Scoffing at all that's holy since 2004 WEAKNESS God Give Us Strength: The Battle Cry of the Weak People seek what's lacking. When you're hungry, you seek food. When you're cold, you seek warmth. When you're tired, you seek rest. When you're weak, you seek strength. You don't look for your car keys unless they're missing, right?  Then why the hell would you ask for strength unless you're weak? Answer: You wouldn't. Don't Say The Words If You Don't Like the Label People who believe in god are inherently weak and have little or no inner strength. Ouch.  That stings a bit, doesn't it? Look, I'm bald.  I really don't like it much, but there's no denying it.  It's self-evident.  It's observable and I talk about it.  I talk about being bald...a lot.  Sure, it's my shtick, but it's the truth, it's obvious, and I'm more than happy to point it out regardless.  I say the word often and, furthermore, I don't mind the label. Okay, so The Godless Bastard is bald.  And Christians are inherently weak.  Maybe they like it, maybe they don't.  I don't know and I don't care.  But there's also no denying it.  It too is self-evident.  They talk, sing, and pray about it, and they do so...a lot. If you're a Christian, your nature will tell you to take offense to my commentary.  And I suppose you should.  It's an insult to your character.  I mean, who wants to be labeled as weak?  But before you label me unfair in my assessment of Christians as a whole, know this: I'm the first to concede that it's perfectly human (and normal) to be weak.  I just call 'em the way I see 'em. Although, I just have to laugh my ass off at the observable reality that Christians, being hypocritical to perfection, think its perfectly fine to speak of (and actually declare) their own weakness, but take great offense when people like me point it out.  (If you're a Christian, please prove me wrong by praising me for doing so.) Imagine me referring to myself as a bald ugly bastard, and then taking offense to someone pointing to my (ever increasing) bald spot and my less-than-Adonis-like looks.  That would be hypocritical and just plain unfair game play. Now take this guy (photo left), for example.  I took this picture of his tattoo with my cell phone camera at the gym today.  He seemed like a pretty decent guy, but he's so incredibly weak that he physically (and indelibly) labeled himself as such. His tattoo reads, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:13 The thing speaks for itself.  Again, take note of the exact wording: "...who gives me strength."  Note that it's not you or even us.  It's me.  It's self-professed weakness.  Again, there's nothing wrong with being weak.  Just don't turn yourself into a walking indelible billboard (or other means of conveyance) and then throw a hissy fit when someone like me points it out. Take a few minutes to visit our friends at Google and search for "god give me strength" or "god give us strength" or some other similar phrase.  You will receive (literally) MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of hits like this one.  (Check out the lyrics as they illustrate my point.) I found this rather disturbing declaration of personal weakness and complete absolution of personal responsibility and accountability from the Miracles Prisoner Ministry: "God is my only strength. We can do nothing without Him. I get up every day and pray for God to do His Will; not by my will, I realize I can't do anything by myself. It has to be through God. His grace is sufficient for me." I realize I can't do anything by myself?  It has to be through god?  Never have I seen such repulsive cowardice and a complete absolution of personal accountability.  Someone this weak shouldn't be trusted with anything of importance.  Someone call Child Protective Services, because if the author of this quote is responsible for the welfare and well-being of minors, crimes of extreme negligence are most certainly being commited. This one (also show below) deserves Honorable Mention.  It's sad and funny on so many levels, but I'll leave that up to your own powers of perception. "Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness."  Mahatma Gandhi Check out this t-shirt.  Yes, folks, it goes on and on and on.  And mind you, this is a current search of the Internet only.  Forget about all sources of human record throughout the entire course of human history. Let's just stick with what you find on Google at this very moment.  You can spend years of your life trying to read all of the current Christian declarations of self-weakness, or you can save yourself all that time by stipulating this undeniable truth: Christians, as a whole, are very weak people by their own constant declaration. Click here and do a text search (using CTRL-F) for "weak" and watch how many times it keeps coming up.  Then click here and listen to what it says. You don't have to like it, but (just like my baldness) inherent Christian weakness is self-evident, self-declared, and therefore undeniable. "We are all weak, finite, simple human beings, standing in the need of prayer. None need it so much as those who think they are strong, those who know it not, but are deluded by self-sufficiency." - Harold C. Phillips First, who exactly is this "we" you speak of, Kemosabe?  (Sound familiar?  No one likes to eat alone.  And no one wants to be seen as weak or deluded alone either.)  But what cracks me up is this pervasive textbook Christian mentality that compels its adherents to try to turn the tables on those with true strength.  Nice try, Harold, but who do you think you're kidding? Got Tragedy? Since when did Christians corner the market on adversity and other life-alterning events? All people seek what they lack, and Christians are forever seeking strength through their god.  Ever hear an atheist invoke the essence of Charles Darwin and ask it to provide strength and wisdom to get through some tragedy?  Of course not.  That would be pathetic as well as stupid.  But here's the thing, and there's no getting around it. Undeniable Fact: Atheists face just as much adversity and tragedy in their lives as the most devout Christians do, yet they endure it all like anyone else. So the question must be asked: How is this possible? The answer is quite simple: Belief in (any) god is not necessary for the acquisition of strength or courage.  Atheists get theirs from within -- not above. And if that's the case, one more question must be asked: Why can't Christians do the same? This answer is also quite simple: People who cling to god have little or no inner strength and courage because they're inherently weak. Note that this does not mean that they're inherently stupid or immoral.  And I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with being weak either.  Human frailty is perfectly normal and perfectly acceptable.  I'm just calling it as I see it. But what I find most amusing is the defensive posture by Christians who take offense to this charge.  Ironically, if they truly had any inner strength they wouldn't take offense in the first place.  You know, sticks and stones... Anyone with true inner strength would ignore my charge as I ignore comments about my baldness or general stupidity for not seeing the proof of god's existence.  But the truth strikes a nerve in those who are weak, and this is why Christians get so defensive when labeled as such. But even more to the point, if Christians had but an ounce of that strength they wouldn't feel the need (or have the desire) to believe in a supreme being in the first place. No baby is born with any belief in god.  Not one, not ever.  Religion is something that is taught and learned.  Always.  Sure, it's typically and benignly "forced" on children for obvious reasons that you already know and that I won't waste my time stating, but one's theology is ultimately accepted or rejected by personal choice.  Children lack the intelligence, common sense, maturity, and life experience to detect the nature of the religious con game, but once they reach the age of reason it becomes a decision that they alone control. I challenge all Christians to prove me wrong by facing all future tragedies without calling upon their god for strength, courage, or wisdom -- just as atheists do.  And we get by just fine. And if you'd like to compare bedpans, should you be so unlucky as to face profound medical tragedy, I have THREE bouts with cancer under my belt with ZERO requests for assistance from any god to get through any of it. You say that there are no atheists in the foxholes?  Bullshit.  I'm living proof that there are. "Faith is the donkey's back upon which those who are too weak to walk on their own must ride." - Anonymous Faith & Salvation: The Enablers of Weakness So how do Christians get out of this unholy mess?  All they have to do is just have faith. To those who believe, faith in god and the earned salvation that comes through it is a never-ending, irrevocable hall pass.  It's a Get Out Of Jail Free card.  It's a personal letter of dispensation signed by Jesus himself. If an individual places their faith in an all-knowing, all-powerful, omnipotent being, they can relieve themselves of accountability and dismiss it all as part of god's "Master Plan". Remember, god's in charge!  You're just along for the ride. They also free themselves from having to answer tough questions and having to explain the seeming lunacy of what they believe.  They reaffirm their faith with lots of praise (typically the very public, in-your-face type) and PRESTO! ... All is well, everyone who's saved wins, no harm done. Talk about playing it safe, huh? Weakness: Denial's Best Friend People who believe in god don't have the courage to face the tragedies of life, especially when they are (or fear they may be) responsible or culpable for those tragedies. One summer day back in 1995, I spotted a young woman driving a Volkswagen Bug with a custom license plate frame that read, "My Emily is an angel in heaven." I didn't know this woman.  I didn't know where she lived or what she did for a living.  I didn't even know her name.  But it didn't take much more than a little common sense and some simple intuitive reasoning to figure out her story. Emily, her daughter, most certainly died at a very young age.  She died tragically, probably due to disease or complications during birth.  Maybe she died as the result of an accident.  Perhaps she was abducted and murdered.  It's possible she may even have committed suicide.  At any rate, she died young and tragically. Emily's mother is weak because she cannot accept what happened to her daughter.  She needs to believe that Emily is in heaven, an angel, walking hand-in-hand with god.  She must believe this to soothe her grieving heart and, most importantly, to protect herself. But why, you ask? The answer is simple: She feels helpless and guilty. She's certainly helpless.  There's no doubt about that.  There's nothing she can do to bring her daughter back.  Ever. But why does she feel guilty?  Perhaps she feels guilty because she wonders if she could have done something to prevent her daughter's death.  Maybe Emily's mother wasn't attentive enough.  Perhaps she was too busy with some trivial activity that distracted her and kept her from watching Emily close enough.  Maybe Emily fell into the pool and drowned or wandered into the street and into the path of a speeding vehicle.  Maybe Mommy waited too long to take Emily to the Emergency Room despite her 105 degree fever.  Is it possible that Emily's mother didn't hide the loaded shotgun well enough?  Did her mother use crack cocaine while little Emily grew in her womb?  Perhaps Mommy shook Emily too hard.  Maybe she had a bad day at work, had too much to drink and hit Emily just a little too hard. Understand, I'm not suggesting that this woman murdered her daughter or even that she was a bad parent in any way.  She might have been a great parent.  I'm just painting a few pictures to illustrate my point. It's quite possible that poor little Emily just got leukemia and died, which is obviously not her mother's fault.  What I am suggesting is that this woman cannot accept what has happened, not so much to her daughter, but to herself.  By believing that Emily is with god her mother can go on with her life knowing (remember, believing isn't good enough) that her daughter is in a better place and that her own grief and pain will diminish over time. But what she's incapable of saying is, "Sometimes bad things just happen.  Little kids die.  That's life."  She can't because she's weak and unrealistic.  The reality is that these tragic things do "just happen".  Sometimes it's due to chance occurrence and sometimes it's due to our own negligence, incompetence, indifference, etc. Personally, I wouldn't view this picture if I were you.  It's morbid and very graphic.  But it explains why the MUST believe. Abject Lesson #2194 WHY WEAK PEOPLE CLING TO THE GOD FANTASY Taken from a 4hurtingchristians.com chat room posting. Subject: depressed and lonely over 10 years now i have been praying to God that life won't hurt. every day i think about suicide because the pain of life just will not go away. i am getting older, i turn 26 next week and realize that life probably won't get any better. i don't have a wife or kids that i want and pray for. i feel that i am incompatable with anyone and will live and die alone. the person i loved that will never speak to me again left me almost two years ago after two years of being together. she lives in japan. i was supposed to get my degree and move in with her. i might get to go there next year for school. it might not work out though due to school complications. anyway even if someday i get my dream of living in japan it will be bittersweet. i am unable to form relationships because i can't stop loving her even though i have tried. all my dreams about her are nightmares. i wish i could stop thinking about her and be happy with someone but i don't think it will happen, no matter how much i pray. how could God love me when he lets me live in this horrible world full of suffering? many girls think i am attractive but i just can't get involved with anyone. i think about suicide everyday and want to do it because how could hell be any worse than this place? it isn't fair that i have to live like this when i didn't have a choice to be in this world. i am sick of hurting, heartache, work, school, the complexities and sorrows of life. i just don't want to do it anymore. God won't help me. Reinforcement By Tragedy: Your Pain is His Gain Here is a small random sampling of postings from an AOL cancer support forum that I collected sometime around 1995.  (Yeah, it's true.)  These discussion board entries actually predate everything on the site and are what inspired me to write about man's inherent weakness so long ago.  I'm not only a godless bastard, but I'm a lazy one (with writers block more often than not), so it took me nine years to get this project off the ground.  Shame on me. Of course, this will likely piss people off because it will come across as insensitive to (and exploitative of) people dealing with cancer in their family.  But I have a perspective that no pure spectator can even comprehend. Sure, it must be tough for a parent to watch their child suffer with a life-threatening illness, but believe me when I tell you that it's a cakewalk compared to being on the receiving end of it. Should you ever be so unlucky as to end up with tubes shoved in every part of you, wondering if the bone marrow transplant will work (as I have), then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.  Until then you can delude yourself into believing that it can be as tough (or worse) to watch someone go through it.  Yes, watching it happen to someone you love is awful, but keep reminding yourself of the saying, "...but for the grace of god go I." My intent here is not to make fun of anyone for hurting -- which is a perfectly normal, universal aspect of human frailty.  I had an older brother who committed suicide about 20 years ago and I watched my parents hurt immensely.  The big difference between my parents (my whole family, actually) and your average theist is that we dealt with the tragedy without detachment from reality and the embracement of silly beliefs. My intent is, however, to demonstrate how tragedy makes some people say the most profoundly stupid things and cling to silly, pie-in-the-sky religious cure-alls to make the pain go away. And a-waaay we go! "I just wanted to thank everyone for their love and support.  My brother passed away on May 15th at 7:30 p.m.  He died peacefully and with a smile on his face.  Both my sisters and their families and I were with him when he went home.  He did have a great welcoming committee - Mom, Dad and Jesus - all with arms outstretched.  God has given us all a peace that could only come from Him." He died with a smile on his face?  Yes, I'm sure that's exactly how he went -- kind of like the smile I had when my accountant told me how much I owed the federal government last year.  And the welcoming committee?  Okay, these poor people are in pain.  I totally get that.  But this mentality is just plain pathetic.  Come on, people.  The poor fellow just died.  He's no longer in pain.  Isn't that good enough?  Must you really believe that mom, dad, and the Big J are showing the guy around up there? "Know that my prayers are with you.  Remember, God only takes the best.  I am sure your son is one of God's best." And I thought god loves everyone equally!  Well, apparently, he doesn't -- at least not when the really bad shit happens to someone you know. "I am sorry for your loss.  Yes, your father is in a better place right now.  He is not alone.  I am sure all of our loved ones are having a giant party up there." Sorry, folks.  This one is too embarrassing to lay into.  It just wouldn't be fair.  It would be like bringing an Apache assault helicopter to a gopher hunt.  Poor bastard. "My deepest sympathies to you and your family.  How wonderful that you could be with your dad as he started his new journey.  I wish him Godspeed." Yeah, how wonderful it must have been to watch your father die -- in pain, of a horrible disease.  What a pleasant final memory of a loved one.  But what a quick and easy way to make it seem not so bad.  She sees the beginning of a wonderful journey rather than an unnecessary, painful demise.  She is a weak person engaging in a classic avoidance technique (Problem?  What problem?) caused by her inability to accept the tragedies of life. "On April 30 my beautiful daughter, age 28, died in my arms after a hard battle with cancer.  Her BMT [Bone Marrow Transplant] was on April 1 and things were going so well then....she developed many complications due to the harsh chemo drugs....weak heart, CMV pneumonia....that after being on a respirator for the second time she went from being my baby to my Angel.  I wish all of you who have cancer to keep fighting....but in my heart of hearts there will never be a cure.  The only cure is death.  Damn Cancer." That's Angel with a capital A, folks.  I dunno.  Maybe I'm just weird, but when my older brother died, he went from being my brother to being my, um, er, uh, my brother.  He's just no longer alive.  I don't know why it has to be any more complicated than that. "I have a lot of problems with Death Issues, and I know [mom's] pending death will, although we know it's inevitable, will come as a big blow to me and I don't know how I will be able to handle it.  I just pray they don't have to lock me up in some loony bin when she finally goes.  She means SO much to me and I cry inside a lot, as my heart just breaks to pieces.  Why is God allowing her to suffer like this for so long?  Is it to prepare each member of the family in His own way, for her death?  <SIGH>" Can you believe that an intelligent person actually believes this nonsense?  She asks if god is allowing her mother to suffer to prepare the family for her immanent death?  This is too insane to warrant an intelligent discussion.  But one thing is quite clear; she certainly does have a lot problems with "Death Issues."  She even capitalized the D and I.  Interesting, isn't it? "This is SO sad and SO hard to watch happening to someone who is so close to your heart.  I know you understand, having gone through a similar situation.  It's so draining on the person and the people around them and it's just plain HARD to deal with.  I hope God is merciful and I'm clinging on to what He promises in His word, that He will not give us any more than we can handle... even if we think it's too much, He still knows best.  That's the only thing that's keeping me sane right now." Yes, let's be glad that god doesn't give us any more than we can handle.  I mean, god is merciful, right?  He allowed only one loved one to die in such a horrible manner.  Whew.  Had this guy been strong enough to handle three or four deaths...holy crap!  Hey, god knows best.  He knows what's in your best interests. "I am at peace with this because I know my dad isn't suffering anymore and he is in a better place!  Yes it will be very difficult because I will miss him so, but I know he would want me to be happy for him, knowing he is happy now. . . I pray for each and every one of you for everything that lies ahead for you and pray especially that God will give you the strength and courage to deal with things." This is just so neat and tidy, ain't it?  She knows that her dad is happy now.  Of course she does.  She has to know because believing isn't good enough for the weak.  Knowing is the only way they can cope. "Organized Religion: The world's largest pyramid scheme." - Bernard Katz James D. Newman: A Boy on Crutches Twenty-one year old James D. Newman, a former McDonald's management trainee and soldier of god, quoted me in an essay from his online resume and portfolio.  It should come as no surprise that young James is a graduate of that bastion of evangelical studies and zombie-eyed missionary mill, Liberty University in the city of Lynchburg, in the lovely red State of Virgina.  Read their lovely Doctrinal Statement.  It reads like recipe for mass brainwashing. Note: You may read his entire essay on his website, or download a copy here in PDF format. In an untitled essay (in a document named "Christianity - a crutch for the weak"), James wrote: "Andy, author of www.godlessbastard.com, gets lost in his own argument when he writes, 'I'm the first to concede that it's perfectly human (and normal) to be weak...Atheists, like me, get their strength from within...It's because people who cling to god (which is a willful act) have little or no inner strength, and that means they're weak' (Andy, 3).  Andy has made the point that weakness is natural and human, however he also says atheists go against what’s natural and human." First, not even close, Jimmy.  I neither said nor implied such a thing.  It’s just more comforting to your theism to believe that I did. Secondly, I can't take seriously any philosphical opinion coming from someone who places such a contrived photo of himself (left), in a hoodie no less, on his professional resume.  Good god, man!  You studied advertizing and public relations (which, ironically, is quite appropriate for a Christian missionary...), but what were you thinking?  Aw hell.  You're barely old enough to be trusted with a can of beer.  I'll write your carlessness off as youthful ignorance and inexperience. But getting down to the business at hand... It is perfectly human to be weak, but in no way does that mean that if you’re not weak that you’re going against what’s natural or human.  Also know that my quote was not just about strength (or the Christian lack thereof) but also about resilience -- the kind of emotional resilience that atheists have in far greater numbers than their theistic counterparts. It is perfectly normal, natural, and human to suffer a broken bone or cut if you fall off a step ladder.  But if you don’t (and believe me, I’ve taken many a fall from much higher a peak) that doesn’t mean that you’re going against nature?  It just means that your body is more resilient than others.  Or perhaps you just landed one way versus another and that prevented the break. Pay close attention: It is perfectly human to eat meat.  Plenty of normal humans don’t eat meat.  That is to say, it’s perfectly human to NOT eat meat for matters of compassion.  I mean, would you eat your dog?  Would you eat anyone’s dog?  But some people do (and man, I once came close, unknowingly, in Manila) -- and those people are being perfectly human. The exclusion of one doesn’t preclude the other.  I could give you a thousand crystal clear, perfect examples, but it’s all the same. The only person got lost in his (knee-jerk) argument is you.  You took my charge that theists (be they Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, whatever) are inherently weak.  They are.  You’d have deflected the charge far more effectively if you just ignored it.  The fact that you commented at all only served to validate it. Weakness IS human, but that doesn’t mean that all humans are weak.  This you absolutely know and agree with.  And if that’s the case, then (as those people are part of humankind) it certainly doesn’t mean that to not be weak is against human nature. If you can't follow simple logic, Jimmy, stick with managing the burger flippers, k? Hearing is Believing Here's a personal account that deserves (dis)honorable mention. Remember my story about the guy who wanted to heal my cancer by the laying of hands and prayer?  The incident took place at the home of the aunt and uncle of a close friend.  Well, it came to pass that the aunt, who was a lovely woman, died suddenly from a brain-related trauma. At the time of her death, she and her daughter were planning the daughter's wedding.  Because of the size of her and her fiancée's family, as well as her father's connections (which I'd rather not disclose), attendance at the wedding would have numbered in the hundreds.  Long story short, many people were not invited due to capacity limitations. The turnout at the funeral rivaled anything you'd see for a Head of State -- right down to the police escorts.  The daughter eulogized her mother.  She said, and I swear on my mother's eyes that this is true [paraphrased]: "Mom and I wanted to invite all of you to the wedding but for many reasons we couldn't -- and it bothered her terribly.  I think this was her way of gathering us all together." I'll end on that note. Copyright © 2004 The Godless Bastard. All Rights Reserved.