Why Be Openly Atheist?

Why be openly atheist? Why not just live my life and not get involved in what may be the world's most insoluble problem? I would prefer not to have to identify myself as an atheist at all, because to me it's self-evident as to why nobody should ever believe in any god or follow any religion.

For many years, I have stayed out of the debate but fumed quietly from the sidelines. I raised my stepkids as godless and with the faculties to think critically, and I felt that was the most important thing I could do to change the world (they are wonderful kids and I'm very proud of them).

Raising my children the way I think best isn't enough, because I have good cause to fear for their future safety and freedom, as well as my own. America is in danger of destroying itself from within. If the fundamentalist right has their way, our destruction is assured, and it will only be a matter of time. Radical Islam will still want to destroy us from within as well as without. Under the oppression of christofascism, America will not even be worth living in (although it would make a great setting for a social science fiction story).

I used to joke that I wasn't an activist... I was a deactivist. That little joke was good for a wry chuckle now and then among my family and friends. But I no longer think that. I perceive that the freedoms we in America hold dear are under threat, not just by Muslim extremism but by dominionist Christian extremism. Exposing this frightening doctrine is one of the reasons why I write this blog.

I suppose I could support the cause of freedom quietly, while outwardly do and say nothing to make theists think I am any different from them, but then I would be living a lie, and I can't do that. I do not believe the ends justify the means: that is the way of the cheater, the liar. That is how people convince themselves to commit atrocities. I believe the means justify the ends, and if I am to speak out against lies then I cannot live a lie. I will not sit by and hope other people do what I could be doing. I can leave my country or I can fight for it. I choose to fight for it (many years ago, I chose to fight for it another way by enlisting in the Marines, but that is a different story I'll tell later), and my first move is to declare myself openly an atheist.

If you have found yourself growing concerned over the the future of this country and the rise of the irrational religious right (both Islam and Christianity), you may have wondered if there is anything you can or should do about it.

There certainly are specific things you can do, but only you can decide if you should openly declare yourself as a person on the side of reason and rationality. There are many places online to begin learning if these ideas are entirely new to you. The links to the right or the book The End of Faith, by Sam Harris are good places to start.

We may be in the minority, but we could stand to have a stronger voice than we currently do. The song will be stronger if you add your voice to the choir (uh oh! church metaphors! look out!). One way to add your voice is to start your own blog. Chronicle your own observations of a world gone mad or your own personal journey into your outlook and philosophy. To show solidarity, to show that you are indeed part of a group that stands for freedom and for reason, you can link to other atheist and secularist blogs and websites. You can post links to social bookmarking sites. You can rejoin ridiculous comments left by ignorant fundies. I'm sure many atheists are wary of appearing to take on the same outward conventions as religion, and I understand that, but humans are social animals after all. We can band together for protection, strength, and friendship.

Somewhere out there, a young teenager may be just starting to think for herself. Who will she find when she types in her query at a search engine? Maybe it will be you, maybe it will be me. The more of us there are, the better, and that is why I am openly atheist. That is why I implore you to become more active if you've been holding back or, if you're unsure, to learn more. Know yourself. Be true to yourself. Being true to yourself can be surprisingly difficult, but it is worth it. For me, being true to myself means being openly atheist.

Why I Profess Atheism and Actively Disparage Religion

It seems our world is increasingly polarized by religion: Muslim vs Jew, Muslim vs Christian, Muslim vs Hindu (are you sensing a trend, here?). Global communications have placed religion in an untenable position. Globalization has shrunk the world to the point where the world's religions are running out of room to believe they are each the only one. Religions are mutually exclusive: My God cannot possibly have created the world and set down its laws if yours did. Your heaven and my heaven cannot coexist. Therefore, you will go to my religion's Hell or I will go to yours, and both of us will do our damndest to see the other off.

We are dealing with some very primitive, downright laughable beliefs which are bringing humanity closer and closer to destruction with each passing year. If there is ever to be a World War III, it will be a war of conflicting religions. The beliefs, words, and deeds of these ignorant, superstitious people cannot go unnoticed and unquestioned. They deserve every arrow of ridicule and scorn launched their way, because somebody has to call "bullshit."

My future, my childrens' future, and my grandchildrens' future is, I feel, in jeopardy. I will not sit by and pretend to tolerate the socially-sanctioned mass insanity that is Islam, Judiaism, Christianity, or any other myth believed as historical fact. To me, there is no such thing as a moderate, only a lazy person who hasn't thought things through thoroughly enough. To tolerate other religions means you don't believe in your own, because they cannot all be true at the same time. Whether you are a fundamentalist or a moderate, the basis of your strong or weak delusion is still a lie. I do not tolerate or show respect for lies. I do not believe in fairy tales. I am an atheist. I am left out of the polarization of civilization. It isn't that I think your religion in particular is false—I think they all are.

I realize I am quite in the minority. I'm sure there are many "closet atheists" out there who fear what their families would say or some other type of retribution if they "came out." But generally, the number of people who live full, rich, meaningful, ethical lives without any god or religion is miniscule compared to the number of those who need to delude themselves with magical, invisible deities. And since religious morality is hardly anything more than a variation on might makes right, it's easy to see why some people who know perfectly well that religion is a ludicrous lie do not profess it.

But without each single voice there is no choir. The smaller the choir, the greater it is improved with the addition of even one more voice. I have decided to add my voice. I feel like I am standing above the fray and joining in the chorus that sings of another way. A way without superstitious mumbo-jumbo.

But people don't listen unless you can get their attention, and even then they tune you out as soon as they realize you are challenging their worldview. If I calmly sit here and type words of reason and logic nobody would notice or care. So I write in an inflammatory style, designed to get attention through controversy. Once I have jolted you and got your attention, then if the grip on your delusion is weak, perhaps you will let it go.

My vitriol is not an act, however: it is very real and heartfelt. I am exasperated to no end with religious ignorance and idiocy, and my tongue is sharp. I will belittle, disparage, and scorn religion and the actions of its followers because that is what gets attention. And attention must be paid to where humanity is taking itself, because there is a very steep cliff up ahead called World War III.