God is imaginary

How will we change the world so that it becomes rational rather than religious? It is fascinating to think about how the transition will occur. Here are two things to consider:

• There once was a time in America when no woman could vote. Yet, somehow, even though women could not vote, they all have the right to vote today. How did that happen?

• There was once a time in America where the large majority of people smoked cigarettes. Smoking was allowed everywhere — even on airplanes and in public restrooms. Yet today, smoking is banned in most public spaces, including airplanes. How did that happen?

Both processes were remarkable and both mark tectonic shifts in public thinking. How did they happen?

The answer is that those two processes had to start somewhere. There had to come a point where some group of people in the minority said, “this is wrong, and we need to fix it.” They began openly talking about the problem. Then other people in the minority agreed. Then, eventually, the minority began to influence those on the outer edges of the majority. Once that process started and gained sufficient momentum, the majority (e.g. smokers) became the minority. And now we all understand that smokers have a problem. Smokers were unfortunate to become dependent on a highly addictive drug as teenagers, at a time when their rational brains were not fully developed. As a society, we now do our best to discourage teens from getting hooked and to help those who are already addicted.

Here is a simple question: Can we have the same sort of effect on religions like Christianity? Can we change Christianity from a “majority” activity into a fringe activity, and in the process replace it with something much, much better?

The idea of unseating something as strong as Christianity sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But then, when women first started talking about gaining the right to vote, that sounded ridiculous too. We have to start somewhere.

I found this nifty little site that states bible verse after bible verse that make me laugh out loud at the lunacy of religion. I encourage you to read at least one of the proofs listed; it will undoubtedly make you question your so called beliefs and perhaps open your eyes to the idea that god really is imaginary. It’s great!

Add comment August 14th, 2007