There aren't many things of which I'm certain, but I happen to know that there isn't a god, or gods. And there is no hell, heaven, paradise, Hades, Elysium, purgatory, or any of that bullshit. People believe in this sort of thing for many reasons, but the absurd appeal boils down to just three things; a desire to explain the unknown, a thirst for justice, and a fear of death.
There are many things about the universe, the planet, your body, and even your girlfriend that are a complete mystery. Religion puts a face on the unknown, and a robe, and sometimes a beard. There was a time when people thought germs simply spontaneously generated, no questions asked. God decided where and when to place disease and infection. We stood helplessly by and had to accept it. A French fellow named Louis Pasteur put that theory to rest. God no longer resides under a microscope. But people are determined to find him or her (or them) in every sooty nook and cranny.
Science replaces "common sense" and superstition every day. And those in search of a laugh sardonically question religious mythology with a scientific mind. A paper written by a thermodynamics professor entitled, "How Hot is Hell?" falls into that category. I suppose this sort of thing might offend those of a religious disposition. I've gotten to the point, however, where I don't care. The religious fanatics who run the world, from the Evangelical Christians to the Muslim "Islamofascists," have made it clear that they don't respect my lack of belief in god. In fact, both groups are aggressively attempting to hijack control of every government and institution on Earth. If you think I'm being paranoid, you're not paying attention.
Clearly, I'm indicting a whole batch of people based on the internecine predilections of a fanatical few. But how "few" are these fanatics? They seem to enjoy greater numbers now than ever before. Here in the United States, the "Radical Right" made up of Evangelicals and groups like, "Moral Majority" hold fantastic sway over our humble little republic. That's why we're grappling with evolution and sex education in our public schools, two things that any reasonable person would insist be taught. And how could any logical person insist on placing the Ten Commandments in front of our nation's courthouses? Besides being a violation of the separation of church and state, any thinking person should have some issues with this thing. I won't pick it apart here, that's been done on the Internet 1,000 times over. But I feel compelled to mention the Second Commandment, which states, "Do not fashion idols or any likeness of what is in the heavens above." Given that a statue of the Ten Commandments is an idol, it's ironic that we wish to break the Second Commandment by putting up monuments to the Ten Commandments all over the place! Organized religion is always lampooning itself like that. This celebration of the absurd goes on in all religions. Promising a reward of 70 virgins in paradise to a Muslim suicide bomber? Wow. I have to hand it to them, though, they really know their audience; teenaged males.
There are plenty of good god people out there. They are reasonable, compassionate, reliable and disinclined to hurt me for not believing in their god. Honestly, though, I've come to the conclusion after 30 something years that religion is essentially a confidence scam. An institutional hoodwink that has been around so long that people mistakenly assume that it must be worth keeping around. Aside from food pantries and a few homeless shelters, it's not. The government can easily do what the churches do. After that, revoke the tax exempt status that these bamboozlers enjoy and let them sell their product like every other drug-dealer. They are simply too dangerous to enjoy this favored-dealer status. The product they sell robs people of their ability to reason, to the point where they believe the Earth is 6,000 years old and that pre-marital sex will result in your torture for all eternity. And compassion goes out the door for the victims of this scam, as well. Imagine picketing the funeral of a murder victim, like Matthew Shephard, with signs that read, "FAGS BURN IN HELL, MATT BURNS IN HELL." Or how about speaking as a fetus to a woman going into an abortion clinic, "Don't muder me mommy!" People are normally compassionate and thoughtful. Religion has the power to rob people of it.
Just say, "No!" to the sky-king advocates and con-artists. Tell them you see enough of god's work on CNN's coverage of the middle east.
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