Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Just In Case He's Real



I am still the Homeschool Atheist Momma!
Atheist and apologists Atheist parenting homeschool secular parenting


Recently I was having a conversation with someone

that I care about, a slightly ad nauseum conversation, about why I should be a believer. You know that type of conversation that comes out of the blue and just feels more annoying than anything. The type of conversation that requires you to physically prevent your eyes from rolling back in your head.

Sometimes I think of those conversations as teachable moments or moments to offer logic to the claims of believers.  Which is ridiculous because I know that the conversations are always and forever one-sided and that *I* am the one who is supposed to be learning something here. 

At one point I remember wanting to just shout READ MY BLOG WHERE I'VE COVERED THIS ALREADYlol  The arguments are all so old and so tired and so infantile that I simply didn't even have the interest to continue. I'm pretty sure that my friend was aware that we were nearing the end of the conversation and, would you believe, when it was almost over this person pulled out the question Why don't you believe...just in case God is real?

Now I want to admit to you that, at that point, I simply laughed. I'm not proud of it as I try very hard to be respectful and in control, but seriously?! This is the best you have to offer?

My response was Why don't you believe in Zeus, just in case?!

Anna's Picture
I'll tell you the truth, there are those days when I simply have no tolerance for people who choose to hold tight to their faith. In this day, being uninformed and choosing to believe in mythology is a total choice. It is irresponsible and just ridiculous.

When I was a kid information was just more difficult to obtain and more difficult to compare. Even though I was a huge reader as a child, it was still possible to have a very limited set of materials to read. Today the information available to any person with access to a computer or a library is vast. There is no excuse for clinging to stories that make no sense and that have no redeeming value.

Then again, eventually my annoyance and intolerance passes and I can extend compassion and understanding to the people, EVEN THE ADULTS, who choose to hold onto the parental figure of their religion, no matter how much of a caricature he has become.  I can do this because the brainwashing of religion is very very coercive and tenacious.

But Pascal's Wager? Really?!



My answer to the actual question:  Because what is actually REAL is SO amazing and beautiful and truly awesome that I have absolutely no interest in entertaining uninformed theories that have absolutely no substantiating evidence.  That's why.


~~~~~~~~~


7 comments:

  1. I *totally* believe in purple flying unicorn monkey hybrids, just in case. I don't want to hurt their feelings!!

    It was so great to see you last week! I love the new blog look.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Personally, I believe in Thor because, oh Mama, he is hot!

    I hate those conversations, because the other person just doesn't get it and no amount of logic or reasoning helps. I sincerely hope the person learns not to bring the topic up again, because you have better things to do.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my. The old "why don't you hedge your bets" argument??? Ugh. I'm sorry that you had to endure such antics. Not that you can't handle yourself--I KNOW you can. But, it's just so disrespectful. My in-laws attempted that with me once (many years ago) in the course of a discussion about why I don't go to church; something like "Well, it won't *hurt* you to go to church, just in case He's keeping track." I think I answered with something like "Yes it would, because I don't believe in that. It would be hypocritical. I do my best to have my walk and talk match." lol She came at me again recently, but what she thought was more subtle, regarding the death of my sister. Can you imagine using someone's loss and pain to try to talk them into being religious?! I when I stood my ground, she was just nasty to me for the rest of the interaction. The religious think it's their mission in life to 'save' all of us heathens. How about we all just live and let live.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I CAN believe she would use your pain.

      Seems like some things ought to be off limits...

      Delete
  4. Come on Karen, buy that hell insurance (as I like to call it) and then after that I'll sell you this beautiful bridge. ;) I have very few "let me save you" friends now. It hurt at first, when I was throwing them all into the volcano, but you know I can't say I regret it. >:D

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love this post. I was in this other person's shoes just a few years ago. It's amazing to me that as humans we sometimes forget to think about things. As a Christian (or Jew or Muslim or whatever), it's so easy to say, why don't you believe just in case? But for some reason the idea that they might be believing in the wrong god escapes them. Well, sometimes, we don't think things through. But when we are presented with challenging questions and THEN we don't think things through, that's irresponsible and stupid. That, my friends, is willful ignorance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I got a similar comment from a good friend once: "What if you're wrong?", which kind of made me laugh, too. If I'm wrong, then I guess I'm going to hell. She figured if she was wrong, at least she'd led this wonderful life with her god, but I would have lived this life without god AND no reward at the end. It seemed like she was encouraging me to believe "just in case", as well. Phht.

    Janina

    ReplyDelete

Leave a comment!