Why do I care?

Why do I care about god(s) and religion?

Simple. Because I still give a damn about the world.

We still give a damn about humanity.

This is not a crusade against faith and hope.

This is not about making religions illegal.

This is not building another religion.

To be clear, we don't want another religion and we're not about to make atheism a "religion" (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean). We don't think making religions illegal would actually address the core issue. And we certainly are not trying to take away hope and meaning in your life.

We care passionately about skepticism, science and truth. More importantly, we believe humanity as a whole would be much better off embracing an ever more accurate picture of reality and abandoning the rusty shackles of religion, myths and superstition.

This is not a superficial attack on religion because we find its adherents' behaviour abhorrent. This is more than that. I find religions themselves abhorrent in every aspect. Religions are not only factually incorrect (or unsupported) but also morally inferior and socially divisive.

The Failing of Basics

If for no other reason that religions deserve (intellectual) hostility, it is because it has NEVER been demonstrated to be true. Calling it a lie is only a matter of perspective.

The fact is, the existence of any god(s) has never been demonstrated. There are theologians who presume god(s)' existence, apologists who attempt to essentially argue god(s) into existence but no "theologist" ever demonstrated god(s)' existence.

All the various arguments for god(s) succumb to the some kind of logical fallacy rendering them void. But even if we were to grant that the logical arguments were somehow logically valid and/or sound, they still cannot demonstrate existence. For that we need evidence - evidence that has never been produced for the thousands of years humanity has been inventing gods.

Other claims associated with religion has never been demonstrated either. Genuine studies of the efficacy of prayer always turned up negative. Even the idea that increased religiosity would improve societal health is false - the data seems to show that the opposite is the case.

And yet some religious fractions attack the scientific enterprise, built on evidence, and education in general in the name of their god(s). Can we not be furious?

The Virus of Faith

When reason and evidence fail to support the case of god(s), the faithful often turn to faith as the answer. Faith, according to them, is not only a sufficient justification to believe in God or god(s) and their religion but that it is also virtuous and even demanded by God himself.

Faith is no such thing. In this context (the way faith is used), faith is the permission slip the faithful give themselves and others to believe in things not demonstrated (colloquially, proved) or demonstrable (colloquially, provable). It is a cop out.

In the absence of evidence, the only rational thing anybody should do is to disbelieve the claim. Actually, everybody usually does that. Yet in this one aspect of life, supposedly the most important aspect - God and Religion, the faithful suspend their skepticism and believe uncritically in extravagant claims without the slightest shred of evidence that meet decent evidential standards. Faith is gullibility.

And yet countless tragedies and atrocities were perpetuated with such strong religious conviction based on the flimsiest of reasons. Can we afford to stay silent?

The Scourge of Ignorance

Religions are at their very core is a product of ignorance - it is born of ignorance and it breeds ignorance to sustain itself. This is most evident in the fundamentalist variants of the faith. In America, certain Christian fractions push for the pseudoscientific trojan horse of creationism, Intelligent Design, in opposition to the scientific theory of evolution which they apparently do not understand. Even more obscene denials of scientific progress is displayed by Flat Earth societies/proponents from both Christian and Muslim perspectives.

We could probably laugh off Flat-Earthers as silly harmless nonsense. But America has to deal with religious siege on the education of their future pillars of society. Mind you, this shit is spreading across the world.

Ignorance also kills. Children die, in this modern age in developed countries, due to the lack of medical treatment - medical treatment that was denied on religious grounds by faithful parents. Arguing that this is a fringe movement/sect does not absolve religious thinking of responsibility.

The dangerous nonsense of faith healing is feeding the bank accounts of fraudulent preachers (whether they believe their own nonsense or they are knowingly conning people) while never delivering any actual demonstration of healing powers. People, both the desperate and the gullible put off seeking actual medical treatment only risk further complications, wasting time and money for false hopes.

The mental, intellectual and physical well-being of people and especially children, humanity's future, is under threat. Can we not speak out and take action against this ludicrous harm?

The Muddying of Morals

Religious morals are often, well, not morals at all. The usual arguments for religious morality essentially renders morals to be god(s)' fiats. I shan't go into a morality debate here so to summarize the problem with linking god with morality is distilled down to the Euthyphro dilemma - either morals are arbitrarily defined by god(s) or god is merely a messenger of morality.

When it comes to the holy scripture, they are obviously no guide for morality. The only morality it presents is the barbaric outdated morality of Bronze Age nomads. Anyone who wishes to argue that this is not the case may actually have to read the books first.

As usual, there are religious folks, throngs of them, who are vehemently against homosexuality and rights of homosexuals. This justified by the Bible (Leviticus 20:13). There are masses that are against women's reproductive rights, claiming that abortion is murder. This justified by the Bible in some obscure interpretation. Some Islamic countries are even more backwards, having issues even with gender equality.

Religions seem to have no clue what morality is but the religious sure are quick to enshrine their morality in law with the implication that anyone who disagree with their brand of morality still has to live by them. Can we just sit back and watch?

We're not staying silent.

We're not going to sit by and watch.

We're speaking out against religious ignorance, intolerance and violence.

We're taking action to safeguard the future.

The time is now.
Start CARING