In Praise of Atheism

I am a fervent atheist, though I haven't written about this as much as I have other subjects. This is because 1.) I usually focus on my rarer and more controversial ideas and 2.) I'm not truly "anti-religious," and don't wish to give unnecessary offense.

But I'm not going to let that keep me from stating my beliefs, which are likely to give offense. Repressing atheism and propping up the mythologies that are religions in most parts of the world, especially the more literate parts, always took a good deal of strong-armed state intervention: often torturing free-thinkers and atheists to death.

This repression was much easier when issues like the origin of human life were unknown(though quite a struggle was made by the Catholic church to keep the sun revolving around the earth.) But science has now long since proven many truths which are incompatible with religion, and shown that the sacred texts are full of inaccurate beliefs of their day(like the sun revolving around the earth.)

Examples of these truths are that humans evolved from ape-like ancestors and that we were only the winners in an evolutionary struggle between many tool-using hominids such as homo-erectus(Did these extinct species have souls?) Then the universe is gigantic and full of sun-like stars that undoubtedly have life and even intelligent life... all this in the very heavens that was supposed to contain the angels and after-life.

Yet various factors, especially in the U.S.A., have allowed religion(in increasingly bad forms) to continue its repressive rule over society. And those who can no longer subscribe to a conventional religion, and many who do, now talk about "spirituality" as though that were a different and better thing.

The real issue is not whether one worships Christ, Mohammed, Hari Krishna or a mixture of Buddhism and astrology: the issue is whether one is a rational or educated person. A person is not educated because they work and conform their way to a P.H.D.: a person is educated if they have some understanding of the world, have read and understood some books, and are able to use some level of reason to analyze difficult questions and come to the correct conclusions.

And all truly educated and rational people(though they pump gas for a living,) have long since become atheists. Unfortunately, far too many are closet or quiet atheists: perhaps have a piece of the pie and don't want to take any risks.

In conclusion, if you sense some bitterness, it's because I have long been an educated, rational, and intelligent person... who has found it impossible to succeed in American society(only to have superstitions pushed on me every time I turn around, even in the government sphere.)

And I write and write my ideas and get them into the newspapers and yet there's no response. I've come to realize this is largely because the populace is ignorant and untrained in reason. And I believe that the forces of religion, along with all the intelligent people who aid and abet them, are largely responsible.