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Narelle Jarrett, Archdeacon for Women’s Ministry in the Sydney diocese has written a response to the Atheist Bus Ads in Britain.
WARNING - Please don’t go reading it while smoking or attempting to light a barbecue, as there is an abundance of combustible material in her argument (ie straw).
First we have this gem of reasoning;
While advertisements on London buses say: ‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life,’ the atheists’ atheist Woody Alan, in a recent interview said,
‘I am an atheist. I’ve never found any comfort for the misery of life, or the terror of death’.
A worry free, enjoyable life? Woody Allen has a good awareness of what life on earth without God is like.
According to the Archdeacon, because Woody Allen is a grumpy old Nihilist and an Atheist then it holds true for all Atheists. Either that or we all of the Eric Idle school of philosophy,
‘You come from nothing; you are going back to nothing. What have you lost? Nothing!’
and we are all in denial. We are terrified by death.
apparently Atheism can ascribe no logic to
- pain
- suffering
- acts of mindless cruelty
- the death of the human body
- the death of the universe
But some fairy tales from the middle east can. Why not fairy tales from the Arctic North, or the Subcontinent while you’re at it.
The Ads were in part a response to religious threats of hell advertised previously on British buses. So in essence they were saying don’t worry about god banishing you to hell for not believing in him, he probably doesn’t exist, stop worrying and get on with your life.
To be honest since becoming an Atheist I don’t think that my worrying has changed dramatically. I don’t fear hell, or death and I didn’t before. The idea of death saddens me, but hey, its inevitable so I don’t tend to dwell on it – make hay while the sun is shining is my motto.
I suspect I share many worries that the god filled do. Thing is, if I can do something to alleviate these worries I will, if I can’t, I try not worry about it.
But what gem of wisdom, or hope, does Christianity give us that promises us a worry free life -
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning
Bugger, that’s me convinced. Some illiterate goat herd says “In the beginning was God” and I immediately feel great relief.
Then we get a run down on how she used to be a non believer and that-
- she was a miserable nihilist like Allen
- she met a believing community,
- learned to pray in a coffee shop( I use to pray on the loo – beat that!)
- she was rejected by her old friends and accepted by her new
- we should be resolute in the face of the skeptical, opposition
And concludes that the message to Atheists should be
‘There is God! Stop worrying and discover him.’
Ho hum. I really do expect more from what I assume is an educated member of the clergy(don’t ask me why, as this is the second article this week that I have read that makes spurious claims then launches into personal testimony and prostelyzation).
There’s none of the good will voiced by other clergy – many who see it as an opportunity for the public to openly discuss the God question. No, lets mischaracterize, lets preach instead of open a dialogue.
A far better approach would have been to talk from personal testimony about how God does alleviate her worry, less confrontational and more intellectually honest.
Disappointing Ms Jarrett, very disappointing – no gold stars for you.
PS Sydney Atheist’s response
PPS Dave the Happy Singer’s response
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Hehe! Praying for an erection, that's AWESOME! Thank you Dave for my giggle of the day! I have to say, Sean, I enjoyed your response, but holy hell was that woman MIND-NUMBINGLY dull! It took me 3 times to buck up and get through her little tirade!
The authors of this blog wish to express that they take no responsibilty for any injury inccured by reading articles linked from this site
Entertaining post!
I’m disturbed to learn about your prayer habits, but I am reminded of Christopher Hitchens’s assertion that he only ever prayed once, and that was for an erection!
I just so… *baffled* that of all the freethinking philosophers: Democritus, Lucretius, Epicurus, Spinoza, Hume, Russell… who I really wanted to include but for the buffet of nonsense she left us to feast upon… she chooses Woody Allen and Eric Idle to base her impression of atheism on! Lolwut?
I also completely failed to rant about the fact that this woman is apparently a college principal…
I did catch that she was a teacher in one of her paragraphs and took a stab that she still might be one. I am coming to the conclusion that many of the clergy don't actually get any critical analysis of their work by their peers. That's certainly the case here in Alice Springs.
I have been engaged in a battle wits(which is being very generous) with a local Lutheran pastor who appears to never have been criticised nor had anyone pick him up on his poorly constructed letters and articles.
Classic wishful thinking on the Archdeacon's part –
"I much prefer the idea that I go off to heaven for an eternal party in the sky as opposed to just dying and and that being the end of it all, so I'll just choose to believe what sounds best."
Epic logical fail.
I can't nelp but be appalled at her level of skill considering, her eduction and the position she holds within the church.
I've encountered quite a few of the saved who claim their life prior to Jesus was one of "non-belief". They parade it like a badge of honour. My favourite is always, "I was a Darwinist" before I found Christ. Who the hell calls themselves, Darwinists? They either confuse or misrepresent their earlier perception of the world and when challenged, the claim of prior atheism proves to be nothing more than a belief system built on indifference, indulgence and the delusion of everlasting youth. What is there to worry about at 20, other than having a good time?
It certainly doesn't affirm the claimed previous rejection of gods, after a life spent absorbing, the reasoned & rational explainations provided by science. A life spent suppressing the belief in a deity is probably the best explaination for why someone would embrace jesus, after prayers and warm cups of coffee. It certainly isn't a logically reasoned process of dismantling the scientific evidence; which is what you would have to do, to escape the Darwin cult.
Don't worry be happy!
Exactly
If I found god, I probably wouldn't like him anyway.
The authors of this blog wish to express that they take no responsibilty for any injury inccured by reading articles linked from this site
Just like an atheist. Irresponsible as hell.:)
Damn straight I am turning my back on god because I am angry at him too:)