I Blame (Thank) The Media For My Atheism

I’m asked periodically, how I can be an athiest. The answer is simple, organized religions really don’t make a whole lot of sense. Most of them. I do agree with a vast majority of the Pagan method of looking at things and might even “join up,” if that’s the right term, except for one thing. A lot of their services take place outside and have to do with nature, which I’m allergic to. If anyone knows a Techno-Pagan society… but I digress. Television and movies have, all too often, shown the ugly side of religions and, unfortunately, many people believe the way the people on TV do.

Let me give an example. Let’s start with the 1985 film, Highlander. The story, in a nutshell, is the adventures of Connor McCleod of the Clan McCleod. He was born in the Highlands of Scotland in 1500 or so and is immortal. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy movie, just go with it. Early on in the movie, Connor and his clan are set to do battle with a neighboring (I guess) clan. During the battle, Connor is stabbed with a fairly large sword and everyone thinks he dies.

But wait! The movie just started and it’s about this guy being immortal! So, yeah, he wakes up after he receives last rights and all is well. Except, the people of his village don’t like him anymore. He came back from the dead. His fiance, who I’m sure had a name but I’ve missed it every time and can’t be bothered to look it up, claims that it can’t be Connor. “He’s got the devil in him. He’s in league with Lucifer (the devil – duh).” Connor denies it, of course, because, well, he isn’t… or doesn’t. Whichever.

I’ve seen similar scenes, not just in movies, but in the news. Someone comes back miraculously, and it’s an evil thing…? Let’s look at Connor’s case for a moment. He came back from the dead and that’s evil? Jesus came back from the dead. Did he have “the devil in him?” Christians surely don’t think so. Or do they? I haven’t figured that out.

If you’ll notice, there are a lot of instances of things like this throughout history… and not just fiction. If something good happens, the devil must be involved. It’s an evil thing. But if something horrible happens, death, disease, disaster, another “d” word, then it’s “God’s will.” You’ve heard this before. I’m not telling you anything new.

But look at it this way. If something good happens, the devil, or the bad guy, did it. If something horrible happens, God, or the good guy, did it. So, following this, the devil wants good things to happen and God wants to kill everyone. Don’t believe that? Look at the story of Noah. God killed everyone but one family in that story.

This begs the question, in my mind, are you sure you’re worshiping the right person, here? I see a lot of people heaping praise on the guy who wants to kill everyone and hatred for the person who seems to be helping people. (Maybe this is where Conservatives/Republicans come from.)

Do I understand this? No. Not in the slightest. Does this make me a devil worshiper? More likely since he seems to be the nicer of the two, but no. I don’t much care for the concept of either. People have spend millennia now worshiping this, so-called, God. Spending lots of time in cold stone buildings heaping praise in his general direction. I don’t understand the concept of giving thanks to someone for floods, disasters and cancer. Maybe if he came down and explained himself…