Forgive Trumpsters? Forget It

Now that Joe Biden has won  the 2020 presidential election, I've been hearing a lot from various sources including the president-elect himself about the need for the American people to reunite and let bygones be bygones between the Dems and the Republicans. On one level, I understand--almost sympathize--with Biden in his desire to lead a country in which as he put it there are no red states or blue states,  just the United States.

However, four years of Trump's evil and cruelty which were supported by his bigoted followers and were climaxed by his vicious bid for re-election can't be that readily forgiven and forgotten, which might be the case in the matter of opposing philosophies  between, say, Mitt Romney and former President Obama.  Instead, Trump and his administration's social-economic-political  mindset were products of a twisted a narcissistic sociopath, and his fan base loved every minute of it .

To put it another way, this is not just a case of conservatives vs. liberals.  Many Trump supporters especially those who attended his "red only"rallies and other mass gatherings such as Sturgis are responsible for  the spread of COVID-19 to innocent people, thanks to their callous refusal to observe simple protocols such as masking up. Besides Trump himself, other officials in his administration  are likewise unconcerned for the health and welfare of others. Recall the infamous White House coronavirus sesuperspreader event.  In  a word Trumpsters are dangerous.

During the Trump years  racism and antisemitism have increased significantly in the U.S. thanks  to  his dog whistled  messages signaling encouragement of  violence and hatred  to his followers against minorities.

Then there is the far right and violent Qanon conspiracy theory a belief in which takes a certain kind of gullibility  and outright bigotry to fall for this outlandish delusion . Not surprisingly, it has a large following among Trumpsters, including recently elected Republican members of Congress.  

And  keep in mind the former are not about to give up their beliefs and ideology  even though their Dear Leader lost the election; In fact, the latter itself is a reality which  many of them refuse to accept. just as Trump himself is in denial of that outcome through now. In short,  considering the foregoing, how can there be any reasonable basis for reconciliation between  Trump supporters and real Americans?

 If anything it's the Trumpsters who should make the first move towards reconciliation by waiving the white flag and reaching out for forgiveness. But of course that hasn't happened. And until it does,  they should be shunned accordingly, which BTW is the very least that they  and Trump would likely do to their opponents if he had won.  

I only hope that President Biden doesn't continue  charging at this windmill and instead focuses on rebuilding the country from the socioeconomic and pandemic destruction that Trump and his people have left behind. That's what it will take to  truly make America great again.

 

Why Attacks by China on God-Centered Religions Should Not Be Blamed on Atheists

The disinclination to believe that there is a supreme being can take various forms. The two that I will consider here are atheism and antitheism.  I understand atheism to be simply the absence of the belief that a god or gods exists, or that there is a lack of lack of evidence for such an entity.  On the other hand, I understand antitheism to be a doctrine which not only rejects a supreme being's existence but also actively opposes theistic religions. 

This is not to say that atheism stakes its position in the spectrum of irreligion and passively lets it go at that.  In fact, atheists who simply demand the right not to be persecuted for their non-belief and to be granted socio-political equality with theists are considered by some as "militant". But obviously, such freedom is of vital importance, especially in societies where the god-believers and their culture predominate, as in the U.S.  

Antitheism, however, takes an antagonistic stance in dealing with religious beliefs. Its adherents who hold political power may even go so far as to try to abolish them altogether. An example is the Communist regime in China in its attacks on that country's religious communities, especially the imprisonment of the latter’s' members in "reeducation camps" in attempts to rid them of their theistic mindsets.  Antitheism was likewise a pillar of the culture of the former Soviet Union. Under both the old USSR and modern China, the purported purpose of eradicating religion has supposedly been to replace the old superstitious ways that impede mankind's progress.

Towards this end, communist ideology (in which antitheism plays a vital role) claims to be a revolutionary movement, one which promises to create an advanced type of humankind who in turn would build a glorious new world. But the more likely reason is that religion is seen as a source of competition for the hearts and minds of the people.  (This struggle is discussed in depth in “The Battle for China’s Spirit” by Sarah Cook).   So In short, suppression of religion in China is simply a means of heading off a power struggle.

Personally, as an atheist, I’m put off by antitheism. I support people's entitlement to personal beliefs to the extent that those who hold them do not try to impose their creeds on others. Unfortunately, however, that ideal is not the kind of world we live in.  Consider the existence of religious fundamentalism as enforced in such countries as Iran on hand and extremist antitheism as practiced in places like China on the other.  That said, I must acknowledge that I don’t consider the boundaries between atheism and antitheism as absolute. There is no bright orange line separating them.  For example, inasmuch as I don't believe in the existence of God, I think that the field of theology, which dictionaries define as “the study of the nature of God and religious beliefs”,  is a waste of time, resources, and intellectual effort and therefore should not be offered as a separate course of study in secular universities over what is basically a myth.  Instead, it should be included under mythology along with the study of other god legends of the world.  So, with this point of view, does this mean that I have morphed into an antitheist?  I’d like to think not. For one thing, I'm not proposing to scrap theology entirely, just to downgrade its undeserved status as an academic discipline and to place it under a more appropriate field of inquiry.

Finally, but significantly, there is the matter of the consequences of the inability to distinguish atheism from antitheism as it applies to god-believers who, because of this misunderstanding, tar both groups with the same brush. Obviously, they feel threatened by those who they see are unjustifiably attacking their beliefs.  Yet for many theists, especially the religious fundamentalists, the very phenomenon of non-belief itself is considered a threat to their culture, so they lash out at all unbelievers indiscriminately.  I don’t know whether explaining the difference to theists would make a difference in their understanding and tolerance of non-belief as a whole. But if by utilizing this approach, we can get at least a few of them to realize that not all of us godless folks are their enemies, it would be a start. And as I see it, that’s worth the effort.

 

An Atheist's Perspective In Dealing With COVID-19

I certainly can't  claim to  speak  for all other atheists. But in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.  my guess is that in trying to make sense of its existence and the worldwide havoc that it has wrought ,most of us who don't believe in a god are having an easier  time doing so than those who do.

This is because we  are  not needlessly wasting time and energy by  trying to reconcile  this illness with the tenets of religious faith, one practice of which is the obviously futile belief that prayer will ward off the pandemic. Related to that approach is the turning to scripture in seeking an understanding this disaster in terms of  God's will, with some believers going so far as to interpret it as divine punishment.

But all this perplexity and consternation is so unnecessary because  the real facts about the coronavirus as with any such natural phenomenon are based on well-founded scientific research and reasoning, not some unproven supernatural being. And you can bet that  if science does find a cure, many (most?) of these same people will instead credit and  thank  God for such a devlopment. But by that same logic doesn't if  follow that they should rather call him to account for creating the disease in the first place and allowing  it to ravage the world? Their answer to that would probably be the cliche about God working in mysterious ways, which is really not an answer at all, just a cop-out to end the discussion .  

To be clear, I am not  attempting to dismiss the well founded fear itself of contracting this illness. I'm just as concerned as anyone about that possibility. In fact inasmuch  as I am a  senior, if that were to happen to me, I know that would be a double  whammy.  But I also know that the cause of such infections  is microbiological, not theological.

In short a reality and science based approach in dealing with this virus,  one that dispenses with religion in coming to grips with this menace to humankind, is the only way that we can get through this nightmare.and return the world to any semblance of normality.  

Along that line, the severe  economic, political,  and social repercussions of this pandemic are also an opportunity for humankind to  shift our priorities, change our ways and create a more humane social order.  But frankly, I doubt that will happen, Most likely, after the immediate crisis has passed, people will just revert to their old ways, and once again it will be business and complacency as usual.

Until the next time. 

Who's In Charge Here?

Like many other people, I have lived in places and taken  jobs that I wound up hating.  Yet with some exceptions, such as my childhood location of  residence about which of course I had no choice in the matter, as an adult I was the one responsible for deciding where to live and where to apply for work. But once I was in, it was not easy to leave the former when I had a lease or a mortgage, or the latter in difficult economic times in which jobs were scarce or I was experiencing ''job lock'' due dependence on an employer's low cost health insurance that would have otherwise been unaffordable. Under those circumstances  I felt that I had lost control  and was no longer in charge of those vital areas of my life, and so I was very unhappy. Eventually, though, circumstances changed in my favor, including a timely retirement and expatriation.  And of course that made a major difference in my outlook. 

I think it's that very sense of ownership—or lack thereof—over our lives even more so than wealth which drives  our sense of satisfaction and happiness. When we allow others  to decide our fate thereby usurping our independence and personal sovereignty,  no matter how much we may gain materially in return, we can't help but feel hopeless and depressed.  There's a song "Silver Threads And Golden Needles" which captures this sentiment very nicely.

Similarly, as an atheist, one thing that I don't have to concern myself with  is the thought that my destiny is controlled by  an alleged supreme being. This is in contrast to  theists who are convinced that a god who's an all-powerful father figure, runs their lives. Having once been a believer myself l know  how restrictive that kind of a mindset can be. It means surrendering your personal autonomy  which is a vital part of one's being to a so-called higher power whose existence is not even proven.  And without that sense of wholeness, how can  people feel complete when they believe in a force that manipulates them like puppets on a string? 

A common reply by believers is  that "God has a plan" for them. But such  blind faith  just reinforces this sense of personal helplessness. In turn,  it's  that powerlessness which leads to despair. Note that America has a very high rate of god-belief and is in fact "the most devout of all the rich Western democracies"  However,  U.S also has one of the world's highest rates of depression.  Of course, correlation is not causation, but the the fact that both of these phenomena co-exist and in such high numbers at that can't help but give one pause.   

In short, a sense  of personal control over one's life doesn't necessarily guarantee happiness, but it goes a long way towards that end. On the other hand, a perceived lack of such ownership will almost certainly result in a life constricted by a sense of powerlessness and unfulfillment.