I am not an Atheist - I am not a Fundamentalist
April 21, 2007
Atheism seems to be gathering more amplification online lately. Over at Digg.com, there have been quite a lot of topics posted on the issue of atheism. Unfortunately, there's been a negative side effect from this... inevitably, the comments on the topics turn into a war of words between those who believe and those who don't.
From my perspective, it seemed like a waste of time. You believe what you believe, and that's all there is to it. Then, an anti-atheist commented on a page I submitted to Digg.
The article I posted was a link to a website called BecomingHuman.org. It was an online interactive documentary on the study of evolution. I found it to be interesting, so I decided to submit the link.
Before I continue, let me explain my position on the issue of evolution. In my opinion, the theory of evolution has more credibility than the theory of intelligent design. I believe intelligent design is based on flawed logic - it's a blind attempt to prove a religious belief, with no signs of intentions to uncover any inconsistencies or irregularities. Evolution, on the other hand, is an established scientific theory that has a lot of concrete evidence that substantiates and justifies it.
So I posted the link with the description, "Because Intelligent Design is oh so lame". I intended it as humor, and nothing more. The submission didn't reach the first page, and only got 10 diggs - but I got one comment that dragged me into the whole war of words on religion.
The comment, made by bgbs (who I believe has since had their account suspended), stated, "You know, you can mock religion, but your atheism isn't far behind".
I found the comment humorous, because I'm not an atheist.
I'm Christian.
But let me clarify. I am a pro-faith but anti-fundamentalist Christian. I believe what I believe and that's all there is to it. There's no law that states because I identify myself as Christian that I have to accept certain flawed logic, such as intelligent design, as a part of my faith.
The fundamentalists in the world of Christianity have truly ruined the religion. & religion is very different from faith, which I will get to eventually.
The fundamentalists have traditionally used the religion as a stepping stone to control and power. It started with the consolidation of the Catholic Church centuries ago, and continues forward to this day. The religious establishment has become a foundation to focus on social conditioning and brainwashing.
For example, the New Testament focuses on the teachings of Christ, which advocates the philosophy that God is love. It also teaches us to be accepting and tolerant towards other people no matter what their background. No matter what the color of their skin is. No matter what their gender is. & no matter what their religion is.
It's that last sentence that shows how far from the initial philosophies that the churches have come. I very rarely see much tolerance towards other belief systems coming from the legalist-driven Christians, who have been conditioned to these behaviors themselves. Take for example this video:
This video is priceless simply because it is a key example of why people keep turning away from the church - it's because of fundamentalist morons brainwashed into "beating the Lord into everyone". Which is so not cool, and not what faith is about.
Religion and faith are two very different things altogether. There is a massive difference between the two. Faith is your own life path; religion is other people telling you how to follow your life path. Yet it is the fundamentalists (from all faiths mind you) that try to condition others into believing that faith and religion are synonymous. They're not.
As a matter of fact, this is why most fundamentalists can't stand me. I have some very alternative beliefs and takes on Christianity - and they're, for the most part, not accepting of the fact that someone who identifies themselves as Christian can have any alternative ideals whatsoever. My wife, on the other hand, is Wiccan. The differences in our faiths may seem vastly different, but it's never entered our minds to have a "You're wrong, I'm right" argument. We accept each other's chosen faiths and move forward.
As far as our kids are concerned, we've never forced any faith on them. We've encouraged them to talk to us, ask questions, research things for themselves.
Another thing that comes to mind is how rigid and serious people tend to be about their religious beliefs. People take great offense to jokes and parodies on religion (go watch some Monty Python for crying out loud, it will loosen you up). I happen to believe that if you can't laugh at your own faith, then you lose the ability to even take it seriously. Faith, no matter what your chosen path is, is meant to enrich our lives. It should be a part of our lives in both seriousness and in humor. Besides, the Bible teaches that humans (or more accurately, human capabilities) were created in the image of God. If we've got senses of humor, surely God has one too.
But nothing I say, or nothing anyone on this planet will say, will ever stop any war of words between people about faith. It's just a given on this planet, and an unfortunate one at that. Imagine if there was no need for a "you're wrong, I'm right" argument on religion. The world would be so much more of a better place to enjoy. The online war of words though, seems to just get worse. As a matter of fact, some of the insults flung by atheists in these discussions are no better or worse than those flung by ignorant fundamentalists.
At the end of the day however, as far as faith is concerned, whether you're a believer or an atheist, that is YOUR path, and YOUR choice, and no-one else's business but your own.
For example, the New Testament focuses on the teachings of Christ, which advocates the philosophy that 
As far as our kids are concerned, we've never forced any faith on them. We've encouraged them to talk to us, ask questions, research things for themselves.
