It's a rough fight.

Long time, no blog.

I peruse all my sites close to daily, and spend a lot of time passively reading FSTDT (I'm on break and out of reading materials :P)

Now, fundamentalists often point to evolution as a religion, same as atheism. It's somewhat mind-boggling. Of course, it has a rather simple answer in their heads: to a fundamentalist, the origins of the Earth are solidly founded in religion. It's in the Bible. God did it. Devil put down fossils, what have you.

So, of course, since it is a religious answer to a fundamentalist, it MUST BE a religious answer to someone who "believes" in evolution. It also must be religious because we use the verb "believe" when discussing it. I can't think of a more natural verb for the position, and, of course, belief = religion in their minds. Yes, we can say "understands," "knows," "supports," but nonetheless, the most natural turn of phrase is "believe in." (Mostly because there are people who don't believe in evolution, hence it cannot take the language of a definite fact except in specific company).

Atheism as religion is an easy one to dismantle as well. Many people still don't understand what atheism actually is (it's devil worship, in case you weren't clear), and to have a lack of belief is mind-boggling to some, I'm sure. To them, you need as much faith to not believe in the wonderment of God as you do to believe in it. To them, it may as well be a religion, as it keeps you from being a part of their religion, as you take this cosmic chance.

The more quotes I read, the more I understand their thought process.

And the more I don't know how to argue with them. Close-mindedness is one of the most heart-breaking things in the world to see. While this is pompous to say, as it comes with the assumption that I'm correct, I will say that I gave religion its fair chance. It just never added up, as the hedges I had to make to keep myself from feeling ill (all religions REALLY worship the same God, we're judged on what we know, etc) were too complicated in the end. Being kind to one another for the sake of doing so doesn't need a carrot on a stick of eternal salvation. It's simply, in many cases, the best path for long-term survival and benefit to ourselves.

A very small case in point. As a freshman in college I still had a fair bit of disposable income. I'd often treat friends to movies or dinner. It wasn't exactly because I'm the nicest thing to ever nice, but because I wanted to eat out or see a movie, and I wanted their company when I did it. We're social creatures, and being nice to people makes them spend more time with us than being a cruel person does. Kindness is its own reward.

It's a cynical and nasty way to view things, but I don't think that really makes it any less true. Yes, there are people infused with goodness and altruism, but that's a rather advanced state of things that not everyone makes it to. And not only are those who make it there all the more loved, but they also come from all faiths and walks of life.

Charities have their roots in empathy, as well as impacting the greater whole but assisting those less fortunate to better themselves, and better society as a whole. And, well, we're also just capable of being good to other people for less tangible benefits to ourselves.

Nothing enrages me more than a religious charity that heavily tries to force conversion or will think twice about helping someone not in their religion. P-Momma has a ... commenter that has been heavy-handed and rude about her faith, as well as pointedly saying (paraphrased) "if you'd only ask, I'd pick up the phone and fix everything. This paltry sum your measly atheist friends has put together to help you is nothing in comparison to what my Church would have done for you, even if you are a horrible atheist. God would fix you anyway, but you're stubborn. I'm trying to help you, but you won't let me."

That's cruel beyond words. If she honestly cared about this woman, she would have called her Church the minute she thought she could help, not even mentioning that she was responsible for it. That is goodness and love, not tormenting someone suffering with a carrot on a stick if they only do what you want them to do. Heather's offers are disgusting, and horribly immoral, even while she lives with the idea that she is only doing her best to help and these atheists are just making it SO HARD. I don't understand how to crack that stubborn, self-righteous evil and get through to her. I'm not sure if it is actually possible.

How do these people sleep at night?