Letter to the Editor: August 02, 2006
Below is the full text of the latest offering from one of Barbados' most vocal unbelievers:
"ALL I CAN DO is howl and roll on the ground, holding my belly in fits of laughter when I hear all the rubbish about "prophesy" and "God told me this" and "God told me that" talk. There is not one single bit of evidence to support all this God talk that goes around and which mystifies and entrances the Barbadian (and other) publics. In the name of God, in this day, we have Western nations railing against countries in the Middle East and Asia. In the name of the same God we have the same Middle East nations railing against the West. One is "righteous" the other 'terrorist'. Which is which? From the first crusade launched by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095 to the last in 1270, we had "Christians" exhorted to march to the Middle East to kill evil Muslims and Jews. The slaughter of Jews and Muslims was horrifying. Cities were devastated, women were raped, and both adults and children were killed without mercy. All in the name of Jesus. "God" as postulated by religion is an intellectual creation of man, and a purely contrived idea. And "theology" nothing more than comic-book philosophy. Does man have free will or not? If we do have free will, then such a thing as "prophesy" is impossible. For prophesy indicates something coming from which we are unable to flee, whereas if we do have free will, we can escape. Of course you and I can make prophesies. I can prophesy that shortly after 6 p.m this evening it will get dark and night will come. I can prophesy that "coming soon there will be a terrific storm with much thunder and lightning". But are these prophesies?
What makes me laugh the hardest is when churches and mosques and pilgrims and innocent people get blasted to smithereens. Apparently God does not protect His own. When you ask a cleric why this happens you are told: "God does not interfere in the free will of men." That's cool. But then we have the epitome of anomaly . . . a little later the same day you are called to prayer, to pray (example) for little Mary who is ill. We are told: "Come and join us in prayer for little Mary. Let us pray to our merciful Father in heaven that He will protect her during her operation and bring her safely through to good and enduring health." And Barbadians (and others) go right along with it. Lambs led to the slaughter. "
What makes me laugh the hardest is when churches and mosques and pilgrims and innocent people get blasted to smithereens. Apparently God does not protect His own. When you ask a cleric why this happens you are told: "God does not interfere in the free will of men." That's cool. But then we have the epitome of anomaly . . . a little later the same day you are called to prayer, to pray (example) for little Mary who is ill. We are told: "Come and join us in prayer for little Mary. Let us pray to our merciful Father in heaven that He will protect her during her operation and bring her safely through to good and enduring health." And Barbadians (and others) go right along with it. Lambs led to the slaughter. "
The letter, like so many of the writer's offerings on religion/philosophy, is full of fallicies but it does touch on some important points - free will, problem of evil, prayer and so on - and therfore warrants some kind of response. Hell hath no fury like this man rambling about religion. Funny thing is, for someone who doesn't believe in God, he sure spends a lot of time thinking and writing about him.
