(I advised moving it on my first response.)
Hate is probably too strong a word. Disdain is more accurate, combined with out and out mockery.
I am a happy, educated, well rounded individual, well versed in science, literature and yes, even religious history. I was raised Anglican, and no abuse was
offered to me at church. If you are looking for a Hannibal Lecter moment where this otherwise erudite person descends into an unhealthy, psychotic, madness,
flecked with murder and recipes that would earns a heartfelt utterance of 'motherfucker' from Gordon Ramsay, you will not find it.
Religions are fun things, everyone should create one or two, and they do. As has been demonstrated throughout history. Some die quickly, others fall upon a
receptive audience and flourish. In all cases they fracture, spitting out festive variation like a child with a mouthful of watermellon spits out pips. You
would think that a theist god (one that actively fucks with the universe, answer prayers, performs miracles, etc.) would exercise a little quality control.
It is belief without evidence that is dangerous; and no more so when coupled with a child-like adherence to a particular set of bronze age myths. You can see
this every day. You see it in the mysoginist rantings of Islam (or the Southern Baptist convention for that matter) that declares penile primacy. You can
see it in the dangerous bumwipery of Jehovah's Witness douches who would rather see their children die than see them recieve a blood transfusion. All of
this because a few bronze age scribblings have been interpreted in clearly bat-shit nuts ways. You see it when the Intelligent Design movement tries to claim
special priveledge to insert their creationist twattery (and the Dover trial rather conclusively proved that it is just creationism rebranded) into science
classes, without going through any of the hurdles that actual science must to be accepted.
When a pope, imam, rabbi, or even reverend says something, it is immediately given a certain status, even if it is, demonstratably bug-fuck nuts. We do not
offer this acceptance of discourse on any other subject. When Falwell and Robertson tossed each other off to the actual causes of 9/11 and the flooding of New
Orleans, their opinions were broadcast worldwide, and not under the heading of 'comedy' or arsebag raving of the day.
If your barber suddenly claimed that hair growth is the result of scalp goblins carefully watering each follicle with their sparkling, asparagus tainted
urine; you would heartily disagee (provided he was not shaving your throat with a old fashioned razor at the time.)
Yet when the Vatican astronomer says that his parochial, bronze-age god is responsible for the creation of any alien life that might happen to exist; this is
somehow different? It is no less crazy. It is no more proveable that the goblins and their spewing corkscrew-cocks (the goblins are invisible and hide when
you go looking for them, with their big feet they can move in mysterious ways - how do we know they have big feet? It says so in the book they inspired.)
First you have to demonstrate that your god exists; unless you can do that, you cannot attribute any actions to him/her/it.
Cheers,
The Reverend Shayne Dark
Hate is probably too strong a word. Disdain is more accurate, combined with out and out mockery.
I am a happy, educated, well rounded individual, well versed in science, literature and yes, even religious history. I was raised Anglican, and no abuse was
offered to me at church. If you are looking for a Hannibal Lecter moment where this otherwise erudite person descends into an unhealthy, psychotic, madness,
flecked with murder and recipes that would earns a heartfelt utterance of 'motherfucker' from Gordon Ramsay, you will not find it.
Religions are fun things, everyone should create one or two, and they do. As has been demonstrated throughout history. Some die quickly, others fall upon a
receptive audience and flourish. In all cases they fracture, spitting out festive variation like a child with a mouthful of watermellon spits out pips. You
would think that a theist god (one that actively fucks with the universe, answer prayers, performs miracles, etc.) would exercise a little quality control.
It is belief without evidence that is dangerous; and no more so when coupled with a child-like adherence to a particular set of bronze age myths. You can see
this every day. You see it in the mysoginist rantings of Islam (or the Southern Baptist convention for that matter) that declares penile primacy. You can
see it in the dangerous bumwipery of Jehovah's Witness douches who would rather see their children die than see them recieve a blood transfusion. All of
this because a few bronze age scribblings have been interpreted in clearly bat-shit nuts ways. You see it when the Intelligent Design movement tries to claim
special priveledge to insert their creationist twattery (and the Dover trial rather conclusively proved that it is just creationism rebranded) into science
classes, without going through any of the hurdles that actual science must to be accepted.
When a pope, imam, rabbi, or even reverend says something, it is immediately given a certain status, even if it is, demonstratably bug-fuck nuts. We do not
offer this acceptance of discourse on any other subject. When Falwell and Robertson tossed each other off to the actual causes of 9/11 and the flooding of New
Orleans, their opinions were broadcast worldwide, and not under the heading of 'comedy' or arsebag raving of the day.
If your barber suddenly claimed that hair growth is the result of scalp goblins carefully watering each follicle with their sparkling, asparagus tainted
urine; you would heartily disagee (provided he was not shaving your throat with a old fashioned razor at the time.)
Yet when the Vatican astronomer says that his parochial, bronze-age god is responsible for the creation of any alien life that might happen to exist; this is
somehow different? It is no less crazy. It is no more proveable that the goblins and their spewing corkscrew-cocks (the goblins are invisible and hide when
you go looking for them, with their big feet they can move in mysterious ways - how do we know they have big feet? It says so in the book they inspired.)
First you have to demonstrate that your god exists; unless you can do that, you cannot attribute any actions to him/her/it.
Cheers,
The Reverend Shayne Dark