Not So Polite Dinner Conversation – how atheism isn’t “cool” per a certain Catholic

(fair warning: if you followed my blog because of food or beer, the following is my unvarnished religious views. You may want to leave now 😊 )

I haven’t had a good target for a while to show just how silly a lot of Christians are. (I’m patiently waiting for a series about Revelation to be finished to address it). However, I found a link to this gem. The author is supposedly a journalist, but the quality of this post is questionable at best. At best, he may be intending to write for a tween audience, but in my experience, such poor writing and such poor arguments are nothing new to the TrueChristian™, and the generations younger than mine really don’t like being talked down to by an adult.   The following article, hilariously titled “Atheism is the uncoolest choice ever and I can prove it” is from the National Catholic Register, (part of the EWTN group which has various tv stations, amongst other things. It does have quite a few pictures associated with it. I’ll just put a description in where a photo would be and those interested can go to the link to see the images themselves. I will have some images of my own. The bits in italics are our author.

Let us begin the fun!

I’ve read a number of stories about how atheism is seen as “cool” by many young people, especially among college age youths. That’s funny to me because I couldn’t think of anything less cool than becoming an atheist. So, just in case any young people are reading, here are eight reasons that atheism is the in-coolest choice ever.

Hmm, I do wonder where these articles are, since the author can’t be bothered to link to them; but my knowledge of these is that they are by and large written by theists who are wondering why younger folks are leaving their religions. They seem to need to claim it is because it is “cool” rather than the religions’ claims cannot be supported, they preach hatred, and because people have access to information that earlier generations didn’t. It seems that these people haven’t actually ever talked to an atheist and still try to equate atheism with nihilism. There are some articles that wonder if atheism can be “cool” if they have a “church” which seems no more than a place to hang out with friends. And some atheists who claim that it is indeed cool to be an atheist e.g. that it is very good to be one, not the intimation that it is “fashionable”.

Considering that atheists are still given grief in the US, (see the lies below that our author tries to spread) and often killed in other parts of the world hacked to death by machetes, one wonders how “cool” anyone would think this to be. It’s more acceptable, since I don’t have to worry about being burnt at the stake at least here in the US (which always could change), but it certainly isn’t “cool” (very good, fashionable or hip).   More atheists have come out of the closet, so it may appear that it is fashionable and new to point out that religions are false and no source of morality, but sorry dear theists, we’ve been here ever since there was a religion to question. We didn’t say anything because theists can be violent and murderous, e.g. what happened to Giordano Bruno, the victims of the Inquisition, the Protestants, Cathars, etc killed by Catholics, the Catholics killed by Protestants, etc.

8) Religious people live longer, happier lives, according to numerous scientific studies. I know you atheist types are all about the SCIENCE even though you pretty much get all your scientific information from Huffpo articles with clickbait headlines like “Watch Bill Nye completely own a Creationist!” or “How Rolling Your Eyes is the Greatest Debate Tactic Against Christians!” (Rule of thumb: if the article you’re reading contains exclamation points, it’s probably not a respected scientific publication.) But I guess because you’re an atheist who will live a shorter life maybe you don’t have time to read actual scientific journals. I mean, something’s gotta’ be cut out, right?

But on top of shorter lives, studies indicate you’ll be more miserable too. So while your life won’t be longer, it might just feel that way.

Oh it’s just so painful to see the author trying to be so “cool”. Nice to see quite a pile of false witnessing from a TrueChristian™ too.   It seems that our hepcat author doesn’t think that young people might actually do some research and not question his outright lies. Why does he feel the need to try to lie to young people in order to convince them he is right? Sorry, our author, but many of us atheists, if not all of us, read scientific articles from actual journals. In doing so, we know that your claims about theists living happier lives isn’t limited to one religion. (one such study here) That makes the Christian, and especially Catholic, claim of having the one true religion bogus. A Muslim, a Presbyterian, a Hindu, a Zoroastrian, a Wiccan, all have the same effect, and this would indicate no special god needed. I do wonder about the supposed studies that atheists are more “miserable”. I don’t recall any and as my own personal experience shows, I’m quite happy. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a theist to claim that atheists are unhappy, lonely, angry, and more “miserable” with no evidence. It is a technique used by anyone who wants to pretend that someone who doesn’t’ agree with them is somehow less than them.   It’s also because a lot of theists believe that atheism equates with nihilism and happy to say, it doesn’t. As for longer lives, that doesn’t seem to be the case either if you look at worldwide trends. This article, admittedly from not a journal, has some excellent points and a good bibliography.

7) Michelangelo and Bach (look ’em up kids!) were indisputably awesome Christian artists. But hey, atheists have the kid who plays Harry Potter. Do you really don’t want to be a part of any group that includes the actor formerly known as Harry Potter. Or maybe you do because that’s how uncool you actually are.[photo of Daniel Radcliffe showing his bare chest with a black shirt on).

Michelangelo was never photographed like that. Ever.

It’s most curious that the author thinks that “kids” don’t know who Michelangelo and Bach are. Condescend much, our author? These fellows were indeed Christian, but again back then not being a Christian would get you killed, so damn near everyone was some variant of Christian in European countries. Daniel Radcliffe is not a “kid” anymore, and is well-respected actor (though the movie wasn’t great, I did like him in the Frankenstein movie he was in).

I do love the attempt at bullying to convince young people that they need to obey our our author. It also seems that our author has no idea that cameras weren’t invented when Michelangelo was alive. He also seems to forget that Michelangelo made a rather famous sculpture of a naked dude.   C’mon kids, don’t you want to follow a man who is this ignorant?   Oy.

6) Typical Atheist gathering:

[a photo of some unidentified group of atheists date unknown]

World Youth Day:

[a photo of World Youth day, date unknown]

See the difference?

See the deceitfully offered false comparison? Unsurprisingly, our author has intentionally chosen to misrepresent atheist gatherings and again a lot of atheists are still in the closet so no many of us don’t go to public meetings identified as

atheist. Why would a TrueChristian™ choose to do this when his bible says that one should not lie? Again, our author hopes that no one will do research to see his claims are false. Here is a more representive picture of what an atheist gathering looks like, from one I was at:

5) Most of your big time mass killers of the 20th century were atheists. I’m talking Stalin, Mao, and Che among others. These guys had the kind of body counts that there weren’t enough body bags for so bulldozers needed to be employed. And nothing says uncool like being a mass killer of the innocent.

Ah, an oldie but still a goodie because it always shows a theist as someone who is terribly ignorant about history, or that they intentionally lie about history. Che was a “mass killer”? And along the lines of Mao, Stalin? I do see that our our author doesn’t mention Hitler. It seems that he may be aware that Hitler isn’t a great one to mention since having “Gott Mitt Uns” on his soldier’s belts is a little embarrassing and having Catholic priests supporting him early on is also kinda sketchy.

One thing that our author forgets to mention is that Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc were also megalomaniacs. He needs to demonstrate that the lack of belief in a god was the reason for their actions and not some other factor if he wants to claim atheism is the cause of genocide. And hmmm, mass killer of the innocent? Well, how many innocent were killed by the Catholic Church in its wars against Islam and Protestant Christianity? It appears that the religion was directly responsible for that in the words of the popes. We also have the problem that the Judeo-Christian god racks up quite a death count in the bible. Now, most Christians will excuse those with the “might equals right” excuse. Does might ever equal right? With an objective morality, it cannot.

4) This is an extreme Christian.

[photo of Mother Theresa holding a child]

This is an extreme atheist:

[image from video of Richard Dawkins, I think, with his mouth open]

See the difference?

Again, hmmm. Intentionally chosen photos to make false claims. I can show some other “extreme Christians”.

Here’s a photo of an “extreme atheist”, me.

 

And now we can see what can be done with photos. All our our author is doing is classic propaganda.   This is an intentional lie told by a Christian about about atheists.

3) As a Christian, my wife looks at me like I’m a gift from God. Seriously, to her that’s what I am. Your atheist girlfriend (should you ever get one after you move out of your stepdad’s basement) will see you as a gel-haired accident in skinny jeans on a lonely rock orbiting a meaningless sun in a mistake of a universe. See the difference? It’s kind of a big one.

I’m glad that our author may have a nice marriage. I have one too! My spouse and I have been together for 27+ years. Again, we have our author intentionally lying about non-Christians. Why is it that this man must use insults and false claims to try to convince others he is right?

I certainly don’t see my one true love as an “accident” so again we have false claims made for the sole purpose of scaring people.   He is a result of the physical laws of the universe (not a mistake and not the ejaculate of some god) and I’m quite happy to have him and he to have me. And I cheer for anyone who finds someone that they love and gets to spend time with them.   So, those of you reading this, know that you can have love and you don’t have to be afraid like our author needs you to you to be.

2) Many of your college professors agree with your atheist beliefs. How’s that for the uncoolest choice ever? Hey, look at you siding with all the gray-haired tweedy authoritarian types at your school. Note: If your best friend at college is the “Diversity Awareness Coordinator” you’re colleging wrong. And if you think your professors are cool, I think they call that being a brown-noser. And brown-nosers are even less cool than gender studies majors.

Y’know when the whole 60’s thing happened, young people would say not to trust anyone over 40. But now, you guys go off to college wanting nothing more than to adopt the beliefs of your old boring professors. What could be less cool than wanting to be like your teacher? (Except if your teacher is Tony Esolen. Then it’s ok.)

I love the continued attempts to bully and to engender fear that our poor author feels he must do. Hmmm, it seems that it’s either been a while since our author went to college or that he never did at all. “gray-haired tweedy authoritarian types”? I can think of *one* professor who may have been like this out of the dozens of professors I had in college. And authoritarian? You mean like, oh, I don’t know, religion?

I do love the bigotry shown with the fear that our author has for diversity.   And again, more false claims intentionally told by a TrueChristian™.   Ah, no, students don’t go to college just to adopt the beliefs of those who teach them. Most go to get a degree in a certain subject, go to meet similarly minded people, but rarely to just blindly accept some nonsense that confirms what they want to believe (theist college excepted, generally, though seminaries are a great place to find new atheists).

Damn, calling people a “brown-noser”? I haven’t heard that since elementary school.  Hmm, will he make fun of my “flood pants”, the short ones us poor kids had as hand-me-downs?

1) Atheists have less children and that probably means…well you probably know what that means since you’re all about SCIENCE! Once again, to sum up, you’ll be miserable, have a shorter life, and quite likely less sex than your religious counterparts. And you thought atheism was cool? Reconsider and repent ye’ fools. Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life. Left unsaid, is that He’s totally cooler than Richard Dawkins!

It seems that poor author has no idea what it means either since well, how dare I assume he knows anything about the scientific disciplines at all since he disparages them so? Having fewer children makes sure that each one gets a decent share of the resources, and they aren’t expected to take care of each other as a free workforce. Heck, JC himself says it’s better to be entirely celibate and never marry and never have children (Matthew 19). A number of Christian sects were celibate in reflection of this exact command. Again, Christians don’t agree on much: populate the earth vs don’t ever have sex.

And having fewer children means less sex?  Has anyone told our author that one doesn’t have to have children every time one has sex? Oh, yes, he’s a terribly conservative Catholic so perhaps he really doesn’t know. Or he’s again trying to spread fear and ignorance to scare people into his religion.   Unless they are very sheltered, young people know about birth control.

It’s also nice to see a TrueChristian™ call people fools. I do recall JC himself supposedly saying that this is a big no-no (of course he goes on to call people fools, which is a classic case of do as I say, not as I do). Now, I am waiting for the author to try to walk some of this nonsense back, with a claim of “you don’t understand”, it’s “satire”, or some such excuse.

In some ways, what is claimed for the character Jesus Christ is pretty decent, take care of the poor and sick is a good thing. But when you have someone saying follow all of the ridiculous laws in the OT (even the ones that tell you to kill people for being different) and you’ll get a better seat in heaven, love him more than your family (or simply hate everyone but this messiah as it says directly), don’t bother helping to bury your loved ones, kill everyone who doesn’t accept him as ruler, then it’s not so cool at all. It’s just the words of any run of the mill cult leader.  This Christian’s actions are not what all Christians do.  It goes to show that the religion doesn’t make someone a humane human.

Incidentally, quite a few people are “cooler” than Richard Dawkins, theists and non-theists alike. Christians like our author seem to think that somehow all atheists worship Dawkins because they can’t conceive of not submitting one’s thought processes to another entity. That doesn’t mean that one should follow the Christianity invented by our our author in his own petty image.  Atheism is not believing in a god or gods. Beyond that commonality, we differ in just about everything else.

Congrats, Mr. Archbold, you’ve done a great job in showing that some Catholics are quite…ill-informed.