It is with great clarity that I write this post, I thought about writing on the skeptics' need to become militant, but I soon realize that our burden is not to convince those around us who do believe, ours is to simply live our lives and fight in order to get our rights respected. We should not have to answer to those who make an irrational claim!
I have recently been painfully made aware of the sheer amount of ignorance and repetitiveness coming from theists regarding the state of unbelievers. Yes, like most overqualified retail workers, I am used to answering idiotic questions, though I often grow tired of the same ones coming up. Here is a short list of the short bus questions I get upon revealing my lack of belief in a deity along with some typical responses (though the smartarseness of my response does not show well in written form, I beg of those of you who know me to please add my regular attitude towards lack of intelligence in my responses):
But what if you're wrong? (Pascal's wager... ahhh a classic)
Well, this question is malformed as every myth claims to be the one truth and that anyone who does not share in its theology is damned to an eternity in a very displeasing place, typically a place of eternal torture known as hell. The only real answer to this question is to return it! There are over 6,000 different religions, over 30,000 different denominations of Christianity alone, each claiming that the others are false doctrines, how do you know you are in the right, as those who believe in different doctrines will defend their stance with every bit of righteousness and conviction as you? You are an unbeliever when it comes to all of those other deities except for (insert number of magical sky fairies believed in), I just go (use same number of mystical creatures as before).
But where do you get your morality? (Friends this is where we get the moral high ground)
I get my morality from myself, as a member of a society, I understand that such a lifestyle depends solely on our ability to get along with each other, and to better our lives in community and in our social conventions. I do not need a higher power (or other pejorative word describing a mythical sky daddy) to tell me what is right and what is wrong as I have my own understanding of those matters and know that I should not harm those around me in order to get ahead. Of course, sometimes it is harder than others, but my morality comes from me and not out of fear of punishment or hope of reward. If something is detrimental to society, I do not do it. Though I may not say the same about theists who would do anything the voices in their heads tells them to (refer to Abraham's test in sacrificing his son).
How can you support homosexual marriages? (Not necessarily for atheists but a good chunk of us are in favor)
Well, they are human beings, they deserve the same treatment as any of us. What makes a bronze age doctrine made up by goat herders the authority on how to treat other human beings? But the Bible says that...(Leviticus) That very same book claims that eating shrimp and wearing two of the same threads are an abomination, and according to Matthew 5, not one jot or tittle of the law (meaning of course the Pentateuch) shall be taken until Heaven and the Earth have come to pass. (Romans) Paul, in his letter to the Romans clearly states that man shall not lie with man, that is true, though I could argue that Paul was rejected by the early Christians due to his heresy in contradicting Jesus. He was not, according to the Bible, directly appointed by Jesus, but rather hallucinated on the road to Damascus - no doubt haunted by the faces of those he persecuted- and changed his ways, making shit up as he went along.
But your world view must be so bleak, I mean you believe that when you die that's it, how can you live that way?
I find wonder in everyday life such as the love of my family, the expanse of the universe, the complexity of nature. There is plenty to live for, to grow human knowledge, whether it is useful or not (yea most of what I know is useless). If you know you are going to heaven, yet your loved ones are in hell, how can you be truly happy knowing that they are suffering for all eternity while you're drinking wine and having a good time? If you don't care then you are dehumanized.
But there can be no justice without God, he created everything, how can you deny that?
Justice? Really? The deity portrayed in the Bible (for this example) is, at best, a capricious child whose will and deeds are not as mature as those of a 5 year old. He kills on a whim for the most stupid, most insignificant crimes such as making fun of a prophet, or a man spilling his seed on the ground, hell, even disagreeing with those who believe in him is a crime punishable by death! But we have grace now. Grace, by definition is the suspention of justice, therefore your god is either perfectly Just, or perfectly Merciful, he may not be both as those are in direct opposition of each other. He also is one of those Zeus types: do as I say not as I do, as apparently, it is ok for him to be jealous (though it is against his own law) and also it is ok for him to ravish a betrothed young lady in order to give birth to himself so he can sacrifice himself to himself so we can be saved from him... yea a truly logical, not paradoxical god at all you got there!
So this is a small sample of those questions I typically receive, at least twice a week from those around me who find out I am a non believer. I do hope you enjoyed my answers and if you find a better response, or would like to share your own answers to stupid questions, please comment.
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