Reaction to "How to Be an Atheist Without Being a Dick About It"

True, I only skimmed Jezebel's recent (and lengthy) article How to Be an Atheist Without Being a Dick About It, but still, fuck that noise.

I recognize that religion is probably the greatest invention of all time, because it instills social order and creates the illusion of some greater purpose to our lives, thereby giving people a reason to keep trying, to keep living, even in the face of adversity or the absence of positive change. And I have a very clear understanding that our world can often be one of unrelenting, unspeakable cruelty, and that we as people are often very terrible to one another.

As a result, there are many victims in our world, and perhaps for many they need faith in a higher power to provide them with hope and strength. That's fine -- whatever it takes -- because I don't know what that's like.

But it still doesn't change the fact that religion is an invention. And I'm not going to give it any more credence than its function, because I also recognize that as a tool it's used to oppress and manipulate the very people it promises to save. It hurts just as much, if not more, than it helps.

I'm not going to live in a lie, and I'm certainly not going to play a part in the charade. I view religion, in general, as aggressive, invasive, and dangerous. It's just as bad as the advertising media which inundates us. Both are parasitic and forever in need of more people in order to survive and grow.

But I also have another reason why I won't play the polite little atheist. Because religion distracts us from the real world, where we need to make some real changes.

There's a reason why they say "God helps those who help themselves." It's because praying doesn't change anything. It's just throwing pennies in a well. But when people take it upon themselves to make a change, that's when things gets done. God has nothing to do with it.

People are the ones that have the power to make our world a better place. There is no perfect afterlife or redemption.

If it sounds like I'm being defensive or that I'm angry, that's because I am. If this sounds like I have a chip on my shoulder, it's because I do.

This is all we have. It's time we took some responsibility for it. No one else is going to save us.

PS: I know that I'm making generalizations about all religions here, and that there may be some exceptions (those which are less "aggressive, invasive, and dangerous," as well as less "oppressive and manipulative."). However, given the actions of the world's religious majority I think I this generalization is justified.