Received 2.6.2000

First off I want to congratulate you on your new site. I think your arguments are well constructed and reasoned. There is lots of content that made me think in new ways.

I have never been much of a Christian, but I would be among the first to say the Bible is full of BS that does more harm than good. I also believe that Christianity is more often used as a shield for hypocrisy than an accurate barometer of one's moral goodness.

I was pleasantly surprised by your take on homosexuality which was unnecessarily courageous, and I found your take on light years very fresh and compelling. By the way, if the universe is only 6000 light years in diameter, what would be its temperature?

I believe most Christians are more insecure about their faith than they would admit. This would help explain the mania behind evangelism, apologism, and their hard-line stance against science. It is the nature of faith to be tested and wavering, but--for better or for worse--this is exacerbated by atheism. My only criticism of your page is that your tone is often mocking and disrespectful, which may invite more negativity than real discussion.

I'll play "Devil's Advocate" with you and submit that the spirituality promoted by these religions is itself a survival mechanism. Falling on the "crutch" of a god allows people to live their lives productively, relieved from those eternally burning questions...afterlife, creation, H&H, etc. (By the way, I have a good inkling that being dead is a whole lot like being "pre-born," or "pre-created" if you prefer.)

The observance of gods throughout most cultures in history suggests to me a biological need for it. In addition, it has been observed by real doctors that religious people enjoy longer life spans, and that prayer itself has demonstrated physical benefits. You can call it the ultimate power of suggestion, but the outcome is what matters. I guess all this would compound Dawkins' meme theory regarding the proliferation of religion.

I am not convinced that the majority would be liberated by atheism. Most American atheists were raised in Christian environments and have the "benefit" of that morality for guidance. However, modern atheist societies in USSR and China (and Japan) are presumably devoid of Christian memes and do not demonstrate greater liberty. To the contrary, those societies are regarded as soulless or inhumane.

I believe America is generally a great country in large part because of its Judeo Christian
ethic/Manifest Destiny, but for the sake of argument I acknowledge the inseparable civil rights abuses against blacks and Indians, etc.

This sounds horribly elitist but I'm not sure a majority of people could function without the
Bible as its moral compass. I am more comfortable with the idea of a majority afraid of the
furnace. At least then I can reasonably know what to expect.

Thanks

CJ

My reply:

Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I think your comment about some Christians being insecure about their beliefs is very insightful.  If a Christian had complete faith, science would not even be a threat they would feel compelled to answered to.

Admittedly, my tone can be condescending (it would be hard to interpret the "Those Crazy Christians" section any other way). One of the complaints I've heard Christians make about atheists is their "you're stupid for believing that" attitude.  Conversely, I've encountered a similar attitude from many Christians.  I've been disappointed to discover that what seemed to be an effort at genuine friendship by a Christian, was just a ploy to convert me.  Regardless, in the essays I will try to keep myself in check.

As far as Christians living longer, I imagine that the extra longevity they experience would be identical to the benefits of meditation or other stress relieving activities if they were performed regularly. There is a web site www.realage.com that will compute your "real" age. Among the things they list that affect your life span are marriage, the number of friends you have, and how often you see them.

I stand firm that good parenting and human nature are what provide a moral background not Christianity. I would imagine that if you compared the percentage of prison inmates who believe in God with the general population, the ratios would be nearly identical.

Thanks again for your thought provoking note.

Closet Atheist