On Atheism

Introduction

My name is Nelson, and it is my supreme pleasure to present to you this treatise: a collection of insight and careful considerations I have prepared for review and moreover for the perusal and critique by those who would be intellectually and temporally qualified to grasp and understand it's most vital points; be it colleague or detractor. This is the point at which the pen meets the page, and for any man of the inclination and ability, such an undertaking, in itself; can be quite a learning and growing experience. I feel it best to give you a brief overview of myself; namely where my experiences originate from, and what I feel has enabled me to become the person that I am today. I will follow with some of my sincerest reflections about the world and society that I live in. In some cases, where applicable; I offer my personal insights as to the causes of the ills that I bring to light, and some valid alternatives to current methods that I see employed; by and large, on a worldwide scale.

About Me

I was born and raised in the United States; an undeniably fortunate beginning for anyone, though it was in the Piedmont foothills of North Carolina. This broad band of geographical area is commonly known as the southeastern "Bible-Belt", and for good reason. The original pioneering colonial settlements here were predominantly European "refugees", who escaped to the New World seeking shelter from 'religious persecution'. In truth, their motives were not as lofty as some would envision, whereas this continent was basically the dumping ground for religious dissidents, lunatics, indigents, and the general 'unwanted element' of the existing European Empires; released from the overcrowded confines of the prisons, slums, and institutions; and cast upon the sea to be forever rid. Once the newcomers were able to wrest the land from its native peoples; through outright murder and cold-blooded butchery, thus a foothold was firmly established in this area that has since festered and grown such as no other empire ever known on the face of this planet. I live in the cradle of where it all began for America, and though it gives me no pleasure whatsoever to know the price that was paid in blood by it's original occupants,(ancestral to me), I concede that the Church was founded and so established under the most basic of Nature's laws; namely that of Natural Selection.

The parenting and indoctrination I received as a young child was administered according to the Southern Baptist philosophies, replete with all the accompanying destructive forces that it brings with it, namely: a lower over-all level of education, intolerance, alcoholism, mental derangement, and EVERY form of abuse that is known to man. My "spiritual training" was based on blind faith and obedience, sacrifice of the self for the moral good of the community, and above all; absolute and unquestioning subjugation to the authority of the church. Here, there is really no such thing as any separation of church and state, because there is no significant populous of peoples that are not directly under the power and influence of the church. As this society has evolved around me in my brief years, it has grown all-powerful, and; seeing it now for what it truly is, has become the predominant driving force that influences every decision made by our country's ruling class. As the settlers expanded westward in what was coined "Manifest Destiny", the direct influence was lessened to those who once again sought to expand their ideology, but as for here, nothing has changed for the Church, save for it's remarkable rise to power, and the methods it employs to remain there. The idea of any true distinction between Democratic or Republican rule does not exist, as the powers which propel the entire electoral process are manipulated by the control that the church holds over the voting classes. To be a liberal or a 'free-thinker' here, is to assure one's self of political and societal suicide, and thus it goes to date; as it always has.

My Purpose

Such conditions are a fertile medium for conflict and rebellious revolution, and so it became; and still is, the catalyst for an ever-growing number of society's population. An individual has the choice to express dissention, though; to do so, is to become an outcast and bring down upon him or her self the moralistic judgment and banishment of society at large. I first noticed this when I was old enough to begin forming social alliances among my teenage student peers, and because of our breaking-away, quickly fell out of favor of the establishment around us. These were my own personal beginning steps on a chosen path of free thought, unhindered by tradition; and set upon a course that is governed only by rational and logical reasoning within the capabilities of my intellect. Older and more seasoned now, it is all the more apparent to me that for any real advancements to be made to remedy the destructive behaviors we exhibit as a collective species, the first crucial step to be taken must be to break this iron grip of irrational thinking, and for the members of all our societies to slough this infectious, self defeating attitude that "I can change nothing, so why should I try?" To initiate such a revolution of thought, a person must set him or her self unto absolute conviction, and an unyielding refusal to be drawn in by the temptation: that a belief in something validates it's real existence, quantifies it's value, or qualifies it as even an acceptable truth, no matter what comforts it may promise or otherwise offer to the person (s) who hold it dear. So begins my efforts herein to first identify, address, and ultimately disprove erroneous patterns of thought, superstitions, and myths we as a thinking organism have accepted so blindly. They are long outdated, and well over-due their appropriate destruction upon the pyres we are building; using our knowledge of both science, and the natural order of the world we live.

The Significance of Man

To fully understand what human beings are as a species, one must study carefully all of the component parts and forces that compose and maintain his real existence in the universe. It is inherently erroneous to presume that man is subject to an exclusive determining force. He is rather, the composition of mostly the same physical and natural laws of the universe that define all its other parts. As a dynamic organism, the most basic natural function that is observable in relation to all other living organisms; is the drive(s) to continue existing. What makes the only derisive difference is when one applies the concept of will into the equation. Science teaches us that all forces composed of energy seek to expand, and are held in check by the forces around it which hamper it from doing so. It is a more accurate application to see that it is naturally occurring forces which serve to maintain the continuum and not a supernatural force of will. Man's first and most contradictory assumption lies in his belief that his continued existence is in some way beyond the same forces that govern everything else. Thus begins the division he creates which puts him in opposition to the whole symbiotic relationship of the natural world and universe around him. One will find no example of any organism which successfully remains detrimental to the environmental forces which are in direct influence of its survival. Nature in all its' applications provides a system that evolves; according to the forces which govern its existence. Man is the only known organism which precludes the allowance for total annihilation, and perpetuates its own extinction. This is directly related to his concept of time. Also exclusive to the human; is the idea that there is no value to all other component parts of the natural world without his continued existence as a species; whereas science shows us continually that there is in fact very little impact overall at the demise of any single representative. Regardless of how far one looks into the evolutionary history of the human species, there is a measure of growth and change; to some observable degree, in his organic and physiological makeup, and this fact qualifies man as an evolving organism. It is only the individuals' concept of the time continuum that determines the amount of evolutionary changes he will observe. The primary function of any dynamic life form is scientifically shown to be the continuum of its own existence. This disavows any necessity for the inclusion of a force of will in any form, and it is in fact a concept of the human thought process alone which recognizes this occurrence. Since value can only be correctly estimated by applying all factorings, it is thus logically correct to determine that man has no real value without the other component parts which comprise his elemental function.

The Application of Instinct

It is undeniably apparent to the scientist that one of the measures of physical evolution in the human species is the progressively larger size of his brain mass. It is observable that: organisms with larger brains tend to exhibit more complex thought patterns. Complexity of thought is directly relative to the processes the organism must employ to insure its own survival. Those organisms that posses the most ability to process thought therefore predominate the lesser varieties. The Merriam-Webster official definition of instinct is: a: a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason b: behavior that is mediated by reactions below the conscious level. Using the same resource reference point; we find that reason is defined as:1 a : a statement offered in explanation or justification <gave reasons that were quite satisfactory> b : a rational ground or motive <a good reason to act soon> c : a sufficient ground of explanation or of logical defense; especially : something (as a principle or law) that supports a conclusion or explains a fact <the reasons behind her client's action> d : the thing that makes some fact intelligible : <the reason for earthquakes. It is a logical equation to surmise then that instinct does not require nor incorporate reason. Humans, being so enabled to such powers of 'higher thought' have the keen ability to examine the difference between reason and instinct. We should look closely first at instinct; as it applies to the human; to understand his most primitive driving force. Most scientists would agree that the first detectable and inherent instinct in humans is that of fear. Like all other species of animals, the primary function of fear in man is to ensure survival. It occurs in lieu of thought and provides its' own definable value in relation to survival. Outside of this, it has no useful utility in the natural order of organisms, save for those whose complexity of thought requires it's' employ. Unnatural fear can be, and in most cases is, the application of reason to instinctual behavior. Such an occurrence is clearly seen in humans, whereas fear is redirected away from his survival and focused on the unknown or those things he hasn't the ability to comprehend. There is no value in this application, as it serves no useful function, but rather often can interfere and will corrupt the balance maintained when in a natural state. For all other species, the presence of fear can be positively linked to a real factoring threat that is easily identified and observed. Only in humans can one see clear evidence of a state of fear arising from a vague and supernatural enemy; even when there is no real experience or evidence that such entity even exists. This is not an evolution of higher thought, but rather a by-product of a human's reasoning ability. If we allow for just these simple conclusive observations, then we being to see the emergence of a spectral phenomenon exclusive to man by method of his own creation; namely: fear based upon selective reasoning incorporating the supernatural. This is more commonly referred to as religion. It is then by the same logic that we can determine that the exclusion of religion in a human's thought processes effectively removes unnatural fear. A positively substantiated alternative then is based upon true observation that when unnatural fear is not present in a humans' thoughts, said subject will exhibit behavior that is more cohesive and logical, and overall they will be a healthier and happier individuals.

The Application of Useful Reasoning

If we look scientifically at the way the human species has developed his coordinated thought, we can see definite patterns of behavior central to his immediate needs; and integral to how he functions collectively as an entire model. One can focus specifically on the points of adaptation and see that humans possess an innate ability for co operative problem solving, which enables him to keep the balance in his favor. As he has evolved and his numbers have grown, it quickly becomes apparent to us that continued survival is dependant upon skillful application of this principle. Intelligence provides the edge that makes his survival possible, and at no other time in recorded history is this fact more evident. One by one, humans have mastered the elements that work to eliminate him, each successively more significant than the predecessor. In this way man's knowledge builds upon its self and constantly rises to meet the challenges of the unknown and uncertain to him. Science reveals what fear makes mysterious to him; in the form of discovery, and this is a dynamic element of his ability to adapt and change according to the demands of his place in the food chain. We must not lose sight of the fact that: at NO point is his survival or continued existence without the constant, ever-growing threat of annihilation, whether it be from the as yet undiscovered, or by means of his own shortcomings. Science allows man to understand the laws that govern this universe, but in no way does it exempt him from the authority of it's' dominion over him. Therein lays the key to understanding the necessity of constant growth and pursuit of higher-learning. It is not possible to adapt or overcome new challenges when limiters are in place that are based on unfounded moralistic and religious dogma, to whatever degree they may be incorrect. Logical reasoning shows us that in fact the opposite is true, and by way of the aforementioned, a pattern of decline can be detected when its' presence predominates the majority of man's numbers. In short we as humans should not overlook the fact that by virtue of our own reasoning ability, we possess the propensity to not only restrict our advancement as a species, but also to predate upon our own selves, and thus bring about our own demise. This is the struggle that is life, and though it is more complex to us than that of other organisms we see around us, it is no less significant or brutal. One only has to look at the fact that man is also the only species that suffers the unnatural occurrence of suicide and self destruction. Once again, I digress this is a product not of natural evolution, but rather a monster of his own making in the form of illogical and dysfunctional reasoning. If there were by definition anything remotely supernatural in the universe, it would be this most distressing tendency in humans to destroy themselves.