This I Believe - Penn Jillette

[TechBear_Seattle]

This essay was written by Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) and read on the "This I Believe" program on National Public Radio on Monday, November 21, 2005.

Excerpt:

But, this "This I Believe" thing seems to demand something more personal, some leap of faith that helps one see life's big picture, some rules to live by. So, I'm saying, "This I believe: I believe there is no God."

Having taken that step, it informs every moment of my life. I'm not greedy. I have love, blue skies, rainbows and Hallmark cards, and that has to be enough. It has to be enough, but it's everything in the world and everything in the world is plenty for me. It seems just rude to beg the invisible for more. Just the love of my family that raised me and the family I'm raising now is enough that I don't need heaven. I won the huge genetic lottery and I get joy every day.

Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around

The full essay, along with an audio transcript, can be found at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5015557

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. atheists can be really kind and compassionate

mainly because they don't think there is anything beyond what they personally sense. To my mind, this shows that maybe kindness, appreciation, etc, is the natural sense of everyone, rather than meanness and ugliness, etc, etc.

I would also like to ask my atheist friends if they are comfortable celebrating Thanksgiving. If they are thankful for what they have, do, etc, as Penn is, I would think they could look at the holiday in that way. But I don't know for sure, and I'm curious. Thanks for any replies.

[JuniorPlankton]

3. I am an atheist and I have no problem celebrating Thanksgiving

First of all, the origins of the holiday are not religious (thanks to the Indians for helping them set up for the winter)

Second, it is just an opportunity to get together with your family or friends and enjoy life. There is no hint of religion in the whole process. Like a birthday or an anniversary.

[trotsky]

4. Exactly right.

The holiday has been completely secularized; there is certainly no need to bring gods into it unless you so choose. I have always enjoyed the day, mainly for the food and the football.

[Goldensilence]

10. right on

nailed it all right on.There's something great about the post meal game and taking nap in between the second and third quarter then waking up to watch usually the best part of the game. Add a few brews in there and you got close to a perfect day.

[htuttle]

5. I don't think I know anyone who actually celebrates 'Thanksgiving'

Pretty much, it seems to just be a time to eat dinner with family, etc... I can't think of anyone I've known, religious or not, who's sat there around the table in Pilgrim hats talking about the Mayflower (metaphorically speaking). At least not since grade school.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. no Pilgrim hats here

but to me it was always a religious holiday. My family traces its roots back to Stephen Hopkins of Mayflower fame, so we do talk of the Pilgrims, but I doubt if we are typical.

[sybylla]

6. Ah, the holidays...

As an Atheist, I consider all holidays, secular or religious, as a celebration of life. It is a time to cherish my family, greet my neighbors, consort with my friends and revel in all the good things that have come to me on this earth. Whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or Mother's Day, it's all about commemorating the "world" and all that has transpired to bring me here, good and bad.

[stopbush]

9. For lack of a better term, I guess I'm an atheist.

I know a lot of atheists. They are all kind and compassionate. There's no "can be" about it. By their very nature and belief they are compassionate because they look within for their moral compass, not to some imaginary tooth fairy of a deity.

I know a lot of Xtians, including most of my immediate family. They are nice people too, but as soon as you challenge their belief system they transform into people who I wouldn't spend time with if they weren't family. It wasn't always like that, but American Xtianity has become radicalized over the past 25 years. Ecumenical-ism seems to be gone as the competing Xtian sects act like their version of the religion is the only one. Scapegoating and demon-ization seem all the rage.

If only the "guilt" factor that so infects today's Xtianity could be removed people would be free to question the choices that led to their embrace of the worst attributes of religious group think.

[waiting for hope]

2. I heard Monday morning

on my way to work.....I have a little faith that there is a higher power working some huge control board but after listening to Penn, it made so much sense to concentrate on what we have here on this earth in this time. Made everything seem so much simpler.

[TlalocW]

7. A lot of conservatives I know

and we've all heard the more famous ones say something like you can't be a moral or good person if you're an atheist, which we all know from firsthand experience isn't true. One of my best friends from high school is an atheist, and he's one of the nice guys in the world, always ready to help someone out.

The conservative Christians can be divided into two camps. The first camp is the George W. camp - the ones who think they can act however they want because they believe they're saved, and God loves them more than anyone else. The second camp actually wants to have good morals and strives to have them and help people out when they can, but they're doing it out of fear of being sent to everlasting torment. The moral atheist is that way because he or she knows it's the right thing to be.

TlalocW