Monday, April 16, 2007

letter to a friend

I'm sorry I've been away for a few days. Two things have been happening: I'm suffering from a terrible sinus infection (arrgghh) and I attended a week long professional tennis tournament. It was fun but I was miserable throughout most of the week.

While I was gone I had an opportunity to converse with a Catholic friend via email. He's very devout and I fear we won't be talking for much longer. In our last exchange it seems he's taken offense that I countered his "feel good Jesus" scripture with scripture that has Jesus not being so nice. He writes that there's no harm in his beliefs and that he actually does good because of them. My letter to him is as follows:

Dear Friend,

OK, I get what you're saying, that I should let you be happy in your delusion. I'm OK with that. You seem to understand, even at an unconscious level, that you are doing this for emotional reasons. Although I don't get that part, I respect your right to do such a thing. I have several good friends that cannot handle talking about Jesus with me and we've decided not to discuss religion. They know that if they mention God and/or Jesus the bet is off and I am free to talk about their unnecessary belief system. I'm sadden by this kind of arrangement but I always honor it. Perhaps that is what we should do. We can have civil conversations without the mention of God, Jesus, or the Bible. What say you?

Living in this society where Christians make up 80% to 90% of the population, one can safely say that most of my friends are Christians, and many are Catholic. My experience in dealing with them is that bringing up God and Jesus in normal conversation is just not done. The reason is that God/Jesus means different things to each one of us and, as a rule, we are afraid of offending each other by discussing this concept. Each time you've brought up Jesus to me and I've countered you with conflicting scripture and you seem to get a little bent out of shape. You say, "You're right. There are so many holes in the Bible that there is no reason to believe it, but I do. So what?" As an intelligent person why would you settle for a belief that get you upset whenever someone challenges it? Shouldn't the one true belief be able to stand on its own?

Your apologists' interpretation of the scriptures I quoted was interesting. As you can imagine, I've heard it before. If you look up the warning signs for recognizing a cult these scriptures could be interpreted as one of them. (Matthew:10:34 - 37.) It's amazing the twists and turns one has to do to make the Bible a moral and acceptable document. It easier and more efficient to just be a good person and enjoy the world and the universe as a natural phenomena. The dogma and rules are confusing and, if not followed in a specific way, can lead one into perverse mental gymnastics that can drive one mentally ill. Think about the young children who are beaten daily because their parents think "sparing the rod" is a bad thing. Think of the millions of men who masturbate then feel guilty that they "spilled their seed upon the ground." Think of the women who won't leave abusive husbands because the Bible tells them they are bound forever in the eyes of God. This document in the hands of someone as thoughtful and compassionate as you, who is intelligent enough to pick out the bad, immoral things, is a harmless thing indeed. Unfortunately, it is also used, even in these modern times, to lie, cheat, steal, to justify murder, and to hurt helpless women and children.

The misogynous scripture of the day:

Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Why does Jesus only mentions women and fails to mention men in this scripture? It's very subtle but the Bible is very biased toward men and for a very good reason. The society was patriarchal and women were looked upon as property. The Bible is a product of its time. I am glad we don't live as they did with slaves and women as second class citizens.

You also said: Your atheism transcends family does it not? You would never revert to Christianity because of pressure brought on you by your parents.

This is not entirely correct. If my parents or anyone gave me sound proof that God/Jesus/Christianity is the one true religion then I would change my worldview after examination of the evidence. This doesn't include "feelings that there must be something bigger than me" or "God of the gaps" arguments. As Carl Sagan said, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. In other words, to make a claim of an all-powerful deity you better have extraordinary evidence to back it up. I look forward to that day.

That's it for me. I'll continue to send interesting videos and articles to you but I'll let you initiate any discussion you wish to have about them.

Hugs,
squirrel

6 comments:

Sean Wright said...

He may not be your friend for much longer methinks.

tina FCD said...

Ahhh...me too, but we can be friends..lol!

The Super Sweet Atheist said...

Actually, this friend is a little more thick skinned than the usual xian. He hasn't written back yet but when he does I'll update my blog.

tina FCD said...

Sorry, I forgot to ask you how you were doing now? Feeling better I hope.

BigTex71 said...

Hi, all.

I am a newly 'born-again' atheist and just found your blog through some other blogs I have been enjoying.

I really like your blog. I am still debating whether I should 'come out of the closet' and let my Christian friends know about my newfound non-Christianity. The hardest part is whether I should inform my wife. She is a pretty devote Catholic, and I am afraid of losing her (and we have two wonderful children.) I love her very much, but I am not sure if she can handle the truth.

I am open for suggestions and advice. :)

tina FCD said...

That is a hard one to relate to, I married an atheist, although at the time we never discussed religion. It just wasn't important to us. I hope some one will come up with some great advice for you bigtex71.