I have been an atheist for about two years now. I was raised in a deeply religious household. Since I rejected it all I have been a much happier person. There is much needless guilt heaped on Christians for basically anything. There isn't much stated in the Bible that isn't a sin in some way. When I did have a belief in God....I would feel guilty all the time. Christians seem to forget about the holocaust we committed in this country. There were 15 million Indians living in the U.S. before the white man came to this country, and by the time the missionaries and U.S. army were through there were only 250,000 left, all living on the shittiest land in the U.S. Americans killed as many Indians as the Nazis killed Jews.
We put them in white schools and made them pray to Jesus. The missionaries cut their hair and wouldn't allow them to speak their native tongue. If they were caught practicing their native beliefs they were beaten and tortured. This was after many Indians were slaughtered and the ones that remained were put on the most worthless, unproductive, infertile land that the U.S. could offer. Not to mention Mount Rushmore, in which four americans were carved onto a mountain that was on sacred Indian land. This would be akin to going into Jewish Temple and carving a statue of Hitler for everyone to admire. The only real accomplishment made by these missionaries was that they totally fucked up and confused the beliefs of the Indians. I have first hand knowledge of this as I went on 3 missionary trips to a reservation in South Dakota (this was in my unenlightened years). In which time I discovered just how messed up the native beliefs are.......I mean they go to a Sun Dance and then go to church. I can no longer go out there simply because I am further aiding the cultural genocide started by those zealot missionaries 50 years ago.
It puzzles me that Christians can automatically assume they have the superior religion. Indians don't travel out to Christian churches and tell them that they have to worship the Rain God. Why do Christians feel that they have the right to espouse their own confused, guilt ridden rhetoric. The whole concept to me is offensive and reflects a level of pretentiousness that is sickening. "We have decided that your belief system is not valid. We have decided for you that ours is. And even though we preach love thy neighbor, if we catch worshiping your native gods......we will beat the shit out of you or stick your hand in boiling water."
This is one of thousands of instances of religion corrupting and corroding our society. Never does a week go by that you don't read about the latest Catholic priest molesting an altar boy. When Jesus said "Suffer the little children come unto me" that's NOT was he was talkin about. And who the fuck do they think they are when they start messing with constitutional rights? They saw fit that the nation shouldn't be allowed to watch ellen cuz it had......ooohhhh nooooo......LESBIANS. So the Southern Baptist Church started a
boycott of Disney, which owns ABC, which broadcasted Ellen. Once again the pretentiousness and blatant arrogance is cause for outrage. They have decided for people that they can't watch something. Well WHO THE HELL CENSORS THEM? WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS??!! They feel that they can install morals for people and THAT IS NOT THEIR RIGHT. No more than it is my right to start a boycott of Touched by an Angel because I find its ideas offensive. Last time I checked Church and State were separate for that very reason. Whatever happened to the First Amendment?
Another thing that enraged me about the Southern Baptist church was that in a recent abortion clinic bombing a nurse was killed and a prominent priest came out and said she shouldn't be grieved for because she was aiding in the murder of children. Well that's just great!! When that priest dies I'm gonna come out and say he shouldn't be grieved for because he was poisoning peoples minds with religion. Seriously though, what right does a priest, a "man of god" if u will, have to say that?
I could go into all of the political strife that would be nonexistant if religion simply didn't exist....but I feel your page said it all. In closing, it is said that it is the PERSON, not the religion that is bad. People who misuse relgion are not really "men of god". Well that's bullshit! Religion poisons the mind to do any number of irrational acts, including the ones I have mentioned in this letter. To simply say it is zealotry is to oversimplify the problem.
You can leave my email address on this letter when u post it. I would be glad to debate with anyone why religion is destroying our society. Hypocrisy runs rampant in any religion.
Thanx for a great page,
Brad
If you would like to talk with Brad, he can be reached at lazeewiteboy@aol.com