The Day Humanity
Advances Itself
Brian Gard
From: "Brian Gard"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Subject: Humor_And_Bigotry:_A_Fine_Line
Date: September 11, 2001 6:16 PM
I have been reading your most excellent and extensive site on Atheism for two months now. My hero is Robert Green Ingersoll who before I had never heard about before. I am an atheist who lives in Pocatello Idaho where I was born and raised. This area is at least 50 percent Mormon and a smattering of the more familiar Christian religions. To people from out of the area the Methodist, Catholics, Presbyterians and others seem very fanatical, mostly I believe because the Mormons keep them stirred up. To me they are all psycho.
I have been an atheist since 10 years of age, and went to church until 5 years of age when I learned to climb trees and put myself "Out of Harm's Way." My dad somewhat religious, but my mom is too smart for that. I have noted my entire life that religion and insanity go together, the most insane are most devout. I have not had the opportunity to talk with too many atheist in my life, but do know a few.
The most generous kind understanding and helpful people I have known are not religious people, the devoutly religious seem so bent on serving their god they do not have much time for humanity.
As far as nut cases making threats, just idle cowardness, I would not concern myself with them.
It has been a delight reading your site, I have became aware of the wisdom of our founding fathers of Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Franklin, Paine, smart men who saw the truth and set up a nation that has largely escaped the misery of their ancestors. I have always enjoyed Mark Twain's writings and that is how I found your site on a Google Search.
I am a computer programmer with a degree in Ecology, I think I would call myself a naturalist. I was always offended by Christianity, it is an insult to humanity and a crime against nature. I feel validated reading the quotes of former greats including Ingersoll, Twain, Paine, Voltaire, Franklin, George Carlin, Frank Zappa. I feel more at peace and validated from information I have gained, refreshing to know that my independent thoughts here alone in Southern Idaho, land of insanely religious, I have many of the same thoughts and conclusions as many who wrote long ago.
No need to dismiss religious on scientific basis, Christianity, as Ingersoll wrote, can be dismissed on moral grounds alone. That an infinite God who created men, also tortured for eternity the same men who did not have the capacity to believe or worship the same God. What kind of a perfect God would create men to torture them for eternity, made no sense to me at 10, and less now. The day when superstition (religion) is recognized for what it is (a hoax), is the day humanity advances itself.
This is the best site on the web, keep up the good work, and acknowledge the tremendous service you do to all of human kind, only good will come from your efforts. Being slandered by low-lifes should be taken as a compliment. Reality is hard to accept for disillusioned insane types, and it hurts them too.
Brian Gard
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