Likewise Crying
Over Abuses
Holly
From: "Holly"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Subject: Thank you
Date: Wednesday, November 08, 2000 3:28 PM
Dear Cliff,
Thank you so much for your website and the info it holds. I have cried many tears over the abuses I have suffered at the hands of "good" God-fearing Christians. I have cried over the fact that I am seen as "evil" and "perverse" while my accusers proceed to commit atrocious acts against humanity in the name of God. I have often felt very alone in my beliefs, and wondered if I am the only rational person in a world gone mad.
One of the biggest misunderstandings about atheists, is the notion that if you don't believe in God, then you are an unethical person. As you know, nothing could be farther from the truth! In my experience, the opposite is true. Christians very often are unable to come up with a reason to behave in an ethical manner toward another human being other than to save their own ass from hell.
Here's a typical encounter between a Christian and an atheist: Last year, I was looking to buy a house, and went driving around with a real estate agent. She asked me if I was religious because she wanted to point out to me that the houses we were looking at were very close to several churches. When I said, "no, I am an atheist." She went cold. The blood seemed to drain right out of her face as she looked at me with fear in her eyes. She attempted to collect herself, and with a cold-chill shudder she said, "well, I'm a Christian, but that's OK; to each their own -- uh -- hehe."
I thought to myself, "I can't wait to see how this turns out by the end of the day, in terms of who is the 'good person' and who is the 'bad person.'" Wouldn't you know, that by the end of the day, this God-fearing woman had lied to my face about 10 times. She was persuasive, and she nearly got me to buy a house from her with her lines of straight-up B.S. Without going into all the gory details, she (with her lies) managed to cause an extreme rift between me and some good friends who were also trying to sell me a house. Meanwhile, my business practices were ethical, and straightforward.
Another problem I have encountered with Christians is that they are sooo incredibly black and white. "If you are not a Christian, then you must be a Satanist," they argue. What nonsense. We are nowhere within that whole paradigm.
I hope I live to see the day when we rid the world of this mass hallucination, and usher in an age of reason.
Sincerely,
Holly
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