The Atheist Blogger

According to the BBC, Birmingham City Council have decided to ban websites about atheism, witchcraft, the paranormal, sexual deviancy, and criminal activity. Every other site is allowed (especially Christian, Islamic, Hindu sites) but the new system has effectively outlawed any sites relating to satanism or the occult, which apparently now includes atheism. Strangely there is one section of the Birmingham Councils software description that stands out.

or any other form of mysticism

Hold on a sec. Mysticism is defined as “a direct, intimate union of the soul with God through contemplation or ecstasy”^[1], and as “the pursuit of achieving communion, identity with, or conscious awareness of ultimate reality, the Other, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight”.^[2]

It seems that every single religion practices this. Prayer, whether it is Christian or Muslim, is a “pursuit” of some form of communication between God / Allah and the believer. So already all Christian and Islamic websites which advocate prayer should be out of the loop. So should all evangelical websites that call for believers to have a “personal relationship” with Jesus. The last time I checked, a personal relationship is a union of sorts, but is definitely a direct experience. Indeed, many Christian denominations have a mystical theology called theosis, and the Muslims have a similar one known as Irfan.

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It seems that a lot of talk has been going on about Patrick Greene, especially since Ray Comfort mocked him on his blog, and he started emailing (and phoned into) The Atheist Experience. In case any of you have not been following the story, Patrick is attempting to sue Ray’s evangelical company “Living Waters” for selling an offensive bumper sticker.

The sticker in question says “National Atheist’s Day” in large red letters, then “April 1″, and the quotes the Bible “The FOOL has said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Here is a small thumbnail to help you visualize it:

Now, there are many reasons I believe people can get offended by certain beliefs. I’ve written how I am offended when people tell me I’m going to Hell, not because to them it is “fact” (as Patrick Greene argues), but because they believe that such a punishment is justified, and they are willing to compare me as equal to murderers and rapists. I am offended by the threat of Hell for the same reasons I am offended when someone calls me a bastard. It is a personal attack, aimed and directed quite thoroughly.

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