False Piety

Found this post with a link to one of my Doggerel entries. The Raging Reverend pretty well covers some problems with prayer. You know, beyond being a catalog for the superstitious: It's a convenient way for the egotistical to show off their piety.

I left a rambly comment covering some of my thoughts. Some will get reiterated here: Early in my life, I developed a suspicion about anyone who put a lot of effort into displaying their Christianity after learning about corruption among televangelists. Discovering fundies who were just hunky-dory with Hell, Old Testament genocide, and so forth didn't inspire confidence.

The general principle that followed was that the more effort a person put into demonstrating their religiosity, the more immoral they were likely to be. From that point on, I was pretty much uncomfortable whenever I saw a religious t-shirt, whether or not it was being worn. Eventually, I got sick enough after meeting a fire and brimstone fundie serving as a Sunday School teacher that I pretty much rejected the "Christian" label and went squishy "spiritual, not religious" before eventually finding my way to atheism.

I may be an atheist blogger, but I'm sure I've got a fair share of Christians, 'squishy' theists, and so on and so forth who, for some reason or another, don't show off. You're welcome to speak up here. And it'd be heartwarming to hear some of you take on the fundies for their vicious nature.

Oh, and you don't have to worry too much about me taking you through the troll-wringing process, since you're more than likely kind-hearted people, if a little off.