Understanding Death

This post stems from a recent death of a motorcyclist near my home town. He ran off the road and was thrown from the bike. He was not wearing a helmet. He was pronounced brain dead at the hospital and a day later, was removed from life support.

It is a tragedy and many of my friends on Facebook were very close to him. My news feed has been filled with love for him, prayers for his family and one question. I have seen this question posed over 10 tens in the past 48 hours. WHY?

Why did someone who was kind die so young?
Why did a person who loved and was loved so much suffer a tragic end?

Religious people always look to the sky for some magic answer. In reality, death is something none of us can escape (yet). Without this cycle of life and death, our universe as we know it would not exist. Some people die of old age, some of cancer, some by the hands of others.

When you get down to the bottom of it, the answer to their question of "why" is simple: He wasn't wearing a helmet. The human skull is not evolved to sustain massive injury and doctors (not a god) were unable to save him. It may seem callous but it is reality. There is no alternate (supernatural) reason for his death. He made a mistake and unfortunately, paid with his life.

People have to start accepting the reality of death. Only then, can we truly celebrate life.

I've Been Challenged

Last night, I received a text from my best friend Katie*. (She was raised Catholic but is hanging onto her faith in the form of non-denominational mega churches.) Well, her fiance's brother (Jim) is a youth pastor and has apparently gotten wind that I am atheist. *cue creepy music* In the text, Katie tells me that Jim has a book for me and her to read and would "like to have a discussion" about it. The book? I don't Have Enough Faith To Be an Atheist.

First of all, I'm wondering about his motive. If he would like to discuss the book with someone of a different opinion, then I'm down. If he wants to pray over my head and hope to convert me to Christianity, then he is sadly fooled. I think the conversation he'd like to have with me can be done without reading that silly book.

Secondly, even the title of the book makes me think the author is full of shit and this book isn't meant for atheists but for people who are already slaves to their faith. I did a little bit of research on the book yesterday and as expected, its the same ole Christian nonsense. (Has anyone read it?)

As of now, I'm waiting to here back on a motive. I don't think he knows what he's getting himself into. I'm not the smartest person but I'm far from undereducated. Maybe I should warn him that I bring notes and credited sources! Lol

I'm also thinking of just telling him that we can have a friendly debate without the use of the above book. However, Id love to allow him to bring his own Bible and Ill bring mine...I've got a few questions for him LOL

*names have been changed for privacy 

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**Update** Well ladies and gents, I have some pretty interesting news. The y.pastor hasn't even read the book yet. He was hoping that we would all read it at the same time & then discuss it. (It really silly to recommend a "good book" without actually reading it first-though, this is what they do with their Bible every day) He has also stated that his goal is not to convert me but to have an open discussion and that he does have questions for me (I'm assuming "how do you believe life got here" sort of stuff) If he is sincere about not wanting to convert me, this should be an interesting dialogue.

I've recommended that if he really wants to discuss the book, we should break it down into sections and have multiple discussions like a book club of sorts. This would make it easier to discuss the topics layed out in the book:absolute vs. Relative truth, morality, evolution vs. Id, & the new testatment (the authors seem to steer away from talking of the ot but like to cherrypick their verses from it)

I'm waiting to hear back & see if everyone wants to do it that way...this book is like 400 freaking pages and I don't want to have to speed read lol :)

God is not Great: How Religion poisons everything

If you haven't bought this book, buy it. It is absolutely amazing! Not only should atheists read it but religious people as well. I lent it to my Christian aunt & uncle. I don't think they'll ever get to reading it.. As soon as I get it back in my hands, I intend on writing a review!

Church Leaders Behaving Badly

What is it with religious leaders and sexual misbehavior? It's not just in the Catholic church...everyday more and more of these stories are coming out.

Earlier this year, Stephen Wakefield, 25, was arrested for sexual solicitation a teenage girl. Wakefield worked at both the YMCA and as youth leader at Truth-Missionary Baptist church in Greenville, SC. He met the victim at the church. He was released on bail pending trail.

Only one month later, one fucking  month, he was arrested again for sex crimes. This time with a different girl through Facebook and texting. According to the news report, he sent pictures of his penis and taught the girl how to masturbate. He was released on bail with a court date pending.

Aren't these people supposed to be held to a higher standard? I mean, this guy was in charge of children. It's completely possible that there are more victims. What is the church doing about this problem? As far as I see it, they aren't doing shit about it. They ignore it and most will say he wasn't a "true" Christian. It makes them feel better inside while children are being touched by the people supposedly touched by god.

Raising Children

Raising a free-thinking child can be difficult in the southern United State. Fundamentalist Christians are everywhere, with their signs of hell and hatred. Most will shun you and your children once it is revealed you are not of the Christian faith. 

A few thoughts have been racing through my mind as I try to rehearse the conversations between my fundie family & I. I know there will be questions like, "How can you raise a child with morals? Morals come from God." Most of us know that this is not the case. Instead, our basic morality comes from within us. It is an innate survival skill passed along many generations. [I will assert here that pre-marital sex is not a moral dilemma but religious dogma.] 

The Golden Rule, "Treat others as you wish to treated." 

After rehearsing the conversations in my head, I decided to write it down. A mission statement, if you will, for my daughter.

"We are raising our daughter in a free thinking household. We are teaching her to think critically, not judgmentally. When it comes to doing the right or wrong thing, we look to our conscience and to the good of humanity. When it comes to history, we will teach her about how our forefathers passed on tales of mythical beings that lived in the stars and controlled the happenings of Earth.  We will show her the stories of different cultures and religions, including Zeus, Ra, Thor, Yahweh, and Allah. We will tell her that there are still people who worship these deities and they do so in a variety of ways. When we teach her about the Universe, we will look to science. When she is sick, we will turn to the science of medicine. We will not limit her knowledge because it goes against our own belief systems."

It is still a work in progress but hopefully it will help people see how a free-thinking household can benefit their child. Teaching open-mindedness can end the bigotry of the world. Teaching one religion, and only one, will only teach children to feel hatred [and in some cases, sorrow] toward other people. It is a closed minded way to view the world and I refuse to allow my daughter to take part in it.