{"id":776,"date":"2012-02-26T04:29:27","date_gmt":"2012-02-26T04:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/areasontosmile\/?p=776"},"modified":"2012-02-26T04:29:27","modified_gmt":"2012-02-26T04:29:27","slug":"creatheists-two-sides-of-the-same-coin-or-purity-and-fanaticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2012\/02\/creatheists-two-sides-of-the-same-coin-or-purity-and-fanaticism.html","title":{"rendered":"Creatheists: two sides of the same coin; Or, purity and fanaticism"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

(This was one of my very first and still most controversial articles to date. \u00a0Now over 500 articles later, I still couldn’t agree with this more!)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Having to be right all the time must be SO tiring!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\nA fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

-Sir Winston Churchill<\/p>\n

Yes, you read that right: I said Creationists and Atheists (or, Creatheists) are basically the same thing.<\/p>\n

Now, there are many types of Creationists, and many types of Atheists; this article is aimed at the zealots: the ones actively campaigning to spread their world view and eradicate any thoughts to the contrary. \u00a0So, let’s take a look at some of the reasons why I can make such a bold statement<\/p>\n

Both require rigid adherence to their own set of dogmas.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Creationists side of this is obvious, but many Atheists, especially the academic type will staunchly deny this. \u00a0So test it: walk up to one of them and say the words \u201cIntelligent Design\u201d…see what happens.<\/p>\n

Both believe their position is the only absolutely correct one.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another obvious one; if your run into a Creatheist that says their way isn’t the only one, ask them to give you 3 good points about the other belief system.<\/p>\n

Both believe something is innately wrong with people who believe the opposite they do, and possibly shouldn’t be allowed to.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Inquisition, and the Enlightenment; the Religious Right, and \u201cthe God Delusion\u201d.<\/p>\n

Both offer things that can not be proven as absolute truth.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ask to see Noah’s Ark, or the ‘Missing Link’; the location of the Garden of Eden, or an example of Spontaneous Generation.<\/p>\n

Both \u00a0offer their interpretation of the evidence as absolute truth\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Whole books have been written on the logical acrobatics necessary to make billions of years worth of geology fit into a roughly 10,000 year biblical time frame. \u00a0But just as much (if not more) has been written trying to fit Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons and Homo-Sapiens into a single family line.<\/p>\n

They’ll show you pictures of little horse like creatures, slightly bigger horse like creatures, and modern horses as ‘proof’ that a direct transition has taken place, but the fact is big gaps exist in even this seemingly simple sequence.<\/p>\n

Both have arbitrarily invested total belief in a certain fixed world view\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no external logical reason to believe the Bible is absolutely 100% true<\/a>, just as there is no external logical reason to believe Charles Darwin’s observations ruled out the existence of Divine forces.<\/p>\n

Both would argue they don’t ‘believe’ their positions, it is simply the preeminent truth<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Already dealt with that extensively\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both put more stock in the words of other people, often long dead, then their own experience.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Creationists put absolute stock in the Bible (although they don’t know who wrote it, and justify it’s contradictions<\/a>), or in Preachers who are trusted beyond question. \u00a0Atheists not only have Darwin, obviously, but people like Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, and the rest of the self-declared intellectual majority.<\/p>\n

Both hold positions that are contrary to daily human experience.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sex is a sin<\/a>, Religious experiences are only tricks of brain chemistry, etc.<\/p>\n

Both hold beliefs that are scientific impossibilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This one always gets a pretty strong response!<\/p>\n

But the fact is, the Earth billions of years old, not thousands; and people didn’t exist along side dinosaurs (well…probably<\/a>). \u00a0The Theory of Evolution (in its current state) stands in opposition to the Second Law of Thermodynamics (also discussed at length\u00a0here<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Both believe in time they will be vindicated as having been right all along<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Both immediately reject or rationalize away any proof that seems to contradict their own beliefs\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Show them this article!<\/p>\n

And the #1 thing Creatheists have in common:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It takes an almost incomprehensible amount of ego to put your own beliefs and experiences ahead of the beliefs and experiences of billions of people across thousands of years. \u00a0Whether or not a given Creatheist believes people have simply been misguided, or outright deluded, the fact is it requires a special type of person to believe people whom they’ve never even met are fundamentally wrong about the basic questions of life.<\/p>\n

As I’ve said before, no one KNOWS for absolute certain where we come from, or what happens when we die, to say otherwise is an exercise in ego-stoking futility. \u00a0There is nothing at all wrong with having strong convictions (I certainly do), the problem is when we allow those convictions to become intellectual or spiritual tyranny, and begin to see people of equal but opposite conviction as enemies to be eradicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart; for his purity, by definition, is unassailable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

-James A. Baldwin<\/p>\n

What do you think ? Feel free to comment down below!<\/p>\n

You are great, and I love you!<\/p>\n

And if you love me back, click ‘share’ up at the top!<\/p>\n

B. Dave Walters<\/p>\n

Writer, Life Coach, and Talk Radio Host<\/p>\n

Find out more about me:
\nhttp:\/\/about.me\/BDaveWalters<\/a><\/p>\n

Ask me anything:
\nhttp:\/\/formspring.me\/BDaveWalters<\/a><\/p>\n

Pages I support:
\nJesus and Buddha\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0— Interfaith dialog<\/p>\n

Gnostic Theism<\/a>\u00a0— Religion and Spirituality for the 21st Century (Join the Movement!)<\/p>\n

Love One Another<\/a>\u00a0— \u00a0A group for the coolest Spiritual people on the Internet!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(This was one of my very first and still most controversial articles to date. \u00a0Now over 500 articles later, I still couldn’t agree with this more!) A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.\u00a0 -Sir Winston Churchill Yes, you read that right: I said Creationists and Atheists (or, Creatheists)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,47,55,39,15,81,38,88,28,112,41,49,48,30,17,78],"tags":[3,58,34,13,69,12,11,109,36,9,14,63,64,26,25,59,42,50,18,56,113],"class_list":["post-776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-change-2","category-communication","category-emotions-2","category-fear","category-god","category-healing","category-hope-inspiration","category-mind","category-peace","category-pessimism","category-positive-thinking","category-religion","category-spirituality","category-the-past","category-universal-law","category-worry","tag-b-dave-walters","tag-bible","tag-breakthroughs","tag-change","tag-christianity","tag-emotions","tag-gnostic-theism","tag-god","tag-hope","tag-jesus","tag-life-coach","tag-paul","tag-paulianity","tag-peacelovemoney-com","tag-psychology","tag-scripture","tag-self-talk","tag-spiritual-but-not-religious","tag-spiritual-coach","tag-stress","tag-universal-law"],"yoast_head":"\nCreatheists: two sides of the same coin; Or, purity and fanaticism - A Reason to Smile<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2012\/02\/creatheists-two-sides-of-the-same-coin-or-purity-and-fanaticism.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creatheists: two sides of the same coin; Or, purity and fanaticism - A Reason to Smile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(This was one of my very first and still most controversial articles to date. \u00a0Now over 500 articles later, I still couldn’t agree with this more!) 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He is the author of one book, \"49 Lost Secrets of Peace, Love, and Money\". For years, friends and relatives looked to him for guidance and support during difficult times, and he realized at an early age that his purpose in life was to serve and inspire. While touring as a personal coach with a prominent rock band, he was discovered by one of the top trainers of the Anthony Robbins companies, which lead to him settling down to open and operate a Marketing, Business Services and Coaching firm in Los Angeles. Armed with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, he brings the same discipline and determination that helped him earn Black Belt rankings in Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi to all areas of study and focus. In addition to earning a degree in English from Morehouse College, he has mastered the science of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and other communication, healing, counseling and spiritual systems from all over the world. 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