CNN special report, Atheism: Inside the World of Non-Believers

Last night I watched the CNN special report, Atheism: Inside the World of Non-Believers.

It makes me wonder, considering what some religious people think, such as the parents who see their son as dead since he turned his back on their beliefs.

Would they rather their child come out gay, or atheist?
Murderer or atheist?
Convert to an opposing religion, or atheist?

At what point does it all not make any sense any longer to them?

There were a few important things missed in the report but we should recognize however that people may have addressed some of those points, but between the editor and the producers, those points may not have made it into the final product.

"In God we trust" was only added recently to money and pledges and such. This is not news, only to theists and politicians who don't want to admit it. It's a huge point they failed to make, however. But they may have been theists who produced the show, in which case I'd say, good job overall, really. Because it could have been a travesty. Instead, it was actually not too bad, considering. 

I'm sure that it inflamed and hopefully enlightened a few hard core theists.

I don't have a problem with people having "church" format atheist gatherings or meetings without god. Some people just need that community thing and it may be good actually. It does however taste slightly like vegetarians who like faux turkey, which makes little sense to me in some ways and yet, perfect sense to those who indulge. 

Whatever it takes I guess to not eat meat, or avoid true religion.

Obversely, it's like atheists who play at religion without involving god in it. Baby steps, perhaps.

I have always had trouble with hard core atheists, the militant ones but then those who come out and deal with the backlash against them and their beliefs, perhaps, have to be that way, as original hard core feminists were in the early days of that movement. 

I see no need for it now however, as it only serves to alienate theists even more than they already are and can be counterproductive, as I've argued in the past about the FemiNazis types, including even those who might wish to ditch their theism.

It was an interesting show and pleasing to hear now about those 500 religious leaders (and growing) in religion who have a support group in actually being non-believers (baby steps again) but remaining leaders in their churches. Amazing. 

The reporter in the show says that atheists could be uncomfortable learning about religion or studying it. When in reality I've generally known more about religion than 99% of the theists I've come into contact with and I've seen and heard the same from other atheists.

On that note of calling oneself an atheist. I usually don't because as they indicate in the show, there is so much baggage associated with it. But that's not the reason I don't call myself one. As I see it, we evolved from lower forms of life as science has shown us and religion has not. In the beginning there was no god or religion, that came after we had brains the size that were able to handle the concept of magical thinking, and it explained things to us we did not understand.

Religion has been a placeholder, merely waiting for science to arrive on the scene to take over. Just as children need fairy tales to help them understand concepts before they are sophisticated enough to understand the larger concepts of good and evil. In that vein, I see religion as coming second and therefore I'm not an "atheist" as someone against something that was there first, but in reality religion came second and therefore is against "atheism" if you see what I'm saying.

So the correct term for "theist" should actually be, in our current lexicon, "a-atheist", as one who is against atheism. More accurately, the term for theists should be, "anti-atheist" since first there was no god (no belief in god if you prefer though it is somewhat disingenuous) and then only later did we develop beyond belief in demons, dangers and spirits in the dark, evolving THEM into a set of rules and therefore religion, and so you have theism. 

Hindus worshiping monkey god

So called, "atheists" came first people, so sorry to disenfranchise you of your long held belief that first there was god. First, there was not god, in reality. When we were just monkeys, sitting in a tree at night, staring fearful into the dark that we knew could reach out any second and snatch us and eat us, we evolved theism. Later it simply came from that. 

Aberration of multiple sets of nipples, why?

Generations and generations of having seen our loved ones who fell off a tree at night and were snatched away by an evil demon (a tiger, or lion or jackal or whathaveyou which we couldn't see) and therefore because evil. Why else do you think some people are born with tails, or multiple sets of nipples? We were once as a species, not as we are now, because of, evolution.

Not to mention how come so many of the stories in holy texts are also seen in previous civilizations predating Rome, or Egypt even?

Our forms of thinking and beliefs also evolved. 

So actually you see (hang on), god came second. The devil (satan, old scratch, whatever you want to call him), actually came first. The good magic came as a way to buffer our fears and counter our demons. From that we started to build rules, and from that we got various sects divided by geographical structures (mountains, bodies of water, etc.). 

The thing is, we are now grown up enough we don't need a crutch like religion. Or, we shouldn't. Though as much as religion is about in the world, obviously we need something. So having "church" without god, is a good direction to go. Though it scares the hell out of people. Because this is so deep seated within us.

It always cracks me up to hear a theist say, but if you're dying in a fox hole, etc., etc., when it just shows how clueless they really are and how much they don't get it. Atheists don't turn to god when dying in a fox hole, agnostics do. Atheists don't because they know there is nothing there. Does it make you feel good? Possibly, but you know in your heart it's a wasted thing and merely something that comes up out of your from your early childhood upbringing.

The fundamental fear of god built into us from childhood and through thousands of generations, if deeply seated, but it's not proof of anything, other than inherited mysticism and beliefs in magical thinking coming from our darker, less enlightened times.

The fact that atheists are the outliers in society (in America) means they are a temperature gauge for the maturity of our race and our nation. 

It's definitely gotten better since I was a kid, but there's still a long way to go. Religion, believe it or not, is on the way out and good riddance to it. It was helpful, but like a bad relationship lasting far beyond it's shelf life, it's exceeded the need to exist other than as an oddity or a way for us to evolve it yet again into what makes the most sense at this stage in our development as a species.

Yes, yes religion has done good, but good that can be done without it. That is always the cry of theists. "Look at all the good religion does." Yes, but how about we do it without religion? Why is that so impossible when it is regularly done all around the world and people just choose to ignore that reality.

Yes bad is also done in the name of no god, but far, far, more bad actually is done in the name of God. Remember the Crusades, ISIS? And don't get all squirmy about ISIS, no it's not Islam doing it, but yes, it is their excuse for it all. What if that didn't exist? Would there initially have been such reticence at removing them sooner?

Not god, religion, people's fears and beliefs

Again, remember all the wars, torture, and abuse done in the name of god. Where both sides thought "god" was on their side and they were on the just and right side of things. What were those things? Ideals, really. Just, ideals. Philosophy with magical beings sprinkled among them.  

When you remove all that, what is left? Bigotry? Elitism? Control? Power? Abuse? Time to let your childhood go and look forward to the scary realm of adulthood as a race of beings who are finally ready to take their place among the adults.

Again, here is a way to see this show now... CNN Special on Atheism

And I'll just drop this here... The Spread of Disbelief in the Arab World.
Who saw that one coming, right?