Better a Good Atheist Than a Bad Christian

Last updated on: December 6, 2011 at 6:31 am by John Shore

Better a Good Atheist Than a Bad Christian 2011-12-06T06:31:50-08:00 John Shore

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In the comments thread to my post, Tell Me, Christian, That You Hear This Boy, I attracted, like a cockroach to a cinnamon roll, a troll. This particular troll was keen on making public the point that Evan Hurst, from Truth Wins Out, had proven, via some comments he left on a blog post two years ago, that he hates religion, and thinks the whole idea of God is, at best, exceedingly lame.

Here are some excerpts of what Evan wrote in the comment thread that Le’ Troll couldn’t wait for me to read:

Most “reasonable” people, if we’re using the word with a respect for its root word, “reason,” agree that there is no evidence for God’s existence, and thus no rational REASON to believe that any god or gods have determined ANYTHING, much less morality

[God is] a ridiculous idea, created by uneducated nomads from thousands of years ago.

Fundamentalist religious people ARE essentially battered wives. They just act it out on a grander scale without such visible bruises. The really screwed up thing is that their abuser is an imaginary friend.

That means your god is a weak minded little bitch who changes his mind and is definitely NOT eternal or omnipotent.

The troll’s idea was that I should be ashamed of myself for my online association with, and support of, Evan Hurst, who, via Truth Wins Out, sometimes links to/excerpts my posts.

So lemme just say right off that I’m a sucker for anyone who writes with the kind of brains and humor of Evan. That’s just a weakness of mine. If Shakespeare had been a serial killer, I would have been, like, “You know what? Everyone needs a hobby. Let’s leave the guy alone.” Terrible—but there it is.

Also, I like much of what Evan wrote there. His statement likening fundamentalists to battered wives is so brilliant I’m thinking about mounting it on a bronze plaque next to my front door.

And personally I very much like Evan. In our exchanges he has never been anything but kind, sincere, and honest. (In fact—and this is something I’ve been meaning to put on my Facebook page—go “like” Evan’s Facebook fan page. And most definitely check out this sampling of his music. Turns out he is a truly fame-worthy player and singer.)

Also: why in this world would I care if someone thinks the whole idea of God is absurd? I get that point of view. It doesn’t in the least offend me. Why would it? What the [bleep] do I care what anyone else thinks of God? That’s their business, not mine.

You know what quality I really like in a person? The ability to be unflaggingly rational. I wish everyone I knew was in full possession of that singular characteristic. Because you can talk to a rational person. You can reason with them. You can actually get from point A to point B. Being rational is a discipline that actually works in life.

Go, Team Brain!

What I take offensive to is the idea that a Christian should be offended by someone using their rational mind to arrive at the conclusion that God does not exist. Any Christian who is in any way galled by another person not being Christian needs to grow up.

But here, now, is the real thing. The opening sentence of Truth Wins Out’s mission statement reads:

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that fights anti-gay religious extremism.

Annnnnnnnnd bingo. That right there makes Evan Hurst my friend. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And my enemy is most certainly anti-gay religious extremism.

Evan Hurst! Know of my desire to sometime get together with you over a cup of coffee—or even a beer or a martini, if, being the pagan that you are, you insist until I graciously relent.

What fun we will have, imagining a world in which what a person believes is considered completely irrelevant compared to what they actually do.

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