Attacking Windmills



There is a valid argument, from the theist's position, that my actions are illogical. It is said that if I really didn't believe in God, then I wouldn't spend so much time trying to argue against him. The analogy is made to the story of Don Quixote, or in other words: Why am I swinging my sword at things I believe to be magical and non-existent?

That's a good point. I do not argue for atheism, as one might expect. But I do not, necessarily, argue against theism. Rather, I argue against religion, focusing my efforts on the major monotheistic religions. I focus very much on Christianity, because I know more about it than all other religions and its ripples in society affect me the most. I see no reason to argue against Greco-Roman Mythology, because it is not widespread and my money does not say "In Zeus We Trust".

A simple check of the Yahoo! Religion section shows Christian sites outnumbering atheist sites almost four hundred to one. This is not characteristic of the actual (people) ratio in North America (150:1) or the world (8.75:1). Fundamentalist Christianity is quite over-represented, as moderates do not espouse their views so vigorously.

I argue against Christianity, Islam, and Judaism because they all come from Jewish religious traditions. My arguments about Christianity can be applied, for the most part, to the other two. Topics such as Free Will, Evil, and the Fallacy of Prayer can be applied, with minor name changes, to all three. Even Christian Creationism has its Islamic counterpart, but because that group isn't trying to indoctrinate children in the United States, I pay it no mind.

Here is a quote from The atheist and his atheism, on the jesus-is-lord.com web site:

Most atheists have what I call the Don Quixote Syndrome. Let me explain. Cervantes wrote a book about Don Quixote a long time ago. Don Quixote would attack windmills as if they were his enemies. Of course a windmill is nobody's enemy. If what the atheist believes is REALLY his belief, then he would leave people like me alone. After all, if God did not exist, He and His followers would be no enemy to the atheist. We'd just be deluded people. Therefore IF the atheist REALLY believes there is no God and the fool attacks a Christian, then he has the Don Quixote Syndrome because the Christian is not his enemy. Nevertheless, God is real and THAT is why atheists have all these organizations and debates to "prove" that God does not exist. Atheist reader, if you would just be true to what you purport to believe, then you wouldn't have the Don Quixote Syndrome.
First of all, I don't "attack" Christians; I criticize the belief system. I consider it foolish and harmful, and I feel it is my obligation to my fellow man to help him make informed decisions. I openly admit a certain degree of animosity towards the hard-core Fundamentalist sects and members, but I do understand that most of these people have known nothing else.

Secondly, I know of no organization that attempts to "prove" that no gods exist. On the contrary, most explicitly state that proof or disproof of such a thing is impossible. My beliefs are classified as atheism (a = without, theism = belief in gods or goddesses). I make no assertions as to proof or disproof of such beings. That said, I personally don't think any gods or goddesses exist, and I certainly don't "believe in" them.

I do argue against Christianity, because I consider it quite ridiculous. As stated on my main page, I am sympathetic to Judaism and Islam (probably because I don't live in a country dominated by either) but I see huge flaws. Either your book is 100% true or not. If it is not, what percentage of it is correct? How do you determine that? Which parts are absolutely the true messages from your god, and how do you know that? These are all valid questions.

The implication of the quote above seems to indicate that atheists are actively "attacking" Christianity. Atheists have never comprised a significant or powerful block of the US population. Who are these attackers? What are they attacking, exactly? Certainly, the advancement of evolutionary science by Christian scientists isn't an atheist attack, is it?

Another implication of the quote (expanded upon in the web site) is that no atheist really believes that there isn't a god--we all know deep down that the Lord Jesus is God, or something like that. Despite the incomprehensible arrogance of that assertion, I think the author makes an interesting point. I readily admit that I cannot conceive of a circumstance in which an atheist (by any meaningful definition of the term) could be persuaded or even impressed by Christianity's proponents and convinced to join. I cannot. So to the outside observer, it is clear that there can never be any substantial reconciliation of the two positions.

If that is really the position of the author of that web site--that I truly believe in Jesus--then I am forced to ask: Who is attacking the windmills, exactly? If I do believe in your god, then clearly he would know it and I would go to heaven. If all humans inherently have faith in your god, then we are all saved. (Threats of hell seem to be of even less fortitude, now.)

For such difference of opinion, our actions are quite the same. We both feel as though our beliefs are under constant attack, and feel the need to justify them. Maybe we are both attacking windmills. I must admit, I would have never believed it. Atheists and Fundamentalists: Kindred Spirits.


Religious Ratio Data from Encyclopedia Brittanica, detailed here.

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