A perhaps unnecessarily defensive response to imaginary Christians

[urbpan]

On my tumblr (same url as this one--just dot tumblr instead of dot livejournal) I just posted a short rant about Christianity. The context is that two apparently fake tumblr accounts started following mine out of nowhere. They look like phishing accounts but are wrapped in the cloth of people (young pretty girls, natch) whose lives went wrong but were saved by Jesus.

My rant was probably uncalled for--after all, these accounts were most likely not even human, never mind Christian. But I felt inspired to write, which is a nice feeling. What I wrote could hurt the feelings of the faithful--and I have friends here and in real life who are Christians, and I would never say these things to their (your) face. Does that make me a hypocrite or what?

If you are interested (and haven't already seen it on tumblr), it follows behind the cut.


Hello and welcome to the most likely fake and explicitly Christian tumblr accounts that just started following me. I can only guess it's because I used the tag "Pantheism" in my post "parasites are made of starstuff too."

I am not religious at all. I don't even believe in the soul as a real thing.
I am a however a pantheist, in that I believe that the universe created itself, and that it is everything, including everything that religious people call God or Divinity. Goodness is a concept humans have invented, and it derives from our own desires for justice, peace, and love. All is sacred, all is profane. Prayer may comfort you, but if God is talking to you, you are speaking with your own mind. If He tells you to do anything you are schizophrenic, and you need medication.

The stories of Jesus have been ludicrously edited to serve various human sects at various times. Even the four Gospels of the New Testament are full of instructions no sane Christian would follow. Cherry-picking the ones you agree with is self-deluded hypocrisy. Using the multiply-translated words of holy books written centuries ago to tell modern people how to live their lives is complete madness.

If religion makes you happy, or helps bring you peace, and help you be kind to others, then that's great. If religion is the only thing keeping you from evil acts, then you are a psycopath and you need medical help, not prayer.

If you are real, then enjoy my photos of God's wondrous creations, and peace be with you.

Do as thou wilt, etc.

Comments

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

I think your post is lovely, generous even. I have gotten to know one religious neighbour and found her to be a really nasty person and another really religious neighbour who is a nice person with some nasty ideas.

The first one I just have no time for at all, the second has agreed that there are some things we just won't talk about (especially in my house), one is religion and the other is politics.

I got Eat, Pray, Love for a dollar at the toss out bin at the library. I have read two pages and I am already annoyed. I don't know why people have to "miracle it up" all the time when all they really need to do is pay attention to be inspired. There are so many amazing things that don't need you stretch your perception into Crazyville to appreciate. Your photos give some examples.

I will admit that I am a bit of a Star Trek freak and I have at times been annoyingly so...I will allow equal time to Christians only if I get to talk Star Trek.

LIVE LONG AND FUCKING PROSPER!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Hell to the yeah!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I notice you didn't jump into the fray when I was complaining about the Enterprise theme on Facebook!

Don't get me started!

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

Well, I really wanted to like that show. I had to just put up with the theme song. I know lots of people complained about it right off the bat, but they were some of the ones who complained at first about Picard and called him Chrome Drone... Thankfully a divorce meant I never had to listen to that anymore!

I could not cope with the Vulcan, "Topal"? was that it? Why the pout? (There was only one other character who bugged me more and that was Sisco on Deep Space Nine.) The chemistry just didn't work with any of the characters. I liked the stories, some of them were really good, just not the crew. In the end I really wished they had not tried. It sort of put the last nail in the Star Trek coffin.

The latest movies? I don't know, I guess they were fun, but Cumberbatch as Kahn was dumb.

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

I am really liking Voyager. My youngest son gave me the set. The first few seasons were a bit so so but it gets really good. I think Janeway is just Kirk in drag. I love her!

Not many people agree with me though. My oldest son HATES her.

[frith]

Haha! You can geek out all you like about the Star Trek universe if I can have equal time to ruminate about geometry and ecology in the My Little Pony (Friendship is Magic) universe! X^D We'll drive each other mad!

[frith]

*waves* Fine, upstanding member of the hypocrite club here! ^_^ I read somewhere that about 80% of people are naturally religious. I'm part of the group that doesn't feel like their ancestors are walking with them in some form or other. I don't have a need to serve somebody (sorry Bob Dylan), but I do want to live in a society with better social responsibility and understanding. "Serving" a metaphysical entity and ethics are not linked traits.

[gigglingwizard.livejournal.com]

"parasites are made of starstuff too."

I like that title. Can I have a link to the post?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

The title was almost the entire post, and not my original words sadly:

http://urbpan.tumblr.com/post/109672745445