The Amazing Randi, as he is known, is said to have commented on his belief in god(s).
To make sure that my blasphemy is thoroughly expressed, I hereby state my opinion that the notion of a god is a basic superstition, that there is no evidence for the existence of any god(s), that devils, demons, angels and saints are myths, that there is no life after death, heaven nor hell, that the Pope is a dangerous, bigoted, medieval dinosaur, and that the Holy Ghost is a comic-book character worthy of laughter and derision. I accuse the Christian god of murder by allowing the Holocaust to take place -- not to mention the "ethnic cleansing" presently being performed by Christians in our world -- and I condemn and vilify this mythical deity for encouraging racial prejudice and commanding the degradation of women.
Do you get the feeling that he is still sitting on the fence?
You know, I am so tired of people lumping me in with all the world religions. I am so tired of people using the word Christian to denote anyone and everyone that believes in some sort of god (note the lower case!) All these religions that used different books besides the Bible and believe in a different god than what I believe. These are NOT true Christians! I am not a murder or a racists. A true Christian is not these things and I am so tired of hearing that we are! In fact I kind of think of my self as the type of person that would give the shirt off my back for a friend in need. A person that has compassion on people and wants to lend a helping hand. And all the TRUE christians I know are the same way, some way more compassionate than me.
ReplyDeleteYou, plasma, have known me for a while now. Do you really truly think of me in this way? Do you really truly think I am a racist and a murder just because I believe in God? Do you really think I am like all the other religions that you want to lump me in with? There is a difference between me and those other religions and if you do not see that then I am truly sorry. I do not believe in the Koran and do not believe anything like them, my religion and theirs is completely different. Sure they might claim to believe in my God but I am sorry they don't really, it is name only.
Sorry for my vent but I just want you to understand my thoughts and feelings on this.
By the way, this man that made this statement is a fool (that is a word I do not use lightly). I pray for his soul and that God will have mercy on him because blasphemy is serious. But I am sure you think I am fool for how I believe.
I'm truly sorry that you took this personally. I do think that you are a kind, caring and generous person and that many christians have those features too. But actually it didn't say that you are a murderer. It accused your god of that. The problem of theodicy is not easily dismissed. If it were, it would have disappeared many centuries ago.
ReplyDeleteJames Randi appears to be a completely rational thinker and perhaps he is a fool in terms represented by Psalm 14. But by today's standards, I feel that to be a little harsh. Psalm 14 only really applies if you believe that there is a god (and indeed that particular god).
I saw a post today that is on a similar topic, and nicely argued. http://zarbi.posterous.com/enough-of-the-whining-about-new-atheists