Right & Wrong: Chastised By a Xtian, Hump Exposes a Theist Blind Spot

This email to Eternal Earth-Bound Pets by an irate defender of the faithful needs no introduction:

“You should be ashamed of yourselves!!! You are not providing a service, you are nothing but scam artists playing on peoples fears.” …

“Your ‘service’ is comprised of atheists, correct? Atheists do not believe in the Rapture, correct? So you know perfectly well you are taking people's money strictly on their fears of leaving their pets behind.

“… It angers me that you are taking advantage of people to supplement your income. I'm angry because there seem to be so many people who are easy targets, those who do not stop long enough to think about what they're doing.” … “ Surely you can agree … Christian or atheist, this is wrong.” lisalf@comcast.net

My response:

Dear Lisalf,

If I understand you correctly, Lisalf, in order to "target" people one must first be a believer.

You see, I wonder how many of these letters you've written to Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Falwell, Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker, Benny Hinn, or any of the thousands of churches, pastors or priests to whom each parishioner is an "easy target" and has been for centuries. Picking their pockets, bludgeoning them with guilt, leading them to believe their donations feather their nests in heaven, and giving them false hope in exchange for a prayer offering. Indeed, the less affluent one is, the greater percentage of their income is lifted from them; in spite of even impoverished conditions.

These believer shaman don't just supplement their income from the pockets of their faithful flock, it is their very livelihood. They feed at the trough day in and day out at the expense of the willingly lead ... the fearful and the hopeful. And yet, what does the guilt coerced contributor get in exchange? A guarantee of salvation? A promise of eternal life? Assurance of life in the stratosphere with furry animals and wings on their shoulder blades? These promises, these assurances, have the same effect as the promise of a ride across the Styx … and even then the dead must pay Charon, cash, to reach the Underworld.

I wonder Lisalf, how many of these letters have you written to these purveyors of myth for money? Is it just the thinking and un-indoctrinated to fable for whom you hold such antipathy and scorn, such adamant accusation of greed and mental extortion? Or do you write letters to Peter Popoff, and the Pope's treasurer, suggesting that they too know neither right from wrong? No need to reply. We both know the answer to that.

That you fail to see the value of my service, a genuine, real, here and now reality upon which a person can find hard and fast contractual commitment; yet readily see a value in the hallelujah shouting, the falsely pious ecstatic shaking and speaking in tongues, and the telling of ancient tales that of themselves are fear inducing not-so-veiled threats that have played on people's fears for millenniums -- speaks to a rather singular and narrow perspective. A narrow perspective you owe to those who have shunned reason and reality, and who profit from it.

Yours in reason,
Bart
Creator / Co-Owner Eternal Earth-Bound Pets