Ugh! I usually HATE this topic. There are too many ideas and thoughts running through people's minds to have an intelligent, non-biased discussion about religion or faith. But, I have had several friends of mine wanting to discuss this very topic with me as of late. That fact combined with the constant onslaught of religious signs and media have seemed to forced my hand.
So, without further ado, I bring you my viewpoint. As always, you are free to to read, comment and (unlike MOST religions) even call into question my own beliefs. Please drop a quick comment in if you do choose to read this, even if you have no feedback. I am always curious to see who actually reads the things I write!
Okay, first and foremost, let's get one thing perfectly clear from the start: I am an Atheist. Period.... This viewpoint is from the sight of a skeptic. I will attempt to make it as unbiased and logic-based as I can, but in NO way do I claim that this is completely objective.
There have been numerous signs as of late that I have noticed in my life. Many people have chosen to speak, whether for or against, about religion to me. My personally held thought is that religion of ANY kind is a plague upon the sensibility and reasoning of an otherwise intelligent species. This is a bold statement, I realize. However, the reasons for it are incontrovertible.
1.
The very idea of "Intelligent Design" in the context of the Earth is not only illogical, it has been scientifically shown to be patently absurd! We have proof, not theories but actual proof, that the Earth is over several billion years old. Fossils and dinosaur remains, oil deposits, carbon-14 testing, the list goes on and on to show that this planet has existed for FAR longer than 5,000 to 10,000 years.
2.
Nevertheless, we are told that we are all descendants of two people who lived in an area known as the "Garden of Eden". If your mind can somehow swallow this story as factual, I will ask you to ponder this question. In the Bible, Adam and Eve were the first two people. They had two sons, Cain and Abel. According to the story, Cain killed Abel and was cast out from this place. Now, the Bible does not mention any other people being born of the original two, nor does it state that God made anymore people. So, where the Hell did everyone else come from?!
Bearing this in mind, we are also made to believe that Eve was created from Adam's rib. Anyone with a basic knowledge of genetics and medical knowledge is aware that, should tissue from one donor be used as a DNA template for another, they will end up being extremely close genetically. This concept is how Dolly the sheep was cloned in laboratories in recent years. (...Kind of throws a monkey wrench into the religious debate against cloning, but that is a topic for another time!)
Back to the topic, if you clone one being from another, the clone would be a nearly-exact replica of the original. So there would have been Adam and another MALE, considering that DNA carries the chromosomes that determine gender! Last time I checked, human males cannot produce offspring asexually, either.
3.
The next thing I call attention to is the concept of "Noah and the Great Flood". Knowing what we do now about migration patterns, species diversification, and habitat requirements of the world's current animal population; it would be a physical impossibility using the technology of the time to construct a vessel capable of sustaining the lives of arctic, jungle, desert and mountain animals simultaneously! A polar bear accustomed to the frigid tundra would surely die in the heat required to sustain camels or scorpions in a desert climate.
Never mind the concept of that many predatory animals on the same vessel with other docile creatures that are ill-equipped to face a new threat to their existence! ...Don't take MY word for it! Go watch the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet and see real-world studies of what happens when you introduce a new predator species to an ecosystem. Usually, things get REAL bad for the animal population not on top of the food pyramid!
4.
Next? The entire concept of "Divine Inspiration" and the Bible as a whole. This is a text written by men, NOT God, but handwritten by men who claim that God told them these stories. The Holy Bible as accepted today was written by over 40 different authors over the time span of roughly 500 years.... All jokes about schizophrenia and "hearing voices" aside, if we are to believe that God is infallible and His word is truth, then we can STILL call into question the validity and accuracy of the Bible as it was men, and not God, by whom it was authored!
Also let us not forget that, even IF men wrote down exactly what God intended without any mistranslation or confusion, what the Christian Doctrine has now is NOT an original manuscript from their supposed Creator! This is a book that has been translated, at a minimum, five times over. It was originally written in Aramaic, then translated to Hebrew, then from Hebrew to Latin, from Latin to Middle English, and finally from Middle English into the current incarnation most widely accepted known as the King James Version....
Anyone who has studied languages besides their own native tongue understands that their are not always direct translations and certain words do not have an equivalent in other languages. Therefore, to believe that the Bible is "The literal Word of God" is delusional. Even if you accept the idea that God does not make mistakes, humans do often!
The basic summary is as follows: The ideas promoted and believed by the majority of all major religions are good and sound philosophies to live by: Don't kill. Don't steal. Don't lie to people. Respect your parents, etc.... But we as a species do not need the fear of an invisible and all-powerful wizard in the sky to tell us to be decent to others. For the most part, it is basic common sense.
We don't need "Jesus" to tell us that we should "Do unto others as you would have done to you".... If you stop and think that "I would be really pissed off if someone stole my car, slept with my spouse or killed one of my family", then chances are that no one else will appreciate that kind of anti-social behavior, either!
I'm not disputing in any way that many of the lessons of the New Testament are great morals and ideas to live by. (Although some of the craziness in the Old Testament is inexcusable! See "The Book of Leviticus" for details!) Compassion, patience, holding your temper in check and kindness to others are all excellent ways to live.
But let's take a look at the reality of the situation. More wars, suffering, torture and murder have been committed in the name of God/Allah/Jehovah/(insert deity's name here) than all other reasons on this planet combined! If you doubt this, then you need a history lesson....
The Spanish Inquisition
The Crusades
The Salem Witch Trials
The Holocaust (yes, because Hitler killed Jews!)
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip over the supposed "Holy Land"
9/11
These and many more far too numerous to mention here were ALL committed by men in the name and/or service of their God!
So, in closing, I leave you with this: When faced with a moral or ethical dilemma, instead of asking yourself "What Would Jesus Do?", ask yourself this instead.... "What would a sane, rational and decent human being do?" Usually they will be the same answer, but at least you aren't just doing it to get into a mythical "Afterlife". You're simply doing it because it's the RIGHT thing to do!
Take care and thank you for reading.
-Wolf
P.S.: Please leave a comment if you read this, even if it amounts to a simple "I was here". I like to know who on here pays attention to my writing. As always, any thoughts, comments, questions or statements are welcome as well!
