Proof That America Was Not Founded On Christian Beliefs

In a treaty of peace between the U.S. and the subjects of Tripoli of Barbary, the following is written:

Article 11: As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

The treaty was sent to the floor of the Senate, June 7, 1797, where it was read aloud in its entirety and unanimously approved. John Adams, having seen the treaty, signed it and proudly proclaimed it to the Nation.

Good Quotes About Religion

"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."
--Steven Weinberg

"What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof."
--Christopher Hitchens

"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason"
--Benjamin Franklin

"Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God, because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."
--Thomas Jefferson

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."
--Edward Gibbon

"Where knowledge ends, religion begins."
--Benjamin Disraeli

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived."
--Isaac Asimov

James Randi Is The Man

And once again, great minds think alike.

Religion Is A Virus

In this article, Tufts University professor, Daniel Dennett, describes how religion is like a virus.

Key points:

• Religious ideas survive and thrive using a process similar to natural selection
• Religious tenets have been adopted to help ensure survival of the belief--such as: believing without proof (faith) is a virtue, humans shouldn't question God, etc.
• Religion gives it's followers a powerful placebo effect
• Atheists should not cater to, or tolerate religion.
• Religion is on the way out.

I believe religion is indeed on the way out. The internet helps in this, as it enables truth and logic to expose the silliness and irrationality of ancient beliefs.

Shame on Religion

Some ask, "Why dispute religion when it does no harm?"

Well, there are many instances where the false beliefs of religion do cause harm.

Here's one example:

A man who is (by all outward actions and appearances) a good person, loses a child in a terrible accident. Being a religious man, he cannot understand why a loving god would allow such a terrible thing to happen to him.

The only way that others can justify this to him, is by telling him that God has his reasons.

Now, more terrible things happen to this fellow. His house burns down, he loses his job, etc.

Now his fellow believers are starting to think that God's reasons are to punish this guy for something! So on top of all the misery being suffered by this guy, he is now looked down upon by his peers as being unclean!

A real life example: when New Orleans got wiped out by hurricane Katrina, many religious fools blamed it on the lifestyles of those living in New Orleans! The holier-than-thous believed the poor people of New Orleans got what they deserved!

This is one small example of why religion should be opposed, and not just tolerated.

More than any other thing, religion breeds hatred.

Miracle on the Hudson

A plane that crash landed in the Hudson river is being hailed as a miracle, because nobody died.
First of all, nothing miraculous happened. An uncommon event? Yes. With a good outcome? Indeed. But were any laws of physics broken to support a claim for the miraculous? No.

Isn't it funny how, when something good happens, it is so easy to explain how and why God works? Yet when something terrible happens for no apparent reason, believers are forced to say that God works in mysterious ways that nobody can understand.

How can you have it both ways? Either God is reasonable, and you understand Him, or He isn't and you don't.

A reasonable person should be able to see what is going on here: it's simply rationalizing in order to support an illogical belief system.

One cannot logically attribute good events to God because it makes sense (it makes sense to save people from harm!), and at the same time claim that God's ways cannot be understood (where was He on 9/11/01?).