Posted May 12, 2009 | ∞ | File under: atheism, eroding the influence of superstition in our world, link, sam harris
EACH nation has created a god, and the god has always resembled his creators. He hated and loved what they hated and loved, and he was invariably found on the side of those in power. Each god was intensely patriotic, and detested all nations but his own. All these gods demanded praise, flattery, and worship. Most of them were pleased with, sacrifice, and the smell of innocent blood has ever been considered a divine perfume. All these gods have insisted upon having a vast number of priests, and the priests have always insisted upon being supported by the people, and the principal business of these priests has been to boast about their god, and to insist that he could easily vanquish all the other gods put together.
Robert Ingersoll, “The Gods, and other lectures” (1879)
Posted December 9, 2008 | ∞ | File under: atheism, ingersoll
Dear Friend;
This message has been sent to you by a friend or a relative who has recently disappeared along with millions and millions of people around the world.
The reason they chose to send you this letter is because they cared about you and would like you to know the truth about where they went.
This may come as a shock to you, but the one who sent you this has been taken up to heaven.
This stupid site for Rapture Letters would be funny if it weren’t so scary that people actually believe this.
This bit from Sam Harris in his speech/article “The Problem with Atheism”, on why “atheists” should not discount “mystical” or “spiritual” experience outright, seems appropriate for my state of mind earlier this week:
“Even when everything has gone as well as it can go, the search for happiness continues, the effort required to keep doubt and dissatisfaction and boredom at bay continues, moment to moment . . .
If we enjoy some great professional success, our feelings of accomplishment remain vivid and intoxicating for about an hour, or maybe a day, but then people will begin to ask us ‘So, what are you going to do next? Don’t you have anything else in the pipeline?’ Steve Jobs releases the IPhone, and I’m sure it wasn’t twenty minutes before someone asked, ‘when are you going to make this thing smaller?’ Notice that very few people at this juncture, no matter what they’ve accomplished, say, ‘I’m done. I’ve met all my goals. Now I’m just going to stay here eat ice cream until I die in front of you.’”
Posted February 28, 2008 | ∞ | File under: atheism, sam harris
