The Strength of Your Faith

I often discuss philosophy and religion with my Christian and Muslim friends. While some insist on quoting from their holy text, they also refuse to acknowledge any secular text that challenges their beliefs. Then they mistakenly think that their refusal to even read some secular texts is a sign of their great faith in God.

How strong can your faith really be if it can't even withstand reading a book? This blind and ignorant faith is the weakest kind of faith...and the most frustrating to non-believers who are simply trying to discuss things on a equal footing. (Similar to the frustration when the believer makes the divine excuse when cornered, "We can never comprehend God's will" or some such nonsense, basically short-circuiting the conversation by claiming their viewpoint can't be reproached because it is divine and inaccessible to mere humans.)

If believers are going to quote from holy books and insist that we read them, isn't it only fair to respond in kind?

Why handguns?

I can understand hunting and home protection, but why are Americans so specifically infatuated with handguns. Those little firearms that fit in your pocket but can kill more than half a dozen people in a matter of seconds. Small devices with no other purpose on earth than to kill human beings. The Constitution of the United States protects the right to bear 'arms', but not any and every kind of arms. Certain automatic assault rifles are not legal to own or discharge. And I don't think it is legal for a private citizen to own a functioning nuclear weapon.

So we've chosen to draw a line on arms ownership somewhere...considering all the damage handguns do in our society, what is the specific and rational reason for not including handguns in the restricted group of arms? Is it not possible to protect your home with a long barreled hunting rifle or shotgun? Is it not possible to bear arms and protect your country or rebel against your government with the same rifles and shotguns? If we're going to ban assault weapons because they are dangerous, why stop there? Why not ban handguns as well? Or why not just lift all bans and let citizens own any and all arms?

I've heard and seen all the bumper sticker rhetoric from handgun owners; 2nd amendment, 'original homeland security', etc. etc. But do these people favor me owning an assault rifle or a nuclear weapon? They've also chosen to draw the line somewhere. The 2nd amendment doesn't specifically say handguns, etc. What is the real reason they won't settle for rifles and must have handguns?

Recovering Christian

It's been 15 years since I left home at 18, and 18 years since I renounced my faith in Christianity. It's been long enough that I sometimes forget how ingrained the the dogma of Christianity is in my subconscious. I still have occasional fears about hell or what-if thoughts about God and his wrath, but they are usually fleeting and my rational mind overrides these fears fairly quickly.

I often discuss religion with friends, but usually from a more academic viewpoint, not really spiritual. I've also had Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses come to the door and was not particularly affected by the resulting discussions.

However, last weekend a Baptist Christian knocked on our door handing out invitational fliers for his church. The Baptist sect of Christianity was the one that I was raised in and indoctrinated into since birth. As soon as I found out he was from a Baptist church my heart started pounding and I was a little short of breath. This was totally unusual for me and I internally I was taken a little aback. Nevertheless, I politely stated I actually used to be a Baptist but was now an atheist and didn't really believe in God or the teachings of the Bible. He politely asked what had changed my mind. I told him that I had been reading the Bible and I think it was a very good book to live by and that I had studied some science, which led me to understand the improbably that God exists. (All this time I was also putting on my shoes and trying to get them tied...I was just getting ready to go to help my parents build a new deck.) I had to also tell him that I was just getting ready to leave, but that he was welcome back anytime. He asked for my phone number, which I was immediately comfortable giving out, but we agreed that he would come back next weekend and talk.

As the situation ended and I closed the door, my heart was still racing. I was completely disturbed by the subconscious monster that reared up from the past as soon as a specific trigger was present. Knowing that the dogma of Christianity can still hold so much sway over my emotions is scary. I'm not sure whether the Baptist will come back this weekend. Although it was a pretty uncomfortable encounter, I have hope that he will return to challenge and hopefully help solidify my worldview. If he does return, he will probably feel the same way...

Hello

I have a couple other blogs that are topical, so I wanted to start this 'personal' blog for all the miscellany that doesn' t fit in the topical blogs. This is mostly my secular and atheistic musings; thoughts on philosophy, art, and culture, as well as anything interesting that catches my attention. (Since I live in a very religious country and city I'm inundated with religious ideology just about every day...)

For instance, I'm always hearing Christians talk about sin and being good, etc. But on the freeway, it seems that doesn't apply. I see a lot of cars with fish and crosses and Bible verses stuck on the back breaking like 5 traffic laws at once. Sure, there are cars without the stickers driving wildly as well, but then again they presumably aren't aware that God is watching them at all times.

So I started wondering, are traffic violations considered sins to God? Only if you're caught or cause an accident? Are Christians obligated to obey the law of the land, or only God's law? Since there is nothing about speeding and weaving on the freeway in the Bible, is it ok?

This led me to wonder about all those God stickers on people's cars, and also when people where a cross around their neck. If they are not willing to set them selves apart and actually behave better than rest of the populace, then what's the point of displaying the icon in the first place? You just taint the message of your religion by being a bad example of that religion's membership.

It's another small observation that validates the idea that morals don't come from God or religion at all, but from reasonable, rational human beings.