If it wasn’t for Hell, I’d kill you but that doesn’t make me a bad person
If there’s anything about believers that really creeps me out it’s the idea that announcing that the only thing keeping them from going on a rampage is the belief that their god(s) will do something nasty to them if they do is a good thing. Take The Godless Delusion for example. Amidst the familiar “atheists are only good people because my god-based morality rubbed off on them” I found these gems:
Atheism allows me to walk out on my wife and children because I saw something better walking down the road.
Good thing he believes in God, eh? Otherwise, his wife would be left explaining to their children how Daddy could just get up one day and leave them behind over a piece of ass. Of course, if the kids can read themselves, she may have to explain to them (and herself for that matter) how Daddy’s only sticking around because his god may have him spanked for eternity if he doesn’t. Nothing says “I love you” like “I’m only here because I fear being punished for leaving more than I fear causing you pain and sorrow.”, eh?
Atheism allows me to lie because I feel like it.
Now, honestly there are legitimate reasons to lie though what qualifies as a legitimate reason is open to debate. But, implicitly announcing that “I’m honest because my god said I have to be, lest he arranges to have a demon cut my tongue out for fun, for eternity”? I can’t speak for everyone, but where do I sign up? What’s integrity when good ole fashioned fear is a cure all?
And of course, no such bizarre confessional would be complete without this:
Atheism takes away our chains. In atheism, we have no shame in anything that we do. It appears that atheism makes us evil because atheism removes the restraints that contain the evil that is always present within us. With atheism, there is no such thing as evil because there is nobody with the authority to judge actions. Evil is always in the heart and never in the hands.
I call this the “who’s that other shithead in the mirror?!?” syndrome. The shitheads are, of course, merely seeing themselves in the mirror but don’t seem capable of realizing that. The only thing keeping the author of this piece in line is his fear of a supernatural butt-kicking sky daddy ergo, those of us who reject that sky daddy obviously have nothing to keep us in line (besides believers like him beaming their “morality” into our heads).
I, for one, want a tin-foil hat. How about you?
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Comments
What an incredibly biased article that was. So apparently my wife and daughter should live in fear every day of me leaving them, and those around me should be afraid that I could decide to go on a murderous rampage. Forget the fact that I love my wife and daughter and don’t wish to leave them. Forget the fact that if, for some reason, I did wish to leave them I could never afford the alimony and child support. Forget the fact that if I went on a murderous rampage I’d be killing fellow human beings for whom I care and respect. Forget the fact that I’m sickened by the sight of carnage and gore and would likely crumble to pieces after the first murder. Forget the fact that I’d then go to prison for the rest of the only life I believe I have. Yep, clearly because I don’t believe in eternal damnation, I could easily choose any of these acts with no trouble.
So what’s up with all those people who carry out these very same acts in the name of their Gods?
Humans are humans, and our nature is the proof that we’re driven by instinct. People will go nuts and kill others. People will walk out on responsibility and turn their backs on loved-ones. They do this not because they’re not afraid of God, they do it because they’re animals and their instincts and values differ from person to person. A Christian can point to an atheist who does it and claim it’s because of our lack of belief, but if a fellow Christian does it, well, I guess it’s simply because they didn’t believe strongly enough either.
All I know is that out of all the atheists I know, a larger percentage of them volunteer in various animal rights groups, human rights groups, homeless shelters, and other noble efforts than the percentage of Christians I know. They do so out of compassion for those less fortunate than themselves, and not out of fear of the afterlife. How does this not make them “better” people?
If their religion is supposed to keep them moral, then how to they explain all the immoral acts committed in the name of their religion?
Not to nitpick, but shouldn’t you have written “If there’s anything about some believers that creeps me out…” I’m a believer and I abhor violence as much as the next guy. I don’t even believe that God punishes “the wicked” for an eternity, and it’s obvious to me that God does things which a moral human being would not. (Though, to be fair, a human being doesn’t understand God’s reasons. That, to me, is where faith comes in — faith that God has his/her/its reasons.)
That is like me saying, “What creeps me out about atheists is the idea that we should slaughter all effeminate males and use super weapons to dominate alien civilizations.” (I met an atheist who thought just this.)
Again, not to nitpick, but this shouldn’t be a black and white issue of atheists vs. theists.
[...] No, this theory normally comes out when the faithful go on the offensive, when the faithful attack the faithless. That is when the peculiar morality leaks out and the neural scramble caused by a life devoted to fairy tales becomes apparent. That is when the abscess bursts and the stinking puss stains the pews. That is when the kind of morality nursed on festering rot that Bligbi highlights in If it wasn’t for Hell, I’d kill you but that doesn’t make me a bad person. [...]
[...] Bligbi has said shortened that argument — and its implication — in a simple, brilliant way: If it wasn’t for Hell, I’d kill you but that doesn’t make me a bad person. [...]
[...] The newest issue of the Carnival of the Godless is up over at Klass Acts and features my post If it weren’t for Hell… [...]
Though, to be fair, a human being doesn’t understand God’s reasons.
Well, most people can’t easily understand themselves, let alone other people, let alone fictional characters dreamed up by primitive tribesmen in a distant past. The reasons of those who invented the biblical god are brutally transparent, however: naked power and control. The old testament oozes with it.
kc-The guilt trip point you make is the only thing that has kept america in check for generations. It’s getting old, and, it’s getting old!
“Do no harm” should be the 1st and last george tenet we need..
Another biting, hate-filled, depressing fuckin critique.
I like it.
Absolutely. In cases like this, I’m actively glad that they have their religion: it’s the only thing preventing them from expressing their sociopathic personality with a chainsaw or handgun.