This post began as a response to comments left by WordPress blogger goaloflifeadmin, concerning my previous article, Deconstructing the hard edge of religion. It was getting a bit long – and I felt it touched on some things that deserve a closer look.

goaloflifeadmin,

I don’t know why you would automatically assume that atheists don’t put just as high a premium on bedrock human values, as anyone else. It does not require God – or even a belief in God – for people to discover those underlying human values.  That lend themselves to moral codes, based on honesty, integrity, the care of family, community, and offspring.

We simply reject all superstitious notions of God, or any or those other supernatural agents. As well as the fraud of those men, who would claim the ability – through anecdotal resource, or self-serving revelation – to know the mind of any such phantasm.

And, while I hate the fraud of religion – of every stripe – Islam has shown itself to be a particularly backward and pernicious form, of religious superstition.

The pre-Islamic Middle-East, was once a great seat of learning, scholarship, and understanding.  The English language uses letters derived from Aramaic – and is still referred to as the Arabic alphabet.

But at some point, the Islamic world traded in all that knowledge and scholarship, for a book angry tropes.  And the whole Islamic world has been plunged into ignorance and scholastic darkness, ever since.

Young boys grow up studying the Koran – and only the Koran.  Never to become scientists, engineers, or medical researchers – except through outside influence.  The vast majority would find themselves functionally illiterate, in the outside world.

But you are the one’s, who’ve created this incredible knowledge gap, that exists within your countries.   That have provided the open invitation for outsiders to come in, and take advantage of you – while developing your natural resources. (And making just a small handful of the people in your countries, rich.)

The solution is not to think you’ll ever be the ones, to take over the world.  Or to declare war on the Western world. And, while the nihilistic disaffection of vast numbers of Arabs is completely understandable, the only solution that will ever work, is to lay aside that ridiculous Bedouin tome, and give up the superstitious ritual of praying 5 times a day.  To ween yourselves from continually looking to ‘Allah.’ And educate yourselves enough to administer your own affairs.  ( I know that’s not as much fun, as running around, rioting and hollering about the Evil Westerner Empire, is it?)

King Solomon, in the Book of Ecclesiastes – King James version of the Bible (Chapter 7, Verse 29) – observed:

“Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright;
but they have sought out many inventions.”

I quote King Solomon, not because I believe in God – or the truth of the Bible.  But because this book is the only philosophical treatise in the whole Bible.  And because I understand the wisdom, behind this man’s words.

You’ve posted a link, that goes to a whole website of “other inventions.”  An entire vista of mental quicksand – laid out to invite wandering souls to explore.  But none of it is of any more use, than looking to the stars – or reading tea leaves.  Will any of it even help you to fix the plumbing?

I do not “hate Islam” as anything other than one more road – leading to spiritual and intellectual darkness.  For the same reason I “hate” the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, and all those literally thousands of other specious texts, that grope around in darkness – while making false truth claims, about how the world – and this universe – really work.

And after a lifetime of study, none of them can show you how to find your own ass, in the dark – using both hands.

Be well.