Breaking Prejudice on Atheists

Atheists are more compassionate, if you compare them to highly religious people.

Photo from Kevin Dooley’s flickr

Atheists and religious people both engage in charitable acts. The difference is what drives them. While religious people refer to the doctrine, atheists rely more on their emotional relevance (if I may say empathy) to another person/s.

People with no belief of God may be thought as self-centered. But a study at the University of California suggests that atheists are more emotionally dependent, that they feel the need of the other person in helping out. I argue that some religious people heed to the teachings without any inkling why. It’s faith and religiosity and that’s a good thing.

Another study surveyed people. Given a scenario: a driver damaged a car and took the money from a found wallet, who was the driver? Teacher, atheist teacher or rapist teacher?

People’s responses reveal that they distrust atheists as much as rapists. This blatant prejudice made atheists an instant suspect.

There are differences. A rapist is called as such because of his wretched crime, and thus the basis of the distrust. An atheist did not commit any crime. They just have a different view. I think that choice should be respected. Yeah, they don’t have morality written on book to guide them, but they have themselves to guide them.

Would you thrash out this prejudice?

Sources:
Studies say atheists, believers both do good, but for different reasons; The Washington Post
Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists; USA Today 

And so You Believe

What made you believe God?

Praying to God. Photo from agapepueblo.org

Scott traveled to Europe. In the middle of his adventure, he got very sick due to a strange disease. The doctors run the test, consulted their knowledge, the literature and even their peers to at least present him a proemial idea of what he acquired; but to no avail. His condition progressed rapidly, and in matter of days, he has been the weakest possible in comma state.

He felt really tired, and any moment he can let go. Then at the height of it, he saw a distant light. It’s very bright and up ahead. The music is he hears is beyond the capacity of words. It’s a peaceful feeling; and after what he’s been in his bed-stricken condition, he’d be happy to remain in peace and meet the end of that light. But he spared.

He woke up. At the instance he regained utter consciousness, it dawned to him what it was. It was the light, the one they say people see before they die. That was the very definitive moment he knew that there’s really a God waiting for us in peace. And so Scott believed.

Like Scott, I grew up in a family that fed me the belief of God. I can’t even remember the first time I encountered the words ‘Jesus’, ‘God’, or ‘Lord’; and I attest that my mom has been talking about him while I was still in her womb. And in our society, I guess most people can relate to me. You don’t have to be Christian; you call your God Buddha, or Allah, but we share the same experience of growing up with coerced belief in them.

Some will have their own experiences in which made them confident that there’s really a God; despite not seeing him or talking to him. This experience is stark to persuade that he’s existing based on meeting him and not because family or society dictates to believe in him.

For Scott, he encountered God’s presence upon experiencing that there’s a peaceful place unimaginable waiting for him. Mine is simple. I believed in God because he gave me the things I asked him. Thanks God! Aside from that, the Earth, the universe, us – all is beautifully crafted. I can’t accept that this is just coincidence.

Let’s go back to you, what made you believe God?

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A Token from Virtues

This virtue is opposes my character; it’s an inconvenience.

Do you have the patience to wait? Photo from unknowncystic.wordpress.com

Are you reminiscing the last time you encountered the word virtue? I won’t blame you. Let us refresh each other’s registry. From what I remember, virtues are the hallmarks of your character. It is the guiding moral principle of your everyday life activities. If that’s too deep, honesty, faith, punctuality; these are all virtues.

My alma mater has a culture called ‘Virtue of the Month’. It is exactly what the phrase implies – one virtue is expected to radiate within the prevailing month. For example, the virtue of the month is order; a speaker, in the beginning of the month, will preach about what is order, what is not orderly and the rest of the usual. As students, we are expected to practice order and that especially applies to order in our lockers.

The Virtue of the Month has remnants on me, because I’m a proud principled man. I live by values, but there is one virtue that I really hate. It’s patience.

I really hate to waste valuable time doing nothing while waiting in line. You know those times you are stalled, but you can do nothing but to wait. Oh screw that! I want things happening now, spontaneous and flowing.

If I’m in charge of the world, there will be no waiting. Even in grocery lines, I’ll pay Adam Lambert to sing for your entertainment.

There is time and place for everything. Timing is essential in many aspects, even in launching my writing ideas or business ideas; but it doesn’t mean that we sit and wait for every right time. I don’t call that endurance or patience, it’s absurdity.

What virtue you practice the least?

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Chances of a Saint and a Nation

The Philippines’ newest saint, San Pedro Calungsod, is only its second.

San Pedro Calungsod joined San Lorenzo Ruiz as the two Filipino saints. But I’m not sure if this is a cause for celebration.

Filipinos have been Christians for more than four centuries. The Philippines is the fifth largest Christian country behind Russia and Mexico; the only predominant Christian nation in southeast Asia; and has the largest christian population in Asia. But an eyebrow raising fact is that the country is only about to receive its second canonized saint, whereas the Vietnamese, not a Christian country, have more saints.

Although I’m not saying that Filipinos are not saint-worthy, there are reasons why they only have 2. To start with, works of Filipinos don’t easily alert the global community. Most of it are unpublished but sneaked because of financial challenges and prejudice to the race.

A fraction of Filipinos are Sunday Christians. They don’t live the faith. They only go to Sunday mass out of obligation not of own intention.

Another reason why a Filipino saint hardly come around is that they anticipate that one urging moment to be saint-like. There should be a super typhoon drastically damaging the country for Filipinos to help the victims while thousands of everyday victim of poverty are left suffering.

It is especially harder to be a Filipino saint now due to westernization. The movies they watch are bombarded with violence, nudity and sex. The advent of the internet does not help in temptation resistance, for pornography was never this accessible. So people in the province have a better chance to be saints, having no internet or even the basic electricity.

Th emerging Christian dividends may also trim the chances. Aside from Roman Catholicism, Filipino Christians can now opt to join Protestantism, Born Again, Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), Mormonism, Jesus is Lord Church, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and more Christian denominators. These Filipinos are disqualified to be proclaimed as saints by not being a Roman Catholic.

What does it take to be a saint?

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