Been awhile. Mostly because I've been working, combined with a complete lack of consistent internet access. One of those, in fact, is the subject of my first gripe of the night.
I'm working the register at a local gas station, and a young (mid-20s) woman rings up her purchases to the tune of $6.66. She panics. Literally. Suddenly she has to buy something else, in order to avoid the dreaded "Devil's Number." There was actual terror in this girl's eyes at the realization that she had bought six-six-six of something.
The most ironic part of all this? Her soda cost $1.66. The rest was lottery tickets.
Yeah.
Welcome to the Bible Belt.
There are literally more than four dozen churches in this town...and we're talking about a town of around 50-60 thousand people. And most of these aren't little community buildings, but multi-million-dollar monuments to Middle-Eastern mythology. (Alliteration is awesome:P) Apparently all these fundamentalist Christians were so busy counting the money in their collection plates that they forgot the thing about how "the meek shall inherit the earth."
I drive by these monumental monstrosities on my way to work, and my atheist brain simply can't believe that these behemoth eyesores are tax-exempt. When your church building costs millions of dollars to construct and has its own dedicated broadcast TV station (yes, you heard me correctly), you're not "non-profit" anymore.
And oh yeah...I'm an atheist now.
Now my regular readers (assuming I still have any of those left, or I can even call them "regular" anymore when I haven't updated this blog in months) might be a little confused right now, as I've previously drawn a bold distinction in this area: namely that I was an agnostic, not an atheist.
I am an agnostic and an atheist.
What changed my mind? Merely a more correct definition of "atheist." An atheist is nothing more or less than someone who lacks belief in any deities. And I do. I am what is commonly known as a "weak" atheist, in that I do not necessarily believe that no gods exist. But I am an atheist because I don't believe in any gods. I disbelieve all of the gods I've heard of. (That isn't news to anyone anymore.) But while I admit that there might be some sort of deity unlike any of the human constructions I know about, I can't claim to believe that there is. There might be gold in my backyard--and in fact it's not even completely implausible--but that doesn't mean I believe there's gold in my backyard.
I should never have moved to the Bible Belt. But then again, I should never have moved to Utah five years ago either. I wonder if there's a pattern here whenever I move to a rabidly-religious area...
I've been reading through your blog and found it interesting to read about your journey from Mormon to Atheist. I am confused about why you would ever join Mormonism in the first place without any experiece with God? And I see the fact that you finally arrived at being an atheist as a more suitable fit for you. It has been my sad experience to find many members and former members in your same circumstance (with really no experience with God or remote understanding the Gospel) and usually they are an unhappy lot. I wish you well until the day you die and meet God. Then I'm sure you'll have another interesting experience.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading through your comment and found it interesting to read about your journey from "interested reader" to "arrogant preacher." I am confused however: have you ACTUALLY read through my blog? Have you not picked up on the fact that I was BORN into the Mormon church?
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it has been my sad experience to find many current members in your same circumstance (with absolutely no knowledge of what I do or do not understand, yet the unbridled arrogance to claim that I have no "remote understanding of the gospel") and usually they are a pretty stupid lot.
I wish you well, whether you die or not and whether there is or is not a god. And I wish you well without having to resort to using a supposedly kind and loving deity as some sort of veiled threat. I fully expect that dying will be an interesting experience, but not because I'll "meet God."
Really? You were born into the Mormon church? You do realize you aren't born into the Mormon church. You have to be baptized and JOIN the Mormon church whether or not your parents are Mormon or not. Did you not learn the word "No" or did they not cover the first principles of the Gospel like "Find out if there is a God or not and if you don't have any evidence for God don't join this thing?" Seriously, extraordinary claims (like there is a God) requires extraordinary proof (like God showing up), otherwise just go atheist in my opinion and don't waste your time. I'm sorry to have to point this out to you, but do you really believe you were ever a Mormon? Joseph Smith told us to find out the truth - name, if there was God first and do what he says to do. Clearly if there is no God, Josepth Smith is a liar and shouldn't be believed or was that too obvious?
ReplyDeleteReally? You've never heard the terms "Born in the Covenant" or "Children of Record"? You do realize that the Mormon church puts the names of members' children on the rolls within WEEKS of their birth, right? You DO realize that Mormon children are baptized at the age of eight years old, don't you? How much deep thought had YOU given to theology at the agoe of eight?
ReplyDelete"Find out if there is a God or not and if you don't have any evidence for God don't join this thing?" was never "covered" by the Mormon church, because the "first principle" of their gospel is supposed to be FAITH. By definition, faith is the belief in something despite a lack of evidence.
I find it very interesting that you seem to agree with the idea that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, while earlier you made it very clear that you believe in God. Did he show up? You didn't happen to catch it on camera, did you? You should've whipped out your cell phone and shot some video. If you can't produce some evidence, why are you lecturing me with such certainty about what's going to happen when I "die and meet God"?
But I also found this question interesting: Did you not learn the word "No"? The word "No" is actively discouraged in the Mormon church. They teach that things like "Be baptized at age 8" and "we're calling you as the Elder's Quorum Secretary" are commandments of God, and you don't say no to God.
So yes...I learned the word "No." I learned NEVER to say it in a religious context. I learned to "Bow your head and say yes." And it took me twenty years to discover that I didn't believe the lessons that had been drilled into me since my birth.
Congratulations... clearly you were and have been an atheist (even dressed up as a Mormon) for years. Most ex-mormons are (at least you didn't become a protestant or catholic). It just takes them years to eventually acknowledge the fact. However, you should be aware that there are members of the church who are deists. We have experienced God, so your laundry list of reasons for leaving the church is rather unimpressive to us. And as I stated, upon your death you will be forced into the uncomfortable position of confronting that God that you believe does not exist. Enjoy the remaining years of your life until that day.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that "We have experienced God" makes you sound like you've been sampling illegal drugs?
ReplyDeleteYou say that my "laundry list" of reasons for leaving the church are "unimpressive" to you. Congratulations.
Do you have a list of reasons that you HAVEN'T left the church? Do you have ANY reasons? Or does it give you warm fuzzies, and you call that God? Shockingly, I find THAT "unimpressive."
But assuming for the moment (and my own amusement) that you're right, why should I be uncomfortable confronting your God? According to myth, he is all-knowing and all-forgiving. He would KNOW why I don't believe in him. He would be aware of the very moment in my life, and the very thought going through my head, that brought me to this conclusion. *IF* you're right and he exists, then I'm sure he is well aware of the specific points that caused me to stop believing in him--in fact I would imagine he's quite used to explaining the apparent contradictions by now, and I feel confident that this omniscient being would be PROUD of me for using my brain and adjusting my beliefs based on the reality of what I observe.
And just as a fun thought exercise, are you concerned about dying and confronting Allah, Osiris, Shiva, or Odin? Do you carry coins in your pocket on the off chance that the Greeks were right and you'd need passage for the ferry across the River Styx? Does the thought of facing one of these mythical figures that you don't believe in cause you even the slightest doubt or discomfort? No?
Think about that...and then try to imagine that I am no more concerned about meeting your God than you are about meeting any of those.