A Typical Believer and A Spout of Hate

On June 2, 2012, a person who calls themself AtheistsAreDumb left the following comment for me on my post I Never Said It Would Be Easy. I was going to delete it but decided not to because I want all my readers to see just how ignorant this person is. Apparently they created their profile just for me, because it only had one page view and that was probably me! Their comment is in italics and my response will be in bold. I have not censored or left out anything they said.

People who claim to be "atheists" make me laugh because they have no idea what it means to truly be an atheist.

Wow, going to start it off by telling me what I know. Why don't you enlighten me?

If God does not exist, then there is no purpose to life and anything we do in this life is meaningless and has no value.

That is half true. There is no purpose to life, but why is that a bad thing? Anything we do is not meaningless. A kind deed is not meaningless to the person who received it.

We only exist because of random chance and chaos. Atheists think it's foolish to believe in God, but not foolish to believe that we evolved over the last few billion years from single-cell pond-scum organisms to advanced multi-cellular mammals, who can think and create and question, as a result of a BIG BANG.

Evolutionists have never taught and never will teach that we are the result of random chance. Atheists believe it is foolish to base your beliefs on blind faith and ignore this little thing called EVIDENCE.

That's like blowing up a printing press and expecting the works of Shakespeare or a dictionary to magically appear after 4.5 billion years go by...now who's the crazy one?!

It's funny you should mention magic... You believe that talking telepathically to your imaginary friend gives you the ability to alter the will of the great creator. You believe that a magical piece of fruit is the reason the world is full of evil. And you believe that a teeny boat was able to hold several million species of animals plus enough food for all of them for nearly two years. Um, you are the crazy one.

You believe that god has always existed. If you are going to use the argument from improbability, then you must realize that it backfires in your face because wouldn't a complex creator also need a creator? You can't use that argument because your own beliefs are disproven with it! May I refer you to an excellent article by Richard Dawkins on why this argument actually works in the favor of evolution and atheism? Who Owns the Argument from Improbability?

Since there is no God, you must believe in evolution, which means your distant relative is pond-scum (sounds about right).

Why are believers so hostile to non-believers? This person really emulates the example of Christ, does he not? Seriously, if all religion does is make people act like this condescending person, then NO THANKS! I'm good without a set of unproven superstitions that make people act like cave men.

It also means that there is neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, just survival of the fittest. Is it wrong when a lion kills a gazelle on the plains of the serengeti?! Not if you're an evolutionist, which you must be if you're an atheist.

Again, why is that a bad thing? Do you eat? If so, then YOU kill things to survive.

By your atheist standards, if someone hurts you or, even worse, kills you, they shouldn't be punished in any way because it's just evolution following its natural course. To punish them for the crime would be admitting that what they did was morally wrong, but if you are an atheist and therefore a true evolutionist, there is no right or wrong...only survival of the fittest.

You have a very fucked up view. You have this idea that an atheist has absolutely no morals and would slit your throat for $5. So are you telling me that murder is okay when god commands it, like he does in the Bible many times? There is right and wrong, and you, by hinting that I am pond-scum, are in the wrong. Again, very poor example from a believer. Your attitude is only further conviction that I made the right choice to say good-bye to god.

The funny thing is, if the whole world were to follow your line of thinking and come to their proverbial senses and stop believing in a so-called imaginary God, and we started following a true evolutionist belief system of survival of the fittest, all the jocks and body-builders of the world would kill off all of the science nerds of the world. Wouldn't that be special!

Ok, this is a very distrubing comment. The only people who hate science are the religious ones. Are you telling me that the only thing keeping you from committing genocide on the scientific community is your fear of hell? It almost sounds like you would be at the forefront of the war on science. I get this strange feeling that you would enjoy sinking your battle axe into the skull of a scientist. I daresay you border on religiously insane! I think the better religion for you would be Islam, where they go to church with machine guns!

Since I don't believe in hell, what is stopping me from waging war on religion? Nothing but my own sense of right and wrong! How many atheists in this world walk into churches and start blowing people away? NONE! How many religious people kill all the time? MANY! Can you honestly tell me that atheists, who are peace-loving and accepting, would cause the world to go to hell if there was no religion? It is religion and it's prejudices that will be the undoing of the human species! And your own comments prove it! It is you who has a blood lust for those who disagree with you!

Thank goodness for people of all religions who believe in a supreme being and life after this life and who believe in right and wrong and in choosing good over bad (for the most part) because it's the only thing preventing global genocide right now.

So you are claiming that the only thing keeping the people of the world from slaughtering each other is religion? I would contend the opposite. I contend that religion is one of the main reasons why people now and in the past have slaughtered each other. Shit, it's all over in the Bible (especially the Old Testament), god commanding "his people" to slaughter everyone else. The difference between my claim and your claim is that my claim is not based upon wishful thinking and unsubstantiated aguments. My claim is based upon history and current events.

You have no evidence for your claim. It's just your imagination... just like your god. This is so typical: religious people spouting their unsubstantiated doom and gloom as if it is factual.

Just wait a few billion years when lions learn how to develop nuclear weapons...then they'll really be king of the jungle and we'll be in trouble!

More doom and gloom. You really are off your rocker, dude. The next time you try to unload your hate on a believer of evidence, make sure you know your facts. If anything, religion will be the end of humanity. Religious people burnt many "witches" at the stake because they believed they had caused the Great Plague. The Catholic church teaches people in AIDS-ridden, African countries to not practice safe sex. How many wars have been fought and people killed in the name of your "merciful" god? Religion has done nothing but impede progress and keep people ignorant. You are living proof of that.

By the way, when lions can develop nuclear weapons, human beings will have developed technology that far exceeds it. So you just keep using unrealistic scenarios in your unrealistic world in order to defend your unrealistic set of superstitions.

The fruits of religion: Turning normal people into flaming psychopaths!

Oh the irony of people like this. They have this view that atheism makes people turn into mindless zombies who run around doing anything evil they can think of. The sad truth, is that it is almost always religious people who are causing the damage. Religious people often threaten the lives of non-believers.

I was driving down the freeway the other day and I noticed up on a hill that someone had put up a hand-written sign that read "Jesus Saves". It had ovbiously been there a while because it looked weathered. I got thinking that if someone was to put up a sign on the side of the freeway that said "Jesus Is A Myth", it would be taken down IMMEDIATELY! The religious people would quickly silence my right to express my views. I'm sure that many atheists have driven past that sign and not one of them has taken it down or vandalized it in any way. We respect their rights to express their views. All we ask is that you don't shove it on other people (like that will ever happen).

In fact, I blogged earlier about the billboard on the freeway in SLC about not believing in god. It is gone now, but shortly before it was replaced, I noticed that someone had splashed a bucket of paint on it. Yes, the religious people truly are intolerant. There are religious billboards all over SLC but not one of them is ever vandalized. If atheists really were the haters that everyone seems to think, then why is it the religious people who are doing all the hating?

Religious people claim to be all about love and yet they threaten people's lives if they dare disagree. Religious people claim to be all about free agency and yet seek to silence anyone who disagrees with them. Religious people claim to be all about everything the Bible says and yet most of them are complete hypocrites. Religious people murder abortion doctors.

It is religious people who cause the trouble of the world. How often do you hear about an atheist in the news for child rape? How many atheists go around removing religious signs reading "Jesus Saves"? How many atheists force their views on others with violence?

If religious people truly believed what they claim to believe, then they would be tolerant of those with differing opinions. Their own icon, Jesus, sat and ate with sinners while the Pharisees looked on and judged both Jesus and the people he ate with. Religious people today are no better than the Pharisees who think they are all high and mighty and better than everyone.

If there is a hell, this person called AtheistsAreDumb will be the first one there for hypocrisy, because that was one of the things which Jesus hated the most! All of these Bible-thumping psychopaths have NO IDEA what the message of Jesus even was. It's pretty sad when an atheist has to remind these people what their own hero taught them.

Isn't there a verse that describes these people perfectly? Oh yes, it is found in Mathew, Chapter 23. Jesus rips the scribes and Pharisees a new one! The whole chapter is awesome, but I especially like these:

Vs. 25: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Vs. 27: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

This commenter is not only ignorant about what atheists and science believe, but is no better than a Pharisee with a beam in his eye!

Why Follow the Rules?

Many people view atheists as people with no morals, no guidelines, and no respect for authority. I will contend that this is not correct. Atheists do have morals and follow rules.

There are two types of rule followers:

• Those that follow the rule because it is a rule
• Those that follow the rule because it has a good purpose

Most Mormons follow a rule because it is a rule. The reason for the rule does not matter, other than it's a rule. A few years ago, the profit came up with a new earring commandment, which stated that all LDS girls should only wear one earring per ear. Now, anyone with a teaspoon of common sense knows that there is absolutely no harm in wearing more than one earring. However, the Mormons follow this rule and look down upon those who don't. There is no reason for it other than it came from a leader. Breaking this rule has no consequences other than the judgment of fellow Mormons and the guilt of breaking it.

The same is true of mission rules. Most of the rules make no difference other way. For example, the rule to "never be alone" will hurt nothing if it is broken. However, missionaries follow this rule as if their lives depended upon it. There is no real reason for following the rule, other than the rule itself. There is no harm and no sin by being alone for 10 seconds. The only consequence of this rule is getting in trouble with your MP for breaking it. Other than that, it has no consequences.

Mormons follow rules because they are there. Many of them have no additional purpose or reason, other than to just put more restriction on your life. So the sin becomes breaking the rule and not whatever the rule forbade.

There are some rules that are good to follow that are taught by Mormonism.

Rule: Don't steal.

This is a rule that should be followed because it has a good purpose. Stealing is wrong. It can get you into trouble. It can lead to worse things.

Other rules that are good to follow because they have a good reason or purpose:

• No lying
• No killing
• Obey the law
• Be honest
• Live the Golden Rule
• etc.

These are all good rules to follow that Mormonism teaches. However, these rules are generally taught by all religions and all cultures. One does not need to be Mormon - or even be a believer - in order to know that these are good moral guidelines to live your life by.

So, are you a person who follows rules for the sake of the rule? Or do you live a rule because it has a reason or purpose?

Mormons will try to argue that all rules should be followed because they are given by a true profit. Sometimes the rule has no reason other than to test the people. Are they willing to follow a rule because it was given even if there is no apparent reason? It is a test to see who is truly willing to follow the council of a living profit.

I say that a profit isn't needed if you have enough brains to figure out for yourself what you should and shouldn't be doing without being babysat all the time.

A good example is the Word of Wisdom. It is true that tobacco and alcohol can be very damaging and life destroying if used in excess. However, these things can be fun and enjoyable if used with self control and moderation. Maybe it is a good idea for some people to abstain from alcohol altogether because they easily become addicted to it. That is a personal choice.

I really enjoy a good drink sometimes, but I know my limits and I make sure I have either arranged a ride or just drink at home when I have nowhere to be the next day. I drink very seldom. This is a rule I have made for myself, and I follow it because it is a good guideline for keeping me out of trouble (or out of jail).

Do you follow rules just for the sake of the rule?

I read a comment from a TBM once that really sums it up. It was so revealing that I put it on my sidebar in the "Quotes" section.

"If Jesus told us to brush our teeth with mud, I would do it!"

This person is a moron, but not an atypical Mormon. This is the Mormon attitude. If the profit tells you to jump off a cliff, you'd better be the first one jumping! Don't stop to ask why! Asking leads to doubt. Doubt leads to questioning. Questioning leads to seeking. Seeking leads to apostasy.

This is a path Mormons are never supposed to follow. The only thing they need to follow...

...IS THE PROFIT (and the pointless rules)! I say, turn your brains to the "on" position and live the rules that are most beneficial for you! If you know something will harm you, avoid it because of that reason, NOT because someone else told you to.

No thanks. I prefer to do my own thinking. And guess what??? I am just fine! I have been without the "guidance of the spirit" and the "council of a living prophet" for over 7 years now and my life is just fine. I live by my own set of rules and life is great.

Mormons love to be babysat. They love having someone else direct every detail of their lives. If you ever sit in a fast and testimony meeting, somone, without fail, will get up and state how they don't know where they would be without the church to guide them. That's just sad. So they are basically saying that they are too stupid to make their own life decisions. That might work for them, but not for me!

The more blindly and obediently you follow, the more Jesus will love you!

Discrimination Against Gay People Is Their Own Fault!

I was eating lunch with a friend the other day and somehow we got on the topic of homosexuals. This friend of mine is TBM, and I actually thought he was rather liberal in his views until this conversation took place.

It wasn't very long and I won't share all of it, but he basically said that gays were unhappy, miserable, and lost. They like to hate everyone and are always angry about something.

Wow! Wouldn't you be angry too if your rights were always being trampled by religious bigots? People like this spout their hate and intolerance and then wonder why the gays don't like it.

When you take someone and define them according to your standards, you shouldn't be surprised when they don't like it. But then, you turn around, because they don't like it, and use their "dislike" of YOUR actions against them as proof that their lifestyle makes them miserable. No, it is your intolerance and bigotry that causes them to have to defend themselves, which you then intrepret as anger and misery.

Example:

"My slaves are always complaining that they don't like being slaves. See what being black makes you do!"

Slaves are complaining because they are slaves. Skin color does not determine how much slavery you enjoy.

"The colonists don't like paying high taxes. See what being far away does to my subjects!"

The colonists complained about high taxes because they were high. Distance does not determine how much taxes you like to pay.

"Women are angry because they can't vote. See what being a woman makes you do!"

Women were angry because their right to vote was withheld. Your gender does not determine your ability to put a checkmark next to a name on a ballot.

"Gays are angry because they can't get married like us. See what being gay makes you do!"

Gays are angry because their rights are being trampled. Your sexual orientation does not determine the level of discrimination you are willing to endure.

Up until now, I held my friend in pretty high esteem. However, his words were so full of bigotry and hate that I don't know if I even want to be his friend anymore.

I Know An Ex-Mormon Who Was Offended

And she had a damn good reason to be.

In Utah, there are ex-Mormons everywhere. I run into them all the time and have good conversations with them.

Today I spoke with a woman who had left the church. We will call her Jamie. According to her, this is what happened.

Jamie moved into a new ward in one of the more wealthy areas of the Salt Lake Valley and was meeting the members. Her past ward was full of wonderful people and she had a bishop that she adored. She was expecting the same of the new ward.

Jamie's new Relief Society president anxiously welcomed her and immediately began to inform her of upcoming events, which were regularly held on several days of the week.

Jamie thanked her for the information and told RSP that she worked on many of those days and would not be able to make it to all of them but would attend as often as she could.

The RSP suddenly changed from a nice, smiling woman to a condescending snob and said, "Oh, you are a working mother."

She then turned her back on Jamie and walked away.

Yes, sometimes ex-Mormons leave the church because someone offended them. There is no excuse for the way this RSP handled the situation. I would have been offended too. I would have let that condescening bitch bask in all of her righteous glory... with me not there.