By WizenedSage (Galen Rose) ~
I am so damned sick of the lies, deceptions, and privileged status of religion!
Some days I just feel like screaming out my window that famous line from the movie Network, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
Just listen to this crap:
Christians love to remind us of God’s love and compassion for mankind. Here are a few more verses attesting to the infinite love and compassion of god:
Prayer changes what? That’s right, nothing.Now imagine the young boy bent over, being sodomized to the point of bleeding for the n’th time by his priestly rapist, sobbing and praying in silence, “Dear god, please, please, please make him stop; it hurts really, really bad! I promise I’ll be good and I’ll never, ever tell, just like he told me not to. Please, god, please, please!”
And the prayer changes what? That’s right, nothing. And such a scene is often enabled by society’s widely held assumption that “men of the cloth” are “god fearing,” moral experts and thus trustworthy. They are often considered simply above suspicion.
So why do such scenes happen, over and over? To claim there must be some greater good in god’s plan to let this child be raped without interference is simply absurd. To believe that the rape of a child could somehow be a good thing in god’s eyes just shows how religion can support and perpetuate a seriously warped and depraved sense of morality. The theory that a compassionate god exists and watches over us is refuted by the facts, over and over, every day, and in many ways. That people still cling to this myth is a measure of just how great is the fear of god and hell that has been driven into them by clergy and the Bible. Clearly, religion is a destructive impediment to genuine, humane morality.
And the fact that their religion is a comfort to many is beside the frickin’ point. How can preserving an individual’s comfort be more important than eradicating a philosophy which envelopes millions in guilt and fear and perverts the moral sensibilities of our society? A child may cry as she gets her basic inoculations, but we must ignore her discomfort for the greater good of a healthy society. And we must try to inoculate the rest of society with doubt, and with reason, despite their protestations, to slow the spread of religious gullibility.
I am an atheist activist and I shall continue to be outspoken because I think it’s important, extremely important. If I disturb someone’s comfort, that’s just too damned bad. It’s my world too, and I’m fed up with the purveyors of superstitious nonsense ruining it for the rest of us. And I’m downright incensed at the way children’s minds - and bodies - are defiled by religion and its spokesmen.
If we truly want change, if we are going to insist on it, then we must take the words of that hero in Network to heart:
Some days I just feel like screaming out my window that famous line from the movie Network, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
Just listen to this crap:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)What a nice thought, huh? If you don’t think too deeply on the fact that it’s still a sickening human sacrifice.
Christians love to remind us of God’s love and compassion for mankind. Here are a few more verses attesting to the infinite love and compassion of god:
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalms 34:18 NIV)
“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Psalms 86:15 NIV)
“The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” (Psalms 103:6 NIV)And, of course, we are told that the children are special to Jesus:
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matt. 19:14 NIV)Wow! It sure looks like those in desperate places can really count on god and Jesus, doesn’t it? Well, take a deep breath. . .
Prayer changes what? That’s right, nothing.Now imagine the young boy bent over, being sodomized to the point of bleeding for the n’th time by his priestly rapist, sobbing and praying in silence, “Dear god, please, please, please make him stop; it hurts really, really bad! I promise I’ll be good and I’ll never, ever tell, just like he told me not to. Please, god, please, please!”
And the prayer changes what? That’s right, nothing. And such a scene is often enabled by society’s widely held assumption that “men of the cloth” are “god fearing,” moral experts and thus trustworthy. They are often considered simply above suspicion.
So why do such scenes happen, over and over? To claim there must be some greater good in god’s plan to let this child be raped without interference is simply absurd. To believe that the rape of a child could somehow be a good thing in god’s eyes just shows how religion can support and perpetuate a seriously warped and depraved sense of morality. The theory that a compassionate god exists and watches over us is refuted by the facts, over and over, every day, and in many ways. That people still cling to this myth is a measure of just how great is the fear of god and hell that has been driven into them by clergy and the Bible. Clearly, religion is a destructive impediment to genuine, humane morality.
And the fact that their religion is a comfort to many is beside the frickin’ point. How can preserving an individual’s comfort be more important than eradicating a philosophy which envelopes millions in guilt and fear and perverts the moral sensibilities of our society? A child may cry as she gets her basic inoculations, but we must ignore her discomfort for the greater good of a healthy society. And we must try to inoculate the rest of society with doubt, and with reason, despite their protestations, to slow the spread of religious gullibility.
I am an atheist activist and I shall continue to be outspoken because I think it’s important, extremely important. If I disturb someone’s comfort, that’s just too damned bad. It’s my world too, and I’m fed up with the purveyors of superstitious nonsense ruining it for the rest of us. And I’m downright incensed at the way children’s minds - and bodies - are defiled by religion and its spokesmen.
If we truly want change, if we are going to insist on it, then we must take the words of that hero in Network to heart:
“All I know is first you’ve got to get mad! You’ve got to say I’m a human being, goddammit! My life has value . . . I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”Apathy and misplaced tolerance change nothing, but anger can and does change the world!
COMMENTS