So last Friday on my way to work I saw some yahoo dressed up as Jesus by the entrance ramp to I-77 North. Some other guy was with him carrying a sign for the NEO Church. I basically laughed it off as a nice gimmick to get people to come to your church. Though it is interesting how people have no problem dressing up like Jesus whereas you cannot even depict Mohammed. But I digress…
I didn’t really give this another thought until driving to work this morning and seeing about 10 yard signs on the same entrance ramp that were disparaging to atheists. Basically, the gist of the signs (they were all the same) was that atheists have a special place reserved for them, presumably in Hell. Now, being an atheist, the message of the signs doesn’t bother me. Since I don’t believe in Heaven, I don’t believe in Hell either and I’m not worried.
What does irritate me is that if I had placed signs there that were offensive to Christians, they would probably have been torn down as soon as I left. At the very least, people would be offended and think it was inappropriate. If I had put up signs mocking Islam, people might want to kill me. But there’s absolutely no problem with offending atheists. I couldn’t put up highway signs mocking fat people, or blacks, or Jews, or Christians, or Muslims, or women, or just about any other group you can think of. But it is okay to display signs that might be offensive to atheists. No one cares what they think.
The real point of this is that the members of the NEO Church apparently don’t understand how much this weakens their argument. If the only way you can make yourselves look good is to disparage atheists, then how attractive is your way of life? Shouldn’t people just be drawn to it because it’s the truth? Shouldn’t Jesus’ message be powerful enough without having to mock the beliefs of others? And is mocking others really demonstrating your particular Christian philosophy? Hmm…What would Jesus do?
I went to the NEO Church website. Can’t really tell who’s running it but it looks like the plan is to try to appeal to a younger generation by using technology and cooler, hipper images of religion. It’s probably a good idea. Religion has been steadily losing it’s hold. Fully 1/3 of so-called believers no longer attend any kind of religious service. Membership in organized religions has dropped precipitously in the U.S. So the NEO Church is trying a new approach. Fine.
The problem is that I would bet my next paycheck that the members of the NEO Church are as hypocritical as the members of most churches. They tout the Bible as the ultimate authority but I guarantee they only follow the rules they choose. The two guys who were out on I-77 looked pretty young. I don’t think either of them was married. So they’re virgins, right? Because premarital sex is a sin, right? And probably neither of them has ever been drunk, right? Because the Bible has contains several admonishments of drunkenness. And no one in the NEO Church has committed adultery, domestic violence, or stolen anything in their lives, right? More than 50% of married Americans are unfaithful at some point in their marriages and more than 90% of Americans profess a belief in God so you do the math. Oh, that’s right. You can just pray about it and God forgives you. You don’t actually have to LIVE according to your beliefs. You merely have to spout them.
I didn’t really give this another thought until driving to work this morning and seeing about 10 yard signs on the same entrance ramp that were disparaging to atheists. Basically, the gist of the signs (they were all the same) was that atheists have a special place reserved for them, presumably in Hell. Now, being an atheist, the message of the signs doesn’t bother me. Since I don’t believe in Heaven, I don’t believe in Hell either and I’m not worried.
What does irritate me is that if I had placed signs there that were offensive to Christians, they would probably have been torn down as soon as I left. At the very least, people would be offended and think it was inappropriate. If I had put up signs mocking Islam, people might want to kill me. But there’s absolutely no problem with offending atheists. I couldn’t put up highway signs mocking fat people, or blacks, or Jews, or Christians, or Muslims, or women, or just about any other group you can think of. But it is okay to display signs that might be offensive to atheists. No one cares what they think.
The real point of this is that the members of the NEO Church apparently don’t understand how much this weakens their argument. If the only way you can make yourselves look good is to disparage atheists, then how attractive is your way of life? Shouldn’t people just be drawn to it because it’s the truth? Shouldn’t Jesus’ message be powerful enough without having to mock the beliefs of others? And is mocking others really demonstrating your particular Christian philosophy? Hmm…What would Jesus do?
I went to the NEO Church website. Can’t really tell who’s running it but it looks like the plan is to try to appeal to a younger generation by using technology and cooler, hipper images of religion. It’s probably a good idea. Religion has been steadily losing it’s hold. Fully 1/3 of so-called believers no longer attend any kind of religious service. Membership in organized religions has dropped precipitously in the U.S. So the NEO Church is trying a new approach. Fine.
The problem is that I would bet my next paycheck that the members of the NEO Church are as hypocritical as the members of most churches. They tout the Bible as the ultimate authority but I guarantee they only follow the rules they choose. The two guys who were out on I-77 looked pretty young. I don’t think either of them was married. So they’re virgins, right? Because premarital sex is a sin, right? And probably neither of them has ever been drunk, right? Because the Bible has contains several admonishments of drunkenness. And no one in the NEO Church has committed adultery, domestic violence, or stolen anything in their lives, right? More than 50% of married Americans are unfaithful at some point in their marriages and more than 90% of Americans profess a belief in God so you do the math. Oh, that’s right. You can just pray about it and God forgives you. You don’t actually have to LIVE according to your beliefs. You merely have to spout them.
At this stage in my life, this kind of moral and intellectual dishonesty actually sickens me. I’m so tired of people espousing faith and beliefs and then living every single day as if those beliefs have no behavioral corollaries. It’s not just because I’m an atheist. It’s because I’m just tired of all the bullshit people shovel every day of their lives. I’m certain I’ve shoveled plenty in my life but I really have been making an effort to live more consistently with the beliefs I hold. While I frankly think that it is just plain stupid to believe in gods anymore, if someone wants to do that, let them knock themselves out. But don’t start attacking my beliefs unless you are living your own. It might be interesting to drop by the NEO Church during one of their services and see what enlightened human beings look like.
8 comments:
I am of the opinion that anyone who vehemently attacks other streams of thought or beliefs must have a pretty shakey belief system themselves. So to say offensive things about atheists falls into that opinion. How can someone else's atheism be threatening to me if my own faith is good?
Of course, fundamentalist beliefs are built on fear, which is threatened by everything. And anything that is black & white, with no shades of grey or questioning, is truthfully a house of cards.
This Neo Church sounds like a house of cards
Diva - I agree. I think you can debate belief systems on rational merits but to simply attack them because you hold a differing view makes no sense. My critiques of faith have generally been based on the lack of evidence for the foundations of it or the hypocritical behavior of its adherents. It's not based on the mere fact that they disagree with me.
Unfortunately in uncertain times people will often be preyed upon by those who claim to have answers. I just think that, as you said, if their faith is strong they don't need to attack my beliefs to make their point. Wouldn't you think they would want to offer a message of inclusion and positivity rather than deviseness?
Wouldn't you think they would want to offer a message of inclusion and positivity rather than deviseness?
Why, drdon, that would require thinking for themselves. The beauty of being in a fear-based religion is that those in charge think FOR them...
Atheists are persona non grata. Nobody cares whether we are offended, we are so low on the social/cultural scale of "people who matter"
Blueberry - You're right but it just ticks me off everytime I hear some overweight person proclaim that fat people are the last group you can freely offend in this country. I think atheists are lower than the obese.
That's why I really try to avoid being a fat atheist.
;-)
LMAO.
I was seriously pissed off when I read this post. And then, I went to the Web site. This is flat-out sinister.
I feel relatively certain that some of our community's biggest shakers are the bucks behind this fashionable approach to missionary work. That sickens me, and pisses me off all the more, because they sit there making work for themselves in board rooms and in corner offices while the real thinkers and doers are totally marginalized for their "Godlessness."
This is part of what bothers me about living up here. In Cleveland, you never really can be sure where someone stands. No one is up front about anything -- racism, homophobia, whatever social ill we can think of. It's not in your face like it might be in the south. It lurks in the region's bloodstream and manifests like this.
People often find things offensive when they do not fully understand them. This can apply to myself as well. We all have to make a choice in what we believe sooner or later. Not making a choice is a choice in an of itself. I am a memeber of NEO church, and the truth of the matter is that the one thing that I hold MOST valuable in NEO church is that the teachings are anything but wishy-washy. I as a Christian do not claim to be perfect. I am no better then anyone else. I am a sinner. The fantastic thing is- that God loves me even though I am a sinner. What defines me as being different is that I strive to live my life for Christ, I have given my life to Him, He is my savor. If that makes me weird then AWESOME! I spent far to many years aptempting to fill my life with things that truly did not take the lonliness, hate, pain and confustion away. I have accepted the Lord Christ as my savor. He is wonderful, and He is everything. So before you decide to laugh at our church from afar- I extend this challenge to you. Come and visit NEO church and feel free to laugh at us there. You just might be surpised that all of us "youger" people may have more convition than you relize. Further more- Thank you! for all of the posts. Its is a great reminder that as Christians we need to be remined that we should not be hypacritical. We need to learn to walk in the Lords way- and not in our own.
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