Those annoying fundamentalist religious zealots

Check out the photo on the left. This is an ad from the London Atheists. A current ad campaign is currently being run in New York. Do you find this offensive?

Many will criticize Christianity and other mono-theistic religions because of the invasive means in which their adherents seek to convert others. They don't like the way in which those from established religions try to "impose" their faith on others. The greatest outcry tends to come from atheists themselves. Perhaps you are turned off to those "fundamentalist" religious zealots whom seek to "proselytize"?

Which made me think, what do these terms in quotes actually mean? A search to the dictionary revealed the following definitions:

Proselytize: To induce someone to convert to one's own religious faith.
Fundamentalist: Strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles.

This begs the question - are these atheist organizations guilty of “fundamentalism” and “proselytizing” in these advertisements? The answer, unequivocally, is yes, and in answer to the question I posed in the opening paragraph, this is not offensive. Whatever our beliefs, we all have the right to share our views on whichever platform we deem necessary and try to influence society based on these inherent views (so long as they are legal).

We all are fundamentalist and seek to proselytize. And we should all be willing to confront different views in order to determine truth.

Cakes, atheism and having it both ways

by Dr. Martin Slack

So the latest psychological research from Bristol University confirms what many of us knew intuitively: that children grow up with an innate belief in God and the supernatural. It is hardwired into our brains. It is not that we learn to believe in God, it is that we learn to disbelieve.

And that presents the New Atheists with a problem. They have to come up with an evolutionary reason for this innate belief. What survival advantage did religious belief convey on those who
held it?

But their problem runs deeper than that, because (in their opinion) this religious belief is false. So they not only have to reason why religious belief conveyed such an advantage, but why believing something that is false (because, of course, there is no God) would do so. Why would a false perception of the world, a faulty and erroneous interpretation of our surroundings, cause these individuals to survive (and pass on their genes) in preference to those without this belief?
And here lies the New Atheists’ problem. If we cannot trust our rational mind’s interpretation of the physical world - that there is a God - why should we believe it with regard to their atheistic thinking - that there is no God?

If our hardwired belief in God is some sort of evolutionary side effect, that never-the-less results in an erroneous, false perception of the world, why should we pay any more regard to their atheistic views? Why is evolutionary atheistic thinking not just as much an erroneous and false perception that we cannot trust as belief in God?

Which takes me back to childhood and growing up and birthday cakes. Because, as any mother will tell you, you can’t have your cake and eat it.

So you think you are important?

By Kevin Anselmo

Do you think the world revolves around you? Now of course none of us would admit to that, but we often think and behave as though it does, or should. Do you think you are important as a result of your professional and personal accomplishments? Newsflash - fast forward to 2160, some 150 years from now, and nobody on this earth will remember you.

Your job - it probably won’t even exist in 2160. Your company - it may not be around. Your family - they will all be dead and in all likelihood your lineage won’t even know your name, let alone your character traits, accomplishments or abilities.

To prove my point, let’s look at the year 1850, approximately 150 years ago. Was your job and company even in existence? How many of you know the names of your great, great grandparents off the top of your head?

Let’s look at the stars and world-class high-flyers. In 2009, Bill Gates was once again named the richest man in the world. Who was the richest man in the world in 1850? Roger Federer established a Grand Slam record after winning Wimbledon this past July. Who was the greatest athlete in 1850? Heck - even most of the sports we watch weren’t played in 1850. The world mourned the death of Michael Jackson earlier this year. How many of you can name the greatest entertainer in 1850? I am just talking about 150 years, but in comparison to the history of the world, 150 years is like, well, yesterday.

What’s my point in all this? Surely it is not to say that this life isn’t important, so let’s just take it easy while abusing the earth’s natural resources. Nor am I trying to say let’s just all go out and fulfill all our hedonistic pleasures in this short time we have an earth. Au contraire.

We should do everything possible to have an impact in this life, because there is more to our current lives than what is here in this world. As we all rightfully go about trying to fulfill our dreams and make an impact in whatever small or big way, we must also keep in mind the big picture. We must think about why we are here and where we are going after this life. In fact, we are all so very important - just not by the world’s metrics for success. Bill Gates’ money won’t be of much use to him personally when he is on his death bed one day. Put Roger Federer in the same situation and all his trophies will be of little personal value as well.

I would actually argue that in looking over the course of the last 2000 years, the most influential people were individuals who led religious movements.

"But wait," some you may say. "We are living in enlightened times. Religion is passé." Perhaps you think because we speak on Skype, send emails and surf the internet that we are so dignified, sophisticated and intelligent. People probably also felt the same way in the 18th and 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining and transportation drastically impacted society in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. These people were so proud of their spinning jenny and the steam engine - surely they thought they were so much more dignified than preceding generations. And future generations will chuckle in thinking about how we showed off our iPhones while they use some unthinkable technology that makes the iPhone look like the Commodore 64. (Oh, that was some amazing computer from the 1980s which took like 15 minutes to boot up …..)

So why are we here and where are we going after this life? The Industrial Revolution couldn’t directly in itself answer that question. Neither can our current technological advances.

Maybe we should be enlightened enough to learn from history and realize that we are not as smart as we think. There is more to this current life than meets the earthly eye.