Thursday, September 30, 2010

Religion, Revisited

As per the norm, if you happen to be touchy, and become offended when people fart in your general direction, there's a wonderful site out there for you. It starts with 4chan.org/b and rhymes with b. I'm noting, as I read over the post again, that some non-touchy people may even be offended. Collateral damage, I suppose.

Atheists are doing something right if they don't follow religion, and yet are better at religion than anybody else. I'm citing the recent survey which found that atheists know more in general about religion than any other religious division.

Well, I don't know about you guys, but this outcome was expected for me. We've already lost in morals, ethics, and not being heathen blasphemers, so we've got to win at something. Why not religion? Atheists are already the most religious people out there, so why not win at something we've got a head start on?

Now, this study also provides enlightenment to some issues. There are those who say that atheism is in fact, a religion. Now, I don't know about you, but, isn't one of the main pillars of any religion believing in a deity? However, I'm inclined to give these blasphemers of atheism a second chance now that I've seen the facts. Roughly 15% of Americans don't know that atheists don't believe in any deity. This group consists of a bunch of ignorant or misled Christians, Muslims, etc., and one very, very confused atheist, who isn't quite sure why the local church won't let him in.

This study also shows that 92% of the surveyed did not know that Maimonides was Jewish. Now, I don't know about you guys, but this is shocking.

More shocking than all these combined

How could you not know this? He was born in the golden age of Jewish culture in Spain, for crying out loud! And he lived in Fostat, Egypt! This is a tragedy, that we would lose sight of such people in this day and age. Old people are still important!

Well, maybe not this guy. Sure, he fought in 'Nam and is now bravely
defending his lawn, but what does he do for society? Has he
saved any stray kittens lately? I think not!

And just for a final fact, 29% of the surveyed did not know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. I'm sorry, how does that hymn go?

"Jesus, my savior, to NYC came-"

Nope, that's not right.

"Jesus, my savior, to Beijing came-"

Not that one either.

"Jesus, my savior, to Bethlehem came-"

Nope.

"Jesus, my savior, to America came..."

That sounds about right. Because America is a Christian nation, and was founded as such.

So, as I close, as a word to all you fellow non-believers, hold steady in your unfaith, and have mercy on those who blaspheme so, for they are not so knowledgeable on such matters. Feel free to quote various religious texts, as well, whether or not they are outdated, or do not pertain to the matter at hand. Since when has relevance mattered?

12 comments:

  1. Atheism definitely is a religion. Most definitions are either a set of beliefs concerning the creation of the universe or the existence of a deity. Atheism has beliefs on both of those subjects, basically that the universe is all scientific and that there is no deity. But those are still beliefs about those topics, so it is a religion.

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  2. Oh crap, it's Anon!

    4chan aside, that's an interesting outlook. Personally, I make no concrete connection between science/Big Bang and atheism. While I don't represent one, it is possible (in my understanding of an atheist) for an atheist to disbelieve in a higher power and say, the Big Bang; I feel that atheism is the disbelief in a higher power, and nothing more than that. Many scientists are atheists, and many atheists believe in the Big Bang, but I do not believe that that makes the two eternally connected.

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  3. Ok, granted the science part was not necessarily atheist. But regadless of what an athiest believes or doesn't believe in, it's still a specific belief that is on the topic of creation, gods, and what we generally consider to be religion. The science point was not the main point, yet you ONLY mentioned that, probably trying to just point out flaws in what I said. :( But still I'm just trying to say that atheism is definitely a religion.

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  4. Probably the egomaniac in me coming out to pick on you. Apologies.

    I suppose it really comes down to how you'd want to look at it. Atheism, in the "mainstream" sense, is not a religion, but the fact that it does deal with an alternative perspective to gods, creation, etc, could qualify it to be religion; I can see where you're coming from.

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  5. Yeah, well I just think it should be considered a religion, personally, and just like it's annoying when people don't know the difference between agnosticism and atheism it's annoying when people don't make a distinction between atheism and not having a religion (which would essentially be just not caring about the creation of the universe or the existence of a god at all).

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  6. Ooooh! You have a convert.

    "when people don't make a distinction between atheism and not having a religion"

    *kowtows*

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  7. Wait convert to what? And is a kowtow that chinese respect thing?

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  8. kowtowing would be just that. Well, suddenly, what you're saying makes a lot more sense. As in, leaving room for a "null group". Perhaps I'm not interpreting this correctly, but I think what you're saying is that if a group has any stance on a higher power/creation of the universe, since it cannot be proven any which way, is a matter of faith to some extent at least, and thus a religion. And that the only way to not truly count as a religion is to not care/decide about those things as a whole.

    Have I got that right? And out of curiosity, which Anon is this? =)

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  9. Oh yes, I have successfully converted you to a new religious group of "I just don't really believe anything" even though I don't belong to that group really at all haha

    Oh and this anon is anon, that's all you need to know

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  10. Wouldn't that be nihilism?
    Never mind. I need sleep.

    Also, I'm on to you, Anon.

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  11. Did you actually know who Maimonides was?

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  12. Nope; looked him up after though.

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