Mind Control

This week I was indirectly prodded back to the ol' blog by an old friend; inspired by the need to vent, if you will. Using this online avenue had always been a great source to dislodge the burs in my saddle and, having come to grips with the irresolvable polarity of most of the issues, the year long hiatus resulted. After all, what's the harm in differing opinions?

Bottom line for me: Don't get it. Don't buy it. Just giggle at the fundies. Roll my eyes at the prayer warriors. Shrug my shoulders and move on.

Alas, I cannot. Why? What harm is there?

• Because I can't resolve that a supposed just and merciful God exists?
• Because of a flawed "historical" narrative?
• Because of a disbelief in the suspension of the laws of nature?
• Because of the identical nature of creation/atonement/resurrection lore throughout history?
• Because of actual evidence debunking a 1st century text written by desert nomads?

Nope.

From all of the above I have sufficiently moved on. Stripping away all of the nonsense, I've finally discovered my CONTEMPT.

Make no mistake about it, when an authority figure in a child's life communicates a concept as truth, that person is implanting an indelible idea. To a child, Santa Claus, SpongeBob, Jesus Christ, and the hairy scary monster in the closet is the same.

Wikipedia defines an argument from authority (also known as appeal to authority) is a fallacy of defective induction, where it is argued that a statement is correct because the statement is made by a person or source that is commonly regarded as authoritative.

The most general structure of this argument is:
1. Source A says that p is true.
2. Source A is authoritative.
3. Therefore, p is true.

It's simple. When you teach a child that he is born corrupt and sinful, that his choice of belief determines his eternal body temperature; then you're forcing the child to fear and live in guilt. I lived it. For 10 long years.

Indoctrination and brain-washing.

The irony of it all is this. As a known infidel, I've been prompted with the question,
"But what will you tell your kids? Won't you do the same thing?"

Quite the opposite. The answer to me is, "Son, I don't know the truth. And you should question anyone who says they do, because they're full of poo-poo"

By all means go to church. Let them learn the stories. All stories.
Weigh the evidence. All evidence.
Expose them to all beliefs.

Question the most basic of claims. And if it doesn't add up logically then shrug your shoulders and move on.

But, the day a child becomes one of the following kids, that child has been given a full scholarship to the University of Nonsense.