Tag Archives: Israel

The majority of Muslims are peaceful.

We hear this whenever Muslim extremists go on a rampage.

And though I agree the majority of Muslims are peaceful, if the average Muslim had to choose between living with a peaceful atheist like me or a fanatical Islamist, I think they’d choose the latter, because with the latter they share a religion.

Religion holds people together, while also dividing us from one another.

It lumps people into like-minded groups, where each group believes their God, their beliefs, their scripture, and their golden ticket to the afterlife is the one and only. It fosters an “us versus them” mentality, and when religion controls the narrative of who we are, we lose sight of our shared humanity.

When infused with fanaticism, religion celebrates flying planes into buildings and forcing families from their bulldozed homes as righteous acts.

When we view people through the prism of religion, we don’t see them as individuals. Instead, we see Jews, Muslims, or Christians and the preconceived notions those labels have to us. Categorization leads to dehumanization and dehumanization softens up the conditions for war and hate.

Fanatical groups like Hamas, ISIS, al-Qaeda, MAGA Republicans, and the ultra-orthodox Jews living in the West Bank see religion and scripture as a final arbiter or cure-all to all their woes and view those who don’t adhere to their beliefs as “less than” themselves.

Religion doesn’t only affect the religious. For example, religious-borne fear affects the moral compass of the religiously-agnostic when it comes to the war in Gaza. The fear of religious extremism is why we give a wide berth to Israeli vengeance. Our fear of Hamas and what they represent runs so deep that we give the IDF leeway in terms of their tactics and rationalize civilian casualties.

Religious extremism never serves the greater good. Clearly, Gazans in Palestine would be better off if they could get out from under the thumb of Hamas.

I want Hamas to be swept into the dustbin of history.

But at what cost? I guess that’s the question.

At what cost?

Last week, I saw a video post on LinkedIn that showed ghastly footage of bloody Palestinian children writhing in pain on a hospital floor in Gaza. It was horrific and sickening (and has since been removed). Many of the comments to that post referenced Allah and retribution, which filled me with despair. Those comments reinforce my belief that humans are slaves to what they’re taught in churches, synagogues, and mosques.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that people find peace, comfort, and a sense of community in religion — I understand the positive aspects of religion.

But I also see the negative.

Religious people get agitated at atheists like me who rail against the dangers of religion. In contrast, we atheists get frustrated that religious people can’t seem to separate the bliss they achieve from religion individually from the negative shit that comes out of a religious group dynamic.

Freedom from religion – the right of a person to have no religion in their life, opens the door to humanistic identity.

I was raised a catholic. For years, growing up, I went to church and catechism every Sunday, where I was lectured to by priests and nuns. Thankfully, I lived in a country that supports freedom from religion and free thought — where, over time, I could compare (without fear of retribution) what the priest and nuns were telling me to what I saw and observed in the world and what I learned of my own volition. This led to a sense of self not based on religious dogma and doctrine but rather on my personal experience interacting with the world and the people in it.

If I had been born and raised in Iran or Iraq, my experience would have been radically different. I would have been forced to adhere to the religious rules of the state or suffer the consequences of disobedience.

As an atheist, I could walk the streets of Telavi freely without having to look over my shoulder in fear for my safety. I’m not sure I can say the same about walking streets controlled by Islamist fundamentalists – who, if I made an off-color remark about their prophet, would separate me from my head without batting an eye – and feel justified in doing so.

America’s greatest gift to its citizens is freedom from religion. But lately, I fear we’re in danger of losing that gift and becoming an authoritarian theocratic state ourselves.

Just look at the speech that Elise Stephanic gave when nominating Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. That speech included multiple references to God and scripture. And Johnson himself has informed American’s the way to learn how he feels about any issue is to read the Bible. ‘That’s my worldview, that’s what I believe.‘

Since Mike Johnson’s nomination to the speakership, we’ve seen gross outward expressions of religiosity on the house floor – a clear slap in the face to the separation of church and state.

Imagine the outcry if a Muslim speaker or representative busted out a prayer rug on the house floor to pray.

The increase of religiosity in the Republican party should be a huge red flag to Americans who cherish living in a secular and pluralistic society. 

The GOP’s embrace of Christianity as a national religion is a genuine threat to the American way of life.

I’m not naive. I know religion isn’t going anywhere, though I am heartened that among American adults, secular humanism and postmodernism are growing in influence in our culture.

Let’s judge religions by their ideas.

The notion that criticizing a religion is unacceptable because it might “offend people” is what allows dangerous movements within generally peaceful religions to spread and radicalize individuals.

We need to voice our objections loudly against any religion that promotes divisiveness, intolerance, or hate, because these are bad ideas for humanity.

I’m stepping down from my soap box now.