RELIGION: part dos

Not too long ago one of my old buddies from the "Evangelical Students-having-fun-while-proselytizingonthebeach Club" asked if I'd follow up on one of my very early posts dealing with how fucked religion is. Here goes.

Religion is the biggest bullshit mankind EVER CREATED. If you seriously believe that an invisible man lives in the sky and talks to people via talking bushes, you are severely lacking reason. If you believe in snakes that speak, I hope you aren't in a position of power. If you think that a "merciful" god is one who sends "sinners" into the fiery pits of eternal damnation, you are nuts.

Judgmental? Sure it is. But let me put it to you this way: it's "non-believers" like me who are the minority; we are the ones who are shamed by society for not believing in the Supreme Being. We are the ones who wonder if the President would be as willing to get our soldiers killed if he didn't believe they were going to heaven.

But I'm not a "non-believer", I'm just a rationalist. There is no God, there are no virgin-births, divine sons, or giant arks. Talking bushes are simply ridiculous, just like Humpty-Dumpty and Little Red Riding Hood are only fairy-tales.

Oh yeah: Jesus and Santa are the same guy. You were duped. I was duped. It's okay.

UPDATE AND REFLECTIONS (9/24/08):

This post certainly stirred some debate and controversy, which I believe is part of healthy discourse. After several days of reflection, however, I'd just like to bring my thoughts back to earth.

Let me be clear: the fact that I find religion silly, does not mean that I don't respect an individual's choice to subscribe to a particular belief. I was a believer for a long time, and I am far from certain that there is nothing out there. But I will say that even if there is a higher being of some sort, at some point everything just is. In other words, even if there is a god or Flying Spaghetti Monster, at some point there is nothing higher, and everything just exists for existence's sake.

But who knows, really?

Furthermore, while I am happy that I shared my opinions on religion, I should have emphasized the more important and vital aspect of it: that religion is being used by the powerful to manipulate the masses into going along and supporting their plots for increased (albeit short-term) power and wealth.