Lately I've been seeing a lot of Creationists, be it on YouTube, Faux "News", or what have you, who have been blathering on about how Christmas is a "Christian holiday" or that "Jesus is the reason for the season." Well, first let's look at what Christmas is defined and the history of the holiday, the way the US Government sees it, and finally we'll look at it's place in America and in the lives of Atheists.
Christmas (originally "Christ's" Mass") is defined as a holiday observed generally on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual bithday of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond the date of the Roman winter solstice or one of various ancient winter festivals. After recently watching the movie Zeitgeist, though I disagree with much of it, Part One of the movie explains the origins of Christianity. Therein, it explains that the Bible is likely a collection of metaphorical poems and such about that Sun. This would certainly explain the similarities with other religions, and the reason why we see such adaptation as the 25th of December being the supposed birth date of Jesus. Either way, much of the symbols, meanings, and central events associated with Christmas are actually historically known to be Pagan. Basically, Christmas is borrowed from the Pagans.. it's not Christian at all.
Concerning how religious holidays should be dealt with by the government of the United States, the first amendment (as well as article six of the constitution) signifies this clearly. The first amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of any religion, or the free exercise thereof;" This clearly demonstrates that calling Christmas (as recognized by the United States government) a "Christian" holiday would be in direct violation of the constitution. It is recognized by the government as widely celebrated and thus given special recognition, but the government is still prohibited from endorsing it.
In America, Christmas is celebrated by the majority of citizens, religious or not. Though, in this we see the ignorance of modern reasons for celebrating, or further the ignorance of those original meanings of the symbols and terms. Though "Christian"-proclaimed holidays aren't the only culprit of this sort of ignorance, they are the majority and should be dealt with accordingly. Still, even many Atheists such as myself see no problem celebrating it for secular reasons. I myself celebrate because I see this time of year as not necessary to appease some sky daddy, but instead as a good idea that we should take time to celebrate our lives and our loved ones. I see it as a fun, modernly altruistic, secular means for just taking time to relax, enjoy life, and enjoy prospering and seeing others prosper from your intentions and actions. I also see it as a time to use the little euphemism the American Atheists plastered all over New York Last year and relish in the meaning of it; it's always good to celebrate our advancements as a society, so let's ditch the myths.
Regardless of what you celebrate, there is no reason to not just want to give joy and wanted things to loved ones (and there's no harm in loving to receive the same either). Whatever you may celebrate, or the reasons for doing so, I hope you have a happy holiday.. but really? "Christ's Mass"? You KNOW it's a myth. This season, celebrate reason.
What do YOU think about all this?
Feel free to post a comment or email me at SilenceTheIDiots@hotmail.com
I'm also on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/SilenceTheIDiots
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Atheism in America: Is America a "Christian Nation"?
I've been talking with a guy on YouTube the past day or two and he was saying that America is "Christian nation". Moreover, that the founding fathers leaned toward a theocracy not just in their personal desires but as active politicians. I tried to explain that there is a difference between belief and policy, and that the founding fathers built it into the Constitution that there can be no law regarding religion (and thus no theocracy). He sort of disagreed / simply rejected reality and substituted his own.
Though we eventually ended up arguing semantics and plenty of side issues, his initial point was that America is supposed to be a theocracy, or at least it allows for it. He gave examples from Thomas Paine's Common Sense and The Age of Reason of how Paine was a Deist, and saw monarchies as heathen inventions for power. I agree, but that doesn't mean that he thought America should be a theocracy, and certainly didn't advocate it in policy. Basic logic shows that, through the first amendment to the Constitution, theocracy is impossible in this country because "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The point here is that United States law doesn't allow for theocracy, but that doesn't exactly mean it isn't a "Christian nation".
I guess it could be argued that the founding documents of this country were based on Christian tenets and that makes us a Christian nation, and I would have to agree in that sense. However, the idea that America is Christian in policy (beyond the simple fact that Christianity is still the majority of the people's religion), and that that is constitutional, is entirely wrong. It may be that the government is corrupt, and certainly there's a case for such an argument, but that could change with some sort of wave of rational thinking.... though I know rational thinking is a difficult topic for the religious.
What do you think about this?
Is America a "Christian nation", or is it secular (in policy)? If SO, is it constitutional?
Do you agree with my opinions? Disagree?
Feel free to comment or email me at SilenceTheIDiots@hotmail.com or on my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/SilenceTheIDiots)
Though we eventually ended up arguing semantics and plenty of side issues, his initial point was that America is supposed to be a theocracy, or at least it allows for it. He gave examples from Thomas Paine's Common Sense and The Age of Reason of how Paine was a Deist, and saw monarchies as heathen inventions for power. I agree, but that doesn't mean that he thought America should be a theocracy, and certainly didn't advocate it in policy. Basic logic shows that, through the first amendment to the Constitution, theocracy is impossible in this country because "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The point here is that United States law doesn't allow for theocracy, but that doesn't exactly mean it isn't a "Christian nation".
I guess it could be argued that the founding documents of this country were based on Christian tenets and that makes us a Christian nation, and I would have to agree in that sense. However, the idea that America is Christian in policy (beyond the simple fact that Christianity is still the majority of the people's religion), and that that is constitutional, is entirely wrong. It may be that the government is corrupt, and certainly there's a case for such an argument, but that could change with some sort of wave of rational thinking.... though I know rational thinking is a difficult topic for the religious.
What do you think about this?
Is America a "Christian nation", or is it secular (in policy)? If SO, is it constitutional?
Do you agree with my opinions? Disagree?
Feel free to comment or email me at SilenceTheIDiots@hotmail.com or on my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/SilenceTheIDiots)
Friday, November 12, 2010
Atheism and Morality: Sexuality
So I was just on Answers.com and decided to give an answer to a question of the Atheist existentialism about sexuality. I think it's a moral question which a lot of people find so inappropriate for most situations, but I don't feel awkward... ever, really.
So, this is what I said:
"As an Atheist, I think that there is no guiding principle in our lives beyond what we make of things. Because of this, the question is very arbitrary, let alone that Atheism has no doctrine or dogma to refer to because it isn't a religion or set of beliefs.
Atheism is merely the label applied to those who choose the "off" position to Theism (the belief in a "god[s]"). It is not, however, the statement "There is no 'god[s]'.
Regardless, and because your question is quite vague, I will break it down into 3 smaller, more focused questions in hopes of covering all bases and answering as fully as possible.
1) How do Atheists view sexual behavior and heterosexuality?
Sexual behavior is something that is very prominent in human life, and in nature in general. It is something we all have an instinct towards; the instinct to reproduce is with us at birth and matures as we mature. Heterosexual people make up roughly 92% of the human population in the United States, while self-identifying homosexuals/bisexuals make up 8% (National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, 2010).
In my opinion, people should be free to make their own decisions regardless of sexual behavior and orientation. This applies so long as they do not impede the rights of others, do not harm others, can make informed and rational decisions, and do not discriminate against others for their choices. I do not personally agree with the laws of my state regarding sexual behavior of minors, but that may be slightly off topic. I feel this way because though it might be rare that the two consenting parties having sexual relations are both underage by law and mature/informed about their actions, this does occur and the laws still prohibit this.
Legislation being the way it is stems from having roughly a 70% Christian population and, religion being the way it is, this does affect the decision making of its followers. I feel that the laws should be reevaluated to represent the more constitutional, secular movement; as it does not have a bias and simply has a goal of making this country truly the "land of the free."
2) How do Atheists view homosexuality.
Homosexuality falls under this effect as well, though much more strongly in some respects. I believe that homosexuality, as it is natural, should not be discriminated against, nor should same-sex marriage outlawed simply because it does not seem "moral" to some people. I am not gay, but several friends and family members of mine are, and they feel the effects daily from religious (especially Christian) agendas about sexuality being pressed onto the general public. Again, religious views play a major role in the legislation of this country, however unconstitutional it really is to have it do so; and because of this, the radical fundamentalists often push their agenda successfully.
In short, people should be truly free to live their lives how they want, and not be shut down by those who feel it offends their personal deity.
3) Is there a set morality for sexuality?
This entails more of a philosophical question of "Is there a 'god[s]'" in order to even ask the question the way it is, and because I'm an Atheist, obviously I would say "no."
As of current news and technology, there is no tangible or logical evidence to support the existence of any deity of any religion ever in history, nor is there evidence going against the theories put out by the scientific community concerning the origin of the universe as we know it, the origin of life, and/or the process by which new life forms arise (Speciation in Evolution by means of natural selection). By this and logical reason which is against the mere existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent (in Christianity), omnipresent "god", I am an Atheist.
Finally, because I'm an Atheist, I think we should be defining morality not based on the will of an imaginary sky daddy, but instead on what is productive and liberating to the people of our society; humanity.
If you have further questions or feedback, you can email me at silencetheidiots@hotmail.com"
So, this is what I said:
"As an Atheist, I think that there is no guiding principle in our lives beyond what we make of things. Because of this, the question is very arbitrary, let alone that Atheism has no doctrine or dogma to refer to because it isn't a religion or set of beliefs.
Atheism is merely the label applied to those who choose the "off" position to Theism (the belief in a "god[s]"). It is not, however, the statement "There is no 'god[s]'.
Regardless, and because your question is quite vague, I will break it down into 3 smaller, more focused questions in hopes of covering all bases and answering as fully as possible.
- How do Atheists view sexual behavior and heterosexuality?
- How do Atheists view homosexuality?
- Is there a set morality for sexuality?
1) How do Atheists view sexual behavior and heterosexuality?
Sexual behavior is something that is very prominent in human life, and in nature in general. It is something we all have an instinct towards; the instinct to reproduce is with us at birth and matures as we mature. Heterosexual people make up roughly 92% of the human population in the United States, while self-identifying homosexuals/bisexuals make up 8% (National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, 2010).
In my opinion, people should be free to make their own decisions regardless of sexual behavior and orientation. This applies so long as they do not impede the rights of others, do not harm others, can make informed and rational decisions, and do not discriminate against others for their choices. I do not personally agree with the laws of my state regarding sexual behavior of minors, but that may be slightly off topic. I feel this way because though it might be rare that the two consenting parties having sexual relations are both underage by law and mature/informed about their actions, this does occur and the laws still prohibit this.
Legislation being the way it is stems from having roughly a 70% Christian population and, religion being the way it is, this does affect the decision making of its followers. I feel that the laws should be reevaluated to represent the more constitutional, secular movement; as it does not have a bias and simply has a goal of making this country truly the "land of the free."
2) How do Atheists view homosexuality.
Homosexuality falls under this effect as well, though much more strongly in some respects. I believe that homosexuality, as it is natural, should not be discriminated against, nor should same-sex marriage outlawed simply because it does not seem "moral" to some people. I am not gay, but several friends and family members of mine are, and they feel the effects daily from religious (especially Christian) agendas about sexuality being pressed onto the general public. Again, religious views play a major role in the legislation of this country, however unconstitutional it really is to have it do so; and because of this, the radical fundamentalists often push their agenda successfully.
In short, people should be truly free to live their lives how they want, and not be shut down by those who feel it offends their personal deity.
3) Is there a set morality for sexuality?
This entails more of a philosophical question of "Is there a 'god[s]'" in order to even ask the question the way it is, and because I'm an Atheist, obviously I would say "no."
As of current news and technology, there is no tangible or logical evidence to support the existence of any deity of any religion ever in history, nor is there evidence going against the theories put out by the scientific community concerning the origin of the universe as we know it, the origin of life, and/or the process by which new life forms arise (Speciation in Evolution by means of natural selection). By this and logical reason which is against the mere existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent (in Christianity), omnipresent "god", I am an Atheist.
Finally, because I'm an Atheist, I think we should be defining morality not based on the will of an imaginary sky daddy, but instead on what is productive and liberating to the people of our society; humanity.
SilenceTheIDiots... who are you?
I am a 16 year old Junior in high school, a musician, a very analytical mind, a person of radical honesty, an aspiring educator, and so many other things. I love music, my girlfriend of now about 2 and a half years, my friends, educating people, learning, and (since this is what this blog is mainly about) I love making everybody as comfortable as possible. So, let's talk about religion. I talk about science, religion, morality, politics, and hell even semantics (probably because I'm so analytical). I have OCD or something, but I guess that isn't a bad thing for an aspiring scientist. I feel it is well within my rights (as anyone else) to express how I feel and how I view the world in a public forum... and so I do. What this blog concerns is the fact that I am a godless, heathen, blasphemer, apostate, heretic, PROUD Atheist...
I LOVE debating with Creationists. Well, so long as they aren't just trying to spout religious propaganda and tell others about "the GRACE of the LORD JESUS CHRIST!", let alone how you "need" faith, and that logic being outlawed in religion is a "good" thing. I would rather just talk to someone than argue, and therein I would much rather educate people about science/religion than just repeatedly claim science is right and religion is wrong, or have them do the opposite to me.
So I guess the point of this blog is for me (the publisher), you (the reader/commentator); and everyone else just visiting to learn, educate (not evangelize), and just gain mutual communication between Atheists and Theists (whatever religion you may follow).
I don't want to deconvert you, but... I encourage ANYONE who questions or distrusts the mythology present in our word today to stand up, be part of the revolution of reason, and raise hell for the religious community by simply using your brain and speaking your mind. Use your reasoning, use reality and evidence, use the fallacies of religion to make people STOP forcing their arbitrary agendas on those who want liberation and make this country truly the "land of the free."
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