The Myth of Sexual Purity
I caught a little bit of a call in radio show this afternoon where a gentleman had called in to say that he was dating a girl who wished to remain a virgin until marriage. And though he cared for her, he felt that sex was an important part of a relationship. He told his girlfriend that he respected her decision to not have sex, however he could not be chaste and would continue to see other women for sexual gratification. The fallout on the radio show was scores of women calling him an asshole because “all he wanted from her was sex.”
I had the immediate urge to call and tell the young man to run away, run quickly away. This woman’s desire to hold on to her virtue like some sort of magical shield spoke volumes to the kind of woman she was…a deluded one. I am sure I will get a lot of flak for this stance, especially from women, but bear with me and open your mind.
Female purity is a patriarchal construct that has one purpose and one purpose only, to subjugate women. We are sexual beings. As with any species, it is hardwired into our DNA to reproduce, to continue our genetic code. In order to ensure this happens, we have evolved to enjoy sexual intercourse. It is pleasurable for us, increasing our desire to copulate and therefore increasing the opportunity for reproduction.
By vilifying one half of the population for following our very nature, those who demand women remain sexually pure gain control over them. Women’s purity becomes a bargaining chip in the selling of daughters and sisters to men with money and power. These men see virginity as a virtue because that makes them the only sexual partner, increasing the likelihood that their DNA is passed and decreasing any chance that the inexperienced bride can question their virility or expertise.
As long as women continue to buy into this crap, we will continue to see the horrors of honor killings and female circumcision. I will not respect any religion that demands female purity. I can tolerate a lot of what I consider “misguided delusions” from Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc., but I refuse to hand over the control of my own body.
Women, when religious leaders demand that you remain pure, ask “WHY?” When your political leaders demand that you be virtuous, ask “WHY?” When your fathers, uncles, and brothers demand that you remain a virgin until they can marry you to a man twice your age, ask “WHY?”
Any answer that ties your sexual purity to your morality or your worth as a human being is the WRONG ANSWER.
Idiots that Make Me Glad to be an Atheist!
Today Pat Robertson said that the entire country of Haiti deserved to be crushed by the earthquake that hit them because they had made a “pact with the devil.” This is a man that in the 1990’s had extensive business dealings with former Liberian president Charles Taylor who is currently on trial for crimes against humanity. Taylor gave Robertson the right to mine diamonds in Liberia.
Robertson lied to his 700 club followers, calling the “Operation Blessing” flights that he used to transport mining equipment to Liberia humanitarian relief to Rwanda genocide victims. Charles Taylor is on trial this week for war crimes and crimes against humanity. At the time of his business dealings with Robertson, this despot was harboring Al Qaeda terrorists.
Pat Robertson, this paragon of Christianity, is one of the foremost reasons I am glad to be an atheist. Since atheists aren’t putting themselves up on pedestals, claiming moral superiority to any other groups (although some may be claiming “mental” superiority), we don’t have to worry about being embarrassed when one has such obvious moral failings. I’m thinking that Marion Gordon Robertson might as well just change his nickname from Pat to Douchebag and move along.
The other Christians that make me so happy to be an atheist are the members of the Westboro Baptist Church, which is mostly just Fred Phelps and his family. This bunch of inbred losers think that it’s a wonderful pastime to show up at funerals of soldiers with signs that say “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” When they’re not huffing paint or denigrating our brave armed services, they’re protesting anything they think is “gay” because apparently “God hates fags.” I’m still not clear on what that has to do with soldiers killed in the line of duty, but that’s probably where the huffing and reduced gene pool come in.
If anybody thinks that the “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” signs sound like a threat on the lives of soldiers and their families, I would suggest going to their website (godhatesfags.com what else?) and checking out their scheduled protests in order to “protect” yourselves.
Now I would never advocate violence against any of these mouthbreathers, but should they show up in your community with signs advocating the death of US soldiers, anyone would understand how that might be viewed as a terrorist threat which would call for protection by any means necessary. You can decide what those means are. Since I don’t believe in God, I could care less who some family of retarded baboons claim he hates.
As for my Christian friends and followers, you have my deepest sympathies this week. I really am sorry that there are people out there making fools out of themselves and giving your faith a bad name. Those believers that have good hearts and loving attitudes, that do not condemn or try to force their beliefs on others, have got to be shuddering at the antics of these loudmouthed idiots.
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Believers, Chill, We Are Not Trying to Convert You
I think because so much of the Abrahamic tradition revolves around converting non-believers, those people who believe in God think that atheists are trying to convert them. This belief is strengthened by the propaganda of the Religious Right and fear/hate-mongers like Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Fox News & Friends. These media whores stir up fear in their listeners in order to further their agenda.
The truth is Atheists don’t care if you believe in God. We don’t care if your children pray in school. We don’t care if you wear crosses, erect religious icons on your lawn or cut the stigmata into your palms on a weekly basis. We are not trying to stop you from doing these things. The only thing we ask is that you do not force us to participate or PAY for these things with our tax money.
Is that really too much to ask? If your local school or government were to hold a Satanic Celebration using your tax dollars, I’m pretty sure 98% of the citizens would be screaming bloody murder, because they are not practicing Satanists. Yet, they see nothing wrong with holding a Christian Bible reading as part of a town’s holiday celebration, even though MY tax dollars help pay for that and I am NOT Christian. In fact, 22% of Americans aren’t Christian.
This is why we have the first amendment. The purpose of the establishment clause of the first amendment is to be fair to EVERYONE. Because we don’t all believe the same thing, the government is staying out of the fray. Makes sense. So why do some Christians think that any attempts by the government to step back and stay out of religion is an attack on their beliefs? Why do some Christians think that Atheists want them to abandon their beliefs?
It all comes down to the power of fear. People like Beck and O’Reilly make a living by causing fear. Fundamental religious leaders gain power over their followers through fear. Convince your followers that Atheists are evil and attacking them and they will pull out their wallets and hand over their money for your protection. The truth, that Atheists really don’t care anything about who you pray to or how, is not all that scary and makes a boring story.
So don’t tell me you’ll pray for me, don’t patronize me by saying that God will find a way into my heart, don’t use my tax dollars to pay for your religious events or make laws based on your religious beliefs and don’t call me unpatriotic while you trample on the Constitution and we will get along just fine. Oh, and don’t worry, I have no intention of converting you to Atheism. I don’t want to share the cookies at the monthly meetings.
Better Be Good For Goodness Sake…
A recent worldwide ad campaign by atheists touted “No God..No Problem! Be Good for Goodness Sake.” To me, this seems to be a message to other non-believers that they don’t have to feel alone this holiday season and that it is okay to be a good person, just for the sake of being good. Unfortunately, many religious people see it as an attack on their beliefs.
I am not sure how billboards put up by the religious right, like this one, are not considered offensive to non-believers. This is the ultimate hypocrisy.
Regardless of whose billboards are more offensive, I would like to address the message that has some Christians up in arms.
The religious right seem to think that it is not possible for people to stay out of trouble and be good without the help of God. So I thought I would take a look at my Godless track record as compared to a few religious folk who have God on their side.
1. Billy James Hargis
Radio evangelist and founder and president of the American Christian College. I chose Hargis for this list, because I taught College English for seven years. Hargis was caught having sex with both male and female students. I never had a sexual relationship with any of my students while teaching college.
Atheist 1 God 0
2. Jimmy Swaggert
Famous televangelist. Swaggert was caught having sex with prostitutes. He made a tearful confession to his tv followers asking for forgiveness, yet was caught and arrested with a prostitute just three years later. I have never paid a prostitute (male or female) for sexual favors.
Atheist 2 God 0
3. Jim Bakker
Famous televangelist. Bakker was caught cheating on his wife Tammy Faye. Subsequent revelations of accounting fraud in his ministry led to charges and jail time for Bakker. I have never committed adultery and I have never committed accounting fraud. I am giving myself 2 points for this one.
Atheist 4 God 0
4. Ted Haggard
Haggard was the pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs and the president of the National Association of Evangelicals. His position gave him access to President George W. Bush. Haggard was caught having sex and doing methamphetamines with male prostitutes. I’m only going to count the illegal drugs here, since I already counted a previous prostitution and I personally do not have a problem with homosexuality although for the sake of this argument I will admit I have never had a homosexual relationship. More importantly I have never taken methamphetamines.
Atheist 5 God 0
5. Tony Alamo
Founder Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. Alamo was convicted on 10 counts of transporting minors across state lines for sexual purposes, sexual assault and other crimes and was sentenced to the maximum punishment of 175 years in prison. I do not sexually abuse children.
Atheist 6 God 0
I could go on, and I’m sure there are those that would say, “Yeah, but there are plenty of atheists who have committed crimes and many religious people who have not.” But that does not address my point. My point is that in each of the 5 cases I’ve mentioned here, God was supposedly present in the person’s life and guiding them. These men still did evil.
Yet, I do not believe in God. My reason for behaving the way that I do is that I have empathy for my fellow man and I believe that certain rules of conduct are necessary in order to function as a society. I am good, not because I fear an invisible man that might punish me after death. But because it is the right way to treat people. I am accountable to myself, therefore I cannot claim, “I will just repent and everything will be all right.”
I demand that I try my best to do it right the first time. Because this life isn’t a practice run for me. It’s the only one that counts.
Taking Aim…Again
I find that lately I’ve been thinking a lot about religion and politics and how they affect our social contract with those around us. I’m especially bothered by the control that the religious right seems to have on our government and how that leads us toward the state of religious persecution that our forefathers attempted to escape over 200 years ago.
Although I was raised as a protestant, I have been an atheist since my teenage years. However, since my family was Christian and still attended church, I learned to keep my opinions to myself in order to not offend anyone. Something I’m sure a lot of atheists out there will understand. Being part of the minority, allows me to understand the intentions of our Founding Fathers and what they were trying to accomplish with the first amendment.
Conservative Christians mistakenly believe that our ancestors came to America to avoid being persecuted because they were Christian. This is not the case. They were persecuted because they were not the “right kind” of Christians. Throughout Europe in the 17th Century Catholics persecuted Protestants, Protestants persecuted Catholics and pretty much any religion could claim to be victims of persecution somewhere in Europe.
The reason for this was the conviction that for the good of society, everyone must follow the same religion and it was up to the government to impose that religion on the people. This is why our founding fathers wanted our government to have NOTHING to do with religion. They recognized the dangers of government becoming involved in the spiritual lives of its citizenry.
Today we are seeing religious persecution of non-Christians. It is not the disembowling or executions that Jesuits or Mennonites suffered at the hands of the Scottish or the Dutch leaders of the 17th Century. And I won’t diminish the horror of the Holocaust or other genocidal events of history by claiming that it is just as bad. But every act of terror, every genocidal movement, every subjugation of a minority population begins with people turning their backs on the rights of their fellow man to have, to hold and to practice his own beliefs.
When our government starts to support any belief system by making laws based on “biblical morality,” such as laws banning gay marriage, they start down that same road that our forefathers fled over 200 years ago. These laws are no different than the miscegenation laws that prevailed up until the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s.
People have the mistaken belief that because the majority agrees then it should be law. In the 1950’s the majority agreed that Blacks should not be allowed to even eat in the same restaurants as Whites. Let alone go to the same schools or marry them. History has proven repeatedly that the majority are often idiots. Ever heard of “mob rule?”
There is one rule that most religions got right. Christianity calls it the “Golden Rule” and ironically it was the one law that Jesus supposedly put above all other commandments. Ironic because it is the one law that the Conservative Christians break with impunity. Matthew 7:12, the summation of Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”
It is a simple rule that all societies recognize, regardless of their belief in a god. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Put yourself in the other guy’s place. Walk a mile in my shoes. Don’t be a selfish jerk. Funny, how something we learned as children, whether in Sunday School or Kindergarten, is considered Liberalism or even Marxism when we put it into practice.
Conservative Christians claim to follow Christ and his teachings, but when it comes to what their own religion claims is his most important law, they refuse to practice what they preach. This is why I believe the majority of people in the world are stupid.
UPDATE for FTC Compliance:
In return for this post, God has promised me that he will not reveal himself as really being a computer nerd in Poughkeepsie, thus keeping the mystery of his true nature a secret and my blog posts relevant. I also slept with him. He demanded that when I climaxed I didn’t yell his name, but instead screamed OH DARWIN!
