I don't know if you have felt this way or know anyone who is atheist who has been really angry.I am atheist and have spent far too much time being angry about the state of the world with regards to religion.
I ponder the situation that humans have found themselves in, see the indoctrination and non-progress and put the majority of it (if not all) down to religion. I read 'On the Nature of Things' by Lucretius, Bertrand Russell's 'Why I am not a Christian', Carl Sagan, James Baldwin and many more great writers. It was as if I had moved into a new awareness of the tragic situation of homo sapiens.
My emotions ran from anger to hate to distress without knowing who exactly to blame. I didn't have anyone person I could pin 'the blame' on. Who is responsible for all of this? How do we stop it?
I had visitors from abroad who stayed with me for a couple of weeks who were hardcore theists and I'm afraid they didn't enjoy their visit due to my misplaced anger. I didn't know what to do with it all. The magnitude of this great con was overwhelmingly difficult for me to deal with and to have someone in my personal space who talked about 'god's love' and the rest just about did it for me. Now my emotional intelligence level has been raised and I understand how someone can believe the memes which have been inflicted on them. Equally I understand the anger of atheists, particularly those who have been poisoned by theism and the rituals inflicted on them by it.
It took me a long time to reach the point where I had to find an outlet of expression - hence this blog - it helps to share my thoughts on the web. I first of all tried finding a black woman's blog/site who is also atheist. I couldn't find one - so I thought I would write one myself. How many black women do you know personally who are atheists and are willing and able to identify themselves as such publicly? Maybe not more than 10, is my guess.
So I channelled my anger into delving deeper, acquiring more knowledge, as describing myself as 'atheist' just didn't describe my worldview - it only outlined my non-belief in a god or gods.
A relative of mine sent me some lectures on CD of a man named Tom Clark, who described himself as a scientific naturalist. His views blew me away. I listened to his lectures and talks, trying to grasp the fact that humans may not have 'contra causal freewill'.
I urge you (if you haven't heard of him already) to click on the link above to learn more about this subject.
The concept of freewill is used by theists to encourage humans to submit 'all things to god'. This idea is weak and getting weaker by the minute and theists are cranking up their attacks against atheists and by default against scientific naturalists. King Abdullah has made it very plain that atheism will not be tolerated and is mobilising the world's Abrahamic religions to unite against atheists. A sure sign of panic.
Being angry achieves very little unless one uses it to drive constructive action. Now I am of the belief that I cannot change the world, I can only use my words to share my views and that is as much as I can do at this point. If it makes a difference all well and good. If not, then it is as it is.
The wheels of the world won't stop turning. I am a minuscule atom in comparison to the greatness and magnificence of all that there is and so I will read and write and cogitate on things that mean much to me and try my best to eliminate the poison of anger from my life as best I can. But sometimes...arrgghh!!!!!
