“I’m not a slave to a god that doesn’t exist.” – Marilyn Manson
Today is International Blasphemy Rights Day.
• Many Christians interpret Mark 3:29 to mean that blaspheming is the one unforgivable sin. Once it happens, no amount of prayer or regret can take away one’s sentence to Hell.
• Islam considers blasphemy a form of apostasy. The punishment for apostasy is death under sharia. (“Religion of peace?”)
• In Judaism, the third book of the Torah states that blasphemers shall be punished by death.
So here I go: I do not believe in any theistic god or gods. I do not believe in the supernatural, period – No ghosts, no gods, no goddesses, no souls, no spirits, no holy ghosts, no angels, no demons. If the Abrahamic God turns out to actually exist, he would not be a deity that I would worship or have any respect for. God, as portrayed in the three major Abrahamic religions is a vicious asshole. I am aware that these words I am typing are blasphemous and if the Bible were actually true, I would spend an eternity in Hell. But I am so confident in my disbelief in the utter bullshit of the Bible that I am not scared to say this. I don’t believe in the thousands of other possible gods, either, so if those religions have blasphemy rules, I want to break them as well. I am aware that there is no going back.
What I am doing is not at all brave because I’m not scared at all. But I will say that there are many people who live in countries where there is no separation of church and state, so the people in those regions who do “commit apostasy” are brave. There are countries where being a religious minority or having no religion is an enforced crime. If I lived in Saudi Arabia, I could be legally punished for posting this. Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam online and may face the death penalty. He is certainly not the only instance of such extreme punishments for voicing a controversial opinion.
I am not trying to convince anyone to be an atheist by my post. But I am letting people know that I am allowed to express my disbelief, just as you are allowed to express your belief. Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion. And I want you to know that I am not scared to break the rules of your religion because they are not my religion. Although the United States does not have enough separation of church and state, I am very glad to at least live in a country with the freedom we do have and that being an atheist is not a crime. However, there are parts of the country where being openly atheist would have me shunned by the community and even make it hard to find a job or make friends. I lived in a place like that before. But I am thankful that I won’t go to jail for it.
Now enjoy this video by Nine Inch Nails, for Christ’s sake.
