An Open Letter to Persons of Faith

[MadBomr101]

Y'all just need to stop with the god stuff.  Enough already.  It's not real.  Okay?

Okay.



Good talk.    

[Sweetdeath]

Now you're just fishing for trouble. 

[markmcdaniel]

I am afraid that this has been tried before. It might work this time. After all miracles due happen or at least thats what our theist friends say.

[OldGit]

Well, Bomr, you said rather succinctly what many of us take entire books to explain.  Trouble is, they won't take any notice of this either.

[Dobermonster]

Though I can't disagree with the sentiment, I'm wondering what the point of it is.

[MadBomr101]

Sometimes it's worth it to stop for moment, take a break from the logical arguments and statements based on reason and rationality and simply point out that the other side is just plain wrong and they need to stop wasting their lives on these divine fairy tales.  This is me cutting to the chase.  Of course it won't work but not because I didn't try for their own good.

Those inclined to do so may resume their imaginary relationship with god now.   

[xSilverPhinx]

Or you could simply stop wasting your breath on talk and decide to actually do something.

[En_Route]

Sometimes it's worth it to stop for moment, take a break from the logical arguments and statements based on reason and rationality and simply point out that the other side is just plain wrong and they need to stop wasting their lives on these divine fairy tales.  This is me cutting to the chase.  Of course it won't work but not because I didn't try for their own good.

Those inclined to do so may resume their imaginary relationship with god now.   

Telling people they are wrong without explaining why is marginally more futile than telling people they are wrong and explaining why.  It is also heavily patronising to tell people what is for their own good. Undoubtedly for a lot of people, they would personally fare worse if their religion was taken from them.

[MadBomr101]

Sometimes it's worth it to stop for moment, take a break from the logical arguments and statements based on reason and rationality and simply point out that the other side is just plain wrong and they need to stop wasting their lives on these divine fairy tales.  This is me cutting to the chase.  Of course it won't work but not because I didn't try for their own good.

Those inclined to do so may resume their imaginary relationship with god now.   

Telling people they are wrong without explaining why is marginally more futile than telling people they are wrong and explaining why.  It is also heavily patronising to tell people what is for their own good. Undoubtedly for a lot of people, they would personally fare worse if their religion was taken from them.

So would a crack addict if you took his crack away.  He's still better off without it however.  Unless the goal is to shield one's self from reality by clinging to these fantasies religion offers comfort based on bullsh*t.    I'd like to see these people wake up.  I've spent twenty years explaining why they're wrong but their addiction to the fantasy is stronger than reason.  Really don't know how to get through to them.   

It makes me

[MadBomr101]

Or you could simply stop wasting your breath on talk and decide to actually do something.

Actually doing something takes time and money.  Talk is all I can afford.    

[xSilverPhinx]

Yeah... me too.

[En_Route]

Sometimes it's worth it to stop for moment, take a break from the logical arguments and statements based on reason and rationality and simply point out that the other side is just plain wrong and they need to stop wasting their lives on these divine fairy tales.  This is me cutting to the chase.  Of course it won't work but not because I didn't try for their own good.

Those inclined to do so may resume their imaginary relationship with god now.   

Telling people they are wrong without explaining why is marginally more futile than telling people they are wrong and explaining why.  It is also heavily patronising to tell people what is for their own good. Undoubtedly for a lot of people, they would personally fare worse if their religion was taken from them.

So would a crack addict if you took his crack away.  He's still better off without it however.  Unless the goal is to shield one's self from reality by clinging to these fantasies religion offers comfort based on bullsh*t.    I'd like to see these people wake up.  I've spent twenty years explaining why they're wrong but their addiction to the fantasy is stronger than reason.  Really don't know how to get through to them.   

It makes me

Maybe you are better off not attempting to reason with anybody if you think that it follows that because crack addicts are better of without crack, then a believer must be better off without their faith. Seems to me you are displaying exactly the dogmatism and intolerance  which you would presumably be the first to decry when evidenced by theists.

[OldGit]

I go along with you, E_R, until I think of all the harm these people are doing in the real world.  Then I tend to side with Bomr.

[En_Route]

I go along with you, E_R, until I think of all the harm these people are doing in the real world.  Then I tend to side with Bomr.

I don't see religion per se as the root of all evil. Blind adherence to ideology of any kind is conducive to increasing the sum of human misery. There is also a tendency to tar all Christians with the same brush. The religious right in the US seem to me to be actuated by a  corrosive hatred of those who differ in their views from them; other persuasions, maybe eg Quakers, do seem to demonstrate a  benevolence towards their fellow man and a tolerance for opposing views. The real point I was making that it is impossible to say to every religious individual  that forsaking religion will be beneficial for them. I suspect in many cases it will be the reverse. That is a different issue as to whether or not society or mankind as a whole might profit from such a trend, though that itself is I think an imponderable.

[MadBomr101]

Religion is simply a bad idea that has done enough damage and has continued far past its expiration date.  It's the sour milk in the refrigerator of mankind, a superstitious self-delusion that does no one any real good because it's not based on anything real.  Human beings are the only creatures that can't face their insignificance within the broad scheme of the universe nor the finality of death so they make up stories to give themselves greater significance as the pet species of the most powerful being imaginable as well as a shield to protect themselves from the oblivion of death.  However, the comfort they take with their belief in all of this is based on a con.

We are insignificant - so what?  Life isn't miraculous - a crack whore and a meth fiend can make a baby together.    People are just another species of animal that evolved on a little blue planet in a small solar system ruled over by a medium sized yellow star.  Cockroaches also evolved, so did cancer cells.  Get over yourselves.

It's all about accepting what's real.  Sure, this will cause anxiety for many of the faithful.  They could no longer comfort themselves with god's love or promise of eternal life but they don't actually have either of things anyway.  So the only real adjustment they need to make is to learn to accept reality which is something they should be doing.  You get one life, when it's over, it's over.  Make the most of it, do your best with it.  Love your families, raise your children, live life as you live it now, just excise that part where one spends time offering praise and glory to magical beings that live in the sky.  Oh, and try not to be too much of a prick while you're here.  That's important too.  

It's the 21st century.  Worshipping gods is an embarassment that just demeans our species and causes far more problems than it has ever solved.