Being Intolerant To Religious Bullshit: Is It Really Justified?

Like many outspoken atheists who have taken a pro-active stance against religious irrationality and tyranny, I have been accused by rather morbidly pious Christians about my somewhat unabashed, clear-cut diatribes against Christians, and that I have exhibited a somewhat unkindly and cruel attitude towards Christianity & other religions.

In short, I have been accused of intolerance, and some would liken my intolerance towards religion, particularly the monotheistic variety, with racism and even misogyny.

As readers will find out from reading my posts, I have never been apt to shy away from being overtly critical to most forms of religious bullshit. If anything else, I have often encouraged that intolerance in some shape and form should always be exhibited, particularly so when irrational belief is concerned.

Freedom To Belief

Before I begin, allow me to reinstate my position with regards to beliefs of any shape and sort: Any individual should be allowed to practice and exhibit his or her own set of beliefs within a social or personal setting. Belief is a universal right, and as such no government or private institution should interfere with a citizen's right to belief, unless the belief is potentially harmful (e.g religious terrorism in the form of suicide attacks).

You can, for example, believe that the Earth is flat, the Moon is made up of green cheese, or some other nonsensical, superfluous belief, but I have no right, nor do I want to tell you not to wallow in your nonsensical belief. A personal opinion is, after all, a personal conviction made within the sanctity of one's own cranium.

In sum, everyone is entitled to the freedom to belief, which coincides with the freedom to free speech.

Intolerance to Belief

That said, my respect, or should I say, the respect of other atheists and secular thinkers, comes with strings attached.

While I may be inclined to hold a sympathetic position to a person's right to belief, I am not obliged to hold similar beliefs or even respect the dogmatic position of a belief system. I will even go one step further (which is really my prerogative) to ridicule and mock at a belief system based simply on the sheer ludicrousness and the complete absence of proof of a belief, and this lack of apathy towards a belief cannot be construed as a blatant attack on the individual or group unless stated otherwise.

The status quid quo quo applies: While a person is entitled to belief, the belief system itself is not impervious to criticism or rebuttal. If a Christian or theist thinks that the religion he or she subscribes to is legitimate and sound in logic, then they should find ways to counteract such criticisms, instead of crying foul and intolerance on the part of the atheist. After all, a sound system of any institution should be able to stand up on its feet against criticism (like science, for example) and withstand the test of time, instead of silencing and punishing dissent (like the Vatican, for two millennial).
Campaigning Against Religious Infringement On Secular, Government Institutions

Another persistent complaint I get from Christians is the consistent removal of religious relics (Eg. Ten Commandments plaque and Bible) & religious functions (e.g religious prayers) from the offices of government institutions and classrooms of government schools. These pious fools cry hue over what they perceive to be an infringement upon their rights to practicing their religion, and far from being rational about it, religious organizations have fought tooth-and-nail to inject their beliefs into the government system, often with detrimental results.

Why, for example, would the Kansas Board of Education even consider teaching Creationism alongside with Evolution? Does Creationism, with its "Young Earth Theory", ever been scrutinized and peer-reviewed by real scientists?

Evolution, on the other hand, has tons of evidence, ranging from a myriad of fossils to carbon dating techniques, which have consistently pointed to a gradual, constant change of species over a vast expense of time. The Creationists want our children to believe that Adam and Eve were the first human beings to be created by a deity, whose curiously inept IQ caused him to cast upon Paradise the Father of all Evils (The Devil) to tempt and taunt his otherwise perfect Creation. When events took a turn for the worst, Man is adjudged to have run afoul of God's strangely erratic rulebook. Is this the kind of stuff that should be taught in public schools, or the religious confines of a church?

However disenchanted an atheist may be, he or she must begrudge the fact that religious institutions are free to preach their bullshit within their religious confines. But why the incessant need to bring their bullshit into government institutions?

If Creationism, or Christianity-in-disguise, is allowed to be taught in public schools on a consensus based on religious tolerance, how tolerant must we be? Bending backwards to allow public schools to teach the story of Bumba's vomiting Creation? Or the Hindi Creationist version?

As far as prayers are concerned, the ban on prayers is restricted to a public prayer. No child or student should be banned from praying over dinner, for example, in the school cafeteria. Just don't flaunt your silly conversations with Gawd over the PA system, or in the school assembly area. Is that too much an infringement to a Christian's right? Yes? What if, for example, a Muslim demands his right to recite his Koran over the PA system? Expect the Christian to quickly respond with a "Get Out You Muslim Infidels" campaign with no time at all.

It is no coincidence why Christianity often takes the butt of the Atheist's cruel jokes: Their incessant, almost choking need to shove down their fucking stupid piety & dogma down the throats of all and sundry means that they will be mocked at by infidels of all shapes and sizes. No one will give a damn about their beliefs if they could have simply stuck with proselytizing in their churches. For example, how many atheists do you see blasphemising against the Bahai religion?

If Christians do not want to be lampooned or "persecuted" (Damn, those Christians always love to pretend to be passive, don't they?), they should perhaps respect the rules of the game: Keep your religion to thyself, stop making an ass of yourself with your stupid piety, and leave government and society to their own devices.

Keep Your Jesus Off My Penis
©2004 Eric Schwartz

Keep your Jesus off my penis
Keep your bible off my balls
Keep your prayers out of my ears
And your crosses off my walls
You can keep the virgin mother
And the resurrection too
Keep your Jesus off my penis
I'll keep my penis off of you

Well I'm frickin' sick and tired
Of turning on the news
And seeing the religious right's
Ungodly fight to take our right to choose
When to bear our children
Who to love and how
Education and protection
If we're just practicing for now
So dubya look obey a book
If that's what works for you
But I don't tell you how to pray
So don't tell me how to screw

Keep your Jesus off my penis
Keep your bible off my balls
Keep your prayers out of my ears
And your crosses off my walls
You can keep the virgin mother
And the resurrection too
Keep your Jesus off my penis
I'll keep my penis off of you

So you’re screaming bloody murder
'Bout the taliban regime
For subjugating women
And being too extreme
And basing legislation
On some ancient holy book
Does that sound a bit familiar?
Here's a mirror, have a look

And as for the ten commandments
They need one more at least
Thou shall never cover up
The acts of pervert priests
How'd they let that happen
Unless they just abhor us
Well anyway it adds
Another layer to the chorus

Keep your Jesus off my penis
Keep your bible off my balls
Keep your prayers out of my ears
And your crosses off my walls
You can keep the virgin mother
And the resurrection too
Keep your Jesus off my penis
I'll keep my penis off of you

So you'll execute a person
And protect a single cell
But mercy-kill the terminally ill
And you're goin' straight to hell
I don't know much about
The word of God
Far be it from me
But I can tell you what it ain't
Hypochristianity

I am not anti-Christian
Before you grab a rope
There is beauty in religion
And joy and love and hope
We're all looking for an answer
Some colossal cosmic cause
But who the fuck are you
To turn your views into my laws?
It's just believers in the bible
That would have abortion banned
Anti-choice agnostics?
I could count’em on one hand
And as for killing babies
I have but one retort
If someone raped your daughter George
You'd beg her to abort

And if some young girl from your church
Shows up with child or some infection
‘Cuz you taught her what a horrid sin
It was to use protection
One day you'll face the pearly gates
And whatchu gonna say
When that long-haired Jewish peacenick
Sends your ass the other way sayin’

Keep your Jesus off my penis
Keep your bible off my balls
Keep your prayers out of my ears
And your crosses off my walls
I've had it up to here
With all the biblibile you spew
Keep your Jesus off my penis
(at least that's what I would do)
Keep your Jesus off my penis
I'll keep my penis off of you
That's if'n you want me to