From the Email Inbox #1

Religious readers are probably not thrilled to read my verbal attacks on religion (or maybe they are). I assure you: I am not blindly critical of religious people, nor am I blindly accepting of atheists. As a show of neutrality, I thought I’d share some e~mails I got over the past couple days from an atheist. I will not post his name because he chose to engage in private correspondence. Shit… I gave away the fact that it’s a “he.”

Below is the complete first e~mail he sent me, with personal information removed, and my comments in italicized brackets.

While I was "goggling" [which I imagine is like “googling”] for some other anti religious songs (Aside from "Imagine" and "Only The Good DIe Young") I found your website [here] and decided to send you the one in the email I am forwarding.

Then, I read some of your blog & found you are one of the all too typical clueless Atheists [you’re too kind…] who is either TOO LAZY [have you been talking to my family?] to get the facts about our war on the religious fanatical terrorists who have been killing Americans and our friends for over 20 years OR you are just too dumb to be able to comprehend what the facts mean. [At this point, I have my popcorn ready and I am eager for the impending explanation of what the facts mean.]

Either way, you have no clue about Our War on Terrorists! [I love the capitalization… it helps emphasize we’re all in on this giant crime together.]

I've not only been been [1 too many..] a [an] Atheist Activest [Activist] for around TWICE as long as you have been alive, I'm also MORE experienced and knowledgable [knowledgeable] than are most my age. Plus as I am also brighter than 97.5+% of all others. [Always establish authority by claiming in an incoherent sentence that you are in the top 2.5%. Of what? I'm guessing he means top 2.5% in the Alzheimer’s ward. Oh, and he added the +, so he might even be in the top 1%… it gets complicated when you’re that amazing.] I DO know of what I speak. [And he DOES know how to use SHIFT.]

So FYI, the odds of anyone being able to provide any facts proving I am wrong on ANY subject I comment on, are nearly zero. [Well, now that we’ve established your credentials…]

I thank you for your time and may we all, "Live Long and Prosper! [When you get old, it’s hard to remember you started a sentence with quotation marks…]

Please, Take Care! [Leave ‘em with a pleasantry, and maybe they’ll forget how you started the email…]

{REMOVED FOR PRIVACY}

"A 75 year old Pro Iraq War Agnostic Atheist Activist, 101st Vet & Iconoclastic, Philosophizing, Beach VolleyBall Playing Grumpy Old Son Of A Beach!" [What an entertaining and honest self assessment.]

A Proud Member of All of the following:

http://www.Atheists.org/
http://www.AtheistsUnited.org/
http://www.FFRF.org/
http://MAAF.info/
http://www.NRA.org/
http://VetsForFreedom.org/

[I guess he’s suggesting I check these out… so that I, too, may become an iconoclastic jackass!]
[Below is another message that was tacked on to the above. It was sent all in one email.]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: {REMOVED FOR PRIVACY}
To: {REMOVED FOR PRIVACY}
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:57:15 -0700
Subject: {REMOVED FOR PRIVACY} LOVES THIS SONG

You can listen and read the lyrics in the link below.

(The link is from my on line friend, {REMOVED FOR PRIVACY}'s really GREAT website, "Positive Atheism" Of course, as {REMOVED FOR PRIVACY} is a highly informed rational and logical genius, he is also pro the Iraq war as well as being anti-Oduma and anti-Obot.) [This guy really hates Obama, as he makes clear in his other e~mails, which I will post.]

http://wtvaudio.com/ra/simplysingles/xtc_deargod.ram [The linked page demands I input a user name and PW, which I do not have.]

Now some religious people will get all excited about the title being "Dear God" and think it was stolen from some believe song of the same name without realizing there have been MANY songs with the same title. And THIS one was written years before some of the pro-religious ones were. [Take THAT, religious people!]

I see only ONE person had the honesty and integrity to express their view of why reporting facts on any, and ALL subjects other than religion is NOT considered to be attacking the subject & yet my truthful statements on religion are considered by many religious people to be attacks. [Your guess is as good as mine… maybe if we were also in the top 2.5%, we would get it…]

I find OBOTS [people who blindly support Obama], Anti-War Loony Tunes and most (all?) religious people do not answer questions. Sad, as I answer any, & ALL questions asked me. [Question: WTF are you talking about?]

I think they do not answer as they know they have NO FACTS what se [so] ever to back up their illogical, unfounded uninformed, un-substantuated [unsubstantiated] and irrational positions. [Guys! Come on! The evidence is insurmountainable!!!]

{REMOVED FOR PRIVACY}

http://www.positiveatheism.org/mail/eml9624.htm [Link to the lyrics of Dear God, the song mentioned above. I can save you the time with this summary: people suffer and the Bible is crap, therefore there is no God.]

After reading something like this, I’m not surprised atheists have a bad reputation. This guy is proud of the fact he’s apparently spent the greater portion of his 75 years of life as an iconoclast. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it is a very specific ideology which I have discussed before. An iconoclast is one who physically destroys religious texts, objects, buildings, monuments, paintings, or even people.

Atheism does not need to be like religions. Atheists do not have to be iconoclasts. In fact, atheists should not be iconoclasts. We can be better than the Christians who came before us and purged Europe of its knowledge, only to slowly piece it back together again over the millennia.

I get the feeling this man’s support of the wars in the Middle East stems from nothing but a grudge against religious people, in this case Muslims. To him, it must seem great that all these Muslim people are dying. Maybe he even thinks it’s wonderful that museums full of priceless artifacts from humanity’s early civilizations are being plundered, even defaced. Maybe he even gets off on the idea of young, largely Christian Americans going over there and dying.

Feeno once pondered… what would atheists do if there were no religious people? Who would we argue with? I assure you, there’s enough stupidity in the atheist camp to debate until the end of time.