“Religion is dangerous.” That is Richard Dawkins’ main argument in The God Delusion. Dawkins is a world famous evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist. Although he discusses his religious childhood briefly, he never explains a specific moment or epiphany he had that made him come to the conclusion that there is no god. There is no need for him to, as he explains it systematically through the many chapters.
There is a lot of science in this book. There is not as much biology and physics as in his other books, as this one was intended for a much more general audience. His respect for Charles Darwin is evident everywhere, and although reading through all the evolution facts was a bit daunting for me, he does make a good argument for evolution. Then again, the only other argument he’s up against is creationism, which, not to insult Darwin’s intelligence, isn’t hard to beat.
There is a lot covered in this book. Evolution, for one, and how and why it happens. He discusses why people feel they “need” a god, what evolutionary reason there is for humans to believe, why people believe beyond all reason, and religious “extremism”, which many people think of as suicide bombers, but extremism actually starts with moderates. He also discusses Christianity in America, and how it is becoming a more powerful force in politics and culture, which is one of my worst fears.
Someone asked me what was so fascinating about this book. What was so fascinating was that it was so simple. Of course religion is fiction, the bible, for one, was written over hundreds of years by people who spoke several different languages. Each of those people surely had their own intentions when it came to writing and rewriting each of the stories. In fact, Dawkins even says how in some languages the words for “maiden” and “virgin” are so similar- what if someone read it as virgin when Mary was just supposed to be a maiden? Dawkins also brings up that people argue that the bible teaches us morality, but that is false because most people don’t believe in the Old Testament, when God was vengeful and killed people. So how do we know that the Old Testament is immoral? Morality is innate, Dawkins argues, and he, of course, brings it back to evolution.
To me, Dawkins was saying that it’s ok to not believe in an old man with a beard looking down on us all and reading all of our thoughts simultaneously- in fact, it makes more sense not to believe it. People make so many concessions for their religion, believing things that they know logically cannot be true but go along with because it is what they are taught to believe. What if we admitted to ourselves that we just can’t believe it? Atheism is the only belief (or lack thereof) that some people can hold to be true without having to forgo their logic and reason.
As I said in a previous post, belief in religion went downhill for me after I learned from the girl down the street from me where babies really came from. I promptly told all the girls on the playground the next day, and then after that I started putting it all together. I went to CCD (I still don’t know what that stands for, by the way), and learned all about Jesus and the commandments and the sins. To me, it was always one big story. No different from the stories I read in books or listened to on my Teddy Ruxpin before going to bed. Growing up, I realized that many people believe the stories in the bible to be allegorical, which I could understand: but whose allegory was correct? Each person has their own beliefs, which were all mutually exclusive, so who is right?
Religion only brought on more and more questions for me, when the comfort in religion for most people is that it brings answers. If I don’t believe that there was ever a Noah that really built an ark, why should I believe that there was a god that told him to build it? Why would people who say they strive to live a life like Jesus discriminate against others? Why would people who believe in “love thy neighbor” kill in the name of god? The questions go on and on. No one ever answered them for me, and if they tried, their answer was never good enough.
In writing this post, I have found it difficult to separate my review of the book from the way it affected me on a more personal level. The truth is, what Dawkin's said was what I have been thinking all these years; I just didn’t think it was ok to think that way. I am a moral person, but I have never believed in any organized religion. I have seen what religion can do, and while it has done many good things, it has also done so many terrible things. In the wise words of Jonathan Swift, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”
I’ve seen religion keep two consenting adults from marrying each other, and that’s not only gay marriage, but interfaith marriages as well. People have killed others in the name of god, women are oppressed in other countries by theocratic regimes, and it can even be argued that the bible is the root of misogyny in many countries (oh, that Eve and her quest for knowledge! Women always want more). I’ve seen it send gay people to camps to be “cured,” and breed discrimination and hate. Pastors have blamed the AIDS virus on homosexuals, and have said that natural disasters have occurred as punishment for people’s sins.
We are all most likely aware of these incidences, and Dawkins goes into this and much, much more.
I know that religion has done some good things. I know plenty of devout people who are absolutely wonderful, but I believe in my heart of hearts that it’s not exclusively their faith that drives them to be good, and that even without their beliefs they would be moral, kind people.
I’m sure those of you that follow an organized religion can make several arguments why you are right. Dawkins disassembles each and every one of them. If you truly want to test your faith, read this book. I’ll admit that with me he was preaching to the choir in many chapters, but that he opened my eyes to the fact that it’s ok not to believe made the book worthwhile for me. No one has to believe something that they know logically can’t be true, or follow any religion doctrine just because they are “supposed” to.
Monday, November 24, 2008
The God Delusion
No Doubt Reunion!
So maybe each album after Tragic Kingdom got progressively worse (in my opinion, but really, how could they do better than Tragic Kingdom?) but how amazing would it be to see them sing Don't Speak just one more time? And how totally awesome is this picture? Gwen Stefani is the coolest woman on the planet, and I'm glad they are coming back together.
Now, we just gotta get those Blink 182 guys to end their hiatus...
Saturday, November 22, 2008
To The Writers of The Office
Don't let this happen to you. You must turn back now, although I fear it may be too late.
The Office - Season One
The Office - Season Two
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
California DishonorRoll
A list of all donors that gave $5,000 or more to strip gays of their right to marry in California. Some even include addresses, in case you'd like to mail them a letter.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Current Events
Our economy is not getting any better. The government has all these bailout plans and economic stimuli, they have infused capital and taken on loans, etc, etc. Nothing is better. Every day I read about more and more jobs getting cut. Today CitiGroup announced it will lay off a total of 50,000 people worldwide. Goldman Sachs has cut 10% of it's work force, Fidelity Investments will be letting go of thousands, and American Express will be letting go of 7,000, just to name a few.
If the Big Three in Detroit go under, that could cause up at 2 million people to lose their jobs. Not just in the factories, but all the places that their arms reach, like parts suppliers. And speaking of Detroit, what to do with them? If they go bankrupt, does that mean no more Chevy Corvettes, no more Cadillac's? Although I love my Toyota, I come from a family that deeply appreciates the past of the American automobile, and can't imagine the roads without those cars on them.
My knowledge of economics is minimal, but how come nothing the government is doing is helping? And what is the answer?
There has been one upside I have seen to the current economy, and that has been in the form of major coupons coming to me in the mail from stores I would never expect to get coupons from. On my desk right now I have a 25% discount on any Coach item, a $20 gift card to Sunglass Hut, a card for a free pair of underwear at Victoria's Secret, 30% off at Express, and a $30 gift card to The Limited. Of course, these all hit me at a time when I have resolved not to buy any new clothes until 2009, althought I'm sure the coupons will keep on coming.
I have also finished reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins today, and it has caused me to think more than any other book I have ever read. Dawkins, for those of you that don't know, is a world famous evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist (also the subject of two great South Park episodes titled "Go God Go" parts 1 and 2. Go here to watch them). A lot of the ideas he discusses are the same exact ideas that have been playing through my head in regards to religion ever since my Roman Catholic upbringing began decomposing, which is right around the time I learned where babies really came from and figured out that Eve would have had to have sex with her son for the species to continue. For me, any religious belief went downhill from that point on. I would recommend this book to anyone, and it has made me want to explore the topic more, which is really the point of non-fiction books, isn't it?
Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the Washington D.C. public schools, was in the news last week because she wants to end tenure for teachers in exchange for higher pay. Although I am not a teacher, I never understood the concept of tenure. You work for a few years and then you are practically guaranteed a job until you retire? It's not so black and white, I know, and there are evaluations of the teachers while they are up for tenure- but really, does any other job have such job security? And does this type of job security really do more good than harm? I know that from my own tenure growing up in public schools, a lot of the teachers I had well, sucked. I know it's easy to say that when you're a kid, but looking back I am still confident in my word choice. Maybe if those teachers didn't have tenure, they would have tried a little harder? To quote Andrew (ok, yes, I have a bit of a crush on the man):
The lengths to which Rhee must go just to apply basic standards of accountability in the teaching profession is mind-boggling. And reading the comments from the leaders of the teachers' unions really does drive home the point. Until we really do bust the teachers unions, the next generation of kids in public schools is at risk. I'm one of those DC residents, whose taxes are poured into often useless schools with often dreadful teachers. I'd like to see a tiny bit more value for money.
I'll admit that I'm not really one for unions. Sure, they were great in the Norma Rae days when people were working 14 hour days in factories with poor health conditions and a 15 minute lunch break, but I think that in most professions these days, they are uncessary and a waste of money. This topic could really take up it's own post.
And last, but certainly not least, the Wall Street Journal had an article on the anti-abortion movement, and how maybe we should all just come together to prevent more unwanted pregancies in order to get the number of abortions down, which is what I am an advocate for:
Yes! Finally. Making it illegal is not the answer, but creating programs and education- as well as offering women access to low cost birth control, which mysteriously enough isn't even mentioned in the article- will make abortions much more rare.President-elect Barack Obama and other Democrats have promised to work to make abortion rare, so long as it remains legal. "Maybe it's time to take them up on the offer" instead of "bashing our heads over and over again against the same wall," writes Paul Strand, a blogger for the Christian Broadcasting Network.
The Rev. Joel Hunter, an influential megachurch pastor in Florida, sees a new willingness among pro-life activists to cooperate with pro-choice forces in search of a middle ground. He traces that openness in part to the flourishing of crisis pregnancy centers. As volunteers meet women struggling with unplanned pregnancies, they begin to view abortion less as an absolute evil and more as a practical challenge: How do we get this single mother a job, or help that college student with child care so she doesn't feel as though abortion is her only option?
Monday, November 10, 2008
Quick Hits
Today USA Today discussed the average age that people are getting married, 26 for women, 28 for men, and how it is the latest that couples have gotten married since they started tracking marriage ages in 1890. The reasons are because both men and women are deciding to wait until they have finished their education and get a couple years into their career, when they feel more mature and financially secure. Couples who wait longer (late 20's) often have happier marriages than couples who get married in their teens or early 20's.
Paul Bloom at Slate asks if religion makes you nice, and if atheism makes you mean. Studies show that in America, religious people are generally happier than atheists. However in godless countries such as Denmark and Sweden, people are generally happy, there is less rape, teen pregnancy and abortion than in America. They are nice to one another and have a "strong commitment to social equality." So why are atheists in America down in the dumps? Because it is the community aspect of religion that makes people happiest, and since humans are a social species, atheists just kind of feel isolated.
And Andrew is still hell bent on getting Palin's medical records and wants proof that she is Trig's mother. I think the guy just needs a chill pill already.
