From: "Rasta"
Subject: Fwd: Rastafariansm, Atheism??????

[T]his placement of a theistic religion on an atheistic site gives people the idea or reinforces the idea that rastafarianism is somehow atheistic "without god" when it is full of god. There are enough people, "born-again christian groups", and other extremist resligions that use this to reinforce their arrogant views on religion, rastafari, and especially god. ...we must love god and an atheistic view of life, this world, and just being "Without God" is just for lack of a better word STUPID

A person would have to be pretty dumb to think that, just because a religion is described here, it is therefore atheistic. I describe Christianity and Islam here at great length, but is there anyone out there who visits the site who will come away with the impression that either of those religions is atheistic? I don't thinks so. Well, now we have three complaints about information on Rastafarianism appearing here: it's too "beautiful" to be associated with an atheism site, it's wrong to present the religion as though it might not be true, and finally it's wrong to give the impression that it might be an atheistic religion. Whew!

I find it amusing that Rasta here complains about arrogant Christians who spread misinformation about religion generally and Rastafarianism specifically, then he turns around and immediately declares that being "without god" is "STUPID." Can he explain why it is stupid? Can he offer a single critique of atheism? No - not here and not in any of the rambling, barely-coherent text that I've mercifully excised from the letter as I am presenting it here.

I certainly agree with Rasta that there is plenty of misinformation about Rastafarianism out there and that it would be preferable if people were better educated about that as well as other minority religious faiths. That is, in fact, one of the reasons that I created the page on Rastafarianism. It's not an exhaustive treatment by any stretch of the imagination, but it is an attempt to provide a reasonably objective, scholarly perspective on the subject - something different from the usual diet of apologists battling against those who decry the group as a False Religion.

I dont have to know you to feel for you........do you feel for the families of the people who passed in the 9/11 attack, and do you feel for the millions of people all over the world, americans, africans, indian, other who are stariving and dying each and every day....if you said yes to any or all of these questions then you can understand how i can feel for you and the hate that you hold deep deep down in your heart.

This was from a later message responding to my challenge of his stating that he felt sorry for me. It's arrogant and condescending, I think, to "feel sorry" for someone who doesn't believe the same things you do even though you don't know them - and more so to make a point of saying so. Rasta tries to worm his way out of that by making an analogy with people who have suffered from some tragedy, but it doesn't work.

People who suffered a great loss, like in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are people one can legitimately feel sorry for because they have suffered a known loss: the death of a loved one in a terrible, violent attack. To feel sorry for someone who simply doesn't share one's religion is quite different. Instead of expressing empathy for someone's loss, it's expressing regret that someone else is different. On the one had we have empathy for the fact that people have suffered and are suffering while on the other we have an arrogant assumption that other paths and other beliefs are inferior to one's own.

Then Rasta turns around and asserts that he is the one who Loves while I am the one who Hates. Well, I don't experience a great deal of "love" like his in my life and most of that is through email, something I am quite happy for. Indeed, I think that the world would probably be quite a bit better off if there were less arrogant, condescending "love" like his around.

More selections from the Agnosticism / Atheism Mailbag...