"Sick and tired of god-stuff" shared blog post

Sorry if I come across as the "angry atheist" today. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I happily coexist with people of various religious backgrounds. Sometimes we even learn something from one another, and I really enjoy it. Many of my Christian friends give me the same respect that I give them...we are not trying to "convert" each other to another way of thinking, and we focus on our commonalities instead of nitpicking at our differences.

At other times, I find myself dumbfounded by lack of respect (often the other person doesn't even REALIZE they are being disrespectful or coming across as extremely judgmental). Earlier this week, I was given the oft-touted sanctimonious proclamation of "I'll be praying for you" that I've received from many PoF's...simply because I don't believe the same things they do. It's implied that my belief system is a reviled illness that needs to be cured or "prayed away."

In light of my frustration and the fact that I am currently fed-up with the double standard, I read a blog post that resonated with me today...and I thought I'd share. The take-home message is this:

So yes, I am sick and tired of god stuff. Sick and tired of god-stuff always being thrust into the middle of everything. I don’t care if you believe in one or twenty gods, I’ll even drive you to your church if you need a ride. I’ll fight for your right to attend the church of your choice. But I expect you to give me the same respect as a person that you demand from me, and which I willingly give you. That is all I expect. Is that really too much to ask?

Check it out:

Sick and tired of god-stuff

Is it Our Patriotic Duty to Pray Today?

You'd probably have to be living under a rock if you aren't aware that today is the United States' National Day of Prayer. And you've probably been wearing earplugs and blinders if you haven't noticed someone complaining about the way it's being held (or that it's being held at all). There are just a couple things I wanted to point out today...

First, President Obama is taking flak from all sides on this. The secular folks are annoyed with Obama for signing the proclamation making this the official NDoP, in spite of the April 15th ruling by a federal judge that the NDoP is unconstitutional. The supporters of the National Day of Prayer are up in arms because while he signed the proclamation, he didn't hold a NDoP service in the White House. Additionally, Obama changed the wording of the proclamation to include (*gasp!*) secular people as well as those who are religious:

I call upon the citizens of our Nation to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God's continued guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us. [emphasis mine]

Was Judge Crabb correct in her ruling? I think so. I'm no Constitutional lawyer, but her reasoning seems sound to me. Only time (and the appeals process) will tell how this will all pan out. Was Obama's decision to sign the proclamation and hold a NDoP anyway a good one? I don't know. It seems like he's trying to give a little on each side, trying to please everyone...and he's wound up pleasing almost noone.

The second noteworthy point is in regard to the way in which the most outspoken advocates of the NDoP ignore the fact that church/state separation isn't just to benefit secular Americans. It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't realize that the same amendment that mandates separation of church and state also protects THEIR rights to worship in whatever way they choose. Many Christians seem to think it's just a reflection of modern society trying to "remove God from all aspects of public life." They don't realize how important that clause is in protecting the religious freedoms THEY find so important.

[blogger's edit: A Facebook friend of mine disagreed with Obama's decision to NOT host a ceremony in honor of the NDoP. She referred to people's "church/state separation" argument as being unimportant (or "blah blah blah") compared to the long-standing tradition of the event. I removed her direct quote at her request, as she felt she was being mocked. That was not my intention.]

It's no secret that I'm a supporter of the separation of church and state (you know, that "blah blah blah" my friend was referring to)...as our founding fathers were...and as any thinking person *should* be. The reality is that if the first amendment separation is not upheld, there is nothing stopping the establishment of ANY religion in this country. In the not too distant future, if current religious trends continue, Christianity will no longer be the religion of the vast majority that it is today. In that new "minority" environment, will Christians be so willing to allow another religious doctrine to become the government-sanctioned one?

The ruling Judge Crabb made not only prevents the United States government from sanctioning a National Day of Prayer, it also prevents it from sanctioning something like a National Day of Blasphemy, or a National Day of No Prayer. This excerpt from her ruling says it all:

...No one can doubt the important role that prayer plays in the spiritual life of a believer. ...However, recognizing the importance of prayer to many people does not mean that the government may enact a statute in support of it, any more than the government may encourage citizens to fast during the month of Ramadan, attend a synagogue, purify themselves in a sweat lodge or practice rune magic. In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray.

I should also mention something that will probably surprise most of my Christian friends...I absolutely support the right to have a Day of Prayer! If all the Christians in the country want to designate the first Thursday in May as the National Christian Day of Prayer...by all means, organize and DO it! Likewise to any other religious or non-religious group that wants to institute a National Day of...ANYTHING. Just don't expect the government of this country (the government that represents ALL of us, even the 15% who identify ourselves as "not religious") to sanction it. That is the problem that most objectors have with the whole thing...it's not the prayer itself, just that it's expected to be sanctioned by the government.

I believe the most important thing to consider in all of this is the reason for the National Day of Prayer. What is its intended purpose? I imagine it was meant to bring people together to evoke positive change. The reality of the situation is that it has just become another point of contention, and has further divided the population of this country. As Carol Everhart Roper wrote in an article for the Philadelphia Freethought Examiner: "ANY TIME that a ‘national’ event causes our citizens to divide themselves into groups categorized by beliefs, race, etc, one really cannot call it a UNITY event."

Her suggestion was that, instead of a National Day of Prayer, "we celebrate a National Day of Awareness – rather than praying, reach out to someone who is different than you – and find some solidarity and common ground between you. THAT would be a tribute to this great country."

Book Review: I Sold My Soul on eBay: Viewing Faith through an Atheist's Eyes by Hemant Mehta

As an avid reader of Hemant's blog for the past year or so, I thought it was about time I read the book that catapulted him to semi-celebrity status. I checked it out of the local library a couple days ago, and it was a surprisingly quick read. It was not at all what I expected (somehow I expected a humorous, slightly irreverent book directed toward an atheist audience...I was wrong), but I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. The book is actually published by a distributor of Christian books, and the text and tone makes it obvious that the intended audience is a Christian one.

Hemant's journey began when he, an atheist and former Jainist, expressed his curiosity about the Christian faith. He wondered if there was something he was missing; questions about God that could be answered through a worldview he had not yet explored. He decided to visit churches and document the process so that others could view and comment on what he was doing. He knew that, in order to get the feedback he was looking for, he would need to publicize his activity. To this end, he advertised on eBay: "Send an atheist to his local church!" For each $10 bid by the winner, Hemant promised to attend one church service. The eventual winner was Christian author and former pastor, Jim Henderson. They agreed that Hemant would attend 15 church services, blog about his observations on Henderson's website, and participate in any publicity opportunities that arose from the agreement (click here for details on the auction and its outcome).

I Sold My Soul on eBay arose from this experience. In the first section of the book, Hemant describes his own religious upbringing, as well as his journey to being an atheist. Then he describes (in general) what nonreligious people *do* believe in an attempt to help readers better understand his perspective before giving his impressions of the various church services. What interested me most about his writing was

(1) the striking similarity between Hemant's journey to unbelief and my own. At times I felt as though *I* could have written, verbatim, his description. It makes me wonder if all atheists (or at least most of them) go through similar phases of doubt and questioning at similar ages.

(2) the accuracy with which he describes, in nonthreatening terms (i.e. not saying "we atheists think you Christians are wrong because..."), what most nonreligious people believe. I think he does a pretty good job of showing that nonreligious people actually have more in common with most religious people (particularly in terms of values and a moral compass) than we have differences.

(3) that at a similar age (I was 24), I also started seeking answers and decided to explore Christianity. I actually became very deeply involved in one church at that time (but more on that in a later blog post in the "Let's Start at the Very Beginning..." series). My reasons were exactly the same as his, or at least as the way he presents them when he writes:

When I launched this experiment, I wanted to know if I may have missed any sign of God in my path to atheism. I thought that by visiting churches I might see hints of God that I had missed before. I was looking for compelling evidence that would change my thinking.

In the next section of the book, Hemant goes on to describe his observations at each of the church services he attended, pointing out both positive and negative aspects of each. The goal of this, as described in the book, is to help Christians to see themselves through the eyes of an outsider. It is also meant to help them understand how to make their church services more effective, particularly with respect to appealing to those who are questioning their faith or seeking answers through religion. I found his observations fascinating, as I made many of the same observations when I first became involved in the church.

Hemant ends the book by summarizing the good and bad points of Christian worship (as he observed them), and gives a pretty good discussion of what it would take to convert him to a person of faith (I agreed with his points, and I think it gives a window into how we "freethinkers" view religious belief in general). Chapters 9 and 10 are ones I wish every Christian would read. The first is subtitled "Suggestions to help you reach out to non-Christians" and the second is titled "What it would take to convert me."

The conclusion of the book has a good message, I think. It goes hand-in-hand with my biggest beef regarding my relationships with Christians: the "US versus THEM" mentality that pervades so many of our interactions. Hemant says:

Now that my experiment is over, I realize I didn't find God, but I saw the incredible power a church can have. I hope that power is used to benefit society instead of hurting it through creating unnecessary divisions between Christians and non-Christians. I hope what I've said will help you, if you are a Christian, to think differently about those who don't share your beliefs.

I have set out on a mission of my own, if you will, to show the world the friendly face of atheism. I would love to meet more friendly Christians. And so would every atheist I know.

Atheists and other religious outsiders are all around you. We work at the same places, live in the same neighborhoods, go to the same movies, and walk our dogs in the same parks. Don't you think it's time we got to know one another?

I couldn't have said it better.