I was molested when I was little and have had a very hard time dealing with it. It was only through the grace of Christ and the love of the church that I have been able to build myself up again and restored my self esteem. You would have me throw that all away for an empty life, no hope, and nights of screaming nightmares. For that I can only shake my head at your ignorance and pray for the salvation of your soul.
I would never want to try and tear away from anyone a community or belief that has helped them in time of need. I do not ask religious people to give up their faith, only to look at their faith with an open mind. I also fear that you have a misunderstanding of atheism – an atheist life does not need to be bleak, hopeless, or empty, and I would not have you suffer without your faith and offer no healing alternative.
It must have taken great strength for you to recover from your horrible childhood experience. I commend you for your strength and hold in high regard those who helped you in your hour of need. I also thank you for your concern for my soul, but reassure you that I lead a full, happy, giving life and am not in need of assistance.
1 comment:
nwnhHello,
I came across your site whilst trying to find something that might make me think about things from a different perspective (you needn't say how strange that is, I already know), and when I found this it particularly interested me as although I was brought up a good christian I never could believe in God, and after the local Vicar sexually harassed my mum, and my 'godfearing' grandfather beat the crap out of my sister and I for 'blaspheming' and then sexually abused my younger sisters and then used his church position to gain access to other children, my faith wavered and then completely died.
Although many could say that I was unlucky, and that faith and religion have spurred people on to doing good and truly selfless things, it also allows men like my grandfather unusual access to children, and has given people excuses for the some of the greatest crimes ever commited. Some that spring to mind are the crusades, the mass sucides in America, the murders of gays and blacks, terrorism and countless other where God's word has been 'misinterpretated', deliberately or otherwise.
Religion could be good, and usually the ultimate principals are fundamentally good, such as 'do not murder/steal/etc', but as soon as someone says, 'but to kill a muslim/black/gay is not murder' you reach dangerous territory and the real danger of religion becomes apparent. Yes, without religion there would still be murder pain and death, and it's certainly important particularly in this day and age that we have morals, but religion is too dangerous, and in some people inspires the hate that leads them to sacrifice their lives for their God, either by bombing a UN summit, or by dedicating their lives to removing the theory of evolution from schools. I truly believe that people should find their own morals, not follow mindlessly a set of rules merely to secure your place in the heaven of your choice. Ultimately, religion is just one big, hugely convincing bribe. Conform or go to hell.
Alright, possibly you may see this a one lareg and fairly pointless rant, but when I read letters written by mothers who read their daughters mail, and then punish them for questioning, it makes me so angry. I would like to say to all people who are as yet unsure, don't listen to me. Read, read and read, and then question. Question everything. OK, maybe you've been told that God created the world in 7 days, or that it's unjust that we punish people created by our own excesses and corrupt capitalist society, but find out the other side of the arguement, and sit and think about it. If nothing else, next time someone argues with you, you'll be able to predict their arguement and have a ready response. But, maybe, Darwin is right, have you read 'the origin of species'? I have, and I can tell you that Darwin was not a fool or a conman. And have you read Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, or Satre? Clever men with good ideas, but, if we creat a criminal, surely it is our duty to either amend his ways or to punish him, otherwise society might disintegrate in to chaos.
Ok, I'll shut up know, but please, don't think I'm prejudiced, I have really thought about every opinion I have, and used the help of better minds than my own or my family's to help shape them.
So, if nothing else: THINK
Thanks,
Good site by the way, but needs more work, after all atheism is not a religion, and the informal feel gives the impression you don't really know what you're talking about, which having read your comments is evidently not true.
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