I, Iconoclast

iconoclast

1. a breaker or destroyer of images, esp. those set up for religious veneration.
2. a person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., as being based on error or superstition.

Clearly, the first definition above has fallen out of favor--few are interested in destroying religious images anymore, except for the Taliban. I didn't even know about the first definition even though it is related to the origin of the word. But I have come to the conclusion that the second definition applies to me, and it is a badge I wear proudly. What this era needs now more than anything is more iconoclasts, for that is what the great Reformers, like Luther and Calvin, were. But this time around, the cherished beliefs that need to be attacked have arisen in the world of Science and the superstition lies with those who think science can solve everything or answer everything.

Oddly enough, some of the most superstitious of all are the Evangelical, fundamentalist atheists, or "Naytheists" as I prefer to call them since their primary claim to fame is saying "no" to God. Yet their faith in science is such that they can't even recognize it's limitations, much as a number of Fundamentalist Christian denominations cannot accept that the Bible is not a science textbook.

Naytheists are quick to demand scientific proof for everything they believe in. Thus they have difficulty with simple verities even a child can understand. For instance, ask him if he loves his wife or children, and he will say yes. Ask him to prove it scientifically, and he will be unable to do so. The rational person, even child, would at this point conclude the obvious, that some things we believe in are true even though they cannot be proved scientifically. The Naytheist, like any Fundamentalist, either changes the subject or repeats himself only louder.

I will speak more about Naytheism in the future. But I also want to point out that most atheists I know personally are very nice people, very much live and let live, and a good deal less annoying than many of the religious people I know. But Naytheists have turned their skepticism about the existence of God into a religion that worships a No-God, and they are obnoxious about it.

But truth be told, I'm not nearly as upset with Naytheists' unbelief in God as I am with their turning of science into religion. God is, regardless of Man, or even the physical universe. But Science, is not.