Temple Trouble and Icky

Ah, Temple, how nice and gratifying that the cheap little button I aquired for you is causing distress for Christian and spouse alike. First off, with all due respect for your significant other, it isn't supposed to be 'funny' in and of itself. The reaction it seems to generate most certainly is. This was one of the milder statements of atheistic worldview that was available at TAM. Some were much more mocking and funny. One I recall had the words 'born okay the first time'. Another said 'if you want peace, renounce Jesus and Allah'. How about 'Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people'. One more: 'religion. Because its easier not to think'. So a 'No god' button is hardly the most inflammatory one imaginable. On the other hand, if wearing a 'no God' button is enough to cause apoplexy in Christians, why do they proudly sport buttons and stickers trumpeting their own faith in an entirely unproven and improbable god? I refer of course to the 'Jesusfish' emblem, one that, despite residing in a nominally secular society, I still find attached to mini-vans and cars on a daily basis. It is not personally annoying to me. It merely helps me to instantaneously identify the intellectually feeble and lazy, at least in the realm of the theological.

But let's take a look at Icky's comments:

It is probably a group huddle of people who deserately don't want to believe in anything, telling each other that is[sic] is all okay. Serioulsy!

I find this a curious statement on a number of levels. First off, Icky speculates on what this disparate and diverse group of individuals think, without having attended the meeting in question or, I will venture, ever spent time in the presence of skeptics and free-thinkers. More than likely Icky would find such a group to be friendly, non-threatening and moer than happy to consider any argument and then weigh it on the basis of merit i.e. evidence. Secondly, to say that (and I will speak for the collective here) we don't 'believe' in anything equally curious. Belief is equivalent to 'faith' which is essentially to accept a position about something without having adequate proof. I don't want to believe in anything. I will however accept that something is true based on the evidence presented to me. I don't believe in unicorns, or fairies, or God because no demonstrable evidence has been presented to me.

One has to believe in something, otherwise there is no purpose or meaning in life.

What does Icky mean by 'believe in something'? I suspect he is suggesting that we are special and that we have a higher purpose to fufill, based on some divine plan. To this I say codswallop! Icky, how can I put this, all the evidence suggests that we have no preordained 'purpose' as such. We are, again based on unbiased scientifically verifiable evidence, not particularly special or important. We exist as the result of a series of cosmic events, entirely purposelessly directed, and find ourselves in the rather lucky position of being alive here and now. Humanity is really insignificant and the universe gives not a whit whether we are here or not. It would continue on rather nicely, thank you very much, in the absence of our kind, and will one day do just so. Sorry Icky, you are not special, just a lucky collection of chemicals that are organized as you for a while...This is not to say that our lives are meaningless. One's 'purpose' to use Icky's word, is what we make it. Personally, I will try to leave this planet a little better than when I entered, be kind and considerate to others, enjoy my life and take great pleasure in the universe and learning what little I can about it while I am here. Hey, I learned to fucking juggle at TAM, a skill that I continue to practice and improve, and certainly more worthy of my time than kowtowing to an imaginary being who displays the cruel moral standards of a psycho/sociopath.

Finally:

There is nothing in the human genome that accounts for why we have the cognitive, rational, emotional and creative capacity that separates human life from animal life. DO the TAM people talk about such things, or do they just hold hands and go, "Ohhhhhh, life is good!"

Icky's argument is one from ignorance. I can't see how we could have evolved to be rational, thinking creative beings therefore 'Godidit'. Icky, just because you, or for the sake of argument, scientists know how these things arose does not mean it will never be discovered. Hell, diseases used to be demons, the earth sat in the middle of all things, etc. Science is devoted to finding shit out, and by the way there is nothing wrong in saying 'I don't know'. It is more intellectually honest than pinning everything on a being you cannot demonstrate exists. If you are able to, please roll out the evidence (without recourse to spouting scripture). I will consider it and if I find it convincing, I will accept your God belief as true. Incidentally, the TAM speakers do indeed address such topics. We had a slew of neurobehavioral scientists and such speaking about these very topics. By the way, while every single detail of the origin of the aforementioned 'mysteries' has not been worked out, scientists now have a pretty good understanding of how these attributes came to be. In a nutshell, they have proven to be evolutionarily selected as beneficial for our species and society in general. For example, clearly cognition, the ability to think about situations, is an evolutionary advantage. Ditto for rationalism. Emotions likewise serve a purpose in that they allow others to interpret our moods and feelings and respond accordingly, the very essence of societal interaction. Creativity as well can be seen to be an evolutionary advantage. It involves communicating ideas to others, problem solving and a host of other higher cognitive functions that serve to unite us. In fact, your implication that the above traits are somehow unique to humanity is demonstrably false. Many animals, primarily mammals and birds display high levels of cognitive abilities, have the ability to pass on learned behaviors through teaching (arguably a creative pursuit), are clearly emotional and, at least in primates, are able to form societal structures that mirror our own.

Icky, I surmise that your grasp of biological science is either not that great (not insulting you here) or if it is, you are able to apply rational thought to all the areas of your life except your theological belief. Icky, you have been indoctrinated into a cult, a belief system that is predicated on clearly contradictory and ambiguous text, based on the inculcated fear of hellfire and the carrot of a heaven where you might dwell in hapiness for all eternity, if only you follow all of the arbitrary rules and teachings in your holy book. Your ilk have not yet, not ever, presented even a shred of evidence to back up your God. I am going to suggest that you never will or can.

The universe is a marvelous and wondrous thing Icky. Come to TAM, if you dare, with an open mind and you might, despite your protestations to the contrary learn something. We're nice folks, really. Sometimes we even hold hands and say'Ohhhhhh, life is good!' ... and why the hell not? It is a pretty good deal. I refuse to waste time worrying about mythology. Icky, I suspect you reject Allah, and Buddha, and Zeus and Poseidon, and all other Gods except Jesus and his Dad (but they're the same thing, right?). If so, you are only one God away from being an atheist. Good luck.