Letters to the Editor

For HumanistNetworkNews.org
Sept. 30, 2009

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Atheists come out of the closet

(Re: Big Claims Follow Small Findings, Humanist Network News, Sept. 16, 2009.)

Why are there so many atheists? It's the education/communication evolution. The old ruling classes and the church didn't want the manipulated/exploited masses to gain any power by learning how to read and write. As we communicate, the doubts of the almost brainwashed are brought out.

It becomes more clear day after day, that the myths and superstitions are not the answers to the questions that, at least to this point, are unanswerable. I appreciate those who attempt to live a Christ-like life but detest the actions of those who want to force the rest of us to accept the lies.

-- Jean Clelland-Morin, les Sables d'Olonne,  France

Wishful thinking about religious belief

(Re: Ask Richard: Handle with Care -- Fragile Religious Believers, Humanist Network News, Sept. 16, 2009.)

In Richard Wade's article, he says, "I do not begrudge those who decide that they need something like religion to cling to while they are hurting, vulnerable and overwhelmed. When later they have recovered, I hope that they can see that it was actually their own strength, determination, willingness to work with others, and the acts of kindness of others that really got them through."

This is all well and good, but I think it is a bit of wishful thinking. The very real problem is that people who use religion to overcome major life problems rarely give themselves or their support system credit for getting out of whatever hole they were in. Instead, the religious belief usually gets the credit, mainly because religions like Christianity keep the charade going by telling followers that they're basically worthless human beings without religious faith.

By telling people that they need religion to solve their problems, they keep people chained to the religion because many of them will think that without it, they'll fall back into their old lives and old problems. I do agree that religion can be a good tool to help someone overcome adversity when it would appear that all else fails. Unfortunately it tends to become a crutch and keeps people from seeing that it was their own willpower that got them over a low spot in life.