Losing My Religion
By: Dave Bruemmer
Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
"If you don't believe in God, then why do you care?"
This is what a lot of people were thinking after reading my previous articles on atheism and my de-conversion from Christianity. It's a valid question. I mean, I have no interest in the WNBA therefore, I'm not writing columns about it. But I am interested in religion because it has many fascinating elements, and it is important to understand because religion is part of the framework of human history. Take religion out of history and you really miss its essence.
However, I do feel an obligation to take an aggressive and even an evangelistic approach to debunking religious claims on some level, especially God's very existence. Most non-believers simply do not believe nor do they give it any thought. The believers out there who go to church and pray in order to find happiness, guidance and support are fine. But the fundamentalists who are intolerant to others who do not share their worldview, move me to action. There is a huge difference between a belief and a fact, and these people often confuse their beliefs with facts.
And these are the individuals who want to impose their beliefs upon everyone else. They think that all the problems in the world will go away if we just post the woefully ineffective Ten Commandments in classrooms. They fight to get Creationism, masquerading as the pseudo-science "Intelligent Design", in biology class too. All of this while they eagerly await the day that their "loving" God will return and pitch most of the world into Hellfire, kicking and screaming.
We atheists are always being accosted about our beliefs, and that is why there is a need to defend the position. When was the last time an atheist knocked on your door, set up a TV show and a donation hotline, or approached you on the street to preach to you? The disingenuous Campus Crusade For Christ roams the school grounds like a predator, pretending that they are taking a survey to see what people think about Jesus, when in reality they are just looking for a forum to proselytize people, thereby corrupting their own value system by using false premises.
What I would like to see is for everyone to respect each other's right to believe or not believe what they want, so long as they are not causing anyone harm. That is far more productive than denigrating or threatening them with Hell for not agreeing with you. If you believe Orthodox Jews or Muslims are treating their women like slaves and you want to speak out against it, that's fine. But there is nothing wrong with those groups because they don't believe that Jesus was God. Let us judge each other, not by what we believe, but rather by our actions and the way we treat one another.
This is what a lot of people were thinking after reading my previous articles on atheism and my de-conversion from Christianity. It's a valid question. I mean, I have no interest in the WNBA therefore, I'm not writing columns about it. But I am interested in religion because it has many fascinating elements, and it is important to understand because religion is part of the framework of human history. Take religion out of history and you really miss its essence.
However, I do feel an obligation to take an aggressive and even an evangelistic approach to debunking religious claims on some level, especially God's very existence. Most non-believers simply do not believe nor do they give it any thought. The believers out there who go to church and pray in order to find happiness, guidance and support are fine. But the fundamentalists who are intolerant to others who do not share their worldview, move me to action. There is a huge difference between a belief and a fact, and these people often confuse their beliefs with facts.
And these are the individuals who want to impose their beliefs upon everyone else. They think that all the problems in the world will go away if we just post the woefully ineffective Ten Commandments in classrooms. They fight to get Creationism, masquerading as the pseudo-science "Intelligent Design", in biology class too. All of this while they eagerly await the day that their "loving" God will return and pitch most of the world into Hellfire, kicking and screaming.
We atheists are always being accosted about our beliefs, and that is why there is a need to defend the position. When was the last time an atheist knocked on your door, set up a TV show and a donation hotline, or approached you on the street to preach to you? The disingenuous Campus Crusade For Christ roams the school grounds like a predator, pretending that they are taking a survey to see what people think about Jesus, when in reality they are just looking for a forum to proselytize people, thereby corrupting their own value system by using false premises.
What I would like to see is for everyone to respect each other's right to believe or not believe what they want, so long as they are not causing anyone harm. That is far more productive than denigrating or threatening them with Hell for not agreeing with you. If you believe Orthodox Jews or Muslims are treating their women like slaves and you want to speak out against it, that's fine. But there is nothing wrong with those groups because they don't believe that Jesus was God. Let us judge each other, not by what we believe, but rather by our actions and the way we treat one another.
Multi
The Archives
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 13
Fred
posted 1/29/07 @ 9:58 AM PST
What sin caused you to turn your heart from God and killed your faith? Was it the lust of the eyes? The lust of the flesh? Or was it the pride of life?
John B
posted 1/29/07 @ 10:35 AM PST
"And these are the individuals who want to impose their beliefs upon everyone else"
There is a false premise/assumption in this statement:that it is possible to impose beliefs on people, or that people can't think for themselves. (Continued…)
FVTHinker
posted 1/29/07 @ 1:30 PM PST
Bravo, Bravo, Bravo! Perfectly and succinctly said.
Tom Magnuson
posted 1/29/07 @ 2:14 PM PST
Mr (Dr?) Bruemmer...I am confused by some of your comments. Please help me.
You say that "the fundamentalists who are intolerant to others who do not share their worldview, move me to action. (Continued…)
Bjorn Echman
posted 1/29/07 @ 5:27 PM PST
A very reasonable op-ed, well thought out and articulated! More atheists need to come out and find the courage to be heard and to point out the hypocrisies they see of religion. (Continued…)
Steve Besamo
posted 1/29/07 @ 6:11 PM PST
Right on, Dave!
Hey, is there any club or group that promotes atheism and/or freethought on campus? I'd love to get a group forming. All I ever see are Campus Crusades for Christ, et al, meetings and rallies everywhere. (Continued…)
showme
posted 1/30/07 @ 11:39 AM PST
Note that 3 of the first 4 responders thought it necessary to argue what is primarilly a personal story with a few conclusions mixed in. Atheists that do the same are branded as intolerant. (Continued…)
Crusade Watch
posted 1/30/07 @ 12:05 PM PST
Excellent article! This 'my religion is the only TRUE religion' concept most of the diversity in the world
Aspentroll
Aspentroll
posted 2/03/07 @ 10:17 AM PST
I really think that any one having trouble believing in any of the religions that are out there today should do some reading other than the Bible. Common sense should kick in when reading the Bible and tell you that what it is saying relates to what they believed in the 2nd- 4th centuries AD. (Continued…)
William Travers
posted 2/05/07 @ 9:10 AM PST
Dave,
While your sentiments are unsurprising , they are a bit frustrating. The sort of undergrad epiphany you've had is common but it's expression is, typicall, quite boring. (Continued…)
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