On Quote Mining and Freedom

Hi David,

Alas, you are "quote mining". This is taking words of a famous person out of context, in order to prove a point. I could also quote mine Einstein, Paine, or even Darwin, to prove points. Even the Bible can be quote mined. But let's not go there, at least not yet.

I see that you are well educated, as well as sharp witted, with due respect for science. Good. You also maintain Christian beliefs: to which you have a right, a right I would defend.

If you would like, I can email you a copy of "Can Religion be Reconciled with Science?" It is rather "church of Christ-y", but that is how I have been taught to present, and it still works fairly well.

As to god not answering prayers: your defenses are exactly the ones I would have given as a Christian, 10 years ago. I will respond to them as I would have responded to myself (?).

If god does not answer my prayers, no matter how many or how tearful, then why should I pray to him? Given that there is no proof of prayer, no body of evidence for this claim, why should anyone pray?

When people we love do not answer our heartfelt requests, we leave them and go on about our lives. This is a natural and healthy response.

However, when god does not answer our prayers, we start making excuses for him. In a human relationship, we would call this "enabling an abuser". It is not healthy.

We would not allow people to ignore our needs. Why should we allow god to ignore our needs?

As to the "atheists in foxholes" argument: there are many atheists who have been in foxholes; in fact some of them may have been in yours. I personally know of several active secularists and atheists in the Armed Forces. They brave the foxholes right along with believers.

By the way: I should clarify that I'm not an atheist. I cannot prove that god does not exist.

As to the founders of this nation being Christians: people argue this endlessly, and it is irrelevant. The founders' religiosity or lack thereof does not matter. They will be known by their fruits, their works, such as our Constitution.

"We the People", it begins, and proceeds to lay down an entirely secular set of laws. These laws protect our freedom of religion and speech, etc (1A), the right to self defense (2A), etc. The Constitution protects our right to think freely, to pray or not to pray, even to have this discussion.

Humanistic thinking inspired the Rights of Man, the whole concept of human rights independent of a god. It wrote the US Constitution; it keeps composing ethical responses to human problems.

The greatest irony to me is this: organized religion has historically deprived people of the very religious liberty you and I enjoy in the USA. So if you enjoy your religion, thank a humanist!

David, and other readers: please excuse my long diatribe. The freedoms we enjoy in this country are close to my heart.

Anyway, none of this alters or answers my original challenge: what good has religion (organizational belief) done that humanism could not do better?