People Killed in the Name of Atheism: Ø

My buddy-blogger BadTux the Snarky Penguin had a post the other day in which he identifies the number of atheists who have killed "defending" their "religion" is exactly zero:

The same, alas, is not true of organized religion. A bunch of right wing Christianists (when Atlas Juggs blogger Pam Geller [I LOVE that] is involved, you know it’s batshit crazy Christianists) chummed for Islamist extremist in Garland, Texas. They got their wish — a couple of ISIS wanna-bes tried to crash their party, and got shot down for their trouble by the cops waiting in ambush.
At this point I’m completely puzzled as to why atheism has a bad name in America. The number of atheists who’ve blown themselves (and others) up in defense of their faith is… uhm…. zero. The number of atheists who’ve engaged in or attempted mass shootings in defense of their faith remains… uhm… zero. The number of atheists who’ve used their faith as an excuse to conquer other nations remains… erm… zero. The number of atheist pedophiles who’ve had their crimes covered up by their faith remains… erm… zero. The same cannot be said of virtually every organized religion on this planet, almost all of which have been used as excuses for conquests, bombings, shootings, pedophilia, slavery, genocide, or worse at some point in time.

So why is it that the religious wackos get their panties wadded up more about atheists than pretty much anyone else? I think that it's because they feel, deep down in their heart of hearts, that they know we are right, and if they give in to their natural inclinations in that direction, they won't feel the impulse to kill someone in the name of God any more. Can't have that shit.

Of course there are people who argue the point of God's existence who imply (I've heard them say it) that only the fear of hellfire and damnation is what is keeping them from opening up with an AK-47 on a bunch of... well, gays, or Democrats, or Socialists or Liberals -- maybe even atheists, I'd guess. Yeah, that's one fine loving and forgiving Supreme Being you've got there, guys. Who wants to believe in a fucked up God that would judge all that killing so harshly when one of his disciples is doing it, but who is extremely fine with it when He wants to slaughter a bunch of innocents himself? How can you even trust, let alone "love", that kind of God? As I've said before, that guy is actually a bit of a dick.

Would You Do It?

One of my favorite aphorisms is that good people will pretty much always do good; it takes religion to really fuck things up.

Think about this the next time one of those crazy-assed Fundos starts yapping about this country being founded on and based on "Judeo-Christian" morality, blah blah blah.

One of my favorite blogs, Defaithed posits a very simple question for those True Believers in the morality dictated by the One True God:

How do we get "morality" from a God who orders his followers again and again to execute people for things we don't even consider crimes (homosexuality, adultery, disrespect to parents, etc.); to slaughter cities full of people including women, children, and infants (except for virgin girls, who are to be saved for rape); to keep slaves; etc. etc.? How can the believers claim "Biblical morality", when they themselves knowingly refuse to follow such commandments?
I think the common response will be, "Well, that was the Old Testament; it was appropriate for those people then, but doesn't apply to us. Jesus changed all that... (yadda yadda)". In your experience, is that the usual response?
If so, here's what I'd love to ask in reply:
We may not be living under Old Testament law, but let's say we were. If you were one of the "chosen people" back in Old Testament days, and God commanded you to butcher the women and children of the neighboring city, and rape the tribe's virgins, and burn alive the priests of another god, and slit your firstborn's throat as a test of faith.... would you do those things?
It's not a purely imagined question. A challenge like "Would you start nuclear war if God told you to?" could be brushed off as unrealistic: "God would never ask such a thing". But not the above atrocities; according to the believers, God did demand those very things! And with his ways all mysterious and unknowable, he could surprise us all and demand them again - maybe even tomorrow. Either way, I ask the believers: Would you do it?
I'm really curious as to how they'd respond, as any answer is a loser. To say "No, I wouldn't do it" is to utterly reject "Biblical morality"; it's to admit that God's commandments are themselves immoral. Whereas to say "Yes, I'd do it" is to reveal one's self as a despicable monster with no claim to any morality whatsoever. (Meanwhile, the atheist easily stands on moral bedrock with a reply of "God or no God, of course I'd never do it!".)

He's right. These are not merely academic debating points, not just the innocuous topics of college dorm bullshit sessions. The Xian god, time after time, ordered the wholesale slaughter of the innocents, the total genocidal obliteration of whole peoples, and his followers actually did it! Willingly and blindly.

Remember when Pat Robertson made his abortive run at the presidency a number of years back? He actually said something to the effect that if god willed that he win the office, he would, if god ordered it, push the nuclear button and bring on Armageddon.

And that in itself is one of the biggest, strongest and most persuasive arguments I can think of for ensuring that we maintain the total separation of church and state in this country.

The Religious Right: They Just Don't Get It

I got another email from my wackjob wingnut religious freak cousin this morning. Strangely, I find myself actually, in a weird car-wreck-on-the-freeway kind of way, looking forward to seeing them.

This one claims (falsely of course) that an NBC poll is absolute proof that 86% percent believe in keeping god in the American culture and the rest of us don't count for shit:

I'll bet this was a surprise to NBC....
NBC POLL
Do you believe that the word God should stay in American culture?
NBC this morning had a poll on this question. They had the highest Number of responses that they have ever had for one of their polls, and the Percentage was the same as this:
86% to keep the words, IN God We Trust and God in the Pledge of Allegiance
14% against
That is a pretty 'commanding' public response.
I was asked to send this on if I agreed or delete if I didn't ..
Now it is your turn. It is said that 86% of Americans believe the word God should stay.........
Therefore, I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a mess about having 'In God We Trust' on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Why is the world catering to this 14%?
AMEN!
If you agree, pass this on , if not, simply delete.
In God We Trust

And, if that weren't enough, it was accompanied by a painting of the Lamb of God looking a lot like, of all people, Brad Pitt! Needless to say, I didn't actually pass this on. Except to all of you by posting it here.

Oddly enough, these are the same people who would say, if you put it to them in a way they could understand, that the United States is not a democracy because of the danger of "mob rule". You know, like your mother used to say, "if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?"

They just can't stand the thought of anyone who thinks differently from them having any rights at all. This is the mindset that will gladly usher in a millennium of dictatorial theocracy -- just as long as the right god is being worshipped.

Can you say Dominionism? I knew that you could...