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Unexceptional rant against faith

• Richard Evans Lee

This is the first skeptical, anti-theist page I ever wrote. I’m resurrecting it for a purpose. It has no special value.

The things that you're liable to read in the Bible

I'm an atheist. I used to say agnostic because you can't really know. But since most people ultimately have such a narrow idea of godhood I decided that the probability was so tiny that I'd better go with atheist.

Atheist, materialist, skeptic. Every now and then somebody will hear me make a crack about Christians and proudly announce that they are  a pagan (now there's word that has undergone radical metamorphosis recently. The early Christians used it to denote anyone who wasn't a Christian or Jew.  Even ancient atheists. 

I don't draw a distinction between one supernatural belief and another.  Christian Science, Fundamentalism, Buddhism, UFO crackpots, Objectivists, Robert Bly, Native American religions, Voodoo, Wicca, Scientology, Rev. Moon, conspiracy theories (right or left wing), pyramid power, homeopathy,  tarot cards, Creation Science, astrology, crank diets all form one seamless strand of dottiness.

Does this depress me? No. I'd like to die and go on to eternal bliss or come back again. But I don't expect to. I don't worry about it. There are plenty of things in life to enjoy even if I'm not going to exist forever.

I can get along people regardless of their beliefs as long as they don't feel a need to change my mind. Even non-fundamentalist Christians.  Many of my favorite authors believed in the divinity of Jesus.

While there was the Golden Dawn the folks on the fringe (wicca, etc.) don't seem to attract literary and scholarly people the way Christianity does. 

"But," you say, "I've experienced the Divine Power of ..." Or maybe you saw a UFO. Or your sainted Aunt Matilda did. I didn't. And if I'm skeptical of my own experience and analysis why would I accept another's?

Good will doesn't make a statements true.

That many people believe something is evidence of little except perhaps their own need to believe. Millions of people have believed many things. Mostly contradictory and completely wrong.

I'm willing to give provisional acceptance to things that can be performed repeatedly by competent observers under controlled conditions.

Possibly more troublesome to many people is that I don't like basketball. Or Nascar.  I hold all team sports in wintry regard. Or I used to. I'm no longer  graceless enough to disdain the pleasures of others when they are foreign to me.

Richard Evans Lee
December 04, 2003 •
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Comments

Why do you consider Objectivism lumped in with the rest of the pap? What aspects of Objectivism are pap? I assume that by "Objectivists" you are referring to Ayn Rand's philosophy? Just curious. It seems to me that Objectivism would be the furthest from the other forms of "dottieness" that you mentioned: "Christian Science, Fundamentalism, Buddhism, UFO crackpots, Objectivists, Robert Bly, Native American religions, Voodoo, Wicca, Scientology, Rev. Moon, conspiracy theories (right or left wing), pyramid power, homeopathy, tarot cards, Creation Science, astrology, [and] crank diets". Where is the "dottieness" in Objectivism?

Posted by: peter | July 2, 2004 3:08 PM

I always knew one of these comments would eventually arrive. I have no patience with the idea of morality as objective knowledge. Nor a desire to debate about it.

Posted by: Richard | July 2, 2004 4:55 PM

Actually I wasn't planning on debating you about it. I'm was just curious about your take on Objectivism and why you classified it with the other pap. It seems that in your view objectivism has morality as objective knowledge. That's interesting and I would support the view that morality isn't objective. In my view morality is determined by our perceptions, experience and view of the universe. It is not an inherent charactistic of the universe itself. In other words, the universe doesn't care, only we (and any other living non-supernatural sentient beings with "moral" capacity if they happen to exist) do (or don't as the case may be). Thank you for your comment, I'll review objectivism from your perspective and see how they've incorporated Ayn Rands morals. Maybe you can help me with a head start. Which aspects of objectivism in particular are based on morals?

Posted by: Peter | July 3, 2004 2:27 PM

Peter, Thanks for a very civil response. This page was written six years ago for my first personal website which I was using to introduce people that I met online to date. It was meant to screen out anyone who might dislike my sentiments. I don't recall why I resurrected it. Objectivism is something I haven't given a lick of thought to in many, many years. The basis of my opinions is long since forgotten. It is best to just regard me as prejudiced against objectivists. Best of luck with your own evaluation of Rand's writings and objectivism.

Posted by: Richard | July 3, 2004 5:46 PM

Richard, The thing I didn't like about Objectivism is the notion that people are compleletly selfish and the objectivist stand against altruism. It may very well be in your interest to assist someone. In any case you might simply enjoy it. I suppose I was suprised that you'd categorized it with the supernatural pap since it seems very close to being as objective about reality as one could possibly be. Nothing super natural about it. In any event I'm a bright atheist who views reality as objectively as one can, although I'm not a follower of objectivism as defined by Ayn Rand. Cheers, peter

Posted by: Peter | July 7, 2004 12:46 AM

When I was young I tended to dismiss even kind people if they weren't intelligent (whatever I may have thought I meant by that). Several years ago I came to value them more by the quality of empathy they exhibit. I say quality because I know people whose empathy motivates them to help people or do things that will give them the chance to make their lives better. They don't just sit around feeling sorry for others. I think their altruism nudges the world a particle toward being the kind of world I'd like to live in. It isn't hard to be wholly reductionist and reduce everything we do to perceived self-interest or our DNA. I try to never let myself forget that (The atheist & the raped grandmother). But it isn't really of use to me in my friendships and relationships. Why did I lump them in with supernatural silliness? I could've added several job lots of psychological and sociological theory as well. Partly I dislike, distrust systematization. And many objectivists aren't much more than cultists: they've acquired stock phrases and prefab ideas. Merely being secular doesn't make that more appealing. I'd rather know a highly individualized Christian. I think David Hume said what can be said about objectivity, said it well and with good humor. Good humor always trumps pious rationalism for me any day.

Posted by: Richard | July 7, 2004 12:50 PM

How do you feel?

Feel free to share your feelings about Unexceptional rant against faith. Please stick to the theme of the entry. Disagreement is fine. Homophobia, racism, and kindred expressions of hatred will be deleted. This site is one of my hobbies. I genuinely enjoy hearing from people and hate moderating or killing comments. Forthright disagreement is fine as long as it is civil.
My thanks,
Richard

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