By Carl S ~
Do fundamentalist Christians buy vibrators, condoms, birth control pills, pornography? Amazon, ebay, Paypal and Home Shopping Network won't tell. Do they have abortions? But they'll show up in force when they want to make public statements against their own personal choices. After mass tragedies, families and community members buy huge amounts of stuffed animals and flowers, purchased in mourning, to honor the victims. Those are primal responses, originating long before the burial practices of ancient Egypt! And not one Christian is aware the pagans initiated this response: toys and implements were originally buried with the deceased to be used in their afterlives. Now, thousands of years later in a market economy, lamentation, grief, and loss are sales opportunities for businesses taking advantage of the lucrative business of religion. (Doesn't this remind you of Christmas?) After these things, comes the ceremonial praising of a god by survivors, the prattle of victims being “in a better place, with God, becoming angels.” It's no wonder why a non-believer invented the Celebration of Life to be used in place of religious ceremonies.
With or without religions, we act from our nature, despite every attempt by religion to control it. Our lives do not require merely existence, but need experimentation, so we make a lot of junk, like belief systems, before we arrive at something workable. Humans became pawns to religions as soon as they created them. When creators think they have mastery over them, things get seriously out of control. This is bound to happen, since doctrines are gambling ventures contrary to our nature. This happens despite the fact life itself is usually gambling. In order to survive, we just can't help but tempt fate or thwart the wills of gods.
Life is good when we experiment with it. This goes beyond mere temptation. As children, we see how far we can push a parent before we get a reaction. You may steal a candy bar from the store, eat a forbidden fruit to find if it makes you wiser. You might experiment by using any way possible to get solutions for diseases defying our best efforts at eradication. It's called science, derived from “scientia,” meaning: “to know.” The pompous clergy, who condemn scientists, are getting the best of what science has to offer in medical care and technology. No prayer healing or low-tech broadcasting for them!
With or without religions, we act from our nature, despite every attempt by religion to control it.When you got sexually involved for the first time with the right or wrong person, ignoring the warnings of your religion, (touted as that big part of your “whole life”), was it terrible, that “loss of innocence?” Your religion tells you humans were punished by being expelled from an earthly paradise of Eden. So? We're not cut out for a protected “Eden” existence; we'd be bored to death! We dare to “sin.” So? We lie - sometimes we need to lie to find out what's true, just by observing nature alone. So? We notice sex is essential for emotional health; virginity's just a phase. You got a problem with that? Clerics lie continually; their followers don't have a problem with that.
Experimenting can get you mixed up in the wrong crowd, but, if you choose your terms, may cause you to reject them and head for the healthy lifestyle. Experimenting with blasphemy and pornography, like experimenting with new musical forms and writing styles, seems inevitable when they succeed. We tempt life, we mold and manipulate it, (like every other animal does, and in ways no other animal can).
Despite centuries of propaganda trying to convince everyone there's a god involved in every aspect of life, we are left with: shit happens. In the common everyday world, how do people act? According to Annie Laurie Gaylor, most people live as if they're atheists. No religion necessary. No creed. So?
With or without religions, we act from our nature, despite every attempt by religion to control it. Our lives do not require merely existence, but need experimentation, so we make a lot of junk, like belief systems, before we arrive at something workable. Humans became pawns to religions as soon as they created them. When creators think they have mastery over them, things get seriously out of control. This is bound to happen, since doctrines are gambling ventures contrary to our nature. This happens despite the fact life itself is usually gambling. In order to survive, we just can't help but tempt fate or thwart the wills of gods.
Life is good when we experiment with it. This goes beyond mere temptation. As children, we see how far we can push a parent before we get a reaction. You may steal a candy bar from the store, eat a forbidden fruit to find if it makes you wiser. You might experiment by using any way possible to get solutions for diseases defying our best efforts at eradication. It's called science, derived from “scientia,” meaning: “to know.” The pompous clergy, who condemn scientists, are getting the best of what science has to offer in medical care and technology. No prayer healing or low-tech broadcasting for them!
With or without religions, we act from our nature, despite every attempt by religion to control it.When you got sexually involved for the first time with the right or wrong person, ignoring the warnings of your religion, (touted as that big part of your “whole life”), was it terrible, that “loss of innocence?” Your religion tells you humans were punished by being expelled from an earthly paradise of Eden. So? We're not cut out for a protected “Eden” existence; we'd be bored to death! We dare to “sin.” So? We lie - sometimes we need to lie to find out what's true, just by observing nature alone. So? We notice sex is essential for emotional health; virginity's just a phase. You got a problem with that? Clerics lie continually; their followers don't have a problem with that.
Experimenting can get you mixed up in the wrong crowd, but, if you choose your terms, may cause you to reject them and head for the healthy lifestyle. Experimenting with blasphemy and pornography, like experimenting with new musical forms and writing styles, seems inevitable when they succeed. We tempt life, we mold and manipulate it, (like every other animal does, and in ways no other animal can).
Despite centuries of propaganda trying to convince everyone there's a god involved in every aspect of life, we are left with: shit happens. In the common everyday world, how do people act? According to Annie Laurie Gaylor, most people live as if they're atheists. No religion necessary. No creed. So?
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