“From bitter searching of the heart,
Quickened with passion and with pain
We rise to play a greater part.
This is the faith from which we start:
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart.
We loved the easy and the smart,
But now, with keener hand and brain,
We rise to play a greater part.
The lesser loyalties depart,
And neither race nor creed remain 
From bitter searching of the heart.
Not steering by the venal chart
That tricked the mass for private gain,
We rise to play a greater part.
Reshaping narrow law and art
From bitter searching of the heart
Whose symbols are the millions slain,
We rise to play a greater part”
(Leonard Cohen,”Villanelle For Our Time”)
“Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace
You, you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will be as one”
(John Lennon, “Imagine”)
I contend that Christianity was originally conceived as a tool to control people. It wasn’t built on a foundation of fact. That means that at its very core it’s fundamentally flawed.
It undermines international relations, promotes prejudice, stonewalls science, wastes resources and compromises psychological health. Children are singing hymns, prattling off prayers and having their heads filled with tales about sin, Satan, Jesus, angels and creationism, in school! Right now, at this very moment, there are children lying in bed trembling at the idea that there’s a devil who wants to drag them to Hell. Evangelical communities run by businessmen and churches lorded over by the Vatican are milking the market. Countless numbers of people still believe all sorts of biblical bullshit. Billions of man-hours are wasted in churches. Wars inflamed by religion are still being waged, homosexuals hounded, women denied the same opportunities as men, and there is still resistance to science and rational thought. People turn to prayer rather than each other, and feel guilt about their sexuality and other imaginary sins. Some churches deny people contraceptives. The Vatican condemns condoms, but Catholic priests don’t change diapers, nurse relatives slowly dying from Aids, or pay for expensive medicines. All of this is a travesty against humanity!
I think too many people believe Christianity is a benign
belief that does no harm. Too many of us think that some people need it as a “crutch “to help them in difficult times, whereas Christianity is very often the cause of the difficult times.
Prior to about the seventeenth century, if someone had been caught reading a book like this they could be burned at the stake. Fortunately, Christian power has faded over the last two centuries in most better-educated parts of the world. Part of the reason is that brave humanists and scientists refused to be silent or stop work when hounded by churches, often putting their lives in danger by doing so. If it hadn’t been for them, the Western world might still be living in the squalor and ignorance of the Dark Ages.
The world would be a better, happier and safer place if Christianity disappeared. Visualize a world in which many more minority groups are respected. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the time and energy currently used in going to church was somehow channeled into humanitarian projects to improve dietary health, sanitation and education? The good humanitarian work done through some churches could be much better done and on a far larger scale through secular organizations using money saved by not subsidizing churches.
Some people would suffer a temporary deep-seated loss, but I think most individuals would be happier and healthier, particularly if they embraced a new-found confidence in the wisdom and companionship of their fellow men. The only people likely to suffer any long-term consequences would be some bean counters and clergy, who would lose their jobs, income and status, although most of them would be happier too when they found more meaningful employment. (http://www.clergyproject.org).
We’re currently in a very empowering period in history, with advances in communication, computing and education. Secular humanism is on the up, so it’s easier to be pro-active than it used to be.
I think the lies and immorality in the Bible and the poor philosophy promoted in churches, schools and in the media should be discussed in the public arena. Prejudices promoted by Christianity should be countered. All people deserve respected, regardless of their gender, culture, religion or sexual inclination.
It would be very heart warming to see equivocating parents recognize the dangers Christianity poses to children’s mental health, turn away from church run schools, and allow their children a secular
education.
The tax-free status of Church’s incomes should be abolished.
Changing significant standards in society seems like a daunting task, yet it has happened throughout history. Consider the suffragette movement, the fight for gay respect, and the abolition of apartheid and slavery. Change is initiated by inspiring visionaries like Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King, Harvey Milk, Nelson Mandela and Christopher Hitchens, who voiced objections to the way things were. These people made a better world for all of us by putting in some effort.
There are very lively public discussions in the public arena about reason and superstition, faith and science. To employ reason is to be clear-headed, open-minded, to not waste time or make life hard for others with irrational restrictions. Reason allows our species to progress to new heights. Science, not faith, should give us direction. Yet reason and science are being actively, vehemently opposed by churches.
I see it as my duty to step up and speak for rationality and science. I know I’m not always right. I also know that if I do nothing, then I will be always wrong.
Let’s make Christianity socially unacceptable, in the same way smoking, homophobia, sexism and high fructose corn syrup are on the nose in most modern communities today. Let’s employ empathy, not dogma, in engagements with each other. Humanity needs us. If we all just stand around and watch, the human race might drive itself into oblivion.
References:
Winell, Marlene Ph.D. “LEAVING THE FOLD: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving their Religion, 1994, 2006
http://www.bertrandrussell.com/writings/has-religion-made-useful-contributions-to-civilisation/
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=America_is_a_shining_city_upon_a_hill
http://www.humanreligions.info/intelligence.html
http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/iq_relig.htm
http://atheistcamel.blogspot.com/2009/03/religiosity-mental-illness-and.html
http://www.anitra.net/activism/fundamentalism/psychology.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U1b7Xgyq-Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tBKYVwQl3RQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F0fN-EK4qmY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_4syU7MC-1w#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h5L1Js9ex4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHHOiF-dFEg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG72wpp_mLM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwooM4yhiiY
http://voices.yahoo.com/could-social-networking-result-9067061.html?cat=9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbcBpIxY4do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeWpTjmtgXQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNuJ6A6iGP4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iooXQ1-P-0s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkHLyuDi-68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZznlL7uG18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cxeKyRSviCg – !
Why atheists care about YOUR religion 
Christopher Hitchens kicks ass
Prisons use christianity to control their inmates. They need it pretty desperately.
Yes. I agree. hadn’t thought of that before. Thanks!
Actually, as Ray Kurzweil expounds in his book, “The Singularity is Near”, Homo Sapiens is living on the verge of a huge parabilic upslope in intelligence, as within 50 years, we will be fitted with memory ” extensions”, (as we already have in our lap-tops, and iPods, etc.), and they will be integrated by nano-technology into our brains. The long slow log scale upward sloping curve will go parabolic. As that happens, the foolishness of the ancient religions will be more and more obvious, and fall by the wayside. Christianity has NO future, as the ancient sacrificial “payback” schemes, necessary to appease the “angry” gods will go out of style. (They actually have only been around for a rather short time in the grand scheme of the history of the earth, as humans tried to find ways to explain and control their environment). Actually a VERY VERY short time. The many uses of religion for humans, including the production of increased circulating beta-endorphins, (feel good purposes), political control and MALE power systems, will be replaced by other methods, and drugs, and systems, and most of all, by the instantaneous downloading of EVERY reference book, and material, and article ever written, (and a (daily), download/update of every new dicovery, and article, and book. by “plugging” into a network. There will develop a self-evolving robotic adaptation, for humans, as well as super intelligent machine/beings, which will also self-evolve, instantly, to adapt to every new situation, and instantly learn EVRY new discovery from the past few hours, fro the network. The ENTIRE business of life on this planet will be FAR different in 25-50 years, as we see how “parochial” we were in thinking that something unique happened in ancient Palestine, when there are 600 sextillion stars out there, and probably an infinite number of other universes. The anthropomorphic business of “daddy” in the sky, will be laughed at, by all except the few remaining nut cases who refuse to hook up to the “network”, and think they need to remain “untouched” by the emerging technology.
Hi Jason. Wow! That takes the discussion a lot further. I agree with everything you’ve written about religion. Not sure i fancy the idea of having an artificial memory. It might adversely effect the individual’s capacity to make decisions and reason. It sounds technically impossible to me. Interesting idea though that we could know facts without putting in the effort to learn them
Hi Mark,
I HIGHLY recommend the Kurzweil book. He does a great job with his graphs and log scales, and time plots. I think you would love it.
The US Navy, (as well as researchers at various medical research centers), ALREADY have the capability of incorporating/connecting nano technology with/into nerve and brain cells. So it WILL be possible, in fact already is. Am sure they have a lot of work to do, but we ALREADY have artificial memories. Everytime I search in my saved Google files for something I know I saved from somewhere, or in their, (or even the internet), library files, etc., etc., I am using an “artificial” memory. (The “cloud” has become my artificial memory extension). THAT is already happening. We HAVE a huge information system at our fingertips, which a generation ago was impossible.
BUT, as you say, the integration of all these phenomenal amounts of information is, and will be THE major problem. I am still thinking about that. But we already know from Libet’s work, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ4nwTTmcgs) that the concept of “free will” is actually a fallacy. So that is a very interesting question. Love your web site !
Thanks Jason, I will read the book. Thanks! So many books, so little time (LOL)
A whole new way of thinking out in the open. Very thought provoking.
Hi Helen, I genuinely think Christianity is slowly but surely becoming more “on the nose”, at least here in Australia. That can only be a good thing! I look forward to the time it collapses under the weight of public opinion. When that happens it will be a massive step towards international harmony and peaceful societies. Let’s bring it on!
I’d like to see the Catholic church take the first step off of this steep cliff. However, as long as there are legions of easily swayed poor and uneducated, entrenched religious institutions like it and others will continue to take full advantage of them. This is where religion still finds a home and why education and increased standard of living is so important to our well-being and continued survival. The fight against religious ignorance I believe will continue as long as there is credulity and fear to be milked.
Well said! I am sure there are some decent chaps in the Vatican who are disgusted by what has happened and is still happening. Yet they are not allowed to admit guilt. There is too much money at stake. The institution is too afraid of losing face.
I think the Vatican is now stewing in its own rot, children are still being abused, and many good people in the church are highly embarrassed and thinking of abandoning the sinking ship.
I had no idea that Christians were racist until I became an atheist. Shocking but true, they were the ones responsible for fighting the civil rights movement. A good example is Pat Robertson’s father exclaiming that he will not “preach to those sons of Ham” (referring to black Americans). Pat Robertson still holds this belief.
http://www.schlatter.org/smear_the_queer.htm
Hi Supernova, wow, I didn’t know that about Pat Robertson. We must do our best to help make people aware of themselves. I noticed you have some excellent blogs at starcrashx.wordpress.com/ . Keep up the good work! Warm regards, Mark