RagingRev

Let’s face it, the New Atheism is a major movement now. We have our prophets telling people to “come out” of our Atheistic closets, Atheist conventions happening, and even Atheist Apologists defending the science of evolution against the fantastic ideas of “Creation Science”. We have gone from an unheard minority to a powerful force in the world and our numbers are growing. Only time will tell what our movement may  become, but one thing is for certain, we are here to stay.

I come  from an evangelical Christian background where my main goal in life other than “seeking gods face” was to “lead people to Jesus” . Maybe this is just me, but for some odd reason, I feel just as urged to spread the “gospel” of Atheism as I did to spread the “godspell” of Christ. I can’t fully explain it, but I imagine it comes from my desire to see people freed from the bonds of religious servitude, indoctrination, and guilt…I feel free and I want others to feel free. I suspect many of my peers feel much the same way, which explains at least in part why there are so many Atheist bloggers popping up and so many Atheists joining religious discussion forums and talking about religion so openly (Some trolling and others trying to be productive members of the forums).  Even if they don’t admit it, my Atheist peers want to leave their mark on this world in an attempt to improve it to the best of our ability, seeing as how we only have one life and no eternal life to look forward to we often attempt to make the most of what we do have rather than hoping for something after we die.

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Bill Maher’s Religulous recently came out on DVD, I rushed to get it as soon as it came out just in case one of our freedom loving local fundies decided to buy them all out so no one would be exposed to it’s deceptions (please read into this a ton of sarcasm). I wanted to see it in theaters but I couldn’t find a theater with the balls to show it within 100 miles and for some reason the Torrent sites were empty until just recently.

The film was good, I think my favorite part was when Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) stated (in response to a question about the talking snake in Eden) “You don’t have to pass an IQ test to be in the US Senate”.  The look on Maher’s face, and the corresponding look on Pryor’s face was priceless…silence was the only necessary response. Probably the most honest thing any politician outside of Ron Paul has said in a very long time.

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I think I have dealt with this before on this blog, but things seem to have escalated around here at my small Georgia town. My wife and I seem to increasingly be the subject of random conversation with people that we don’t even really know.

To be completely honest, one of the things that prompted me to start RagingRev and move my blog from Livejournal was that the rumor mill was running wild around these parts. My former Pastor approached me at the gas station one day telling me that he heard I was in to “Satanism” and things like that, at the time I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the title of Atheist but once I settled into those shoes I felt the need to dispell some of the ludicrous things that were being falsely derived from my Livejournal at the time. Quite simply put, someone (I don’t know whom) read a few of my entries wherein I express an interest in the Occult, and decided that I must be a Satanist…how silly!

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Pastor Guy recently responded to my request for some inspiration, his original topic starter was the inability to prove that emotions exist in the human race. I have to say that guy may be confused as to just what human emotions are other than chemical reactions in the body/brain but they seem to be pretty well set in stone to me- so that’s one worm I won’t bite. However, when I asked Guy in a private email to explain his contention a little more clearly he left a little quip at the end of the email that made my knee jerk just a bit. Pastor Guy knows how to get a rise out of me (Which is why he might just be the resident smart ass here at RagingRev- a title I think he may gladly accept).

So, what did Guy say?

…could my statement of “Dormant Christian” to describe you be a worthy topic?

What an interesting position…”Dormant Christian”! Guy is proposing that because I was at one time a devoted Christian (Saved, if you will) then technically I am still a Christian. Guy evidently ascribes to the doctrine of “Once Saved , Always Saved”…if you aren’t familiar with that, its one of those small controversial doctrines that Christians like to debate and argue over. When I was a Christian my position was strangely similar to Guy’s, however I was not very solid on it…it wasn’t considered cardinal in my life but I always WANTED to believe something like that. Now though, I have to look at it from the outside…and it’s just one of those things that you don’t think about until you hear it or read it like I did when Guy said that…it kind of…caught me off guard.

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Relatively speaking 2008 has actually been one of my better years, 2004 kicked my behind because of issues with my family..2005 was a frustrating year working for the bank and getting paid jack for it and the whole buying this wreck of a house thing, that and I was a very frustrated virgin on the verge of losing my mind to get some of that snatch (Wink at Monica) 2006-2007 just sucked because I was emotionally and spiritually inept and more confused than ever, plus my wife and I were constantly broke and one thing after a nother just kept screwing up or someone was screwing me over. Not that people haven’t been doing their fair share of screwing me over this year…but something changed this year.

2008 was the year I came out of the closet of doubt…I was not only able to admit to myself and the world that my doubts were completely justified, but that I could indeed live a life without a need for God. With that admission came alot of initial bitterness, which I have to say I am very proud of myself for dissipating most of that within about 6 months…(thanks to you folks that bore with me during this time, I’m sorry I was such an ass…seriously) After that bitterness subsided I just started feeling something very strange—completely and totally unprevoked happiness! Coming out of the darkness of confusion I was for once able to smile because there was no majickal man in the sky telling me how to live and directing my path, for once in my life it’s all up to me. 2008 is the year that I became the God of my own destiny. I think I have finally learned how to not be the victim anymore, but to be the causal property in my own equation-How powerful does that feel!

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Are morality and god interdependent?

In other words, can morals exist outside of the spectrum of theism?

Or, in other other words, is god the originator and defining substance behind morality?

Recently myself and the Rev. Russ Troester had another long chat, this time we touched on the subject of belief in god essentially being the basis for morality (forgive me if I am putting words in your mouth Russ, this is the understanding I have). Since we often talk during the end of my work day I had to cut the conversation off kind of abruptly (always when it starts getting good eh?) in order to drive home.

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In my perpetual  need for inspiration to overcome my bloggers block I asked for some folks to provide with some questions or topics of interest….I’m gonna hit all of the replies as i go along, but this one seems like the easiest one to answer, from Frigga:

I could suggest a few topics and definitely ask a bazillion questions… but I haven’t read your archives, so you’ve probably covered lots of stuff so far.

I’ll ask one anyway. I’d be interested in reading about your journey to becoming a Christian, and then your journey away from Christianity. What was it that made you believe so strongly, and then not believe so strongly?

Do you have any doubts that you could be wrong?

Firstly, anyone can feel free to ask or bring up any topics of interest they want to, rehashed or not, because if it is something i covered more than probably a year ago, it was still with some semblance of Christianity left in me. So really anything is fair game.

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Alright guys…i knew it was coming…but its official…i dont know what to blog about…i mean, trust me, there are PLENTY of silly things going on in the world of the religious…but I want to blog from the heart here….so i need some help.  I want you guys to comment here and give me topics that interest you…from technology, religion, apologetics, atheism, books, science, politics, conspiracy, 911 truth, or the occult…if it is in my realm of understanding i would be glad to answer any questions or blog about any topic you can provide. Im just stuck and I need inspiration…and im tired of hearing about McCain, Obama, and the Financial Crisis.

One of my many holdups from my former faith, is that I still really like alot of the old Christian bands I used to listen to. Underoath, Norma Jean, Demon Hunter (cheezy I know), Living Sacrifice, and mewithoutYou—the list goes on and on. These bands always spoke to me, most of them have a lyrical content that shows frustration with the Church, like I always did and speaks to the hardships of attempting to live a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. One such band is Norma Jean, and they just put out a new album titled Vs. The Anti-Mother.
I just wanted to share with you some of the lyrics from one of the songs on the Anti-Mother, that I feel can speak volumes. The song is titled Vipers, Snakes, and Actors:

Carry your flags, march into that fictional cause and show off that medal
Just don’t reach for that gun
Reach for that gun
Carry that banner, build that heart out of stone
Just don’t reach for that gun
You scaled the high horse and I felt the change
I know the difference between you and me
You cleaned the outside of your chalice but it’s filled with robbery
And self indulgence…Just like the rest of us
You wear that cross like a crown. You wear that cross like a dagger
Come down from that tower,
Nothing will be the outcome.
Nothing is the outcome

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Pick a door

A person I recently met through the Christian Bloggers Unite blog named Lisa recently posited the question to me thusly:

Then my only other question would be: What if you are wrong? Surely that thought lives somewhere in the depths of your heart? And if you are, do you really want the blood of those whose ‘exits’ you have encouraged on your hands? Again, no condemnation. Just an honest question.

I told Lisa I was working on doing a blog about that subject, and here I am, doing just that (I’m such an honest guy, I know).

Now this is a question I often asked whilst debating Atheists while I was a devoted apologist, I spent countless hours in conversation with people from different faiths and Non-theists were those that I remember asking this question the most, I guess it is a question that could apply to any religious circle, but no religious circle understands that it is something also applicable to their own constituency. IE: The Muslim could just as easily ask this question of a Christian as a Christian could a Muslim…that’s one of the things about reward vs. punishment religion; of the thousands of them, according to themselves, only one could possibly be right. Still, despite this nearly universal paradox, this question is asked to any infidel of any belief system thousands of times a day (i would guess).

So, what if I am wrong?

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