I agree with Ray Comfort when he presents himself as the atheist's nightmare. Of course, he's not a nightmare for atheists in the way that he thinks he is. I think Ray Comfort is a nightmare because he's annoying, and just about everything he says is, like a bad dream, delusional and not real. So, for laughs, I enjoy reading RationalWiki's article on him, and other articles, like their point by point analyses of his book, You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence But You Can't Make Him Think, or his debate with YouTube user ThunderF00t, where Ray Comfort gets his ass completely handed to him. I'll provide links for these articles. One of Ray Comfort's most often used arguments is that atheists really believe in God, and that they're angry that God really exists. Specifically, this argument appears in chapter one, page eight of the book I mentioned earlier. (1) It's evidence of Ray Comfort's lack of intelligence and inability to hear things he doesn't want to believe. He makes the assertion that, basically, an atheist's entire position can be summed up as rebellion against religion or our parents that taught it to us because we really want to be sinners. Ray Comfort fails to grasp that, if an atheist is staunchly against the practice of religion out of anger, it's more likely because there's no evidence for almost all religious claims, and the people who accept them without thinking tend to be spiteful or resentful toward people who challenge the validity of such claims - including the uninformed believer's own children. This creates an obvious barrier in the relationship between believing parents and the non-believing children. It's really quite natural that one's atheism comes about in reaction to the treatment they receive from their parents because parents are usually the people who teach children religion. Instead of understanding why it's a good thing to want to see evidence of something before you believe it, Ray Comfort sees it as something to make fun of, basically. The image he creates by his position that atheists are believers who are angry at God is of what most gullible conservatives imagine atheists to be: Butthurt Dweller, though they don't recognize that stereotype by name. The image is a joke to these people. The atheist is just some angry loser who lives in his parent's basement and plays Minecraft all day - not the scientists, doctors, writers and artists that have transformed the world into what it is today. I'd recommend that these conservatives (not that they'd listen) go to Wikipedia and read the List of Atheists in Science and Technology. (2) So, intelligent people know that Ray Comfort is a joke who deserves about as much credibility as YouTube user ShockofGod. Personally, I'm of the opinion that Ray Comfort (and, by extension, Kirk Cameron, too) may actually be a poe, which can be used as a slang term for a non-believer who pretends to be a believer for the sake of discrediting religion. Ray Comfort's opinions and arguments are just so ridiculous that it's hard not to suspect that he's a fake, especially after that banana stuff. Regardless, though, whether sincere or not, Ray Comfort's oft-repeated position that atheists really believe in God and are angry at him is just not true, and this incorrect perception that conservatives have of atheists is a large contributor to the rift between atheists and believers. It's important for atheists, I think, to make a list of why they think religion is offensive. This is an extension of the need for atheism to develop into a solidified movement. If you're an atheist, you surely think that atheism is a more responsible viewpoint than a religious one. We realize that religion is a practice of believing without evidence and, usually, intolerance toward anybody that disagrees or attempts to disprove the belief. It's obvious why those are bad things, especially the prejudice of the latter. Atheists need to be ready to explain why these things are bad when they find themselves in debates with believers. Because of idiots like Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, who advance the stereotype of the atheist with issues against their parents, it's likely that your average Bible-thumping, flag-saluting evangelical Christian thinks the same way, and if they start talking your ear off about religion, you need to be able to put them in their place.

• published: 28 Dec 2013
• views: 7