GodAnon

Many of our religious friends are unaware of the religious mistreatment of women. For example, a woman giving birth to a female is double unclean. You can't make this stuff up. Leviticus 12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: ‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days , as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. 3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days ; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. 5 But if she bears a female child , then she shall be unclean for two weeks , as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days . Promoting Understanding of Religious Suffering

For adults, belief in the return of a Messiah and imminent end of the world is crazy.  It leads to perpetual fretting and worrying, to wasting time obsessing over the future and forgetting to enjoy life in the present. At times it can descend into full-blown paranoia, seeing Armageddon around every corner and the Mark of the Beast in Bitcoin and every new technology. For children, the fear can be paralyzing. Children report believing that they "missed the rapture" when a parent came home late.  "Oh, no! Mommy told me about the rapture, and she still  is   not home!  She must have been swallowed by the rapture. Now I am going to have to worship the 666 Beast!"

Many of our religious friends believe that truth is a matter of popularity which somehow wins over scientific  knowledge .  The physicist  Richard Feynman taught us otherwise: "Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." Richard Feynman Promoting Understanding of Religious Suffering

Many of our religious friends live in fear.  Bertrand Russell taught us about this. "Religion is based ... mainly upon fear ... fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race." Promoting Understanding of Religious Suffering

Many of our religious friends have difficulties facing the perils of life.  Bertrand Russell taught us about this situation. "There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Almost inevitably some part of him is aware that they are myths and that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he dare not face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly, that his opinions are not rational, he becomes furious when they are disputed." Promoting Understanding of Religious Suffering

Some of our religious friends believe that some unexplained events are miraculous, and these miracles prove the existence of a god. A miracle is typically understood as an extraordinary event or happening that is explained as being the work of a divine  supernatural   entity.  Before miracles can be used as irrefutable proof of a god's existence, the cause or origin of so-called miracles must be proven. There is currently no credible evidence for  miracles exist. In reality, there are several underlying explanations behind most miracles, for example: The event is statistically unlikely. A single person surviving a natural disaster is no more miraculous than a single person winning the lottery. It's an unlikely random occurrence. The event has a scientific cause that is not immediately apparent or understood but is later identified. Many natural phenomena were once viewed as miraculous.  The event was meaningless and meaning and significance was added later.  If a person

Many of our religious friends are held captive by an alleged holy book.  They claim, "God's existence is proven by scripture." There is no inherent value to the bible, quran or any other religious text. These documents are not self-authenticating in any way. T here is no historical, archaeological or scientific evidence to support many of the stories in the bible and the quran. Ultimately, the  bible, quran , and other religious texts are man-made products of whimsy, poetry, mythology and some history woven together into a new story. The texts come from many oral sources over many years and are combined arbitrarily into a single document. It's impossible for every religious book to be true.  It's far more likely that every religious book is equally fictitious and unreliable.

One difficulty we can hope that our family members get over is the death wish of their religion. Florida Senator Doug Broxson was one of several individuals introducing Trump in Florida in early December 2017. At one point in his introduction, the state senator referred to Trump’s designation of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel: "Now, I don’t know about you, but when I heard about Jerusalem — where the King of Kings [applause] where our soon coming King is coming back to Jerusalem, it is because President Trump declared Jerusalem to be capital of Israel." Broxson is saying that moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem sets the stage for the Second coming of christ, armageddon, and the end of the world.  Read more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2017/12/trump-rally-cheers-jerusalem-move-will-launch-armageddon/

Creationists say an even more amazing being must be responsible for the amazing things around us. But if amazing, complex things need a creator, then who created the amazing, complex God?  It's important to recognize that design and complexity are not the same thing. Looking at something complex and saying it requires design is begging the question and explaining a mystery with a mystery is really no explanation at all. Creationists also claim the human eye is so complex that it was designed for something, and so there must be a designer. "It is impossible that such a thing could happen by random chance." In once sense, they are correct. Random one-time chance certainly did not form the human eye, but random chance plus  natural selection did.  Creationism  shows a broad misunderstanding of science, and evolution in particular.

Many of our christian friends live in fear of the thought of punishment. We can see why. I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:5-6  (also  Dt 5:9 )

The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that the First Amendment mandates governmental neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion. Many of our friends and family may not understand what a lethal combination is produced with the combination of law and religion.  Police hosting and promoting a Christian bible study fails to respect the constitutional mandate of neutrality.  A municipal government cannot legally hold a bible study in government offices, promote it via official communication channels, and involve its police officials and employees in the event itself.

Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.   We may help some of our religious friends by offering substitute principles. Progressive cultures have worked to free humanity from the brutalities of mere survival and to reduce suffering, improve society, and develop global community. We seek to minimize the inequities of circumstance and ability, and we support a just distribution of nature’s resources and the fruits of human effort so that as many as possible can enjoy a good life.

Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships.  We may help some of our religious friends by offering substitute principles. Humanists long for and strive toward a world of mutual care and concern, free of cruelty and its consequences, where differences are resolved cooperatively without resorting to violence. The joining of individuality with interdependence enriches our lives, encourages us to enrich the lives of others, and inspires hope of attaining peace, justice, and opportunity for all.

"We are so far from knowing all the agents of nature and their diverse modes of action that it would not be philosophical to deny phenomena solely because they are inexplicable in the actual state of our knowledge. But we ought to examine them with an attention all the more scrupulous as it appears more difficult to admit them." Principle of Laplace: "The weight of the evidence should be proportioned to the strangeness of the facts." Theodore Flournoy From India to the Planet Mars

Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals.   We may help some of our religious friends by offering substitute principles. We aim for our fullest possible development and animate our lives with a deep sense of purpose, finding wonder and awe in the joys and beauties of human existence, its challenges and tragedies, and even in the inevitability and finality of death. Humanists rely on the rich heritage of human culture and the lifestance of Humanism to provide comfort in times of want and encouragement in times of plenty.