Why I blaspheme

[Hatter23]

Why I blaspheme

Imagine a popular fictional novel series came out, lets say The Harry Potter Series.

Now imagine that people everywhere started talking about said series and started forming organizations about discussing it. The organizations declare that Magic and Hogwarts really exist.

Everywhere you go there are people handing out flyers about “defence from the dark arts.” They even wake you up Saturday morning to try to convince you to join house Hufflepuff.

These organizations lobby for tax free status, and insist that schools acknowlege the existence of magic…and politicians who are part of the organizations grant it to them.

Magic is added to school textbooks.

In order for anyone to be taken seriously in politics they have to declare there allegience to Hogwart’s.
Now when things happen, said politicians say “Its Dumbledore’s will.”

Wars are fought over the followers of House Gryffindore versus the followers of House Slytherin. People die for their faith in the books.

People regularly forsake medicine for magic. And whomever declares themselves a wizard and gets a wizard liscence is granted societal respect. They ask for donations for the further promotion of magic and get them.

Billions of dollars worth.

When you tell them “it is just well written fiction” people snort about you being just a muggle, and some even declare you a dark wizard posing as a muggle. You even get slightly discriminated against, and find it hard to find a mate who doesn’t think the books are real.

Now…imagine this going on for decades.

Would you be angry with the followers of the Harry Potter books? Make fun of them?
Of course you would.

[velkyn]

very nice. 

[xphobe]

Excellent post!

Of course, as soon as we start making fun of them, the Harry Potter fans - who make up 85% of the population - immediately begin to complain that they are being persecuted, that we are trying to take "Hogwarts out of Halloween" and that the country was founded on a belief in Magic and without that, we would be bad people.   Meanwhile the Slytherins wage war against the Gryffindors, who persecute and enslave the Hufflepuffs, and none of them sees anything ironic about this.

[The Blackangel]

Very well thought out. Now if only we could get this out to the extremists.

[anastasis]

When you tell them “it is just well written fiction” people snort about you being just a muggle, and some even declare you a dark wizard posing as a muggle. You even get slightly discriminated against, and find it hard to find a mate who doesn’t think the books are real.

And they don't even think about it.They're like robots.When they're jung their parents talk to them about christianity and they save it in their damned "hard drive" without thinking about it and it is extremely difficult to just put them to think about it.It's not like they are idiots or anything but there are no arguments in favor of christianity and since they can't get the results they like from this thought they don't think it.They unconsciously reject the reality because it doesn't match with what they have stored in their "hard drive".

[xphobe]

^ I fear you may be right. 

The odd thing is, as people grow older they tend to purge their silly notions: the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny... and Santa is one of the last to go.   But for some reason, they hold on to Jesus.  It's as if his file on the hard drive is flagged read-only.

Hmm... it occurs to me that the order of growing out of imaginary magical friends is inversely proportional to the value gotten by believing them.    What does the tooth fairy give you these days?  When I was a kid, it was a quarter.  Then the Easter Bunny brings a whole bunch of chocolate and other goodies.  Santa delivers the big ticket items.  But Jesus, whoah - eternal life in paradise is a tough act to follow.

I'm curious to know what traditional magical friends kids have in other countries, what they do for the kids, and when the kids typically outgrow them.

[eyesareopened]

I have been reading this site for several days after i found the web site in the book, Losing My Religion. Ive been on a path of discovery for the past few years and i am getting to the point of non belief in god. this is a huge step for me given my religious background. I said all that to give a bit of back story so i can comment on this post. Since i was raised very religiously and am now, after close to 50 yrs of indoctrination, finally waking up and facing things i never would allow myself to face. i have an insight to why people believe religious doctrine as gospel. You are basically born into the belief. I was taught from birth that all the bible stories, from Adam and eve to a talking mule, where literal truth. It wasn't until i turned 40 that i finally begin to face the truth. Just in this past year i am beginning to understand that Jesus was a man but not the son of god.
 But the fear is what keeps you from questioning- fear of going to hell, fear of being left behind in the rapture, fear of not seeing loved ones who have gone on to heaven, and fear of being ostracized from family and friends. Fear allows you to throw intelligent thought out the window, its just easier to take things on "faith" and ignore the truth that nags at the back of your mind.
almost my whole family is very tied into church. when i walked away i had to walk away from family functions that were all tied to church. i walked away from loving friends who were all tied to the church. i was a singer in the church and had to walk away from a love for singing. i was a free lance writer for several church magazines and walked away from that too.
so its FEAR that keeps you believing things that seem impossible to believe.

[Nick]

I have been reading this site for several days after i found the web site in the book, Losing My Religion. Ive been on a path of discovery for the past few years and i am getting to the point of non belief in god. this is a huge step for me given my religious background. I said all that to give a bit of back story so i can comment on this post. Since i was raised very religiously and am now, after close to 50 yrs of indoctrination, finally waking up and facing things i never would allow myself to face. i have an insight to why people believe religious doctrine as gospel. You are basically born into the belief. I was taught from birth that all the bible stories, from Adam and eve to a talking mule, where literal truth. It wasn't until i turned 40 that i finally begin to face the truth. Just in this past year i am beginning to understand that Jesus was a man but not the son of god.
 But the fear is what keeps you from questioning- fear of going to hell, fear of being left behind in the rapture, fear of not seeing loved ones who have gone on to heaven, and fear of being ostracized from family and friends. Fear allows you to throw intelligent thought out the window, its just easier to take things on "faith" and ignore the truth that nags at the back of your mind.
almost my whole family is very tied into church. when i walked away i had to walk away from family functions that were all tied to church. i walked away from loving friends who were all tied to the church. i was a singer in the church and had to walk away from a love for singing. i was a free lance writer for several church magazines and walked away from that too.
so its FEAR that keeps you believing things that seem impossible to believe.

Welcome EAO, What you are going thru many of us have also gone thru.  It is hard to let go.  Once rational thought takes over and you have a new sense of freedom it is impossible to continue to buy into the big lie.

PS - I don't even buy into the idea that Jesus was a real man.

[Rare96ws6]

I have been reading this site for several days after i found the web site in the book, Losing My Religion. Ive been on a path of discovery for the past few years and i am getting to the point of non belief in god. this is a huge step for me given my religious background. I said all that to give a bit of back story so i can comment on this post. Since i was raised very religiously and am now, after close to 50 yrs of indoctrination, finally waking up and facing things i never would allow myself to face. i have an insight to why people believe religious doctrine as gospel. You are basically born into the belief. I was taught from birth that all the bible stories, from Adam and eve to a talking mule, where literal truth. It wasn't until i turned 40 that i finally begin to face the truth. Just in this past year i am beginning to understand that Jesus was a man but not the son of god.
 But the fear is what keeps you from questioning- fear of going to hell, fear of being left behind in the rapture, fear of not seeing loved ones who have gone on to heaven, and fear of being ostracized from family and friends. Fear allows you to throw intelligent thought out the window, its just easier to take things on "faith" and ignore the truth that nags at the back of your mind.
almost my whole family is very tied into church. when i walked away i had to walk away from family functions that were all tied to church. i walked away from loving friends who were all tied to the church. i was a singer in the church and had to walk away from a love for singing. i was a free lance writer for several church magazines and walked away from that too.
so its FEAR that keeps you believing things that seem impossible to believe.

 Your fear makes sense as to why you stayed with your faith. I remember being more fearfull of god than feeling love myself. Welcome to the message board:) This is actually my first post too, although I have been reading the boards for well over a year now. Some of things the regulars, like Nick above write are just too funny, but right on point.

[eyesareopened]

Your fear makes sense as to why you stayed with your faith. I remember being more fearfull of god than feeling love myself. Welcome to the message board:) This is actually my first post too, although I have been reading the boards for well over a year now. Some of things the regulars, like Nick above write are just too funny, but right on point.

Thanks for the welcomes. Yes fear is the thing that held me for so long. I always heard if you took god out of your life your would become a reprobate and totally immoral, but since i have become an unbeliever it has actually made me more aware of my moral obligations. I don't strive to be a good person because i am fearful of eternity in hell, i am good because that is what is right for myself, my fellow man and this short time i have here on earth.
 I have been reading a lot of books the last few years, I'm a librarian so i have a huge amount at my disposal, and the first one i read that got me to thinking was Misquoting Jesus. I realized if man had inserted so much of himself into what i was always taught was the divine inspiration and words from god then it put my whole belief system into question.
 Although i was raised in church and spent most of my life heavily in a church i was always a skeptic. but i kept it hidden very well. I've always chaffed at the idea and teachings of many churches that because i am a woman god made me less than a man and our church taught i wasn't equal. In my teen years that never set well with me and i fought for years to prove i was every bit as equal and probably that was the crux of my beginning skepticism of god.
 Luckily i have a husband and 2 brothers who are walking this path with me so i am not alone.

[velkyn]

definitely helps to have people walkign with you.  Welcome, both of you new folks!

I think that the social aspect is what a lot of us former theists miss about the whole religion thing.  So we hang out here (and since I have an insanely boring job with internet access, I spend way too much time here ). 

[Aceluffy]

Why I blaspheme ?

I can write so many reasons for it, but they will all boil down to one conclusion:

It caused many people that I care about live a life of constant delusion.

That's what drives me angry, frustrated and at times, desperate. I keep learning to calm my mind and letting go of all attachments I had with them but it is very hard to do. So far my efforts to get them thinking rationally and critically haven't been successfull.

You are absolutely right about how hard it is to find a mate that doesn't think that Harry Potter isn't real. But can you blame them when their parrents told them that Dumbledore is watching them everytime and everywhere ?

[Rare96ws6]

Your fear makes sense as to why you stayed with your faith. I remember being more fearfull of god than feeling love myself. Welcome to the message board:) This is actually my first post too, although I have been reading the boards for well over a year now. Some of things the regulars, like Nick above write are just too funny, but right on point.

Thanks for the welcomes. Yes fear is the thing that held me for so long. I always heard if you took god out of your life your would become a reprobate and totally immoral, but since i have become an unbeliever it has actually made me more aware of my moral obligations. I don't strive to be a good person because i am fearful of eternity in hell, i am good because that is what is right for myself, my fellow man and this short time i have here on earth.
 I have been reading a lot of books the last few years, I'm a librarian so i have a huge amount at my disposal, and the first one i read that got me to thinking was Misquoting Jesus. I realized if man had inserted so much of himself into what i was always taught was the divine inspiration and words from god then it put my whole belief system into question.
 Although i was raised in church and spent most of my life heavily in a church i was always a skeptic. but i kept it hidden very well. I've always chaffed at the idea and teachings of many churches that because i am a woman god made me less than a man and our church taught i wasn't equal. In my teen years that never set well with me and i fought for years to prove i was every bit as equal and probably that was the crux of my beginning skepticism of god.
 Luckily i have a husband and 2 brothers who are walking this path with me so i am not alone.

 I love what you wrote above about being good out of fear as a believer compared to being good out of a moral obligations to family, fiends and oneself. I remember thinking such thoughts while I sat in church as a teenager. Fear definitely drove my belief much more than any love I may that thought I ever felt from a god. In a baptist church like I attended, every Sunday morning was fire and brimstone!