by Luther Reads
After a deliciously satisfying Thanksgiving dinner, I sat mostly quiet as my Christian family discussed the role or prayer in their lives. Every single person had a different idea about how to pray and what those prayers actually do. To my understanding, the nature of prayer hasn't changed for thousands of years and it's one of the most talked about aspects of the Christian walk, so I was baffled by the disagreement.
I asked if this lack of consensus or clarity was problematic to anyone, but they all just respected each other's perspective. There was a genuine sense that each person has to view prayer in the way that works best for them, and I realized that perhaps the lack of widespread dogma about prayer is what makes it so powerful. Hmmm...
Christians also disagree about the Bible, prophecy, miracles, and all the other ingredients of Christianity. And by-and-large, this is all... okay. Even the very nature of God hasn't been nailed down (see what I did there?). Each Christian is entitled to believe about God what they need, and outside of the most intolerant corrodoors of Christendom, again, this is... okay.
So, I too have accepted a belief about the nature of God, based on who I am and what I need God to be in my life: nonexistent.
*****
About the Author:
Luther Reads marked himself safe from 2020
Showing posts with label atheism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label atheism. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Friday, March 13, 2020
Atheists, Christians, Foxholes, and Pandemics
by Luther Reads
Let me set the scene:
It's March 2020, and we're in the middle of a global pandemic. Apparently, somebody in Wuhan, China got too close to an animal carrying something called a "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" virus, and two months later we're all at risk of getting Dat Rona virus.
The NBA has canceled its season over concerns about spreading the coronavirus. Colleges and universities have cancelled classes. Governors have closed public schools for weeks. Travel bans are being put in place. Cruise ships are not being allowed to dock. Self quarantining is a thing. People are emptying grocery stores of Lysol wipes and, oddly enough, toilet paper.
Churches are even closing their doors. Remember all those old sayings about "corporate" prayer and forsaking not the gathering of the saints? I guess they didn't mean during a pandemic. The Catholic church is abandoning the use of holy water. Yes, the holy water that priests pray over. Yes, the holy water that symbolizes the protection of Jesus Christ. I guess it can't protect against a pandemic.
But you know what isn't closing and what isn't canceled? The science labs that are working on cures, vaccines, and tests for the coronavirus. I used to hear that there are no Atheists in a foxhole. The assertion being that when bullets are flying, everybody prays to someone. Well, I wonder if there are any Christians during a global pandemic. The assertion being that... well, you get it.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads builds robots. He doesn't want his robots to take anyone's job, but he knows this is unavoidable. Yet he toils on. He is very human in this regard -- a walking contradiction.
Let me set the scene:
It's March 2020, and we're in the middle of a global pandemic. Apparently, somebody in Wuhan, China got too close to an animal carrying something called a "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" virus, and two months later we're all at risk of getting Dat Rona virus.
The NBA has canceled its season over concerns about spreading the coronavirus. Colleges and universities have cancelled classes. Governors have closed public schools for weeks. Travel bans are being put in place. Cruise ships are not being allowed to dock. Self quarantining is a thing. People are emptying grocery stores of Lysol wipes and, oddly enough, toilet paper.
Churches are even closing their doors. Remember all those old sayings about "corporate" prayer and forsaking not the gathering of the saints? I guess they didn't mean during a pandemic. The Catholic church is abandoning the use of holy water. Yes, the holy water that priests pray over. Yes, the holy water that symbolizes the protection of Jesus Christ. I guess it can't protect against a pandemic.
But you know what isn't closing and what isn't canceled? The science labs that are working on cures, vaccines, and tests for the coronavirus. I used to hear that there are no Atheists in a foxhole. The assertion being that when bullets are flying, everybody prays to someone. Well, I wonder if there are any Christians during a global pandemic. The assertion being that... well, you get it.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads builds robots. He doesn't want his robots to take anyone's job, but he knows this is unavoidable. Yet he toils on. He is very human in this regard -- a walking contradiction.
Monday, February 3, 2020
"I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual"
by Luther Reads
A few years ago, church goers openly mocked the non church goers who said, "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual." The church goers thought that phrase was an excuse to be lazy and stay home from church. But now the phrase isn't being ridiculed because so many people finally realize that churches are problematic for a lot of people.
More and more people see the deep flaws baked into the church hierarchy and structure, so much so that calling a Christian "religious" is like cursing them out. The rampant pettiness, cliquishness, legalism, and judgementalism among religious people has become too much. People backstabbing each other for positions, mismanagement of funds, abuse of power, misinterpretation of scripture, false spiritualism, etc, etc, and another etc. A thousand et ceteras, actually. Church folk be trippin!
A pastor friend of mine once defended this kind of behavior by saying that churches are still full of humans. He said, "People accept that kind of behavior at their job, but are shocked and disappointed to see it at church even though we're all still human." I thought the purpose of Christianity, and therefore church, is to make better humans out of us. So if church folk don't behave any better than the people at my job, I'd say that's a poor advertisement for attending church. But I digress.
Here's what I don't understand about the "spiritual" people, because many of them still read the Bible and pray to Jesus. Who do they think wrote the Bible? Who do they think compiled the Old and New Testament? Who do they think controlled the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus for thousands of years? The church! The religious people. The backstabbers, abusers, and misinterpretors. If the church's hierarchy is problematic now, then it was problematic back then. Ain't nothing changed. Jewish leadership compiled the Old Testament, and Catholic leadership compiled the New Testament.
"But God!" they say. Most Bible readers believe that God intervened in the development of scripture to keep it free from humanity's foolishness. Okay, so is God still doing that? Because I can write my own interpretation of the Bible, sell it on Amazon, and God won't stop me. The Quran and Book of Mormon are both attributed to God and he didn't stop them. Christians believe that free will was given to all humans, even the religious people who wrote and translated Bibles, and shaped the story of Jesus. Any biases, selfishness, and pettiness that they harbored went right into the Bible.
But don't take my word for it, read the book for yourself. From rampant chauvinism and patriarchy to the burning alive of non believers, it's all in there and it's quite messy. But above all else, it's predictably very human.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads has recently come to terms with the staying power of the Oxford comma.
A few years ago, church goers openly mocked the non church goers who said, "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual." The church goers thought that phrase was an excuse to be lazy and stay home from church. But now the phrase isn't being ridiculed because so many people finally realize that churches are problematic for a lot of people.
More and more people see the deep flaws baked into the church hierarchy and structure, so much so that calling a Christian "religious" is like cursing them out. The rampant pettiness, cliquishness, legalism, and judgementalism among religious people has become too much. People backstabbing each other for positions, mismanagement of funds, abuse of power, misinterpretation of scripture, false spiritualism, etc, etc, and another etc. A thousand et ceteras, actually. Church folk be trippin!
A pastor friend of mine once defended this kind of behavior by saying that churches are still full of humans. He said, "People accept that kind of behavior at their job, but are shocked and disappointed to see it at church even though we're all still human." I thought the purpose of Christianity, and therefore church, is to make better humans out of us. So if church folk don't behave any better than the people at my job, I'd say that's a poor advertisement for attending church. But I digress.
Here's what I don't understand about the "spiritual" people, because many of them still read the Bible and pray to Jesus. Who do they think wrote the Bible? Who do they think compiled the Old and New Testament? Who do they think controlled the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus for thousands of years? The church! The religious people. The backstabbers, abusers, and misinterpretors. If the church's hierarchy is problematic now, then it was problematic back then. Ain't nothing changed. Jewish leadership compiled the Old Testament, and Catholic leadership compiled the New Testament.
"But God!" they say. Most Bible readers believe that God intervened in the development of scripture to keep it free from humanity's foolishness. Okay, so is God still doing that? Because I can write my own interpretation of the Bible, sell it on Amazon, and God won't stop me. The Quran and Book of Mormon are both attributed to God and he didn't stop them. Christians believe that free will was given to all humans, even the religious people who wrote and translated Bibles, and shaped the story of Jesus. Any biases, selfishness, and pettiness that they harbored went right into the Bible.
But don't take my word for it, read the book for yourself. From rampant chauvinism and patriarchy to the burning alive of non believers, it's all in there and it's quite messy. But above all else, it's predictably very human.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads has recently come to terms with the staying power of the Oxford comma.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
I Couldn't Have Been More Wrong About Atheists
by Luther Reads
I came into Atheism believing certain myths about this group of non believers. I rise today to dispel just a few of these misrepresentations.
Crazy right? That's what I say each and every time I realize a new truth about Atheists. And I'm sure there are more -- many many more.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads found audio books two years ago, and his life has been forever changed.
I came into Atheism believing certain myths about this group of non believers. I rise today to dispel just a few of these misrepresentations.
- All Atheists do NOT embrace the idea that our beliefs should be guided by evidence. Hell no! Many atheists believe in a shit ton of ridiculous, fallacious, and poorly reasoned arguments.
- All Atheists do NOT reject the idea of arbitrarily dividing humanity by birthplace or birthright. Jesus no! Many atheists are racist, sexist, and xenophobic douche bags.
- All Atheists do NOT approach their own understanding of the world with humility. God no! Many atheists are arrogant assholes who have no sense of the historical progression of knowledge, which will ultimately disprove some of the things we now believe to be true.
- All Atheists do NOT think critically, being careful not to blindly follow a charismatic leader. Lord no! Many sheep-like Atheists worship at the church of one or more famous Atheists, no matter how short-sighted or mean-spirited their claims are.
- All Atheists do NOT reject supernatural explanations for unexplainable phenomenons. Heavens no! Many atheists believe in ghosts, spirits, and karma. This has by far been the most baffling to me. BY FAR!!!! What in the entire fuck?!?
- All Atheists do NOT reject the idea that humans have dominion over plants and animals. Mary Mother of Jesus no! Many Atheists believe that humans have an innate right to dominate and abuse the living organisms we share the Earth with, and even the Earth itself.
- All Atheists do NOT even reject the idea of God. Christ no! Many so-called Atheists are just mad at their god for something bad that happened in their lives, but yet never considered all the other far worse shit that has been going on in the world for tens of thousands of years.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads found audio books two years ago, and his life has been forever changed.
Friday, May 18, 2018
Why Science Can't Kill the Christian God
by Luther Reads
Remember the horror film "Child's Play" about a possessed children's doll named Chucky? And then Child's Play 2, and 3, and Bride of Chucky, and Seed of Chucky? That damn doll just wouldn't die. They stabbed it, burned it, shot it in the heart and blew up it's head. But still, he lived.
The Christian god is like Chucky in that he just won't die. The Greek gods are dead. The Egyptian gods are mostly dead. The Hindu gods, well, they're still around. But the Christian god is one of the most resilient gods of all time. Science was supposed to be the magic bullet, with its insistence on objectivity and verifiable claims. The Christian god was supposed to cower into a corner, afraid for his very existence, but that isn't about to happen any time soon.
First, the Christian god is a shape shifter. Remember the Prototype Series 1000 Terminator in Judgment Day? He had the liquid metal body and could take on whatever shape he wanted. That's what Christians have done to their god, so much so that it's difficult to pin down exactly who or what this god is. When there was one mother church which told everyone what God said and did, maybe Science stood a chance. But now that every Christian is empowered to make this god into whatever they want, whenever they want, Science is nothing more than a 6-shooter pistol in a Terminator fight.
I have Christian friends and relatives who aren't quite sure what God is doing, although they continue to pray for traveling mercies and blessings over their food, and they always thank him for the good in their lives. One friend even attends church regularly with her family, but doesn't believe that Jesus was the literal son of God. And if we accept that homosapiens all originated from a single region, then all other gods both past and present can also be thought of as shape shifted variations of the same mystical presence that humans so often feel. Science doesn't stand a chance!
The second reason that Science won't kill God is that scientists have murked the good name of Science by involving it in all sorts of stupid shit like racism, sexism, and cigarettes. For centuries, scientists have claimed that Whites are objectively the most superior race, and that men are better suited for certain [important] jobs. And Scientists spent decades telling the world that cigarettes aren't really that harmful.
This is all the ammunition that religiously-minded folks needs to disparage anything that scientists say. Hell, I'm one of Science's biggest fanboys and I don't even believe half the shit that scientists come up with. Let me be perfectly clear though, the Earth is a sphere; it is not flat. As Christians have manufactured their god to validate their own beliefs, scientists have manipulated data to do the exact same thing. Intellect is now so mistrusted that I've actually been told by Christians that I'm thinking about it too much, or that I'm too smart for my own good.
So how does it end? Do you remember how the T1000 Terminator was finally killed? He was thrown into a pit of fire, which ironically sounds a lot like hell. *insert 1000 face palm emojis*
***********
About the Author:
For the 15th consecutive year, Luther Reads has decided that next year will be the year that he starts piano lessons. Huzzah!
Remember the horror film "Child's Play" about a possessed children's doll named Chucky? And then Child's Play 2, and 3, and Bride of Chucky, and Seed of Chucky? That damn doll just wouldn't die. They stabbed it, burned it, shot it in the heart and blew up it's head. But still, he lived.
The Christian god is like Chucky in that he just won't die. The Greek gods are dead. The Egyptian gods are mostly dead. The Hindu gods, well, they're still around. But the Christian god is one of the most resilient gods of all time. Science was supposed to be the magic bullet, with its insistence on objectivity and verifiable claims. The Christian god was supposed to cower into a corner, afraid for his very existence, but that isn't about to happen any time soon.
First, the Christian god is a shape shifter. Remember the Prototype Series 1000 Terminator in Judgment Day? He had the liquid metal body and could take on whatever shape he wanted. That's what Christians have done to their god, so much so that it's difficult to pin down exactly who or what this god is. When there was one mother church which told everyone what God said and did, maybe Science stood a chance. But now that every Christian is empowered to make this god into whatever they want, whenever they want, Science is nothing more than a 6-shooter pistol in a Terminator fight.
I have Christian friends and relatives who aren't quite sure what God is doing, although they continue to pray for traveling mercies and blessings over their food, and they always thank him for the good in their lives. One friend even attends church regularly with her family, but doesn't believe that Jesus was the literal son of God. And if we accept that homosapiens all originated from a single region, then all other gods both past and present can also be thought of as shape shifted variations of the same mystical presence that humans so often feel. Science doesn't stand a chance!
The second reason that Science won't kill God is that scientists have murked the good name of Science by involving it in all sorts of stupid shit like racism, sexism, and cigarettes. For centuries, scientists have claimed that Whites are objectively the most superior race, and that men are better suited for certain [important] jobs. And Scientists spent decades telling the world that cigarettes aren't really that harmful.
This is all the ammunition that religiously-minded folks needs to disparage anything that scientists say. Hell, I'm one of Science's biggest fanboys and I don't even believe half the shit that scientists come up with. Let me be perfectly clear though, the Earth is a sphere; it is not flat. As Christians have manufactured their god to validate their own beliefs, scientists have manipulated data to do the exact same thing. Intellect is now so mistrusted that I've actually been told by Christians that I'm thinking about it too much, or that I'm too smart for my own good.
So how does it end? Do you remember how the T1000 Terminator was finally killed? He was thrown into a pit of fire, which ironically sounds a lot like hell. *insert 1000 face palm emojis*
***********
About the Author:
For the 15th consecutive year, Luther Reads has decided that next year will be the year that he starts piano lessons. Huzzah!
Why I am a Goddammed Atheist
by Luther Reads
I would not waste two minutes of my precious time on Earth writing about why I don't believe in the tooth fairy, unless of course I found myself surrounded by friends and family who do, and if I myself had once believed in this fairy well into adulthood. That is the situation I find myself in with the Christian god, and so here I am, writing about why I'm an Atheist.
This might surprise you, but I make no claim about the existence or non-existence of God, so in this regard I am an agnostic. But I do not pray to the Christian god, I do not seek the Bible for moral guidance, and I do not pursue a relationship with him using the enigmatic process provided by Christianity. So in this regard, I am an atheist.
A friend of mine once told me that he heard God talking to him in his car. I actually believe that he heard a voice, but I also believe that there was no voice. I now recognize that our vision, hearing, imagination, feelings, hopes and memories can alter our perception of an experience to fit a preconceived narrative, such as the superiority of a certain race or the presence of a certain god. Any Christian who thinks this isn't possible expresses a fundamental misunderstanding about how the human mind works, and must explain the experiences of billions of people, both past and present, who have interacted with non-Christian gods.
If we agree that the mind can play these kinds of tricks, even on large groups of people, then Christianity needs to teach believers how to differentiate between what is imagined and what is indeed supernaturally sourced. When praying, what process can be used to determine when God is speaking, and when our own subconscious and imagination are at work? Which Bible interpretations have been influenced by biases and traditions, and which haven't? What tool did the Biblical authors use to separate their own biases, desires and imagination from what they claimed to have been told by God? In my last days as a Christian, I asked pastors, friends and relatives about their own communication with God, and found neither consistency nor clarity. Everyone's process and understanding was different, and all seemed based on ambiguous feelings.
Without a reliable tool or process, I lost confidence in my own ability to distinguish between what I imagined that God would say, and what God may actually have been saying. I lost confidence in everyone's ability to do this correctly. When the preacher says, "God told me to tell you...," I found it necessary to first be convinced of how he heard from God before I could accept what he heard.
Prayer and Bible study are the primary ways that Christians hear from their god, and I was taught that the Bible must be read with real-time interpretive guidance from God in spirit form. If this is God's plan, to communicate with us telepathically while never being seen or heard in an evident way, and if he didn't give us a reliable tool of discernment, then the vast number of God-believing and Bible-based churches in disagreement with each other should have been fully expected. Suicidal cults are inevitable, men will continue to strap bombs to themselves and blow up buildings, the sick will continue flocking to unscrupulous faith healers, church goers will continue "sowing a seed" by putting their rent money in the offering plate, homosexuals will continue to get shunned by their own parents -- all based on what people believe in their heart to be the voice of God. If there is no way to decipher what is God and what is not God, those who are gullible and impressionable do not stand a chance. And guess what... allllllll of us are gullible and impressionable.
Truth cannot be reliably discerned through this process, facts cannot be verified, and disagreements cannot be settled between two individuals who both claim to have heard from God. If this nebulous plan is the best that a omnipotent and omniscient God can do, then I'm not interested in him, even if he is real. I would rather put my trust and belief in things that can be collectively seen and verified. I would rather derive my hope, joy, peace of mind, and purpose from what is evident to people, regardless of their ethnic or cultural background, religious upbringing or beliefs.
Oh, and I really like saying goddamit!
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads is not the most interesting man in the world, but he is one of the most curious.
I would not waste two minutes of my precious time on Earth writing about why I don't believe in the tooth fairy, unless of course I found myself surrounded by friends and family who do, and if I myself had once believed in this fairy well into adulthood. That is the situation I find myself in with the Christian god, and so here I am, writing about why I'm an Atheist.
This might surprise you, but I make no claim about the existence or non-existence of God, so in this regard I am an agnostic. But I do not pray to the Christian god, I do not seek the Bible for moral guidance, and I do not pursue a relationship with him using the enigmatic process provided by Christianity. So in this regard, I am an atheist.
A friend of mine once told me that he heard God talking to him in his car. I actually believe that he heard a voice, but I also believe that there was no voice. I now recognize that our vision, hearing, imagination, feelings, hopes and memories can alter our perception of an experience to fit a preconceived narrative, such as the superiority of a certain race or the presence of a certain god. Any Christian who thinks this isn't possible expresses a fundamental misunderstanding about how the human mind works, and must explain the experiences of billions of people, both past and present, who have interacted with non-Christian gods.
If we agree that the mind can play these kinds of tricks, even on large groups of people, then Christianity needs to teach believers how to differentiate between what is imagined and what is indeed supernaturally sourced. When praying, what process can be used to determine when God is speaking, and when our own subconscious and imagination are at work? Which Bible interpretations have been influenced by biases and traditions, and which haven't? What tool did the Biblical authors use to separate their own biases, desires and imagination from what they claimed to have been told by God? In my last days as a Christian, I asked pastors, friends and relatives about their own communication with God, and found neither consistency nor clarity. Everyone's process and understanding was different, and all seemed based on ambiguous feelings.
Without a reliable tool or process, I lost confidence in my own ability to distinguish between what I imagined that God would say, and what God may actually have been saying. I lost confidence in everyone's ability to do this correctly. When the preacher says, "God told me to tell you...," I found it necessary to first be convinced of how he heard from God before I could accept what he heard.
Prayer and Bible study are the primary ways that Christians hear from their god, and I was taught that the Bible must be read with real-time interpretive guidance from God in spirit form. If this is God's plan, to communicate with us telepathically while never being seen or heard in an evident way, and if he didn't give us a reliable tool of discernment, then the vast number of God-believing and Bible-based churches in disagreement with each other should have been fully expected. Suicidal cults are inevitable, men will continue to strap bombs to themselves and blow up buildings, the sick will continue flocking to unscrupulous faith healers, church goers will continue "sowing a seed" by putting their rent money in the offering plate, homosexuals will continue to get shunned by their own parents -- all based on what people believe in their heart to be the voice of God. If there is no way to decipher what is God and what is not God, those who are gullible and impressionable do not stand a chance. And guess what... allllllll of us are gullible and impressionable.
Truth cannot be reliably discerned through this process, facts cannot be verified, and disagreements cannot be settled between two individuals who both claim to have heard from God. If this nebulous plan is the best that a omnipotent and omniscient God can do, then I'm not interested in him, even if he is real. I would rather put my trust and belief in things that can be collectively seen and verified. I would rather derive my hope, joy, peace of mind, and purpose from what is evident to people, regardless of their ethnic or cultural background, religious upbringing or beliefs.
Oh, and I really like saying goddamit!
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads is not the most interesting man in the world, but he is one of the most curious.
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