Well, if you’re an atheist, and I am, the answers are obvious. However, this little rant isn’t for atheists. It’s for religious people. Mainly Christians because there are just simply more of them and most of my experiences with religious people have been with Christians and trying very hard to tolerate the stupid, shallow things that they do. But, that is not to say that all of them are shallow and stupid. And, that you rarely hear about other religions doing terribly stupid things unless it’s a Christian bashing on Muslims because of their irrational fears of 9/11.
So why do we get so mad at religious people? I have religious friends, I love them, I think they’re all mental but for the most part good people. In fact most if not all of them I would consider to be far better people than myself. So why do I get so mad at the shit they do? Well, there are many reason, I will try to hit on the top issues that lead to the frustration that then leads to the anger. Also, please keep in mind, this is rant. There is no specific order to this list of reasons and explanations.
First up, is the inherent hypocrisy of most religious people. The whole concept of most religion is based on status. That status is, I am better than you because I believe in the one true god. Now, religious people can deny this all they want but the simple fact is that it’s true. Their is an arrogance that comes with religion. Specially Christians. How many times have you heard or as a Christian, have said, “As a Christian…” For example, “As a Christian I don’t smoke.” Or, “As a Christian I don’t believe in per-marital sex.”
A long time ago I was selling cars. I was trying to sell a car to a Christian family. Their little two year old was wearing a Rugrats, Burger King crown cardboard hat. To help break the ice, I comment, “How cute, my friends son, loves the Rugrats.”
The Husband responds, “As Christians, we don’t let him watch that show.”
So, with that one sentence he set the tone. He let me know he’s a Christian and that makes him better than my friend. It also says that he’s an insensitive, arrogant and believes he is better than those lesser mortals that allow their kids to watch such filth. It also says that he is a hypocritical idiot for allowing his kid to wear the hat but not watch the show. You see, the kid was crying, to appease him, they gave him the hat. So it also tells me, that their faith is so weak, they will break with their beliefs over something as simple as their baby crying simply because the spoiled brat doesn’t get his way. This kid is probably in his late teens by now and I wonder if he turned out to be just like his douchebag parents. I would love to talk more about this douche later but I am thinking I will save it for another rant. In fact, it’s quite possible I have already ranted about this jackhole and the many others I have encountered over the years.
Hypocrisy comes in many forms with religious people. Most of all it comes down their very core beliefs. With Christians, hypocrisy is supposed to be a bad thing. Yet, we constantly see them be hypocrites in almost everything they do and say. For example, Christians will bad mouth the Westboro Baptist Church. I don’t understand this at all. The WBC isn’t telling lies from the Bible? It’s not making stuff up. It is simply doing what nearly every single Christian does. It is picking and choosing what they want to believe in and while simply ignoring the rest.
In all the times I have gone to church in my life I have never heard the priest or preacher talk about Ezekiel 23:19. If you don’t know it, it’s referring to two sisters as whores who crave men with cocks the size of donkey’s whose semen is just as plentiful. The religious will make excuses for this. They say that it’s taken out of context. It’s not taken out of context it. The whole chapter is about what whores they are because they like dudes with big junk. It’s sexist with a with a touch of beastiality to add to the level of class the Bible was written with. Churches tend to ignore the bad stuff in the Bible and showcase the good things. The WBC, uses the same damn book you all preach from and you’re going to criticize them? Could you be any more hypocritical?!
My point is that if you’re a Christian, you probably pick and choose what you want to believe in the Bible based on nothing more than what you already agree with and simply rationalize or flat out ignore the things you don’t agree with. It’s really that simple. Just accept the fact that being a hypocrite is not going to get you into heaven. Accept it, own it and hopefully learn from it.
Next up, preaching. Stop it already. You want to preach, go to church. Here’s another Bible quote that Christians love to ignore that really frustrates us.
Mathew 6:5-8
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
I have had Christians tell me that I am taking this out of context. That Jesus isn’t saying this to Christians, he is saying this to Jews. So, it’s the Jews that are hypocrites than? Or are they heathens? I guess it all depends on the Bible you chose to read from and the crap you choose to believe in. It’s obvious the point that was being made here, don’t pray in public, keep that to yourself. Jesus wasn’t teaching a history class, he was obviously telling all of you in as polite a way as possible to shut the fuck up already. Take hint!
This next thing is part of the whole prayer in public that really, really bothers atheists. Thanking god every time successfully take a healthy shit if is so offensive on so many levels. And, by shit I mean, God didn’t help you score that touchdown. God didn’t help you win the Super Bowl. God didn’t help you make it through the day. He didn’t keep you safe in that accident. He didn’t keep you from catching that virus. He didn’t heal you. Stop with that shit already. It’s ridiculous, selfish and completely arrogant.
Every time you do that, what are you really saying is that all the work you and everyone else put into you completing that touchdown pass or catching that TD pass had nothing to do with your natural talent and all the hard work you put into your training. Praying to win a game, win an award or anything else like that is so fucking anti-christian you might as well, just tattoo 666 on your stupid fucking head and praise the devil. Prayer wasn’t intended to pray for yourself, it was intended to pray for others.
If you’re praying that you’re team wins, it means that you’re also praying that God makes the other team lose. When you pray that to get healthy, you’re being a selfish asshole. When you get better and you thank god for that what you’re really saying, is “Thanks dear Lord for making me more special than all those poor suffering bastards that you let die for whatever fuckall “mysterious” reasons you had.” You’re not any better then anyone else. You’re just a human being that got well when other didn’t. Sometimes there are medical reasons for your recovery and sometimes there just aren’t. It doesn’t mean that because you don’t get it, your god did it. A great example of what I mean about this can be heard in a song titled Sam’s Mom by Tim Minchin.
Stop lying about your religion. Stop making excuses for it. Just accept the fact that you use the Bible to justify whatever crappy shit you want to believe in. Some people are assholes like Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty that uses the Bible to promote racism, sexism, bigotry, hate and homophobia. Or, Pat Robertson, of the 700 Club fame, who loves to do the same. Just accept that you’re a hypocrite and stop making excuses for you’re flawed religion. Just because there are good things in the Bible doesn’t make it a great book. There are more stupid, insane things in that book then there are good things. You’re beliefs are just simply ridiculous. Just because you choose to believe in the more positive things in the book doesn’t make you a good person.
So, if you’re a good person, it’s because you’re a good person. If you feel that you need a book to tell you how to be a good person, you’re not really a good person.
I am reminded of this quote, “Morality is doing what is right, no matter what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told, no matter what is right.”
attr. H. L. Mencken.
Oh there are so many outrageous annoying things that the religious do. Killing and making excuses for killing has got to be one of the worst crimes of religion. It takes all shapes and forms and it makes all kinds of excuses for doing so. From an eye to an eye to Jesus talking about how he will return and kill lots of people including the children of those people. Seriously, Jesus plans on killing children. And, this is the guy you are trying to tell me is all about love and hope? Please stop with your bullshit excuses. It says, right in the Bible, thou shalt not kill. It was so important, God magically etched it in stone and made it one of the ten commandments.