Perhaps it’s time for me to use my own voice. Maybe post my own words? My own thoughts? But then the question becomes: where do I begin? Should I create a mission statement? The truth is, I don’t have a mission statement. As yet, I don’t really have a purpose or an agenda driving this website. So, for now, it shall exist as a miscellaneous collection of rants, raves, musings, and quotes. Such as this one:
In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.
-Hunter S. Thompson
So what shall be the point of this post, then? Why not dive into the deep-end and have a little chat about religion? Religion has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Not because I’m considering becoming a “born-again Christian” (One of the silliest terms I have heard – how do you go through the birth process again? Once you’re out of the womb, you’re out. There’s no going back). Actually, religion has been weighing on my mind for quite the opposite reason. A few months ago I finally decided to jump on the Atheist bandwagon.
And why not? Most Western religions got their footing through the masses jumping on the bandwagon. Catholicism started with the Romans following the elite classes away from Polytheism and embracing the Monotheism encouraged by the Bible. All of the variant sects of Christianity began in the 16th century when Martin Luther created a schism with the Church that, once again, benefited the elite society. Why should Atheism be any different? Why can’t there be an Atheist bandwagon, on which the masses jump as they embrace logic and reason? Why not?
I’ve been firmly opposed to the concept of religion since high school and an Agnostic since my second year of university. I wasn’t really ready to let go of the ideas of spirituality – the higher-being, the “big picture”, the afterlife. I needed these things to help me cope with the death of my 20 year-old cousin who was killed by a drunk driver. I needed to believe that there was a reason behind his promising life being cut short, and that maybe he continued living in a disembodied sort of way, still able to make a difference. However, with time comes reason, and while his death still hurts, I’m okay with admitting that he’s dead. Just dead, not in heaven, not floating around the Earth making a difference in other peoples’ lives. His atoms are still floating around somewhere in the universe, yes, but he isn’t. And I’m okay with this.
What pushed me over the proverbial edge, causing me to take that final step and identify as an Atheist isn’t all that clear to me. I’ve been harbouring a growing appreciation for science, yes. I’ve also been re-reading Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion and listening to Tim Minchin’s beat poem “Storm”. However, I’ve always appreciated science, despite resigning myself to never being able to understand it; I read The God Delusion shortly after it first came out; and I had listened to “Storm” almost ad nauseam whilst remaining an Agnostic. So why did I finally jump ship?
The evolution of reason and logic, I suppose.
Perhaps my conversion to Atheism stems from my distaste in the violence and hypocrisy that exists in religion. Or at least Western religion. The concept of religion, and its actual historical practices just don’t jive. On one hand, we have the holy figures preaching love, acceptance, tolerance, and peace. The other hand is far more nefarious as it calls the parish to war, condemns those who differ, burns those who cannot be explained, and shuns those who dare to disagree. If the Church were one of its parishioners, it would be going straight to hell in a whiskey bottle.
This, however, only explains my fervent distaste of the Church and organised religion on the whole. What about the disbelief in God? Maybe that stems from my ever-growing understanding and appreciation for science? Or, as I said before, with age comes a more mature form of logic and a greater ability to apply and apprehend one’s reasoning skills. Or maybe I’m just being far too analytical.
I had therefore to remove knowledge, in order to make room for belief.
-Immanuel Kant
If I take Kant’s view, than perhaps I’m too stubborn and too selfish to be willing to make room for faith or religion. I just find knowledge too precious, too exciting to be willing to sacrifice it in the name of “faith”.
Or maybe I’m just jumping on the bandwagon.
