Atheists tend to be my crowd because they are forthright and not afraid or embarrassed to talk about religion.
In fact, they usually have pretty strong feelings about religion.
One common sentiment is that religion is just dumb.
It’s dumb, they say, to believe in an invisible force that interacts very selectively with the world — that blesses Americans with jobs and cars and good health but leaves folks in Haiti and Malawi to starve to death.
It’s silly, they say, to think there’s a god sitting on a throne in heaven, who sent his son down to earth as a baby to grow up and die for sins.
It’s cultic, they say, to give praise and worship to empty air in empty church buildings that are no more filled with the presence of God than they are with fairies or pixies or ghosts.
It’s wishful thinking, they say, to pray for jobs, healings, financial provision, comfort, or a parking space.
It’s laughable, they say, when athletes thank God for touchdowns, home runs, dunks and 3-pointers. What about the other team? the atheist thinks. Whose side is God on?
“Take hold of your own life,” they say. “Take responsibility for yourself. Believe in science and real learning rather than the fantasies of religion. Grow up.”
I call this whole line of critique Secular Common Sense.
I’ll respond to it in my next post.
Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
