My Anti-Theism Explanation

Before being officially banned from the City-data religion forum, I was asked to explain what anti-theism is so I wrote the following. Now most of you would recognize this as essentially Christopher Hitchens' position so perhaps there's nothing new here for you. This is why I did not post it here, but since I can no longer respond to questions (and several challenges) anymore there, I figure I'll post here so maybe those people can post such things here and still maintain their anonymity if they wish which they couldn't if they emailed me. So without further adieu...

I'll start off with some other definitions:
theism - the belief in a god or gods
agnosticism - the "who knows?" stance on the god issue where, due to lack of evidence, someone finds it hard to believe in a god but figures one could be there, who knows?
atheism - goes a bit further and says that since there's no evidence, there's no god, just as there's no unicorns or leprechauns since there's no evidence of them either

anti-theism - Term being established now due to Christopher Hitchens' usage essentially is an all out objection to the very idea of deities due to what the ramifications would be should they, or even one exist, which is the complete devaluing of humanity and the universe.

What's wrong with there being a god? Let me focus on a participatory creator god, one that establishes some rules, expects them followed and from time to time intervenes in existence since this is what most people imagine and assert when talking and thinking of a god. What this would turn existence into is the most extreme totalitarian state where from the moment of conception through life, death, and beyond for eternity, you and your thoughts would be supervised. Indeed, it is after you die where the real terror begins because you now will face either an eternity of servile praising of this very jealous and insecure entity, which sounds like torture enough, or an even worse fate of terrible pain and torture for eternity for failing to abide by the rules of this entity during your physical life which mostly boils down to servile praising and self denial. The wishing for such a god boils down to wishing for slavery, for servitude, for a complete elimination of independence, individuality, and responsibility, an existence of perpetual kneeling, bowing, praising and praying, an absolute surrender of everything before your master.

Now beyond just a mere Big Brother entity who supervises and intervenes occasionally, the world's religions also feel anything of value that we think, feel and accomplish are all due to this entity. Did a doctor cure you? Well god worked through him. Great works of art and culture? God. As we all know, Kathy Griffin recently objected to this in her acceptance of an Emmy, claiming that in no way did Jesus have anything to do with her winning. The standard response, as you all are familiar of, is to thank your god for the win, either by direct intervention to help you or hurt others or as some internal drive and state of mind. Even in a moment of great accomplishment you're robbed of the satisfaction of a job well done, surrendering it to your master. I also want to go back and bring up the idea that a god would actively make you win at the expense of others. This of course has been an anthem by tribes and nations throughout history for the righteousness of their cause over others which is especially repugnant and a nice segue to morality.

A big assertion by theists is the necessity of a god for morality. Once again, we humans are devalued because we could not possibly be inherently moral or be able to formulate morality on our own. Oh no. The idea that the Jews got as far as Sinai thinking murder, adultery and the rest were fine and dandy and no one ever thought they were wrong until Moses got the commandments from god is ludicrous. The contempt for humanity is palpable here, that we couldn't know unless told that such things were wrong. I for one do not choose to devalue humanity so. As you can read in the article The Sacrifice of Admetus, there are further links to scientific findings that show altruism existing in not just human babies but in wild chimps and even rats! The response by theists to this usually is to say that it's because god created us all with this morality built in, which once again devalues us all since yet again morality is not something we either evolved with or developed but had to have it inserted, that we otherwise couldn't have had it without divine insertion. Let's also not forget that if we accept this religious assertion, then why would we need some commandments and threat of hell if we've been created with morals built in?

But of course somewhere along the way we "screwed the pooch" so to speak. An apple in a garden and suddenly we're all doomed before we're even born. Once again, how repugnant. No, none of us are perfect but a certainly feel we're capable of greatness on our own, including being moral, without divine guidance. An amazing and perhaps very telling question presented by theists is "without god, what keeps you from killing people?" to which you have to wonder, without faith would theists start killing people? You certainly don't see atheists running through the streets raping and killing, making the world just one big play of GTA yet theists assert that without god that's what would happen so for those who feel that way, let's be thankful they believe in a god or else you or I might be walking down the street and meet an untimely end.

Now I did mention devaluing the universe. Believers feel the universe is wonderful because it was created by a god but I ask you which is more wonderful, that this universe was designed or that it just happen to be? Is it more magnificent that a little corner of this existence was manufactured for us and that we were then plopped on or that within this chaos this little blue orb came to be and upon it's surface, life sprang forth which has resulted in you and me so far. Can you honestly say the former? Now of course theists love showing probabilities and the unlikeliness of chance as a reason why there must be a creator but I would argue that's precisely why the universe is wonderful as is our existence. Precisely because it's so unlikely to be is why it's precious and removing that devalues it and the universe.

But of course we as humans need order and reasons for things which is why some make the assertions that we and everything must have been created yet it is reason and logic most of the time that theists reject as being objectionable, placing a much higher value on faith, faith without evidence. I find this rejection of our faculties objectionable and why would I want there to be a god who would favor us not using our minds? Is it better to assume New Orleans was ravaged because of it's decadent refusals of god's rules or that we live on the surface of a cooling planet which causes turbulent weather and making such tragedies an inevitable event of existence? Is it better to assume that homosexuals are being smited by god with AIDS or that there's a virus at work that we need to use our minds to discover a cure for?

Of course the last resort of theists is Pascal's wager, which is essentially that if you don't believe and there's no god, well good for you but if you don't believe and there is, you're in trouble, pal, so it's the safer bet to believe. What have you got to lose? Aside from the obvious used car huxsterism that this sounds like, I believe I've explained at length above what you have to lose, the complete devaluing of humanity and the universe plus is it really virtuous to believe in an entity and follow a set of his rules under fear of eternal torture? Is it true morality to not run through the streets raping and killing because god says so or else you'll burn eternally or because you honestly think it's wrong? If there is a god and he would deem the former more moral and worthy than the latter than what a frighteningly terrible universe it is and yet another reason why I would have to be an anti-theist, one who fully objects to the existence of a god.