You know, there was a time when I was all for The Satanic Temple. The statue of Satan at Oklahoma was a wonderfully innovative piece of Satanic counter-Christian activism against the intercourse of religion and government, and the rewards they offered for those who donated. Even their general trolling of the system and exploiting the holes of laws done in the name of “religious freedom” had a lot of potential (fighting the delay between a woman and her right to an abortion for instance). But then they release this:
Oh boy.
Now to be fair, this is something that started late last year, but I feel my opinion on this should be stated: what are The Satanic Temple thinking? It’s a transparent attempt to beat the Christians at their own game. They know Christians have been spreading Bibles in schools, so they seek to spread Satanic coloring books to schools for children. Why is this a problem? Because that’s not how you fight the indoctrination of children. You can’t oppose one group of people pushing a religion or belief system on children by encouraging children to give a crap about another belief system.
Some might make the argument that public schools brainwash children no matter what, to which I say: shouldn’t the parents be teaching the children to think for themselves?
My brother and I were talking about overpopulation and the environment, and eventually I led on to the subject of religious belief, and then I thought of something regarding that and God. We discussed that the problem of overpopulation might be reduced if the religious teachings regarding contraception that lots of us were milked on had less influence on mankind. Even as they grow less influential in the Western world, I am certain there are many parts of the world were those teachings are still pretty much the norm. And as I continued discussing that, I thought of something regarding God.
Just run with me on this one: let’s assume you believe it is God’s word (or more or less the word of your god) that contraception (such as the use of condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancy) is forbidden, and you also believe that your God is a being that sees everything that happens and has happened and thus knows everything there is to know or soon to be known. On that basis, let’s say your God has been watching mankind, seeing them make too many babies because they can’t use contraception or abort, even in the case of rape, and drain the planet of its resources to feed the onslaught of the newly born, or worse yet just dump and neglect the newly born because they didn’t want them. Now in that case, let me get something straight.: you’re telling me your God has seen mankind fill the planet with orchards of its own offspring at wanton and at the expense of the planet’s resources and he still thinks it’s a good idea to tell mankind they can’t procreate?
Personally, I don’t think people who follow these stupid rules regarding contraception are doing it for God, because I believe that, if there is a God, then God certainly would not care whether or not men prevent their genitalia from fertilizing their partners. I think people only do it for the sake of the traditions they have been raised to believe but believe falsely, they do what they’re told but they don’t honestly believe. People are raised to believe what they believe by people who’ve had the wrong idea of what God is all along, and boy do we know the damage that causes.
Richard Dawkins criticizes religion a lot, it’s role in society, and that our children are so indoctrinated to believe, which I don’t mind. But the prominent atheist/overglorified douchebag is one to talk, for you see, he is trying to do the same.
In 2008, Dawkins announced that he would be retiring from his post at Oxford University to write a book aimed at children, trying to convince them not to believe in fairy tales or tales of magic, witchcraft, and wizardry because they are “anti-scientific”. I’m not sure if the 2011 The Magic of Reality is that book, but that is outside the point. Do you know how Dawkins’ antics translate to me? Indoctrinating kids into believing what someone else tells you.
Instead of Christian priests at sunday school indoctrinating kids to believe what it says in the Bible, we have Richard Dawkins trying to persuade children into dogmatic materialism, and I don’t see the difference. All I see is that double standard Dawkins has: he’ll criticize religion for mindlessly venerating some sacred dogma or some figurehead, while doing little other than preach science and evolution like religious gospels, promote dogmatic scientism, and spray Charles Darwin with praise.
He has no right criticizing indoctrination of any sort considering he is doing the same thing.
I’ve heard of a rumour saying that Dawkins didn’t actually resign from his post at Oxford University, but was canned for his increasing outlandishness and his tying of science, dogmatic materialism, and atheism together, which some other faculty members and outside scientists opposed, which would mean the book story is a cover to save both himself and the university from embarassment. But the truth of that rumour is a different story, though it would certainly explain a lot.
This is about religion in general, as you can guess. I am anti-religious, that much is already clear from previous posts (that doesn’t make me an atheist). Though I respect some religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, pagan religions, and even Satanism to a small extent, along with other religious ideas, I still very much hate religion as a concept. Why? I’ll tell you.
It turns virtues into moral obligations
Virtues, by definition, are characteristics that make one admirable in people’s eyes. They are characteristics of moral excellence, not necessarily laws of morality. What religion does is socialize, if you will, virtues and turn them into codified moral laws outline how you should behave or not behave.
It turns mythology into doctrine
Mythology and religion are not the same. Mythology is great. At it’s heart it’s about storytelling, an art form as old as mankind himself, right down to when we first started gathering around fires and telling each other stories, long before the English language had been invented. Religion, on the other hand, is designed around creating a moral doctrine or dogma for you to follow in hopes of acheiving salvation or so-called spirituality (religion doesn’t real spirituality, but rather uses spirituality as a hook to lure fools in). To do this, it transforms mythology from almost spiritual storytelling to a matter of faith.
It socializes tradition into law
Traditions are customs that different people have and that have been passed down by enough generations. Religion, however, turns that into a religious law for all people to follow. Even little beliefs among religious people become full on doctrine, such as when the belief in the Assumption of the Virgin Mary became dogma, and thus mandatory.
It furthers social control and the power of the state
It seems as though religion has always had a special relationshop with the state, the authorities, and the ruling classes. Those sorts of people have always use religion to falsely justify their authority, especially when their authority unjustified. Popes, Lamas, Ayatollahs, and other such religious leaders have attempted to impose their dogma on whoever they see for ages now, and they work within secular authoirty. Religion has been in bed with state for so long, that separation of religion and state is an important issue of modern times.
It ruins war
War is always spoilt and corrupted when you try to use religion to support it. I’m not saying that war is never right, but I’m saying wars can be unjust if religion is used to support it. Through religion, war is turned into a campaign of religious cleansing on the part of both sides (if both sides are religious), with only the religious viewing it as “fighting the good fight”.
But in the end…
All religion ever was is a mass cult
All religion has ever consisted of as a concept is the idea that if you worship our god, follow our dogma (moral or othwerwise), and believe what we tell you, you’ll get into heaven, achieve enlightenment, or some other form of salvation or spirituality. In fact, salvation has always been the hook to lure in those who aren’t strong or wise enough to save themselves or forge their own path. It’s nothing but a cult-like entity, with no worth other than to the desperate, the weak, and the gullible. The sad thing is, even if we get rid of religion, what’s stopping other dogmatisms from replacing it, as long as people are weak and in need of a voice telling them what to do so that they can save them, rather than take the initiative to save themselves. I wonder what the next religion will be?
Aleph's Heretical Domain 