Aegis of Reason

Have you ever wondered what it feels to be an anthropologist studying a tribe in an exotic far away land out of the reaches of civilization? Well i had that experience and it was rather peculiar.

It all started last week on one of my random walks around the university, I encountered a table full of cookies that were being given away. Ah! but there was a catch for the cookies, a short and quick poll and survey. Surely enough i looked for it and it was the usual questions of how you feel about god, how it affects your life, i am sure that you are familiar with that old and usual jargon.

Well surely enough i tried to my best ability to answer those questions and then proceeded to ask the people there about religion (Socrates style). Well i wasn’t surprised, they turned out to be new earth creationists. God! (pardon the expression) I am really getting sick of encountering people that believe the world is 6000 years old and dinosaurs lived happily with humans at the same time. Well i stood  my ground and provided my arguments about morality, history, evolution, reason and philosophy. Well as expected the usual response to most of these questions revolved around not only faith, but the most basic understanding of science and evolution. And they know this, they admitted it by saying something of the like of “well, i really dont know much about evolution…”.

How can they oppose something with such convictions if they dont even know it? They just know pre fabricated arguments like “you know there are some footprints in texas of people and dinosaurs? plenty of proof!”. Well thats not the point, i had to go to class and left.

If you were wondering, i didnt actually grabbed a cookie and ate it. but i did keep a pencil. As I left a girl there asked me to come to their weekly meeting. I told her that i would think about it.
Well the time came and surely enough i went (for some reason the Atheist student organization isnt even holding meetings now days…). I sat there and I was welcomed in a very warm way. specially by the girl that invited me. She sat with me and we conversed about religion. By the time the music was going to start, we left the room and went outside. We sat on the table and continued to talk. it was a very nice chat, despite her lack of knowledge about evolution she was quite curious and made sure that she didnt meant to try to convert me in any way. The thing ended, there was a social, but i didnt go. However i did promise to show up the on the next meeting.

Second meeting:

So here came the second meeting, this time the people were just as warm and welcoming as before. But do know that i wasnt openly atheist to people that i meet. But i wasnt hiding it either, those that asked got a true reply from me. But everyone was sure that i was a christian, i was holding a bible too btw (some guy gave it to me earlier that day).
Well this time I did not sit by the nice girl, this time i actually had a chance to pay full attention to the power point and the words that were being said from the people at the front. And i have to say that I felt exactly the same way that i did when i was a young child in my old catholic church.. Empty. All of their sayings and questions were very terribly empty. Unlike the catholics that sometime challenge the rational mind with arguments from Aquinas, these people really had nothing going on. I really didnt understand, I really felt like those people in the discovery channel when they are witnesses of religious rites and ceremonies to ancient gods and deitys. This is nowhere as self evident as the last 30 minutes of singing that took place at the end. a trance like state that got a hold of people. Well a very small number. The feeling that these people are really backwards, and not much different than aztecs or maya worshiping their many ancient gods. As an atheist you can really see the world outside the bubble of religion.

But I also felt something else, specially since there are socials after every event. This time it was at someones house and it incorporated juice, queso and chips and some games. It was fun, but I had the same feeling that people were going to these religious services the same way that I had to wait through hours of prayer on christmas day.

People have the feeling that for having fun and partying and eating (despite being in a non promiscuous non alcoholic way (some of them) they had to pay in return hours of prayer and devotion. As if they owed something back to the god.

I dont know if you are following what i mean. after the service these people were just like any other people. making jokes and being crazy as any college student. Just like on catholic christmas day, you remain quiet and attend mass, but right after it you get the great fun, food, games, presents.

What would be of the faith of these people without the socials and fun afterwards? Are these people only part of this organization for the social activity and the sense of belonging? Certainly i felt that the social afterwards made up for the boring wait at the religious ceremony and rather lame music. There is possible the ‘feel good’ effect of bragging to others how great of a Christian you are.

As for me, I will go to the next meeting and the one after it. i will really befriend these people, they are not stupid really. They are very nice and i dont really think that I can hate them. Dont hate the religious person, hate the religion itself. Lets see how much a wolf in a flock of sheep can do to bring reason to the minds of the believers.

To be continued….