Coin-Operated Jesus

Griping Soliloquy as to why I am an atheist/freethinker/critical thinker: At 5 years old, liked most Americans, I prayed that the Easter Rabbit would bring me goodies. When I was 10 I prayed that Santa Clause would do the same. At 25 I prayed that Jesus would bring me goodies. Then I got an education. I became a critical thinker, stopped believing in superstitions. Ceased my following of tradition and the status quo without questioning the roots of what I was following. I realized that I had been lead by mythology, wishful thinking philosophy, religions, ghosts, and other made up stories that are used in order to fill in the mysteries we are yet to discover. I pretty much grew old of the same script, sermon, and hypnotic-like state of mind that is tattooed to us kids by well-meaning parents, however mislead they are. I stopped praying to an invisible, fabled god and began to realize that, when it comes to gods, fiction surrounds people's believes (including our parents) just like it did our ancestors. If you dared attempt to think, just the simple task of thinking outside the box would get you in trouble, the same is still today, except that we are not sentenced to death like we would have been . Thinking killed Bruno (Please read about him). Thinking jailed the great Galileo (No need to introduce him). Thinking ousted Charles Darwin for his magnificent discoveries (Please see how his discoveries are ignored by many religious people). Thinking killed many great people in the Inquisitions (Read how horrific death was brought upon by great people). Keep in mind that these kinds of people that prosecuted innocent people also believed in Werewolves, Demons, and Witches. For such believes many more innocent people died. Remember the Salem's Witches trails? Exactly. (Please view the Crucible) People, INNOCENT people, were tortured, hanged, and abused into confession, worse were the Inquisitions if you can possibly imagine that. If someone was ill from schizophrenia, they had to be possessed by demons, they said, to they would starve them to death: it is still happening (Please read up on the real story behind the exorcism of Emily Rose). If their crops did not produce food, it had to be witches at work, so they would find them and kill them (innocent people). If earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, etc., occurred, it had to be a punishment from God. Sadly, that is still the way millions think, such as the likes of Pat Robertson. We must remember that just because something is repeated over and over again (Such as, “Thank you Jesus”), or believed by many others does not make it right nor true. Was the earth squared like millions believed? No. Did the sun revolved around the earth like millions, if not billions, believed? No. Dare to think about what you really know is verifiably true versus what you and others WANT to believe is true based on what your parents told you. Think of how your parents learned what they believe (Yes, from well-intentioned parents just like yours). A life full of ignorance and beliefs in gods is making people kill each other, such as what happened in the Crusades, and the current fight among Christianity and Islam. Yes, if we continue to be ignorant and pray to the an invisible man (the air), we support the idea (even if indirectly) to slow down science and instead wait in vain for help from a made up deity born of traditions and myths such as that of Zues or Mithra, Anubis, Ra, Isis, Osiris, Athena, Apollo, etc. Yes, there are about 5,000 gods, surprised? Welcome to religion 101. Go to www.answers.com and search "list of deities". Find out for yourself, but be ready to change your life for the better. Every culture, nation, tribe, race, etc., embrace their own personal god(s). Do we even know how to explain our god if indeed there is one? Can we provide just 5 identifiable characteristics as to what our god looks like? Just 5! So that others can know what it is they are to have faith in. Even if we do, we are then setting limitations on our "all powerful" own personal god (yes, every believer has a personal made up god). You say he/she/it has black hair. That means he can't have red, brown, or blonde hair, how is that all-powerful? Unfortunately, many people are not aware that many use god to get money and/or status by earning the support or vote of the ignorant (the good sense of the word ignorant is being used here). I invite you to grow, to think, to be a skeptic and not be taken advantage of (or your loved ones) due to ignorance, convenience, or routine. Learn, read, ask questions, question authority, question your pastor, be assertive, and once you reach the status of a freethinker - critical thinker, you may regret not having read something such as what I have just written down much sooner, I sure did have my regrets! Do not get me wrong, I have religious friends whom I adore, but they are misguided, mislead, and programmed just like I was. This is why I share my thoughts, although the religious still say it must be the devil working something through me. Even if I am the greatest person on earth, discover the cure for cancer and AIDS, according to them I am still going to hell along with my loved ones, unless I believe. In contrast, a serial killer that repents on his death bed will enter heaven, so the Bible says. How moral is that? LEARN people, you will gain confidence, when you realize that after all you are not a worthless sinner from birth, and you can not accomplish anything without a god’s help. Think of your morals (values, duties, priorities), there is no need to humiliate yourself to a ghostly figure, there is no reason why you should fear a hell (thought to you by your parents, society and/or tradition). I look forward to hearing about a better you. Oh yeah, also look up the word “naïve”, “ignorant”, and compare those with “freethinking” and “critical thinker”. Remember, nothing fails as prayer does, as you probably already know........................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ........................................"If there is a God, may he strike YOU dead". "See, there is no God". - George Carlin.. width="425" height="350" ..Spanish version .. width="425" height="350" ..