Religion is boring
28 October 2007 by The Uncredible Hallq
(Cross posted at The Uncredible Hallq)
I’ve gotten used to the idea that every day when I wake up, there will be a few new posts criticizing Christianity, theism, or religion in general at Debunking Christianity. And every two weeks, there’s another Carnival of the Godless, with more posts along those lines than I can find time to read. At one point in my blogging career, such things seemed natural. However, I’ve come to wonder how people can do it. The thing is, just as I once threw up my hands and said how boring pseudoscience is, I have come to the conclusion that religion, too, is profoundly boring.
I cannot bring myself to care much about the blatherings of Dinesh D’Souza (so ably dissected at Pharyngula and God is for Suckers!). Idiocy and ignorance aren’t news, folks. It’s a snooze fest.
Or, consider this recent piece by Chuck Colson. This piece is a bit special for me, because I found it linked by Vic Reppert when I decided to pick up reading his blog again. I did so having vague memories that Reppert was worth reading, because he had a Ph.D. in philosophy and was sensitive to some of the weaknesses in his religious position. Colson, himself, is a big-shot Evangelical, politically influential and the author of a book on Christian apologetics. Yet what do I find? Basically, Colson’s argument is that two atheists had an exchange where they took atheism for granted, and therefore atheism is a faith position. Even without having read the articles Colson is referring to, it’s easy to see where he’s going wrong: winning people to atheism wasn’t their purpose, their purpose was to have an intramurral discussion of an issue that arises if you’re an atheist. In this case, it isn’t even that Colson needs to have someone who understands the issues to show him how ridiculous his beliefs are. It isn’t even that he needs some basic training in critical thinking or science or history. It’s more like Colson needs remedial reading comprehension classes. Did this guy go to college? If so, how on earth did he get an admittable score on his verbal SAT?
Faced with such formidable intellectual opposition to Colson, I must struggle with all my might to avoid falling asleep. This doesn’t mean I’m giving up writing about religion. I do, for example, regard it as my duty to fight against the waves of misinformation that orthodox believers have been vigorously churning out to keep their flock (their word, not mine) deceived. But it is duty only–born of desire to do some good in the world and realization that this is an area where my skills are most suited to helping out. The excitement, however, is gone.
28 October 2007, on 11:40 pm
Yes, “Uncredible Hallq”…
You’ve hit the…erm…snail on the head with this post. Boring; yes…and eminently stupid to boot. Thanks for highlighting a largely (and unconsciously?) overlooked point.
In fact your post’s topic (not your excellent expose, of course!) has triggered and suggested a kind of instant, overwhelming lethargy…as…just…thinking…’bout…religio..n…make..s…one…fee..l…
ZZZZZZZZ…(inhale jerk/snort)…ZZZZZZZZ…
….Hrumph…er…I…Yeah…umm…most coitenly…BORING!!!
YAAAAAWN!
Pardon me, Hallq…and GifSters; if I go take a suddenly much needed nap. Certainly (Yawn), there’ll be NO dreams about anything connected with religion…to be sure! I’m also confident that I’ll come back to my ’senses’ in no time flat.
What’s that? Did someone just say the word…religion?
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…
29 October 2007, on 12:02 am
I think “it’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it” kind of sums it up- and by “dirty” I mean boring and by “job” I mean saving humanity from itself. Ramen…
29 October 2007, on 12:56 am
Interesting point. When I read the title of your post, I thought you were going to say “all the arguments have been had and re-had” and that is definitely often my feeling about religion. They offer nothing new, nothing concrete, no new rock overturned. In opposition, science is very much not boring. It is constantly finding answers, changing views, minds, etc.
29 October 2007, on 10:22 am
If only the religionists would leave me and my country alone I would welcome leaving them alone. But they insist on electing public officials who make poor public policy decisions because of their beliefs, and in general delight in cramming their religious rules down my throat.
Boring it is, but in a democracy the only way to survive the threat of theocracy is to educate the voters. And the only way it will ever happen is from a grass roots movement.
Keep on trucking, because we have a job to do.
29 October 2007, on 3:34 pm
This post has broken a GifS Commandment: Thou shall not proselytize. Read
Comment Policy Guidelines, for reference.
~Moderators in charge of troll watch.)
(This troll wrote a prayer for all of us sinners on this site. Magical words, ted, don’t change anything…magic words don’t stop innocent babies and children from starving to death, magical words don’t cure disease, magical words don’t rebuild cities after disasters, magical words didn’t prevent the disasters….magical words are not going to make us join your jeebus delusion and give up our website.)
29 October 2007, on 6:04 pm
hogarm: Keep on trucking, because we have a job to do.
RAmen! “You gotta fight - for your right - to paaaarty!”
29 October 2007, on 7:20 pm
Hallq,
Dude, you are so looking at this the wrong way.
I went through several phases before I began letting loose on religion: 1) severe questioning 2)rage 3)mirth, laughter and acting out/speaking-my-mind-even-if-inappropriate. The final phase has given me much pleasure in life, a daily dose of the uncontrollable giggles. Heck, I live in a pisswater podunk Texas town of 538 Southern Baptists (the whole goddamn town), three illegal aliens (Yep: Jesus, Maria y Jose), and one loud-mouth atheist(me). You get the picture.
I blogged the other day on my site about the humor in religion. Yes, I’ve gotten into fist fights over Jeebus and chronicled my brawls along with my arrests.I have dressed in nuns’ habits, priests’ habits, I protest in Mexico as Jesucristo-In-Tennis shoes and have created a whole slew of characters. My photographs of Mexican baby Jesus are featured on the Jesus of the Week site. I look forward to going home to Mexico each Xmas and summmer break just to mess with the RCC down there. Religious nutjobs are a treat rather than a treatment.
What you do is very important…find the humor and let loose. Religion is the gift that keeps on giving.
29 October 2007, on 8:12 pm
I think what you do on this site, and others do on similar sites, is important because while a lot of us reading this now have been in this position for a long time, you can be almost sure that every single week there are new people freshly out of faith looking for exactly the type of support and knowledge they can find here. Our number is increasing.
29 October 2007, on 11:16 pm
To: The Uncredible Hallq
From: A Theist and Falafelswer
Alright. you are way too angry, and way too attacking to get your point to anyone. Reign in the Hellfire, you sound like an nega-Jerry Falwell. If you keep up the tirade, you’ll only be preaching to the choir (no pun intended)
30 October 2007, on 4:58 am
It is so boring that I got bored before finishing your introduction.
30 October 2007, on 10:01 am
Shorter Versemicroverse: Atheists should be seen and not heard- and not even seen, really. I mean, really, shut up.
30 October 2007, on 3:26 pm
“Reign in the Hellfire” - “I do not think this means what you think it means.”
“Reign” means to rule, like a monarch (king, queen, etc.). You’re actually exhorting Hallq to be a sovereign, a monarch, a king in the hellfire (which we atheists don’t usually capitalize, since we don’t believe in hell anyway).
31 October 2007, on 12:35 am
So, Hallq is Satan? Satan Got Your Nose! \bll/
1 November 2007, on 3:11 pm
Raindogzilla:
I have tried not to believe in God (I call the “force” that, so people wont’ think I’m a fucking StarWarsGoober) but to no avail.
Otoh. I don’t care if anybody else believes or not. I really do care that someone who claims to believe uses that as an excuse for hatin’ on folks–fuck them. If this seems confusing, guess how I feel.
When you come right down to it, as far as believing in God goes, I’m still in Limbo (not the dance, but the recently de-commissioned waiting room for dead babies, etc.).
1 November 2007, on 4:31 pm
Have you sought professional help? Or maybe a ball-peen hammer to the forehead…
1 November 2007, on 10:32 pm
Read more my friend. Having good reasoning skills is a necessity for anything. Maybe you are going about it the wrong way. Just do not be biased. If you are, you will have a rocky future.
Christians? I live with them. They are hypocritical like everyone else. Religion hypocrisy kills more people than anything else. You must have a grasp with history to be able tounderstand religion.
I still hate the fact that people went to church after great tragedy like the Bubonic Plague. Then blame it on the Jews. Idiots.
Escape from pain? Yep! I need to research more.
2 November 2007, on 5:18 pm
When you come right down to it, as far as believing in God goes, I’m still in Limbo…
It sounds like you’re more an agnostic than anything else, which is often (though not always) a step toward full-blown atheism.
Come to the dark side…join us…you know you want to…
8 November 2007, on 11:26 pm
to user name: “versemicroverse”
versemicroverse is
my copyright and property
cease and desist any usage
of said name
9 November 2007, on 2:22 am
It doesn’t work that way dude. Anyone can use any name they want here.