What, ‘miracle’ isn’t explicit enough?

Jason Thibeault, ,

My favorite master debater and yours, eponymously known on this blog as Bob (“Me” in some earlier threads’ comments — I call him Bob because of his chosen fake e-mail, [email protected]), sent along this picture that sums up his position on religion.

I have nothing against God, it's his fan club I can't stand

This would make a great antidote to some of the more galling bumper stickers and emblems I’ve seen around here. However, I don’t 100% agree with the underlying implication — that God exists. Since he probably doesn’t exist, why would anyone who lacks faith have ANY kind of problem with him? You might as well make the negative assertion that you don’t have a problem with the Tooth Fairy. It’s a useless, facile, self-evident statement. Of course, not everyone feels as I do — some people DO believe in the Tooth Fairy despite a total lack of evidence, and a good deal of direct evidence suggesting the Tooth Fairy is a sham perpetrated by adults on their kids.

That bears repeating: 'I think you should be more explicit here in step two.'
That bears repeating: 'I think you should be more explicit here in step two.'

Two recent news articles suggest that the number of aToothFairyists — err, atheists, sorry — are growing rapidly in the States, a fact that probably cows the religious Right. Atheists, humanists, rationalists and free-thinkers are less afraid of “coming out” than they once were, a phenomenon hopefully spurred by those of us who have taken it upon ourselves to vocalize that which the silent minority were already thinking (or actively hiding for fear of retribution).

Even on college campuses — you know, where real science is taught, kinda like the science in the comic to the right — the norm is to build and facilitate religious groups, on your student-fee dime. Finally, though, atheists are getting a piece of the action. Campus churches are probably never going to go away, mind you, but this is a step in the right direction. If people with Bronze-age belief systems have the right proselytize on the public dime, then so too should those of us who demand that we look at the “big questions” with as empirical or scientific an eye as we look at other fields. That we atheists are not an organized group should no longer serve as a stumbling block keeping us from equal rights.

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What, ‘miracle’ isn’t explicit enough?

About the author

Hi! I'm a tech guy, skeptic, feminist, gamer and atheist, and love OSS and science of all stripes. I enjoy a good bit of whargarbl now and again, and will occasionally even seek it out. I am also apparently responsible for the death of common sense on the internet. My bad.

I have opinions. So do you. You want to share them with me. I would like to do likewise. Please don't expect a platform for proselytizing that will go unchecked and unchallenged, though. Contact me via the clicky thingies under my banner.

The commenting rules are simple: don't piss me off. This rule has worked for me for a decade; I have never found a need for any other rule, because any other rules leads to rules-lawyering. Just remember -- this is my property, not yours.
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