Originally posted by Unknown Target
....That's what I dislike so much about Christian fundamentalists. They bring religion into everything, calling everything that isn't stated in the Bible as a sin.
Of course, that's my personal opinion.
And it's an opinion that I share. But, as I'm sure UT is well aware, it's not only Christian fundamentalists that do it, Muslim and Jewish fundamentalists do it as well.
And the concept of sin, as I define it as the act of doing something so horrible it invites divine retribution from God himself, is one that I find completely ludicrous.
But then again, I'm an atheist, so go figure. And I'm a lawyer, too, so I know all about abiding by the law; I just think the law becomes too easily perverted (especially) when it's used as a basis for enforcing morality. The law is NOT a moral tool, folks, especially here in the USA. There's a reason we have a First Amendment forbidding the mixture of church and state.
I still remember the flap that happened a few weeks ago when Bush was asked if Muslims and Christians worshipped the same God and Bush said essentially yes. The Christian evangelicals threw a huge hissy fit and complained that Muslims "worship only an idol. WE worship the real thing." They also said, "well, the President made a mistake and isn't a theologian, so we'll forgive him this gaffe."
One major reason I became an atheist was because I got so sick and tired of each religion shouting that it was the One True Faith. I basically decided that they're all a bunch of incompetent, intolerant, sadomasochist bastards who don't know the first thing about treating everybody equally regardless of religion, skin color or sexual orientation.
Besides, I got better things to do on my Sunday mornings than sit in a boring, stuffy room with a bunch of other people listening to another tired cliche, fire-and-brimstone sermon about how we're all destined to go to hell "because we're all sinners." Like sleeping in, for one.
I hate the concept of sin because it implies that we are all fundamentally flawed from birth. Bullsh*t. I have done nothing to warrant going to hell. I'm not a murderer or a madman or a rapist. I have nothing to atone for. And the concept that I have to atone for myself just because I was born is total crap. The idea that Man "fell" from a state of divine "grace" is nothing but a farcical illusion. We descended from monkeys, peeps. Monkeys don't have a concept of grace. Religion says we were at a high state when we were first created, then fell to a lower one and have been trying (and mostly failing) to make up for it ever since. Evolution says that we started out as a lower form of life and have been gaining knowledge and wisdom ever since. Which concept better sustains your self-esteem and self-worth?
F*ck all religions, I say. If your faith sustains you, great. When my mom got sick with cancer, her faith kept her strong enough to fight for five years, so I know firsthand how faith can make people stronger.
But the moment anyone tries to use his religion to justify making another group of people into second class citizens (like women, gays, minorities or "non-believers") is the same moment that I sue that person for discrimination. Or it's the same moment I cheer on the deaths of Muslim fundamentalists who fight on behalf of Osama bin laden. Either one is good. *shrugs*
*Rant mode disengaged*
Note to UT: I wasn't ranting at anything you said, I was just ranting NEAR you. Your comment just reminded me why I hate religions in general.
