Abyss of Silence

Friday, January 13, 2017

What the hell?! (pun intended)

I am forced to look askance at anyone who thinks it impossible for an atheist to be a moral person.  If they took 5 seconds to really think it through and came to the same conclusion, that’s troubling.  It makes me wonder, “geeze, what the hell kind of sick, perverse shit is going on in their head?”  If the only thing that is holding them back is a belief in future punishment, what does that say about them?  I don’t believe in a mystical score board and yet I would never intentionally hurt anyone because I DON’T WANT TO.  I know causing harm to others is wrong without an invisible father figure waggling his finger at me.

I get ants in my house when it rains a lot.  So I’m forced to kill them until they stop coming in because otherwise I’d be overrun.  I hate doing this!  I apologize while I do it.  Ants are fascinating, industrious little creatures and it pains me to have to eliminate them.

As horrible a person as Osama Bin Laden was, I was disturbed by the scenes of people dancing in the street upon hearing he was killed.  It seems ghoulish to me to see people celebrating a death.  I’m not arguing whether it should have been done or not, I’m saying the flag waving and fist pumping was garish and jarring.

I’m not a saint.  I think some awful thoughts sometimes when I am frustrated by inconsiderate, slow, stupid people.  I have wished some nasty things on people who have wronged me.  Every single time I’ve had one of these thoughts it was immediately followed up with a chiding, “that’s horrible, you don’t mean that, don’t think that” afterthought.

Long story short:  I have a conscience!  I know right from wrong.  I don’t want to do wrong because well…. I don’t want to do wrong.  I recognize that others have hopes, dreams and feelings just like I do.  It’s called fellow feeling.

Is this unusual?

Are most of these Christians (the ones who like so much to expound on the unlikeliness of moral atheists) like caged animals?  Are they eager to go out and steal and murder and rape but won’t just because they fear punishment?  People with such inclinations are not people I wish to be acquainted with.

It is likely that they just haven't thought it through or are limited in their ability to consider something from a different perspective or don't have much in the way of imagination and are blinded by prejudice and happy to pass judgement on others.

Which is worse?