attitude, not only are you a stupid fuck who hasn't listened at all but you're also a coward. I'd RATHER die on my feet in opposition to an abusive twisted little fuck than spend eternity stroking his ego. Don't say you'll pray for me anyhow or whatever. That's just disrespectful, and I'd just spit in your God's face.

That's it for now. I may add some more to this later.

Comments

[kyhwana.livejournal.com]

First of all, if you want a little background on me, go and find the religious posts on my LJ.
Now that that's out of the way.

(some) People use religion as a crutch to fix things about themselves they don't like. (Or rather that other people tell them is bad) Maybe they really do want to (better themselves in some way) but are too weak willed to do it themselves (this is bad) so they need some fantasy land to help them out. Organised religion can do this.
Overall, this bit is usually a "good" thing, despite the bullshit..

We have science for a reason and no, god didn't cure your cancer or save your cousin or whatever.
However there IS scientific proof that prayer (extreme forms) can lead to a neurological state that causes people to "meet god" in their words, or become one with everything. (ie meditation)
It can have a calming effect on the body (and possibly immune system, etc) but only if you're really into it. If you can wire yourself so you actually believe it, you can get to that state.
Now, I just have to get there (this will probably take a while, and I havn't really started. I think i'll try the buddhist type of meditation) and "prove" to myself that you and I can experience the same kind of nirvana, joy or estatic kind of state without the religion.
That'll be a kind of ultimate justification (of atheism) for me.

As for the religion is stupid/unjustifable/god is * bit:

This is the 21st century. Sadly we don't have flying cars and we STILL have religion. Religion was "invented" by primitive man who didn't understand how the world worked. I find it amusing (and frustrating) that people still cling to the same kind of thing in this "day and age". (Not that america is particularly enlightened of course. Socially the US is really a shithole)
The problem with religion is that it gives people an easy way out and most people don't want to try very hard to find the truth, or even KNOW that they're not going to find it!
Why is it so hard for people to accept that there are just somethings we just don't know?

As for the "god gives me comfort" I blame society (and thus religion, again!) for that. Society can't give you that kind of comfort because there is religion for that! They're intertwined and I see no way that they will become unintwined because there are too many stupid people.

The _real_ reason I dislike religion is that people use it as an excuse to do things I don't like. (Banning abortion, invading foriegn countries to kill people, saying i'm going to hell and that I should basically have no rights as a person, that people can't do what they want as long as they don't hurt people, etcetc)

But generally I agree with most of your statements, even though I know my roommates ilthuain and mharpold8 don't. (I tried to justify why I agree with you in the previous paragraphs)

[turbinerocks.livejournal.com]

BOW DOWN BEFORE JESUS THE VAN GIVER

[ilthuain.livejournal.com]

This is the 21st century. Sadly we don't have flying cars and we STILL have religion. Religion was "invented" by primitive man who didn't understand how the world worked. I find it amusing (and frustrating) that people still cling to the same kind of thing in this "day and age".

How do you resolve the ascension of post-axial, post-enlightenment religions?

[kyhwana.livejournal.com]

You mean http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enlightenment ?
What major (nonjoke) religions are there that are post enlightenment, besides mormonism?

[ilthuain.livejournal.com]

Okay, here's a brief list. I'm including religions which generally fall under the heading 'Neopagan' because their theology and philosophy is a product of more recent thought and not a steady, unbroken belief system handed down from generation to generation. This in no way denigrates their faith, but modern Asatru, for example, is very different from the actual faith and practice of the ancient Norse.

Also, some of these religions are syncretistic, but the same logic applies (they may have similar roots, but are sufficiently different).

Here's my list:

-Bahá'í World Faith
-Wicca
-Asatru
-Druidism
-Hare Krishna (a form of Hinduism, but different enough to be a separate faith. ISKON was formed in 1965)
-Scientology
-Unitarianism Universalism
-Regla de Ocha and other syncretistic New World faiths
-Eckankar
-Buttloads of meta-Christian groups... here are some
--Quakers
--Twin Oaks
--Christian Science
--Seventh Day Adventism
--LDS

There's a few... AND THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE WHERE THAT COMES FROM

[kyhwana.livejournal.com]

Arn't most of the christian ones where the various groups split over arguments over dogma/scripture/rules/etc?

"We don't like these other versions so we'll make up our own"
Unitarian Universalism was around in the ~1600's.
As for scientology.. heh

[ilthuain.livejournal.com]

You're probably thinking of the 'God as a single, not as a trinity' Unitarians, like Michael Servetus. Hosea Ballou is the father of what we now call Unitarian Universalism, and he wrote "A Treatise on Atonement" in 1805. Good on you for knowing about that, though.

"Arn't most of the christian ones where the various groups split over arguments over dogma/scripture/rules/etc?"

Most are, but some are sufficiently unique as to qualify for a new religion (in my humble opinion) within the greater Christian family.

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

I have considered the use of religion as a tool to access the super ego. I just reject the claim that this really a healthy way to go about it. That's where Santa Claus fits in. Parents my pretend to be Santa to give their children 'happy memories' and mask the expense and extra hours it might put them through to get the toys for the kids, but let's be honest here. It's shallow and greedy on both sides. The parents, wanting to prove that they're 'good' parents and manufacture artificial hapiness for their children as something the can reflect on as signs of their own success at breeding. The kids because. Heck, kids are greedy and don't know any better and who doesn't like toys.

Growth really comes for the kids when they stop believing in Santa and consider the hardships their parents may have faced to give them 'happy memories'. True value comes for the parents in the form of the children learning something about humility and giving. God is like Santa. He might make a great metaphor for bettering yourself when you're young, but it's a poor thing to pattern your life around as an adult.

There are valuable lessons in Aesop's Fables, Beatrix Potter, and other such like, but we don't go around worshipping Peter Rabbit;. (And before someone starts in that those particular writers had strong christian backgrounds, let me note that was a deliberate choice. Biblical stories themselves are based on variants of older persian tales) It's fine to use mythology as something that helps you grow. It's quite another to be 40 and tryng to stay up late to catch Santa.

[kyhwana.livejournal.com]

Wait, stupid LJ...

"Indeed!"