OK – I have no problem with people of faith at all. If anyone has a belief they strongly adhere to and which informs their life then fantastic. I just don’t agree with them and resent the fact that those views are always given credence and integrity by our institutions. As an Atheist, here are ten things about religion that I have a major problem with:
1. Dictatorship. Most religions presuppose a deity who is basically all watching and all knowing and judging. The ultimate Big Brother. Step out of line and you’re toast. That, and the fact we are all apparently born into sin and will die with our sins to answer for, makes it a pretty bad deal.
2. The Old Testament. Basically condones fratricide, genocide, slavery, incest, rape, murder and a few other nasty deeds in the name of religion. Please.
3. Proselytising for charity. If you care and want to help fantastic but don’t make it all conditional on faith or worship.
4. Miracles. Metaphors are fine, but don’t pretend that the universal laws are suspended just to make a point every now and again.
5. Denial. Of dinosaurs and the Earth being more than 6000 years old. OK maybe only the most extreme believers hang onto this but it is so irrational it undermines any attempt at serious debate.
6. Certainty. Anyone who has it is dangerous – and I include fellow atheists in that category. I admit I cannot prove non-existence of a deity but I happen to think that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof and the burden of that proof de facto rests with those who would use their belief to interfere in the lives of others.
7. Rituals. Some are fine – hatches, matches and despatches are social glue – but the high ceremonial extremes with incense, chanting and snake-wrestling are just plain silly and outdated in every form in every religion. Plays to the Paganism gene in us all and is just risible.
8. Sex obsession. Why is religion obsessed with sex – how you do it, who with and why? Celibacy, Virgin births and miraculous conceptions are in most religions proving, fairly clearly, that they were written by men with a fear of female reproductive organs.
9. Directives. Why does God hate Pigs so much? Why be even bothered what meat we eat? Our universe may be one of billions and our galaxy one of tens of billions all carefully designed and coordinated by someone who cares if we have pork for lunch? Honestly.
10. Subjugation. It’s a key objective in the Koran (convert, subjugate or destroy) and in the Old Testament. Religion has, for centuries, hindered scientific development. Without Islam the Arabs may have had the Internet by the 1800s at the rate they were progressing. Today whole societies are kept back by medieval doctrines and dogmas embarrassing to anyone of intelligence.
There – I feel better now!
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