On Atheism

Just check my blog to get a new sermon of God.
Thanks. http://pastorspeech.blogspot.com/

Let me say that I am one progressive who does not fall into lockstep with Brian McLaren. He runs an operation that is a megachurch of which he is prime beneficiary. Too much star consciousness for me, and even though he employs a Bible as metaphor approach, his notion of text is as ill informed as the other megachurchers. In this matter, I'll take the so-called "athiests" any day as ministrants of the spirit in the world, for they speak prophetic words that need a hearing. They also stand for 'science' against a sentimental pseudo-science that has been orchestrated for fundamentalists by the Bush agenda.

Edmund Wilson, whose 'Letter to a Southern Baptist pastor' was referenced in CAP months ago, clearly makes the case that the church left him rather than he left the church, as he reaches for some rapproachment. He's willing to be the handmaiden of reaching out for fundamentalists to have a part of environmentalism &, thereby, a link to Science to mitigate the biblical literalism they are fed by their masters. I feel his position immensely, for it is also mine! Today, incidentally, the BBC has published the letters of Charles Darwin on-line as a service to learning & scholarship. This solid information itself can turn on its ear the pseudo-science of the fundies, and set at bay the "new sermon of God" types referenced in the above listing. The "Truth" needs to be set free from the charade of assault from the religous Right & especially for the powerless children whose only sin was to born into anti-intellectual parentage & eccesiology.

I went out into the cold of winter a few months ago to hear Ed Wilson & Harvey Cox dialogue in a lecture at the Free Library of Philadelphia. It was a sellout with much genuine interest. People would like a link to belief, if it could just be extended in an intellectually honest way. Next Tuesday night I will do the same but this time for Christopher Hitchens whose book may be railed against as "athiestic" by the malinformed with an agenda, but properly understood, this kind of thing makes belief possible as one keeps his head on rather than dispatches it to the scrapheap. We need these stalwarts badly to reach out to those younger citizens turned off by the implausibility of what passes for religion these days, megachurch popularity or not: apologetics if you will!

Rent the documentary JESUS CAMP if you will for a scary but true picture of the limits of dominionism & "winning back this nation to christianity." It would make any thinking person distance himself from religion & relegate Christianity to the scrapheap. Who wouldn't be alienated or become an instant "athiest"? But the word must be carefully weighed, not literally misunderstood as do literalists of the bible. Today also at the Cannes Film Festival the buzz was WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? by Reverend Billy (Bill Talen) who may have valid criticisms of materalism & consumerism in the U.S. but whose harlequin-like charades render that validity as hookum.If these types speak for us, who would not say he was an "athiest" just to separate himself from the fringes of faith?
5/16/07

Maybe to make it simpler, keep Religion and politics, separate could that have been the PARABLE Jesus, was trying to get across when he asked who's picture is on the coin, give unto Bush what is his and give unto God what is his. God hates money and those who love the old dollar

I think that todays atheist are becoming more hostile and draconian. Not only do they want religion out of their lives,but they want it out of politics, govt. school and any public place.
These atheist have a agenda hostile to any religion in any persons life. This is probably an overreaction to the dogma of fundamentalist, conservative churches who insist the Bible is always completely correct in every aspect and must be interpreted literally. Anybody with the
good sense knows that the bible is a book of metaphors, anologies, parrabels, and legends.
With these two radical groups going at it, chanches for peace and harmony are nil. The Bible is a book about spirituality and moral behaviour.
Because of the controversy we wind up with anger, resentment, and interference in other people lives. Both sides trying to force their
views on everybody else. Jesus Christ was about
love your neighbor, we have so little of that today. It's either my way of hit the highway attitude that is pulling America apart.

It's not the atheists - it's the utter ignorance of religion since the subject was taken out of our public school systems 100 years ago. People don't understand why religion is so important to humanity. It's also important to remember, as you are saved out of a toxic dogma, to contribute real reform, which unites and heals, and not just revolt, which brings more division.

I'm an outspoken atheist because religion is tax exempt, and using its deep pockets to influence politics. The inexcusable attitude towards Africa and AIDS, the stalling of stem cell research, the deterioration of women's rights, the attempts to hijack the educational system, the expensive and counter productive war on drugs... all these things are enough for me to stand up and should "Enough is enough."

I noticed anti-science people are always religious. Only religious people deny evolution is a fact. Only religious people yell at science teachers. The Magic Man belief is only good for spreading ignorance and violence. The solution is obvious - throw out all religions and throw out imaginary worthless gods.

I usually find that the God most athiests don't believe in, I don't believe in either.

Mclaren hits the nail on the head! Atheists see the bad things (while ignoring the good things) religion does and that gives them reasons to want to get rid of it. The "New" Atheists want a death match between believers and non-believers. Their agressive atheism makes believers more reactive and defensive and non-believers more arrogant and hostile. It would be so much better if atheists and religious moderates found common ground and worked together against a common foe--the Religious Right.

Myself, I think this is a good post. I'm not someone who can be tied down to any one belief, spiritually; I'm a sort of hodgy-podgy mix of atheism/agnosticism/Buddhism/Deism/Jainism and on and on and on.

As far as the 'new' atheists go, really, I think it's a reaction to the creeping overzealousness, of late. They've grown increasingly angry, as you guys have, at the religious right, with good reason (we can both agree. It's like something out of Happy Feet, innere!).

Good site, btw.