Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Some thoughts on Extremism

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but lately I'm coming to the realization that extremism is synonymous with stupid. You sure as hell won't see an Atheist come knocking on your door demanding you become an Atheist.

But every crazy ass christian thinks they have the right to bother me with their ridiculous fairy tales. They memorize a few phrases that suit their agenda and discard everything that doesn't (Do you hear me, you gay hating shrimp eaters?)

These same so-called Christians have read very little of the Bible and instead rely on some unholy intermediary to mainline them meaty chunks from the pulpit--along with an underlying political agenda cloaked in the dubious morality of religion. Atheists aren't nearly that stupid, and most of them can actually read an entire book all by themselves. And gasp! Think for themselves, which makes them mostly immune to religion.

As an Atheist who prefers to mind my own business, I have no desire to go invading their churches with my ideas and opinions of how the world should work according to me, but their intolerance and fear of anything different regularly sends them to my Godless Heathen store for no purpose other than to inflict their religion on me.

This is what I mean when I say extremists are stupid. Do they really think they can annoy me into giving up my ideas for theirs? Do they really think that by flooding my comments section with stupid crap (usually filled with "creative" spelling), they can convince me of anything?

They have done more to destroy religion with their intolerant and mean shit than any Atheist could have done, and yet they fail to see this. They fail to see when a church gets involved in politics, they are no longer a church. They are a political arm of lobbyists and proponents of agendas that see them as no more than tools to be used to gain wealth and power. No Atheist would allow themselves to be used so stupidly.

They've also pretty much destroyed the whole god is love argument with their use of religion to justify hatred, intolerance, bigotry, and the subjugation of the poor and helpless. Somehow they've convinced themselves that religion means keeping people from having things they don't want.

The idea that if you're against abortions don't have one, or don't marry a gay person if it freaks you out that much, is alien to them. How would they feel if I denied them the right to eat chocolate ice cream ever again because I prefer vanilla? How is it any freaking different than what they're try to inflict on everyone?

But this extremism doesn't stop with religion. Take this idiot for example, who wanders into a store for Child-Free by Choice and calls the store owner a douche bag. Does he think that's going to make those who've made that choice suddenly decide he's right and they should breed like fucking rabbits? Or does it more than likely say, as the response pointed out, that misery loves company and he can't stand that someone else is having fun he can no longer have?

Once again, rather than change anyone's mind, this extremist idiot has only succeeded in pointing out his intolerance, his misery, and his flat out jealousy over not knowing he had a choice until it was too late.

I have a mind and I'm not afraid to use it, nor do I allow anyone to do my thinking for me. That means I'll never succumb to religious dogma or embrace hate as my personal savior. I like having my own mind.


I try and not let the extremists get to me because like all phases of existence, they too shall pass. One of these days they'll take that book written by people who believed the earth was flat, and ride off the edge of the planet like strings of lemmings following each other into the abyss. Once there, away from all the nice people in the world, they'll have nothing better to do than turn on each other and leave the rest of us alone.


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8 comments:

Scarebaby said...

Wonderful essay!!! I think the only change I would make is that instead of stupid, I would call these people ignorant. Some are brainwashed, many are poorly educated, but the saddest ones are those are willfully ignorant...who choose not to educate themselves, to think for themselves, to question authority, to be an individual. Fear is the tool to manipulate the ignorant.

Anonymous said...

I am really quite confused... How can you call Christians hateful when you sit at your computer spouting insults at them? That is petty and ignorant. It is extremism in its purest form. You shout against the very things that you write down as your beliefs.

SimpleNovelist said...

I am genuinely surprised. I knew that people thought badly of Christians, (mainly because of the hypocrites who have given them their current stereotype) but not until now did I see how deeply your hatred runs. Don't mistake me, I'm not angry, not in the least. Just sad that that is how everyone views them, as bigots and hatemongers. I am truly not mad at you, I am actually kind of glad that I read this, it gives me a different view into the word hate, and allows me to view it outside of my normally sheltered perspective. This will help me tremendously in my writing.

mishkabear said...

First of all, Anonymous/Simple Novelist, it's not necessary to change identities when you continue a comment.

Second, your sanctimoniousness is so precious. You come here, read an entry about EXTREMISM and immediately go into your programmed mantra accusing me of hating Christians because I dare to say something against people who want to inflict their world view on me.

What you call "insults" are simply me saying you and others who call themselves Christians have no right to take your beliefs out of your private world and force them on others.

I don't care what you believe. It is none of my business. What I do care about is that you dismiss valid arguments against extremists as "hate." That tells me a whole lot about what you consider tolerant.

And yes I will continue to, as you say, shout against those who try and inflict their religious beliefs on others by interfering in their relationships, their bodies, their politics, and most of all, their right to live with the same rights and privileges as non-believers.

I'll make you a promise. You stay out of my body, my life, my relationships,my politics, and I'll stop calling you intolerant extremists. Deal?

SimpleNovelist said...

So, let me make sure I have this straight. You, as an Atheist can try to force your beliefs onto the world as correct, a Muslim can pray toward Mecca and try to force his beliefs on others. BUT, when I so much as mention that I am a Christian, it is hate speech, and injurious to the rest of the word. You know the Muslims are the ones that hijacked planes on 9/11 right? The ones that are killing our troops in Iraq, the ones that hate Americans? But when they spread their beliefs it is just fine? Just so I have it straight Miss "Sesqupedalianist."

mishkabear said...

I'm not forcing you to buy into Atheism. And Atheists don't fly planes into buildings. That's reserved for idealogues who believe only their god is real and want to force their religion on everyone else...just like what you're doing.

You're the one coming to an Atheist site and starting an argument because I won't buy into your religion. Every time you post something you prove my point that certain brands of Christians believe they have a right to dictate what goes on in people's bedrooms, who they choose to love, and what they choose to believe.

I was raised to believe that kind of stuff was none of my business and people who engaged in it were sick people who needed therapy. I mean, come on, why do you care what gay people do in their bedrooms and who they choose to marry? What are you, some kind of pervert?

Atheists don't give a crap what you believe. But you obviously don't get that and keep coming back here to try and shove your religious beliefs down my throat. How does that make you any different than the Taliban?

Why don't you go play with an easter bunny somewhere and leave me alone. I am never going to buy into your silly beliefs and I'm never going to stop telling people that we live in America and the christian version of the Taliban represented by people like you are what's really wrong with the world.

Gone on any crusades lately to kill non-believers? Build any ovens lately for those who don't believe in your version of god? Murder anyone just because they were gay? That's the shining history of your religion and I want no part of it.

SimpleNovelist said...

For the Record, true Christians have NEVER killed anyone because they believed differently. Also, I didn't say that Atheists crashed planes into buildings, I said that apparently the Muslims who did were somehow less "hateful" as you say, than Christians.

I haven't tried to force anything on to you, I have never once told you that you are going to hell. It is nonsensical to try to scare someone into becoming a Christian, it just makes them mad. However, I haven't said any of that to you, you are simply angry because you don't like what I believe, and you therefore HATE me. And don't tell me it is not hate, or it's different, because it isn't.

I didn't com to this site to start an argument, I was actually trying to find a synonym for Ursine, and stumbled upon your blog. Noticing how much you seemed to attack Christians, I made a comment, and ever since you've been angry with me.

I haven't attacked you verbally. I've made some pertinent observations. And, your anger at my posts simply proves my point that you shout about how much you hate the "hateful" Christians.

mishkabear said...

Go away. This discussion is over. The tooth fairy is calling you. Maybe when you grow up and get out of your 20's you'll see what an ignorant and sanctimonious little fuck you are. Buh-bye.shkabear