Your God Is Too Small PDF
Preview Your God Is Too Small
P a g e | 1 Table of Contents Introduction Section 1: Leaving Faith The Foundation of Atheist Republic - Mohammed Savage Life as an Atheist in an Islamic Republic - Abbas Syed Church is For the Deaf, My Christian Experience in the Bible Belt - Sage Mauldin Once Upon A Time In Texas – Lee Myers Section 2: What Is This “God” You Speak Of? Your God Is Too Small – Tom Hanak Why There Is No God: Quick Responses to 10 Common Theist Arguments - Armin Navabi What Has God Done For Mankind - Casper Rigsby Dear God You Might Be Psychotic - Michael Sherlock History of Hell - Rob Sharples If God Does Exist.. - James Lawrence The Worst Religious Holiday – Dean Van Drasek Origin of Christmas: A Pagan Holiday - Debapriya Chatterjee P a g e | 2 Section 3: Morality Atheist Morals? Don't Read This Unless You Are Very Brave – Dean Van Drasek Not Separate, And More Than Equal - Vish Carvaka Why I'm Not A Homicidal Maniac – Lee Myers Atheists And Our Furry Friends – Dean Van Drasek Section 4: Islam (So Bad It Got Its Own Section) After Weighing Plethora Of Options, Bangladeshi Baby Finally Rests On Islam - Steven Lo “Islamophobia:” Can It Be Considered A Type of Racism? - James Lawrence Islam: A Religion Of Peace? Do Not Insult My Intelligence! – James Lawrence Section 5: The Thinking Life Faith: The Most Absurd And Perverse Idea Ever Conceived – J.D. Brucker Religion: Womb of Arrogance and Irrationality – Storme YHWH's Magnum Opus Deals A Mortal Blow To Pascal's Wager – Randall Hogan The “Don't Ask Don't Tell” of The Soul - Dean Van Drasek I Call It Faux-Stockholm Syndrome – Allie Jackson Christopher Hitchens Was Wrong – Dean Van Drasek God Does Not Play Dice - Steven Lo P a g e | 3 God-Men: Atheism & The Cults of Personality – Vish Carvaka Multiculturalism: A Demise Greatly Exaggerated – Blake Ross Section 6: What Inspires Atheists? Seven Things Atheists Should be Fighting For – Dean Van Drasek Five Things Believers Can Do That Atheists Can't – Dean Van Drasek Five Reasons Why Sex Can Be Better For Atheists - Dean Van Drasek The Right to Hope - Vish Carvaka Atheist, Humanist, Non-religious: Do Labels Matter? - Makeesha Fisher Stop Mutilating Children In Name Of Religion – Dean Van Drasek Suffer the Little Children – Lee Myers The Meaning of Life - Casper Rigsby Shout At The Devil – Lee Myers What a Skeptical Parent Teaches about Religion - Karen Loethen Section 7: Death & Grief The Death of a Great Atheist – Dean Van Drasek The Grief Thieves – Casper Rigsby Dealing with Death as an Atheist - Alyssa Ahrens Section 8: Respect Dear Theism: A Pragmatic Letter to the Religious – Robert Poe P a g e | 4 Religious Intolerance? People & Ideas Must Not Be Treated As Equals – Casper Rigsby Respect For Religion – James Lawrence Section 9: The Problem with Religion is... Anti-Intellectualism and the Biblical Fall of Man – Casper Rigsby Discovering The Unexpected - Science vs Religion – Dean Van Drasek Religion: The Silent Assassin Of European Free Speech - Jurian Janssen Section 10: Experiences Give up the Ghost – Casper Rigsby God’s Relevance to Me as an Atheist in the Context of U.S. Politics - Carolann Engelhaupt Meet The Monster – Casper Rigsby P a g e | 5 Introduction For billions of people around the globe, god and religion are the biggest things in their lives. Even for those not very devout believers, their belief is a part of how they think about themselves and for most of them god is very big. However, for a small minority of people the idea of god is small and pitiful. We look out into the universe and see something so amazing that it could not possibly be the work of these tiny imagined gods of mankind. These gods whom we are given that display such ignoble traits as jealousy and outright hubris. We see the harm that religion brings to humanity. We see the injustice, inequality, and division amongst men that it causes. We see humanity being stifled by these religions and these tiny gods. We at Atheist Republic have a message we have steadily tried to convey. That message is that we as human beings are bigger than these imaginary gods. We believe that humanity is greater than gods and doctrines. What we offer with this title are not standard atheist arguments against the existence of god, but rather these are the best articles we could compile from our writers that convey the spirit of atheism. These articles present the real thoughts and feelings of everyday average atheists. We are friends and family. We are doctors and lawyers. We are pharmacists, biologists, and engineers. We are ordinary people who see a universe that is bigger than any god man has ever imagined. Who Are We? Atheist Republic is a non-profit organization with upwards of a million fans and followers worldwide that is dedicated to offering a safe community for atheists around the world to share their ideas and meet like-minded individuals. Atheists are a global minority, and it's not always safe or comfortable for them to discuss their views in public. At the very least, discussing one’s atheistic views can be uncomfortable and ostracizing. In some countries, expressing such views can put someone in physical danger. By offering a safe community for atheists to share their opinions, Atheist Republic hopes to boost advocacy for those whose voices might otherwise be silenced. P a g e | 6 For more discussions and articles about the topics included in each chapter, visit us at AtheistRepublic.com. We also invite you to sign up for the Atheist Republic newsletter for unique insights and stories from the Atheist Republic community. Feel free to contact us for feedback, suggestions or any other inquiries. P a g e | 7 Section 1: Leaving Faith Behind P a g e | 8 The Foundation of Atheist Republic By: Mohammed Savage Having been an active member of The Atheist Republic for quite a number of years, and an inactive one for even longer, I began to wonder about many of the same things which led me to be an atheist. Why am I here? Who made this place? What is the purpose of this place? The main difference between the two instances being that one line of questioning could be definitively answered. Throughout my time here, I saw other members echo similar sentiments. Being the proactive, contributing member of our small society I am, I dedicated a portion of my time to unearthing some of these mysteries. Though it should be common knowledge by now, many members are unaware of precisely who the admins of this page are. Even more members are unaware of the fact that our current group of admins didn’t found or create our beloved community. I won’t get too much into detail regarding the admin identities, as they can be easily located at the top of Atheist Republic’s private group (on the pinned post). However, one of the admins is a member by the name of Armin Navabi. Armin is the individual responsible for the creation of The Atheist Republic, and our sometimes mysterious benefactor. Not much is known about him, and that is not a trait exclusive to the general populace of The Atheist Republic. Armin remains a mystery in all of his public circles, including those that govern his many endeavors, such as The Atheist Republic. Until now, Armin has preferred to remain relatively secretive regarding his personal life and information, and with good reasons. However, I was lucky (mostly persuasive) enough to snag a short interview with him. I would like to share my findings with all of you. Our Mysterious Benefactor Armin was born and raised in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was indoctrinated quite thoroughly from birth in the Muslim tradition. He would pray regularly, five times a day, as all Muslims are mandated to. Growing up, he was afraid of all the things which good Muslims are supposed to be P a g e | 9 afraid of, hell, sin, the devil etc. The only thing which terrified him more than the thought of his own everlasting torment was the possibility of his mother being sent to hell. To his young mind this was a possibility since she didn’t pray regularly, five times a day as he did. During his formative years, Armin attended Muslim classes. In one such class he learned that according to Islam, if a boy were to perish prior to the age of 15, access to heaven would be guaranteed, regardless of any other extenuating circumstances. The same rule also applied to girls, however for them the cutoff age is nine. This thought stuck with Armin, and driven by the fear instilled in him by his religion it began to consume him. In his young mind, there it was. A surefire, absolute method to gain access to that which all Muslims strive for their entire lives. It confounded him to no end that none of his peers or elders had discovered such a wonderful and easy shortcut. He would not be one such sheep; he wouldn’t allow the joys of a full life to pull the wool over his young eyes. His future course of action became crystal clear. After making up his mind, steeling his resolve and after a number of failed attempts, Armin finally launched himself from one of the higher windows in his school. Dedicated and Commitment This was his attempt to end his life, and guarantee his future ascendance. Needless to say, it didn’t work out quite as he had hoped. Armin survived his suicide attempt, but was ravaged by injury. Among the injuries he suffered were a broken wrist, two broken legs and an injured back. After the accident, Armin was confined to a wheelchair for the next seven months. Even after regaining permission to ambulate further, he still required months before he was able to travel with some semblance of independence. Wracked by more than the physical injuries of his failed suicide attempt, Armin was torn apart by the effect his actions had on his mother. No longer deluded by the temptation of an easy way to heaven, Armin dedicated himself even more so to his religion. He prayed more frequently, studied Islam in excruciating detail, attempted to learn all he could to be a better Muslim, and regularly begged his parents to follow suit. Nary a day passed when he wouldn’t request his parents to join him in his daily prayers. P a g e | 10
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