Postcards to say something: 026 – As Others See Us, Darkly…

A renowned philosopher, Jason7463, once wrote the immortal words:

Thats the problem with atheistism,its so damned depressing.Basically says,your fucked so get used to it.

As is so frequently the case with deeper thinkers of this stamp, the wording, punctuation and homophone-swappage is fully sic. Still, let’s transcend that barrier, and look deeply into the void that is “atheistism as seen by Jason7463″.

Firstly there is “atheistism” to consider. I am grateful to Jason7463 for the peculiar wording he has employed in his exposition, as it serves to throw a common error into stark highlight. A person may be an atheist, but to consider atheism as an “-ism” in its own right is to overlook the derivation of the word. A- (meaning “not”) -theism (meaning “believing in a god or gods”) is not a belief, but the rejection of one. To imply that a belief must fill that void is to fall into error. This is usually illustrated by showing that baldness is not a hair colour, and that not collecting stamps is not, in and of itself, a hobby.

Now, is this “absence of belief in a god or gods” as damned depressing as Jason7463 claims? From personal experience and testimonial evidence available, I must say that the opposite applies in the majority of cases. This seems especially true when the subject has experienced belief.

Relieved from the stress of trying to reframe my entire existence to ensure its relative popularity with the invisible distributor of vengeance, largesse and misfortune, and all the forgive me this, show me the way that, and fitting the bigger picture against prophecy… not to mention the sizable cognitive dissonance between “Jesus said” and “Church does”, I am actually beginning to enjoy life.

Of course, we can safely dispense with the “damned” bit…

Basically says,your fucked… I don’t think so. If anything, now that I don’t rely on intangible (and let’s face it, non-manifest) means of support, I tend to plan all details of a project with the most pessimistic outcomes in mind. (The optimum and most likely are also considered: it’s a project management thing.)

The result is a tendency to be more mindful of circumstances and interdependencies: in short, to be careful. I may eventually wind up “fucked”, but entropy guarantees that for everyone.

…so get used to it. The fatalism implicit in such a statement is more indicative of the “let go and let god” type of person. Any situation has options: acceptance, avoidance, negotiation, or even aggression.

I’m alive for now. This is all the life I get, and I’ll play the ball as it lies, go to the clubhouse, or picnic on the fairway if I deem it suitable. I don’t have eternity to waste on harp lessons.
Life is mostly okay, and there’s plenty undone yet. “Used to it”? Only a person who missed a lot of interesting stuff could say that.

Deny the Holy Spirit, home of denial and blasphemy in a simple and elegant solution.

In co-operation with jesusallboutlife.com, a new service has opened up that gives you a quick and easy way to damn yourself for eternity.

Sick and tired of those annoying attempts to save your eternal soul? Why not damn yourself forever and be done with it? We have a sneak peak of a project already taking signatories, that provides a more open service that the Blasphemy Challenge that runs on youtube. A big props goes out to the people at Rational Responders and The God Movie for sparking an initial project in our ongoing atheist ‘projects for fun and profit’.

Don’t despair: there is a way to get preaching, praying, proselytizing pests off your back for ever! In the very same Bible these guys are waving in your face, is the Permanent Solution: “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:29)

At DenyTheHolySpirit.com, they want to help. Use their facilities to record your denial, and we’ll provide you with a printable Certificate Of Irrevocable Damnation (coming soon), suitable for framing, display, or mopping up the tears of your grieving religious relatives.

Use our Registry Of The Damned to record your sign-off from the Eternal Harp Orchestra: you can always point ‘em to your own personal link if they don’t believe you.

Stop in at our Store Of The Damned, for “I Deny The Holy Spirit” shirts, “Jesus Can’t Save ME!” wallet cards (repel missionaries faster than any other product), and other unholy pleasures. (Again, these products are coming soon!)