God of the gaps
God is a thin veneer of artificial mystery, painted feverishly onto the interior of a vast cavern of knowledge which is ever-growing. Every gap, every single crack in that cavern, is hailed as a well-spring, a seeping-out of God - by the oblivious faithful for whom the truth, that it is the seeping-in of the hand-painted mystery, is anathema.
Each time scientific advance is made, each and every single time a knowledge is wrested from the walls of the cavern, a crack is forced open to view what is inside. The wonders of the universe open to reveal their splendor and glory, with more cracks and gaps beyond to explore. All that the faithful see is another surface to paint, with more cracks to fill with the sickly ichor of their God.
If the faithful had their way, we would abandon the cavern of knowledge, fill it in with their concealing ichor, and remain ignorant of the wonders of the Universe - but I say "no". I will not leave the cavern, and it seems they will not leave me in peace to explore it and show it to the world for the wonder it is.
So, if they do manage to fill in this cavern of knowledge and light, I will drown, hugging its beautious walls until I become nothing. I will not leave into ignorance and dullness. I will not allow the spirit of science to be extinguished while I yet breathe.
Posted Feb 25, 2011, 12:23 AM UTC
When I have conversations with the religious and they know I am an atheist, I refuse to talk about their religion. They always try to bring it back to god but I stop them. All I do is tell them of the magnificent wonders out there in the universe, how things work, and more of the like. I try and take the wonder they feel from their god and fill them up with the majestic wonder that is the cosmos and the beauty of nature. They can decide for themselves whether they still believe, I'm just glad I had the chance to inform them.
Keep up the good work! You're leading the horses to water - if they don't drink, at least they're still next to the water when they get thirsty.