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What Atheists Have Dead Wrong About Religion

What Atheists Have Dead Wrong About Religion

Last updated on: October 20, 2010 at 10:21 pm by John Shore

What Atheists Have Dead Wrong About Religion 2010-10-20T22:21:55-08:00 John Shore

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When it's all said and done

It’s been my experience that a great many atheists are keen on claiming that religion causes war. If people would only stop believing in God, goes the reasoning, there’d be much more peace and love in the world.

I want much more peace and love in the world! So let’s carefully consider the idea that without religion that is just what we’d have.

To begin, then, we must imagine that no people anywhere in the world have so much as an inkling of the idea of God. We must imagine that God is a complete, universal non-issue. Total void. Ixnay on the Odgay.

Poof! No more awareness of God!

So all those people who now identify themselves as Christians, Muslims or [insert other religion here] would no longer.

So how, then, would people think of themselves? Following religious affiliation, how do people primarily identify themselves?

But of course: by nationality. Generally speaking, people are deeply into the fact that they are citizens of whatever country they’re from.

Yikes. When haven’t wars been fought in the name of country, patriotism, and national pride?

So, obviously, if an increase in peace and love is what we seek, we’ll have to do more than jettison God. We’ll have to get rid of God and country.

Cool! Done!

So now we have no religion, and no borders. Sweet! Is that Shangri-La I see off in the distance?

Oh, shoot. It’s not. Because we still have racial identity. You take away God and country, and people will still very strongly identify themselves according to their racial inheritance. And more wars have been caused by racial strife than probably any other single factor.

Bummer!

But our way is clear. In order for us to have at least a chance at less war in the world, we must become a Godless, country-less race of people who all look very nearly identical.

Sure, things might be a tad dull. But small price to pay for more peace and love in the world, don’t you think? I sure do.

So in this brave new peaceful world I wouldn’t be a Christian; I wouldn’t be an American; and it wouldn’t even occur to me that anyone might look much different than I.

You know what, though? I’d still be a Shore.

Take away religion, country, and race, and what’s left—first, foremost, and forever—is family.

The irreducible truth about human beings is that we will bond. That can’t change. Finally, we must give and receive love.

And that means coupling up. And that means family. Clan. Tribe.

Yikes redux. A commonly known fact is that people are much more likely to be murdered by their spouse, lover, family member, or acquaintance than they are by a stranger.

More love and peace without religion.

Phfffft.

Not.

It’s not ideas about God that cause people to kill people. It’s human nature that causes people to kill people.

And say what you will about religion (and some of you will, I know), it is founded upon the conviction that the only way to overcome the baser aspects of human nature is through appealing to the transformative, healing power of God.

It’s not a bit more reasonable to suggest that God sends men to war than it is to suggest that God is, in fact, the only thing that can stop men from going to war.

****

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