Interesting Q&A that sheds some light on this religion:

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/z6ufq/iama_hardcore_mormon_who_will_tell_you_what_we/

-BT

The idea of heaven (or paradise) sounds so...heavenly. And yet when I think about it, it doesn't make a lot of sense.



The idea of heaven implies a place where there is nothing but happiness. So to me, that means that I will be among the friends and family that I love. I don't think I can be happy all the time if I'm always on my own. Certainly when I have gone to Christian funerals, the implication has been that we're going to see the deceased person in heaven. On the other hand,… Continue

Having just gotten back from vacation it struck me how good a job the people of Gideon's bible have done of distributing their bible. It's truly amazing that pretty much every hotel room I stay in (in the U.S. at least) contains a copy. The unfortunate thing is that they (Gideon) seem to have somewhat of a monopoly at the moment. Wouldn't it be great if there was a book (or maybe even a pamphlet?) sitting next to their bible that provided details of what non-religious people believe, based on… Continue

When push comes to shove, there aren't many religious people who truly believe in their religion. The litmus test is how a person feels about death itself.



Assuming you are a religious person, allow me to ask you a few questions:



Firstly, how do you feel about your own death? Are you afraid of dying or are you looking forward to it? Does death seem like a wonderful journey? Or are you scared?



How about any friends and family that you currently have that are… Continue

On my way to work today in Chicago I took a detour and stopped off at a local church. I sat there for a while and closed my eyes for a few minutes. I happened to be next to the confessional boxes and some fake flickering candles. The building itself was really impressive, lots of marble, and it was extremely peaceful. I thought to myself, these religious folks actually do have something, you know. If you take away all the words and beliefs and repeated gestures and intolerance for other faiths,… Continue

Outwardly, Barack Obama projects an image of himself as a good Christian man. He goes to church on Sunday and proclaims "God bless America". This has me wondering, is this a means to an end, or is Barack a true believer? After all, the young Barack was raised by a woman who, if not an atheist, was at the very least, agnostic. Ann Dunham, his mother, was a freethinker who was unencumbered by strong ties to a particular religion. She introduced Barack not just to one particular religion, but to… Continue

Living in Indiana, whenever I go to the grocery store on Sundays I am reminded of how my rights have been compromised by the religious. I am unable to buy liquor on Sundays. While it may seem a minor inconvenience, it is a concrete and glaring manifestation of a failure of separate of church and state. To quote the wikipedia article on blue laws:



Many states still prohibit selling alcohol on Sunday, or at least before noon on… Continue

Dear reader,



I was raised (loosely) as a Roman Catholic. I went to a Catholic comprehensive school in London on the weekdays and church on Sundays. Well, most Sundays. One time I snuck away with my brother and we bought comic books with the collection money. That was more fun than church! But over time I have become an atheist. As I grow older and spend more time thinking about life, I cannot bring myself to stay religious. The more I think about it, the less I am able to buy into… Continue

Dear reader,



A simple question from a simple person: Where is God? If he exists, he must be somewhere. I don't mean in the metaphorical sense, as in, "Wow I am going through a bad patch right now, God where are you?" but rather as in physically, where the fuck is he? I mean, for a person to believe in something, typically it has to BE somewhere. Is he in Australia? Is he down a mine shaft? Is he on Uranus? Is he on the other side of the galaxy? Is he far, far away, in the outer… Continue

Gentle reader,



I am nominally an atheist - a person who does not believe in God or Gods. It has been said many times before that defining oneself as an atheist is a strange thing to do. To do that is to name yourself for something that you are not. In the same way, I could call myself an "avegetarian" (since I do eat meat).



Beside the nonsense factor behind the word "Atheist", I think we have just about reached a point here in the United States where using the "A" word to… Continue