Copyright: 9/23/04
ATHEISM IS NOT WHAT YOU
THINK IT IS
When we talk about Atheism,
we are talking about the “method” used to arrive at truthful conclusions
and to arrive at the truth itself.
(Read that
sentence again because Atheism is not the conclusion that there is no
God. Atheism is the method used to arrive at the conclusions. Atheism is
the scientific method of thinking applied to any philosophic, scientific or
spiritual matter.)
When we speak of Atheists,
are talking about men and women who love and search for truth in all things -
civil and spiritual. Long before these men who sought to find out the
truth in all areas of life, and long before they antagonized the leaders
of the church, they were called scientists, scholars, sages, wise men and
philosophers. They were extended great respect by both those who were educated
and by the church. All true science is philosophy and all true philosophy is
science. The literal Greek meaning of the word, “philosophy” is “The Love of
Wisdom.”
Atheism is not just a
philosophy! It is also a way of thinking, a way of researching and arriving at
an honest conclusion. Atheism is the hunt for truth and the inquiry into the
mysteries of life. It is not only a way of thinking; it is also a way of living.
Atheism is not just “A” philosophy. Atheism “IS” philosophy. Atheism equals
philosophy. All true Atheists are philosophers. All true lovers of and seekers
after knowledge and truth have a bit of Atheism in them. If one tries to find
truth and at the same time maintains his biases, beliefs and prejudices then he
will never have the open mind necessary that characterizes the scientific
method of research and thinking called the philosophy of Atheism.
True philosophy was, and is,
composed of seekers after the truth about nature, the mysteries of life and the
universe wisdoms. Atheism was, and is, the science of honestly searching for
the truth in all things. These early men were reverent, spiritual and honest.
Honesty coupled with diligent research and honest clear thinking is the only
way to arrive at the truth of any matter. There is a little bit of Atheism in
all honest open minded people.
Atheism of today is still
composed of these same high types of men and women. They still use honest
research, philosophy, experimentation, and honest clear thinking in order to
find and understand the mysteries of life. Atheism is the method of scientific
investigation and logical open minded thinking that leads to honest
conclusions. Atheism is a process. Atheism is the love of wisdom and
knowledge. Atheism is always looking for the truth in all things.
Before the church decided to
call this philosophy “Atheism,” this philosophy looked and searched for truth
in all of nature. As soon as this philosophy looked at religion, it found many
lies and dishonesty there. It found great harm, deception and tyranny at
religion’s very roots. The ability to separate fact from fiction, and truth
from tall tales was the basis upon which these men differed from the average
religious and gullible minded mankind.
These honest men began to
discover the truth about the spiritual claims of religion. The light of that
truth exposed many false teaching and false claims of religion. The sincerity
of these men demanded that the false and untrue claims be exposed and separated
from the truth. Honest scrutiny and Clear Thinking contains both the desire and
the ability to find and then to point out lies and dishonesty. The honesty of
these men, coupled with their research and curiosity, enabled these seekers
after truth to arrive at conclusions, which personally protected them from the
untruths and lies of religion. These men pointed out that this same honesty and
scrutiny could also protect all mankind from these deceptions, falsehoods and
destructive forces - if they learned to think. They immediately launched
a program to teach men how to research, how to shed their biases, and how to
think – logically and honestly.
This same “philosophical
ability” to find and apply justice and truth to any matter is actually the
cement that holds society and civilization together. It is this very ability to
separate fact from fiction that society uses to rid itself from those ideas,
movements, claims, and people that are harmful and detrimental to the harmony
and civilizing process of mankind. If this ability is not used by the leaders
and by the people, then society goes to pot and is ready for a dictator. To
follow a dictator or “an authority” makes slaves of the people. Atheism
promotes freedom.
These philosophers found
that harmful, greedy and disruptive people had seized control of the people
through religion and government. So, honesty, common sense and the love of
humanity demanded that these men expose religion and their governments for the
disunity and the anti-civilizing process that it is. They found religion to be
immoral, unjust, dishonest, corrupt, tyrannical and uncompromising. They found
religion to be very detrimental to the social and civilizing process of
mankind. They found that religion actually stagnated personal mental and
spiritual growth.
Atheism is the method of
using an honest analytical examination of the known facts about a matter. It is
the way of thinking that eliminates preconceived ideas and beliefs and pursues
only the facts of the matter. It then forms conclusions based on those facts.
Always, Atheism seeks to harmonize its conclusions with both the true facts of
the matter and with good acceptable morality. Atheism is not disbelief in a God
any more than it is disbelief in Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny. God, Santa
Claus and religion are nothing but subjects to be studied in order to
ascertain the facts about them. If new fact are brought forward proving a God
exists, then Atheism would conclude that Gods do exist. That there is no God as
described by the religions is a conclusion based on all the known and
proven facts. Atheism has no beliefs. It only has logical and honest
conclusions.
This philosophy should not
be labeled by one of its conclusion that there is no religious God, as described
by religion. Rather, Atheism is the scientific method used to reach
those honest and reliable conclusions about all of life. These people should be
labeled as Clear Thinkers, philosophers and scholars – not Atheists. They do
not hate the concept of a God any more than the concept of Santa Claus. Except
that the concept of a God does infinitely more damage to the human population
than does the concept of Santa Claus. Has belief in Santa Claus ever cause war,
murder, torture, tyranny and such?
So, we find that Western
Atheism was not born as a revolt against God, the church, or its teachings. It
was started because of the tyranny and suppression of truth by the religions.
In fact, “Atheism” is a rather late nametag given this philosophy by the church.
When religion found itself unable to refute the findings and conclusions of
these men of wisdom and science, it began at once to demonize them (the truth
tellers).
There was great fear and
hostility in the church leadership when these honest philosophical thinkers
began to turn their research and investigations toward those things called
spiritual and religious. When these Clear Thinking men began to find out that
the teachings of the church were untrue, unspiritual and retarded the very
civilizing process of man, and worst of all, retarded personal spiritual
growth, they did what all courageous men would do. They began to inform people
that they were being told and taught harmful lies by religion.
At that time the church went
on a rampage and sought to kill or imprison these honest clear thinking men.
The church sought to remove from the face of the earth any writings or
information disseminated by these men of science and philosophy. In addition,
they sought to give these men a derogatory label and nametag that would scare
their church followers into persecuting these men. This nametag would also
place prejudice and fear in the minds of all mankind. The church declared that
these honest clear thinkers were the enemy of their God, and as such, they must
be destroyed. They must, therefore, be labeled as “Atheists.” The term
“Atheist” that the church gave these honest men of science and philosophy - is
a lie. Likewise, the term “Atheism” that the church gave this honest and
scientific philosophy – is a lie.
Thus, even our dictionaries
in the USA carry on this lie of the church, which claims that Atheism is the
disbelief in God. Why has no Atheist ever been allowed to write the definitions
of Atheism in the dictionaries, or to write the articles in the references books
that seek to examine Atheism? I will tell you why. The religious element is so
strong in the USA that they control the publishers as well as the government
and they censor and demean any factual and truthful information about Atheism.
To someone who believes in
another God, you are an Atheist to him because you find no proof for the
existence of his God. In fact, if there were only one hundred religions, and
therefore, only one hundred God concepts, you reject ninety-nine of them and
accept only one. That means you are ninety-nine percent in agreement with the
Atheists who reject all of them. Why? Atheists have researched and found that
men made up the religions and the religious Gods. If proof is brought forward
showing that a God exists, then Atheists would conclude, Gods do exist. Atheism
bases its conclusions on the facts. Atheists are willing to face the truth head
on. Religion is not. If the facts do not agree with their beliefs the facts
must be wrong and destroyed, and never mind investigating to find out if the
facts are true or not. To believe in these Gods is to eliminate even the
possibility that you could be wrong.
That is how these wonderful,
intelligent and honest men were labeled as Atheists. Though the church did its
best to destroy these men, there were enough good people who hid and protected
them. As fast as they wrote, the church hunted down and destroyed their
writings. Some were burned at the stake or beheaded if they were found in
possession of some of these writings. To be labeled as an Atheist was to become
a criminal in the eyes of the church, and in the eyes of the governments, which
the churches also controlled.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE TRUTHS
THESE MEN WERE FINDING OUT?
What is, “IS.” What exist does
exist. Atheism hunts, respects and uses truth from all aspects of nature. They
declared that if something happens, it is a part of the natural laws of the
universe. If it happens, it “IS” and therefore, should be honestly
investigated. Atheism sought to explain unusual happenings by examining their
causes and effects. Thus, all the claimed happenings and miracles of religion
were brought into question.
What works, “WORKS.” There
are many unusual happenings and Atheists began to investigate these happenings.
They often found these happenings were either lies or had natural explanations.
The real problem was the wrong elements (God and prayer, or the Devil and evil)
often got the credit for these happenings while the real natural motivators or
human manipulators often went unnoticed. Atheism sought to point these errors
out to men. Atheism is also science at work.
Esoteric (spiritual)
teachings, claims, and happenings are a part of life to be honestly examined by
this philosophy called Atheism by religion. What transpires in the mind and
emotions of man is as important as what transpires in the physical body of man,
or in the physical universe. Thus, religion, gods, prayer, miracles, devils,
sin, salvation, heavens, hells, and such are all a part of the esoteric, and
were therefore, to be examined honestly by these honest clear thinking men.
I have not been initiated
into any secret society. Any truth I have discovered has been the result of
research and much deep honest thought. It has been a delight to find others who
have found some of these same truths, and I would suspect some of them have
been members of societies that do pass these things down from generation to
generation - in secret. This secrecy among these philosophers and scientists
has been necessary due to the hostility of religious superstitions that seeks
to destroy those who expose them and shine the light of truth and facts on
their frauds and lies. These men say God is love, yet they exhibit a devilish
hatred, hostility and censorship toward these honest men and women they call
Atheists. They call this “Doing God’s Work.” I guess they think God is on
vacation.
All religions and
all philosophies have much original truth in them.
Most often, these original
truths are hidden from the casual and un-tuned eye. These original truths are
often twisted and elaborated on by “religious leaders” for their own selfish
advantage. They seek to twist the original truths in order to introduce their
own personal agendas. Sometimes they do not even know what they are talking
about. These “religious leaders” expound on their own ideas to the masking and
even exclusion of the original truths and information. They have even rewritten
the original writings and texts to conform to their own beliefs, aims and
ambitions.
The purpose of these ancient
real truths of life, and the utility of these truths were often hidden
or disguised by these pre-Christian ancient philosophers. “Do not cast your
pearls before swine.” is an esoteric philosophic statement and refers to the knowledge,
wisdom and practices of the wise. To inform the swine (ignorant and misguided
believers) would be to give them truths and powers that would be misused in
behalf of extending their ignorance and errors to others.
Integrity (honesty and
justice) is the foundation for all of the esoteric teachings of all the ancient
sages and wise men. One could not be informed or know the wisdom and truths of
the ancient wise men until he was found to be worthy of wisely using those
truths. Initiation and training into the mysteries was always necessary in
order to prepare the student to properly preserve and proliferate these
teachings.
There is an Attitude of
Wisdom one must cultivate before he begins to see the edges of many
wonderful and helpful truths. Sometimes this Attitude is also called “The
Spirit of Wisdom” and is often personified in many writings. Godly names or
spiritual names are often used to identify this Attitude in pre-Christian
history. Those who search using this Attitude of Wisdom (Atheism) have often
been called the “Children of Light.” They have also been called “The Elect” and
“The Children of God.” The church looked back and called these same wise men
and philosophers, “Atheists” and “Heretics.” The esoteric truths these wise men
hunt for are often called the “Pearl of great price,” the “Sanctuary,” or the
“Church” (Assembly). These truths have also been referred to as the “Divine
Mysteries.”
To be a seeker after truth,
one must develop awareness and a discernment of these things and look for clues
in nature, clues in his own inner being and in the writings of philosophers and
wise men. To do this one must eliminate his prejudices and biases. Only then
does he become free to learn. Like a newborn baby, he must start with
zero. “Born again” is also hidden esoteric wisdom indicating freedom from
biases and beliefs and the start of a new beginning in ones life.
“Born again” means one
clears his mind and is ready to begin a new life of wisdom and knowledge. He
must become autonomous, never trusting or leaning on authority. He must learn
to think honestly, question everything, and use honest doubt on every important
claim of life. He must become a scientist of life. He must know the true
history of mankind. If he does all this, the church calls him/her an Atheist.
Why? The lie is always fearful of the truth, and seeks to demonize both the
truth and the truth teller.
Honest doubt is the greatest
tool Nature has given us to acquire and use wisdom.
As one develops and grows
(like a “mustard seed”) in this new Attitude and state of honesty and
awareness, he will find it produces a whole new sympathy and concern for
mankind. He will “love his neighbor as himself.” He will recognize no one as
his enemy. He will become actively engaged in fighting those ideas,
institutions and pressures which dumb down man’s mind, man’s will and man’s
integrity. In other words, he will become like those early wise men that were
first called Atheists.
An Atheist is one who has
wrestled authority away from those religious and political professional “Authorities”
who would make him a slave to their own programs, thinking and purposes. An
Atheist is one that examines both sides of the issues. An Atheist is one who
has accepted both the authority of his own research, and the conclusions of his
own mind. He never stops learning and will change his conclusions in light of
new facts. He has accepted full responsibility for his own actions. He will
never let someone else pay for his mistakes (sins.) All of his mistakes and
failures become teachers that enrich his life, his actions and his thinking.
An Atheist is one who has
dedicated himself/herself to search for the truth in all matters that interest
and affect him/her. An Atheist is one who is constantly in turmoil and grieves
at the injustices and dishonesty of the community, the government, the
religions, and the world in which he/she lives. An Atheist is one who thinks
that justice does not belong to some organization or group (some religion or
government). Atheists know justice is not someone’s private property. They
conclude that justice should be extended to all men and women – friend and foe
alike. An Atheist is one who has the courage to confront the lies and frauds of
religion, politics and business. An Atheist is one who seeks to inform you of
these harmful hazards of today. An Atheist is one who, after the day’s work is
done, can sleep well at night.
You can be thankful for the
Atheists among us because they are “the voice crying in the wilderness” to make
straight the paths of spirituality and civilization. They are the ones who are
putting their popularity, property and person on the line in order to point out
the wrongs and injustices of society, religion, government and business.
Atheists are hated and feared by the teachers and believers in false hopes and
false promises. Atheists were the Deist founders of this country, and they are
the sustainers of it today.
The Atheists of today are
losing their voice because of the hatred, censorship and prejudice directed
toward them by religion and government. But do not forget. They are the heroes.
They are the ones who conduct their lives on the basis of not doing to others
what they would not want others to do to them. They are the Free Clear
Thinkers. Were it not for the Atheists, this country would already be a
religious, political or military dictatorship. Atheists are warning us. They
see slavery coming.
Many Atheists do not call
themselves Atheists, and indeed, would be horrified to be considered as such.
However, these wonderful men and women are found at the forefront of our
alternate media (the Internet). They are exposing and fighting those government
and religious false claims, false promises and inhumane attitudes. They are
rebelling against the dumbing down of our educational system. They are pointing
out the destruction of our freedoms and the use of our judicial system to deny
justice. They are warning us of the takeover of our government by big business
and religion that wishes to establish a totalitarian state. They are warning
now of the present tyranny and the tyranny to come. They are warning us of the
damage being done to the American citizens - RIGHT NOW.
Some of these wonderful
people even call themselves Christians. Some just call themselves Free
Thinkers. Some call themselves Patriots and some just call themselves Citizens.
The church and government calls these wonderful people troublemakers, traitors,
terrorists, Atheists, conspirers, and sometimes they are called Liberal
Democrats. These wonderful people would be horrified to be called Atheists and
that is all right with me so long as they continue to use honest doubt, honest
thinking, honest research and continue to fight for justice in their lives and
society. Bless them all!
Fundamental religion works,
schemes and plans so things can be run their way, using their immoral religious
code of ethics. They lack the knowledge of true history. They neither remember,
nor have they studied what happened in the past when the church had the power
of government in its hands. They do not know how true believers and non-believers
were killed or imprisoned so powerful religious and governmental organizations
could steal their incomes, their home, their freedoms and their land. They
neither know nor remember the great fear, hunger and poverty imposed upon the
people by the religions. They have forgotten that the church made slaves of
their own believers as well as the non-believers. They have not studied how the
church dishonestly accumulated the political power and the wealth of society.
They have forgotten that there was no middle class, only the very poor and the
very rich.
Yes, my friends, you need
the Atheists and you need them more today than you did yesterday. Atheists are
not the God haters you have been warned against by the religions. Atheists are
haters of deception, haters of dishonesty and haters of the disregard that
these religions and governments have for the humanity of all people. The
Atheists see fundamental religion and our corporate government as the true
enemies of mankind. The enemies of mankind are also the enemies of your God
concept. Our government and the fundamental religions should rightly be
classified as the real ungodly Atheists in the USA. They are the ones that
bring disrespect upon the Office of God. Thus, the corporate government and the
fundamental religions of this country are the true enemies of your God. They
are the ones who have rightly qualified for the title of “Atheists.”
Help the true, Free, Clear
Thinking Atheists (no matter what they call themselves). Help them warn America
about the police state our fundamental religions and our corporate government
are fostering upon us. When the church had the political power fully in its
hands, we call that time “The Dark Ages.” Let us not have a second dark age
here in America - and in the world.
Support your local True,
Free, Clear Thinking Atheists no matter what they call themselves!
Copyright: 09/23/04
Updated: 03/03/08
See: After Christianity
What After Atheism What
By Thomas E. Blaylock Jr.
author of
The Night They Waked Uncle Bob, a novel of an Atheist
life,
and author of Honest Man’s Philosophy,
now published. His website is: http://www.jovialatheist.com