My atheism and Ruth 1:16

An odd conversation topic at work; as an atheist, I was asked if the Bible actually contained a verse I either a) liked or b) admired. Oddly enough, I do. Ruth 1:16

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

The reason I enjoy this verse, I can even quote it word for word, is the compassion and desire for companionship. Whatever dilemmas and trials we face in life, true friends will be by your side until the bitter end – and will never judge you.

As a libertarian, I passionately believe in the defence of individual rights and, strangely, Ruth 1:16 reminds me of those values.

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Will Britain miss Christianity when it’s gone?

Telegraph columnist, Tim Stanley, wrote a passionate comment on the decline of religion in Britain and the consequences of a post-Christian Britain. However, it reminded me of a humorous clip from Family Guy.

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Rev Sally Hitchiner condemned for being, erm, human

For once, this atheist is going to defend a member of the faithful.

This (above picture) is Rev Sally Hitchiner, an actual Anglican Chaplain. She participated in a fashion shoot called “The Vicar Wears Prada” in relation to the Church of England voting against Women Bishops. As you do. But still, the traditionalists are up in arms because:

a) Chaplain’s should not do fashion shoots (apparently)

and

b) it’s upset the faithful (apparently)

Regarding b), I cannot actually find any individuals who are protesting against this. Only the Daily Mail. But with Church attendances shrinking faster than the speed of light, surely any form of promotion is a good thing? And is it really blasphemy for Anglican Chaplain’s to reflect their personality by the art of fashion?

The Daily Mail also make a rather covert critique of her style by mentioning her Twitter account. Again, what has this got to do with religion at all? Girl wears clothes, tweets and believes in God – how does this equal an outrage? I know the Church of England is rather old fashion, but this is a tad extreme.

If Rev Sally Hitchiner is guilty of anything, then it’s being herself. Individualism is what it means to be human. Hopefully, the Church of England remembers that.

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Gaza conflict: Missiles and Messianic Prophecies

Three religions and one piece of land; all claim exclusive ownership and denounce the others as heretics. Welcome to the world of messianic prophecy. Islamists believe the “Holy Land” must be under their control before Mahdi can come to Earth prior to the Day of Judgment; Israeli settlers think Jews have to return to the Land of Israel before the Messiah can be anointed, who is descended through the Davidic line via his father. Christian Zionists believe the events of the Revelation of St.John the Divine cannot occur until Israel is a) reestablished and b) the borders are that of the Biblical Israel; only then can the Second Coming begin.

This innocent amount of superstition has justified mass slaughter, wars, crusades, acts of terrorism, land grabs, refusing to recognise nations and dominated foreign policy for centuries. Proclaiming salvation and God as exclusive has led to the most complicated and emotive subject in current affairs: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

It proved to be more easier putting man on the Moon than taking religion out of international diplomacy. Islamophobia, anti-Semites, heretics, atheists and even ‘agents of the anti-Christs’ are the adjectives used to describe those who try to promote common ownership and secularism in this issue.

Religion adds complexity to an already extremely difficult problem. Advocating a two-state solution, which everyone supports, is ‘blasphemy’ because God forgot to ask his followers to share. Compassion, human dignity and cultural respect are alien principles to the extreme factions; in their eyes, only one of them is right.

As one Israeli supporter protested, “Promised land by G_D not Obama“.

One sign perfectly defines a near 2,000 year problem.

God overrides international law, human rights, diplomacy and peace. Unless the G man decides to have a fourth revelation, which is highly unlikely, and suggests nobody has divine right to land then the extremists are going to keep shooting each other.

It could be worse, the factions involved might have nuclear weapons. Oh wait….

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Ed Miliband is right; compassion does not require a belief in God

During the 2010 General Election, Nick Clegg declared an odd admiration for Christianity – even though he is a self declared atheist. It was confusing to see the Liberal Democrat leader court the Christianity vote so strongly; Nick almost displayed disappointment for not having faith in a deity or association to any religion. The possibility of faith having a stronger impact on morality is horrifying and a worrying thought; and very illiberal, too. Principles of morality are universal and not exclusive to a particular religious community.

At times Nick Clegg is almost scared to usher the ‘A’ word. Leading a majority secular party is cause for celebration; reason outweighs fantasy and magic. Alas, though, the comments during the 2010 General Election disappointed me.

Now, compare that to Ed Miliband. During his conference speech, Ed spoke about his faith – “not a religious faith”, but faith in people, social justice, equality and compassion. The classic atheist rebuttal to the monotheist myth of morality requires a belief in God; of course you don’t. These are human, not religious, principles.

The secular Britain is no more insensitive or cruel than a religious Britain; showing kindness and generosity are acts we are all capable of. Fraser Nelson should not be shocked at this revelation. Atheists can be nice people, too.

 

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600 Christian Families Flee due Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws

Where’s the protest? If an atheist, like me, can recongise religious liberty then why can’t Pakistan?

 

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Channel 4 surrenders to religious extremists. A sad day

A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: “Having taken security advice, we have reluctantly cancelled a planned screening of the programme Islam: The Untold Story. We remain extremely proud of the film which is still available to view on 4oD.”

In a sad state of affairs, Channel 4 is unable to show a repeat of Islam: The Untold Story. Freedom of speech and expression is no longer accessible to those wishing to investigate the origins of Islam and whether or not there is any historical evidence for the Qu’ran.

For the record, I do own and have read the Qu’ran; it is well worth the read, like any religious text, and should not be treated any differently. As an atheist, I embrace any religious book with respect and critical thinking – extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. From a point of literature, the Qu’ran is quite rightly regarded as masterpiece and does sound rather beautiful, when read in Arabic. The Islamic Golden Age had a profound impact on human development and dramatically effected the progression of Europe in the Dark Ages; Architecture, engineering, art, medicine, science and commerce were all influenced by Islam. Ironically, science has a better treatment under Islamic societies  than the general European Renaissance

However, as a reader, I reserve the right to be objective and cautious; regardless of its potential influence on humanity.

It is disappointing, in a free society, that religion is now exempt from any form of critical thinking or investigation; especially Islam. Those associated to the show, especially Tom Holland, have received death threats – it is hilarious when religious individuals (who claim to represent peace and compassion) threaten others with violence for criticising their beliefs.

Utterly absurd; sad day for British democracy.

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Let’s abolish the Church of England

 The Church is worried that gay marriage will undermine the traditional role of the Church in marriage. For those who are unaware, predominately my non-British readers, the Church of England was established because King Henry VIII desired to redefine the traditional role of the Church in marriage. Rather ironic, don’t you think?

But, of course, this is the fatal flaw of founding a church based on the family values of King Henry VIII. To solve the problem of gay marriage and the Church I shall invoke the longest word in the English language; disestablishmentarianism. Even if a benevolent deity exists, I highly doubt he/she/it will be too concerned about whether or not homosexuals will be permitted to marry in an established church. I hope preventing natural disasters would be quite high on the lists of priorities.

In the 21^st century, Britain is very secular and not very Christian. The fear of God does not dominate our lives and we are, to an extent, very rational people. And the deficit crisis highlights the requirement of reducing expenditure; so let us save a few pennies by finally abolishing the out of date Church of England.

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Only 38% believe in a God…

Some interesting discoveries, in a recent YouGov poll of religion in the United Kingdom. Many of you will be surprised by the findings; especially in relation to the belief in God:

• 67% of respondents say that religion should be a personal matter that has no place in public life, 24% think religion should be more public
• 58% think religion is more often the cause of evil than good in the world, 27% say religion is neither responsible for good or evil in the world, or it is responsible for  both equally, 12% think religion is more often the cause of good
• 49% agree that religion still provides critical guidance for the way we live our lives, 41% disagree
• In total, 38% believe in a God, while 33% do not

Secularism in Britain

This dispels the myth, perpetuated by the Catholic Church and others, that Britain should “do God more” and same-sex marriage destroys our ‘Christian identity’; unsurprisingly, majority of us (67%) feel religion is a personal matter and should have no role, or expression, in public life.

People have a right to freedom of religion, but we also have a right to be free from religion. And the sensible people of Britain agree.

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The Bishops are friends of poverty, not the poor

Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

Karl Marx

The Church of England evoked the Bible, Christian principles to continue to perpetuate the suffering of those dependent on state benefits. A life of misery and slavery, with no hope of ever being given the opportunity to the free themselves. What is Christian like of allowing the rest of society to accelerate, expand their incomes and gain opportunities, but restrict a minority to dependency?

This torturous, grotesque and immoral belief that, in the words Mother Theresa, suffering was a gift from God will now condemn and gain countless more victims. A religion, founded on exploitation of the poor and insisting life will get better – when you die, which then seek ‘donations’ to continue the myth of salvation. Church and State should be separate; God’s place is not the legislative branch of  constitution.

A Benefit Cap is fair; it’s about breaking dependency, giving independence and responsibility. Government has a moral duty to ensure those whose lives-literally-depend on the state, receive the best support and facilities – not those who see welfare as a lifestyle. The Church of England voted to ensure the welfare cycle will continue for some families; for generations, in certain cases.

Alas, even in the 21st Century, organised religion continues to poison society.

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