Evangelical morality

A common message we hear from the faithful is that their religion and dogmas are useful, or beneficial. A common assertion is that their religion is relevant because of the morality it brings to its followers. They normally back this assertion up with a good dose of "Atheists can't be moral" or some other clearly false statement that is derived from Psalm 14:1.

After hearing this propaganda for a few years one has to really wonder: who really believes this stuff? Growing up in working class middle America, the more disturbing forms of abuse thrived in those homes that were filled with the faithful. Indeed, the very worst form of child abuse (sexual) was observed ONLY in christian homes in my neighborhood. In the name of intellectual honesty, I wanted to see more information on morality in religion, since my evidence thus far was anecdotal. I wanted to see how divorce rates, abuses, addictions, and other issues in the religious sectors stacked against secular sectors.

The results, of course, were predictable. Not only did religion completely fail to elevate people's basic moralities, it failed to even produce standard levels of basic morality. The faithful were just as likely, and in some cases more likely, to behave in ways that defy common understandings of morals. All the while, theists routinely assert that the reality is the quite the opposite -- and in doing so they illustrate the corrosive affect of faith on the human ability to reason. Theists will reject facts and evidence, and simply assert their own beliefs no matter how unsupported they are; and in the same breath demand respect for their views.

I am happy to say that I'm not one of those that respects this cult, this wish thinking, this irrational and illogical myth. I treat a theist's beliefs with the same respect I would show to someone who told me they still believe in the tooth faerie. This mental disorder should be treated with ridicule and contempt until those that cling to it realize exactly what they are doing; projecting an image of a father figure onto some entity that they have zero evidence for believing in. So long as there are illogical people that look at the Haiti earthquakes as "god's will" or a "blessing in disguise" there will be people like me that will hold the line against their stupidity.

If you are interested in reading some non-bullshit literature on the subject I would suggest:

"The Authoritarians" can be had (for free!) from: http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/