LABELS

Perhaps I’ve been mistaken in calling myself a Rationalist…it’s not so much that I believe we have the ability to figure it all out (I suspect we don’t), but I believe we do have the ability to reject things that don’t make sense. I fully grant you there may be a being or beings which we cannot apprehend, much less comprehend. But since that’s unknowable, what is there to discuss?

Maybe I should call myself a REALIST? The reality is, though some people are miraculously healed at Lourdes, pious millions who visit there are not. Therefore, I have a better chance of winning the lottery than obtaining a cure there. That’s just being Realistic, isn’t it?

I don’t want to be counted as a screaming atheist along with worshippers of the Nephilim of Ur or the inhabitants of Mu, or those who pray to UFOs. As far as I can tell, these are just more myths, no thank you.

“Agnostic” seems to imply I can’t make up my mind, which isn’t true. I believe that if there is a supreme being, I cannot (or at least, in spite of trying, have not) see anything to prove his or her existence. And I cannot see anything showing he or she wants us to know of his or her existence. The god I see others trying to believe in is immoral and amoral, not even meeting the standards I hold out for my own self, surely a sociopath of sophistication, a sadist, and less good than man.

If God is unknowable, as it seems clear He is, then what’s the purpose of worship? If there is a Supreme Being, why does It need my worship? Why does it need us to wipe out whole peoples who are no different than we? If God is good, how could SACRIFICE of innocent creatures PLEASE Him? Or the smell of burning offal? (“I created you all, now I want to see you DIE!”?) Or war? How can it need my money, of which I have little enough? And lastly, what does God need with a starship? Your God sounds like Satan to me.

So as a Realist, if you believe evolution, then you must realize there is only one hand at the wheel – yours. Now you could spend a hundred hours praying, but if you’re a realist, you should spend a hundred hours DOING. And of the two, which do you think will get what they wanted?

I don’t feel that everything needs to be explained. Why have we evolved to love? What does it matter? The fact is, we love. That we can know. So when making plans, we should take that into account. We know a certain proportion of the population at any time is homosexual, so let’s take that into account as well. Let’s stop ignoring what we know to be true, eh?

Or maybe I’m a Humanist – I do believe in human rights and human responsibilities. I’m not a pagan, I’m clear on that much. But all these labels are creaking old, having been around so long they have their own set of matched luggage and an infinity of frequent-flyer miles. Perhaps that’s why the Brights made up a whole new name for it. Henceforth, I shall know myself to be a “Bright.” Maybe it’s just another label, but I’m willing to try it on to see if it fits. You can join, too at: http://the-brights.net/