Where do I begin?
Let’s start with the facts at hand, shall we?
The Election
A special election for state senator was held in my home state of Tennessee, yesterday. In that election Gayle Jordan (D) was soundly defeated by Shane Reeves (R)… 13,139 to 5,179.
What made this election gain so much attention? What even led the great antagonist and atheist Richard Dawkins to chime in with insulting recollections of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial in Dayton, TN?
Gayle Jordan is an atheist, that’s why.
But Gayle Jordan (Democrat) is not just any atheist; she is the Executive Director of Recovering from Religion, a group dedicated to helping people transition from “faith to reason.”
(Sarcasm warning) Shame on those backward, hayseed, unenlightened, anti-reason, anti-freethought, banjo-playing hicks for electing a pro-life, heterosexual, Republican white male!
The Reasoning
Well, since it’s all about “reason,” let’s discuss the whole reason this story go my attention. What got me was the reason given for Gayle Jordan’s transition to becoming a “happy heathen.”
From her bio: “Gayle is a former Southern Baptist who left the faith 10 years ago when her then-teenagers began asking questions she could not answer.”
That’s the whole reason I decided to sit myself down in front of a keyboard this morning – she ditched her faith because she couldn’t answer her teenagers’ questions. She said it, not me.
So, let’s ponder that for a moment or two. She was a mother with teenagers, and just because they asked her some difficult questions about the Bible, faith, and religion (because it’s safe to assume they weren’t actually thinking original thoughts but were influenced by anti-religious evangelists such as Dr. Dawkins and others), she threw in the towel and completely changed her worldview?
Amazing.
Good thing that kind of radical shift doesn’t take place every time a young skull full of underdeveloped brain matter queries a quandary.
Teen: Mom, if a tree falls in the woods, but no one is around to hear it, will Al Gore still blame it on global warming?
Mom: Oh my gosh, dear! I don’t know! I guess I can no longer believe in forests.
Teen: Mom, who were the giants in Genesis 6:4? Were they aliens, angels, or mythical creatures covered in rock who helped build Noah’s ark?
Mom: You know, I have no idea, honey! That’s a really good question! I guess I’m gonna have to become a bona fide heathen and use my comfortable heels to crush the multiple pocket watches lying on the beach as I walk over them into oblivion.
But I guess I’m thinking too hard.