RE: The Rational Response Squad

Whoever has read my recent posts may have noticed the Rational Response Squad; you may have also noticed that I have mentioned not too long ago how I am an agnostic; to that, I want to add that I do not believe that a divine being is, as Richard Dawkins put it, a matter of PAP agnosticism, but of TAP agnosticism. That is, I believe that there reasonably is no god, but the falsifiability of god is yet a little back on track, even if this is of little consequence on the matter of proof (i.e. it's not scientists that have to disprove god, but theists that have to prove "capital g" God if they want us to take them seriously about it).

I honestly say that I am facing some serious issues with this matter. I was brought in a typical Greek "Christian Orthodox" manner and, after so many years, I have come for some time now to the conclusion that the only awe I can come to feel in a church has nothing to do with the religion it stands for and everything to do with the art one can experience within - and I don't mean the verse of the psalms, but the chants of the cantors, the architecture, the frescos - and yet they are no more worthy of any other form of art.

The greatest problem I face for some time is how to treat my mother... It's not that I am being afraid of her reaction regarding me - my parents won't cast me out - but her reaction regarding my status in the world (and the next one, apparently): I feel awkwardly sad seeing her tremble at the slightest word of mine that points out how I feel, not to mention my brother's own feelings, since he is a staunch (if subtle, yet uncompromising) atheist. Consider the irony that my sister is not only a theologian, but also the wife of a priest!

Dawkins also quotes the Anglican Giles Fraser in The God Delusion: "the nice country vicar in effect inoculated vast swaths of the English against Christianity." Could it be that my upbringing, gentle as it was, eventually gave me the opening to move yet another god down the atheistic ladder, or was it some property of criticism that simply would not abide by what seemed false? I can still remember how I could not feel satisfied with the trinity of the God of Christianity. Recent years, in a most peculiar manner, likewise allowed me to peel, in a way very much like how Christians relate the story of Saul-turned-Paul, the curtain of lies cast over my eyes and notice how the Roman Emperor Constantine promoted Christianity to a religion to gain the favour of thousands upon thousands, how the first official blessing was given to weapons wielded against former comrades in a civil war painted with the hues of religion, despite its political roots, and a myriad other things.

Many would jump at the opportunity to attack my sister and my brother-in-law. I find it funny how my position may very well affect my beloveds' position in the world, or how things would not be so, if only people saw reason. But the world is not so, and I find some small solace, even as I tremulously write down these words on this page, not out of personal fear, but out of anger and excitement and a weird feeling of impropriety imposed on humanity. How did we come to this? How many centuries it took for these dogmatic beliefs to seep so deeply in society, I wonder!

Which brings me to a rather recent enlightenment - not in the form of agnosticism (which I had found in principle, if not in name, for a very long time now, in retrospect) and atheism (to which I aspire and now strongly support), but in the form of real contact with atheists who voiced their opinions, who challegned religion in an open, well-rounded manner, with just about the right amount of sarcasm and a bag of chips, as someone I know would have put it.

Mindcore, a very interesting blog in its own right, put up a public endorsement of the Rational Response Squad (hence the title, by the way). I have been pondering for a while, quite honestly, whether I should have done something like that, and now I feel a little hot in the cheeks, not just from embarassment, but also from a peculiar sense of fervor - not a religious one or, rather, an unbelieving sense of fervor!

Amicable as they may be, the RRS face a multitudal onslaught on a regular basis, and I am sure that even Huxley took a sentimental beating at some point at his self-appointed role as "Darwin's Bulldog." I am equally sure that there is great relief to be had at such open letters, or endorsements, or proclamations.

So, there you have it: I publicly abjure all religious beliefs and likewise endorse the Rational Response Squad. You have my best wishes and regards!