O Ye Faithful - Ye Lie!

The disgust I feel when atheists are labeled as evil characters is sometimes almost too much for me to stomach. It is despicable and, frankly, un-christian-like that the people who have no credible evidence to support the fact that there is a god or Jesus and choose to live out their lives in a different fashion are then judged for it by those claiming to have a faith in the almighty. Where's the so-called love they have for their fellow man that they always go on about?

In forums where they can remain hidden, those complete strangers make bold, hateful accusations and attack non-believers when they see only written words from our kind. The anonymity of the Internet gives them power to indict us but they wouldn't be the only ones who judge us. Even so-called friends who are believers use the word evil or at the very least, less than good because of what we claim to be true and our way of thinking. Regardless of the connection we have with them, they will have reservations about our kind because we are different from their clan of people. This hesitation to defy the mentality of the clan can be called strength in numbers, fear of being ostracized or mob mentality; not sure which but whatever label it's given, the stance taken is one of being unwilling to understand the true intent of an individual and then dismiss, ignore, belittle, label or smear them because of that lack of understanding.

I have to stress, not all Christians or believers do this, but a large majority of the faithful do. If those religious people who do would just stop for a moment and assess who we are and look at our actions, individually, they might possibly have to reverse their assessments of us specifically when our actions are in alignment with what we call our values. The values that usually resemble their own proclaimed values. To just simply imply our lack of a belief in a god automatically means we don't have values, some or any, is just discrimination and down-right rude and insulting. Especially when I see how they parade their values and ethics everywhere; touted as the righteous way to live, only to watch them implode when I see their vileness also in full public display once the scandals break.

To all those who would shout the loudest about values and who are frequently having to apologize for doing the opposite.... Please keep your values to yourself. Stop preaching, it makes you look stupid! And more specifically, stop maligning those of us who do have values and actually have lives that reflect them. Stop saying that atheists are inherently value-less because it's just not true and while you are at it, stop committing all those acts that show us how value-less YOU actually are.

When I have the opportunity to read Freethought Today, the "Black Collar Crime Blotter" section, it totally turns my stomach and sends my blood pressure sky-high because of the many cases of sexual abuse involving children. The newspaper-sized pages are filled with local, national and international incidents of arrested/charged, civil lawsuits filed and settled, legal developments, allegations made, removed/resigned instances, pleaded/convicted and sentenced individuals. It covers a wide spectrum of criminal activity - rape, assault, breaking and entering, embezzlement, fraud, kidnapping, etc. The predominant crimes are sexual in nature and again, many of the offenses occur primarily with children.

This monthly updated blotter tells me that religious people DO NOT have the 'good' market cornered. Actually, quite to the contrary, as evidenced by our own frequent personal experiences. We've all witnessed many instances of hypocritical actions and behavior displayed by religious family members and neighbors. And watched as believers got involved in community leadership positions with their halos blazing, only to be fodder for the evening news. The local, state and national politicians don't disappoint us either after they swear on the bible the oath 'So help me God'; then predictably, we see one criminal act or sex scandal after the other come out. They claim to hold themselves to a higher standard because they've got god on their side and then do the very things they claim they are above participating in. The hypocrisy is astounding.

Throughout history, there have been many famous and not so famous examples of people who have done some pretty shabby things in the name of Christianity or just because they could; the list is endless. It is no different in today's society. You need to look no further than the evening news or at the frequent stories floating from one Facebook page to another about a deplorable, evil act committed against yet another child by a member of the community that has touted their morality as better because they believe in a god or claim to be part of a religion that holds them to a higher standard. As I said, it disturbs me greatly to be maligned just because I don't have the same beliefs as they do, but to also see the prevalence and the types of atrocities these so-called Christians commit; it sometimes just leaves me speechless.

But then, justice arrives after the acts come to light and the hypocrisy is clearly evident. There is some satisfaction in seeing them finally fall from grace committing the acts they would accuse us of doing. It's always brilliant to watch them take up a good part of their lives professing decency and values, only to fall disingenuously off their perch of perceived morality when their vile actions are exposed. Seeing their shame, humiliation and regret on display in the media is almost too funny to watch. The righteous speeches, forceful and passionate, meant as indications of their character; now, are meaningless. Getting caught is a bitch, isn't it?

Ray Garton says it best - “People can be good with god, sure.  But there are a whole lot of people who are bad with god, too, and we need to stop deluding ourselves into ignoring that fact.  Belief in god is not a shortcut to morality and church attendance is not emblematic of a good person  What a person believes really doesn’t matter.  What matters is how a person lives. “

In a perfect world - there is no religion, there is no hate, there is no crime, and everybody just lives a happy, comfortable life. I'd settle for one where people just stop acting as if they were better than everybody else. The reality is they aren't and many times they are actually worse.