Someone else is stealing Billy Graham’s mail

But I’m not complaining; I’m applauding. Breaking Spells has linked to and quoted a response Graham recently gave a (presumed to exist) writer (you mean to say some of those letters are actually made up? Shit, that’s low and sneaky, too) about atheism. This saves me doing it. I quote Graham first:

a true atheist has no real reason to believe in right and wrong or to behave sacrificially toward others.

And that site’s response:

The new atheists and the “atheist agenda” have evangelicals like Billy Graham worried. We’re vocal and determined not to be marginalized. We’re standing up for Church-State separation issues (which is precisely antithetical to Graham’s move to merge the two everywhere possible). And we’re hiding in the shadows less and less: bestsellers by atheists on atheism hitting the shelves each year, entire conventions being held on the topic of atheism, and the internet is our backyard.

Ironically, Graham’s efforts may have backfired. If the comments section of that article are any indication. Atheists in Oklahoma have spoken out against his bigotry and very few Christians have made any attempt to support his position.

Comment section, eh? Let’s see what’s in there.

ND52:

The belief in an all-powerful, all knowing evil force is the at the core of the Christian religion. Without it, the church is impotent to impose it’s will on the masses. The fear of eternal damnation and suffering is Christianity’s last line of defense against those who would preach reason and logic to it’s followers.

Just as parents use the threat of an imaginary “boogie man” to coerce their children into modifying their behavior, so has the church used their own boogie man for centuries to control the unwashed masses.

IamStinkerpants:

So, not only Atheists, but Buddhists, Muslims, Shinto, Jews, and anyone else who isn’t a self-professed Christian aren’t capable of being completely good? Ehhhh. More boring, bigoted crap.

And Amy’s whole comment:

Nobody, even atheists, likes to see people spreading lies about them, especially in a newspaper. Is it a political agenda to point out lies and misinformation when it is being spread about you? I don’t think so. Are people going to get upset when lies are being spread about them? Undoubtedly. It takes 0.5 seconds of empathy to realize that. (And no, empathy doesn’t require religion either.)

And there is no true athiest. There is no church of atheism. There is no coordinated mass of people with a common 1675ish year old belief structure. Atheists as a group agree on one thing and one thing only, and they don’t even agree on it the same way. (Some say No, some say Maybe when asked about god’s existence.) But to try to say that one thing is or is not the cause of an individual’s behavior / belief would require individual knowledge of the person in question. This is why Graham should have just stuck with “I don’t know.” And trying to discourage people from expressing their beliefs out of fear of not being “true Atheists” is a little silly.

To be fair, not even all Christians are in complete and total agreement at all times, hence the reason there are so many schisms. Maybe they’ll jointly agree to believe God and Jesus exist, but how much else will be up to individual preachers, churches or committees?

I agree with what’s stated at Breaking Spells. If Graham made this letter up, or at least had his helpers dive into the bags looking for something specifically atheist in topic, then it shows we’re having an impact. They’re worried. They’ll never want to believe we’re “right” but I think they’re starting to realize that the day is coming when they’ll have to stop pretending and preaching about how we’re all baby eaters and anarchists when a few moments of patient poking around online by any of their followers will find plenty of evidence that we’re not.

What will those followers do then?

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edit 12:15 PM: Barefoot Bum has approached this same letter from a different direction, claiming Billy Graham is right. Go see why.