Tales of Ordinary Madness

James Brown, the ‘Godfather of Soul,’dead at 73

Rest in peace, James. We’ll miss you.

I received this comment several weeks ago and I’ve written a response to this several times and couldn’t decide if I wanted to make it just a comment or actually an official blog entry. I’ve decided on the latter. The comment is below and was in response to a Richard Dawkins quote on my blog:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2102-2375182.html

even in the UK the book is seen for what it is and he is known as a fanatic. Why work so hard to hate something? Is there an issue which you could help the world with rather than turn it into black and white? and deliver so much hate? do atheists help the poor?

even in the UK the book is seen for what it is and he is known as a fanatic.

First, one review does not make him a fanatic. Not only that, but I also know for a fact that Dr. Dawkins (the “he” referred to) is not a fanatic. As Winston Churchill said “”A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject”. Here is my proof; offer any empirical evidence for the existence of god and I GUARANTEE you that Dr. Dawkins will change his mind. And that my friend is how science works and why science is not fanaticism.

Secondly, the reader posed the question “Why work so hard to hate something?”. My response to that is simple. I hate your god like I hate unicorns, the tooth fairy, dragons, faeries, and other things that don’t exist. In other words, I don’t spend one single ounce of energy “hating” your god or your religion. I do however, feel strongly about people being misled, especially when that misleading leads to events like the crusades, 9/11, or hundreds of thousands of people suffering with HIV in Africa because one or two sects do everything in their power to prevent condoms from being distributed and used in Africa.

“Is there an issue which you could help the world with rather than turn it into black and white? and deliver so much hate?”

In my world very little is black and white. I don’t have a religious book that tells me what is right and what is wrong. I have to noodle things through on my own. I have to actually think before I act, review with my own conscience how I feel about each and every action I take. At the end of the day, I do what I do because I have to look myself in the mirror and face myself and my actions. I don’t behave the way I do out of fear of hell or any such silly thing. The accusation of “delivering so much hate” is one that I dismiss completely, I am confident that anyone who knows me would not describe me as a hateful person. A pile of other adjectives may come to mind some good, many bad, but I don’t think hateful would be one.

do atheists help the poor?

Of course atheists help the poor and when atheist do help the poor they do it selflessly, they are not motivated by the carrot of eternal life. They help because they feel compelled by an understanding of the human condition and compassion for human suffering. I don’t deny that Christianity has done much to help the poor, but every time I set foot into a church and see gold and gold plated ornaments, giant statuary and other opulence I can’t help but think about how much more they could have done.