On Sunday night, I received a tweet from my brother's girlfriend. She is a very kind person (and must be to put up with my youngest brother) and someone whom I hold in very high esteem. The tweet reads:
@tisharjohnson: @wizardoftodd Todd do you actually feel anger towards people who believe in some sort of higher diety? I'm just curious :)
The answer I gave was "not really" and in a later tweet, I promised to give her a full reply. My full answer is the following:
Tisha, I can understand how you might wonder if I have a lot of anger towards Theists, Deists etc. simply because they believe in a higher power. While I freely admit I express a lot of anger in my tweets, rest assured it is NOT simply because most people believe in some sort of "higher deity". I would find such anger to be both misplaced and absolutely silly. It would, in my humble opinion, be akin to being angry at anyone simply for disagreeing with me. Such an anger would be a waste of time and energy. Such an anger would be downright stupid. The anger I display is because of the deplorable way non-believers are treated, the vast amount of misinformation spread about Atheism and some of the things done in the name of a god.
I get angry when polls not only show Atheists are not trusted, but now there's evidence we are as distrusted as rapists.
I get angry when non-believers are openly discriminated against.
Other examples include:
*Eight states have Constitutional bans against any
non-believer from holding public office.
*41st President, George H.W. Bush stating that
Atheists are neither patriots nor citizens.
*Non-believers are denied membership in the
Boy Scouts of America.
*Non-believers are, many times, denied custody of
their children because they are non-believers.
*Atheists are discriminated against in the military.
*Atheists are blamed for natural disasters and
indirectly for the 9-11 attacks.
*Then, when we complain about being treated so
shabbily; we're told to shut up.
If such a discrimination would occur to any other group, there would be a massive public outcry.
These types of discrimination do not just happen to other people. In fact, I too have experienced and seen, first hand, discrimination for being an Atheist by my own family:
When my older brother was outed for being an Agnostic, my Moms side of the family threatened to boycott the wedding. When I was married, I wanted my Grandparents to attend. My Mom said don't even bother asking them as I was not being wed in a Church.
There are other examples of how my own family discriminated against me (mostly cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents) but those are the two examples that anger me the most.
Obviously, not every Theist discriminates against Atheists. However, virtually all of the discrimination against Atheists comes from Theists. I do not mean to paint all Theists with one broad brush but in my criticism of religion it may appear as though I do.
I get angry at the vast amount of misinformation spread about Atheists. I have been, personally, accused of being immoral, a Satanist (no offense to the LaVeyians, I find you guys more tolerable than many Christians) and wanting to destroy religion.
As far as being immoral, I find such a statement to be the biggest load of poppy cock I have ever seen. Atheists have a disproprtinately low presence in the prison population and less likely to file for divorce than Theists. Nations with the highest populations of Atheists are also the most peaceful.
As far as the notion of being a Satanist or a devil worshipper is concerned I simply think the ones making such a claim should invest in a dictionary and start using it.
Now for the assertion that Atheists wish to ban religion. While there are a minority of Atheists who do wish for a ban, the major Atheist activist groups simply wish to uphold the First Ammendment. Government institutions that promote Theism are engaging in an unlawful and discriminatory practice. People are free to practice their religion but not promote it in the government.
Once again, not every Theist spreads misinformation about Atheists. However, once again, virtually every piece of misinformation about Atheists comes from Theists. Also, I am not angry at the Theists who do not spread misinformation.
I am angry at some of the things some Theists do in the name of their god. Examples include, but are not limited to:
*Modern day witch hunts in Africa.
*Politicians who insist that the United States was
founded on "Christian principles" despite evidence
to the contrary.
*Politicians trying to have religion taught in
publicly funded science class rooms.
*The caste system in Hinduism.
*Islamic "honor killings"
*The "Code of Silence" in the Catholic Church
regarding paedophila.
Yes, not all Theists are resposible for these things so I am not angry at all Theists. However, as you may guess: I do have anger by the boat-load.
On a final note, I also have anger for the Theists who see such things happening, recognize the wrong doings and shrug their shoulders and do not speak out against it. By remaining silent, many injustices continue to be committed.
On the same token, I have seen many Atheists attack Theists simply because they are Theists. Oh yes, I'm downright pissed-off and embarrassed both about that.
Anyway, Tisha, I hope I've better explained both why I am angry and that I am not angry at all who believe in a higher deity.
Sincerely yours:
Todd
