The Peak

Leave religions alone: An open letter to opinions editor Graham Templeton

By Ivy Ash

Dear Mr. Templeton,

I read your article glorifying atheism [Leave Pat Robertson alone, January 25] and I had to comment. Perhaps it is cowardly of me, but I chose to write to you because you are an easy target, because you express unoriginal thoughts on a subject that is far more complex than your simple reductions of religion are capable of encompassing. You’ll find I make no apologies.

There is a certain truth to what you’re saying. The Bible is as bigoted as your instrumental reasoning. More so. Fair enough. I have found passages from Ezekiel fun to read with a single hand up to a certain point, before the rationale for kidnapping streetwalkers from the Downtown Eastside and dismembering them arose. There is a mythic darkness to the Bible that requires critical thought to be able to understand, and again you’re right: people like Pat Robertson, Fred Phelps, Jerry Fallwell (I think Fallwell’s a funny name for a fundamentalist preacher) aren’t capable of it, but — as previously mentioned — neither are you.

There’s more to the Bible, Mr. Templeton (a funny name for a fundamentalist atheist) than just bigotry. There’s love, for one thing, and tragedy. There’s deep devotion. There’s legalese. There’s an ethnography of a people. It’s possibly the first ethnography of a people, but it’s definitely the best preserved ethnography of a people. John Stewart (note the proper spelling of Stewart) is a Jew, Mr. Templeton (still funny). The name that he uses is likely a stage name. It’s common enough. Do you honestly think Angelina Jolie (translation: Pretty Little Angel) is her real name? When Stewart refers to his Jewish roots, he’s talking about his lineage not necessarily his religious practices. You see the complexity your arguments completely miss? Are you that oblivious or are you ignoring these complexities for the sake of your point?

Now, lest you think I may be a Jew, I’ll tell you right now, I’m not. I’m Wiccan. Even worse! I hear you cry. Spiritualism and Nietzschean philosophy combined! (Or maybe not. Do you know what spiritualism is? Or who Nietzsche is? And what’s with the ‘z’ in Nietzsche’s name? But I digress.) And yes, it may be contemptuous of me and my ilk to presume a spiritual connection with those who were burned at the stake for reasons of colonial Christianity. Some of us do that (I am sorry to say) as an inappropriate outlet for our own privileged suffering. Others of us do indeed have family traditions that have survived Roman Catholicism’s widespread eradication efforts of the past. And still others — like myself — use the history as a personal metaphor in order to be aware of religious bigotry.

One thing you’ll find common to religious bigotry is this: there is a marked determination that whoever spouts the bigotry belongs to a true faith, the true faith. The orator/author gives no account to other modes of truth making. She or he may claim a deep concern for the state of the human race on account of their inability to see the proper truth — the author’s “hometruth.” Invariably, the author makes intellectual war on an entire group of people in an attempt to destroy their confidence in the truth values of their traditions and lifestyles. Common expressions in religious bigotry include (but are not limited to): “pact with Satan,” “hoodoo holy man” (the tradition is called Yoruba), “intellectually [read: morally] bankrupt,” and my personal favourite, “they’re absolutely insane.”

Now, I’ll be honest. I don’t have the highest esteem for atheists. In fact, of all the esteem I have for other religions, atheism ranks lowest. Why? Maybe it’s because my father was atheist and I still have unresolved issues regarding him. Maybe it’s because I don’t see how a life devoid of the spiritual could possibly be fulfilling. But maybe, just maybe, it’s because all too often hypocritical fools use the idea that they’re “not religious” to stave off attacks of religious bigotry. Then they write supposedly humourous diatribes filled with teenage angst and castration anxiety deriding all religions as the same (stupid) religion, refusing to see the (much) bigger picture, claiming that only atheism is right!

Finally, who is it that you think you’re talking about? Who, exactly, are you insulting? Clearly your intended audience is the undergraduate student body — impressionable youth are easiest to rile — but you seem to have no clear concept of whom you’re writing about. First of all, there’s me. I’ve been practicing Wicca for years with no overwhelming need to slaughter and devour innocent atheist babies. (Yay for me.) Second, there’s my moderate Christian friend, also an undergrad, but smart as a whip, open minded, and with a soul full of Christ (crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside). There’s the very Catholic religious studies professor who thinks I’m brilliant. And there’s the professor with Jewish roots who’s teaching me to read (and spell) Nietzsche. Then there’s every other person — undergrad, graduate, TA, admin, service staff — of a religious background in this school, and all others. There’s every person of a religious background in the entire world. There’s the entire tradition of scholarship itself. And finally, there are the fine upstanding atheists who aren’t bigoted at all. You set a bad example for atheists, Graham, and for intellectuals the world over. You should be ashamed of your writing as it is hypocritical, and hate-filled. And you should be thankful — who do you thank for shit like this? — that you live in Canada where atheist hate literature is the last appropriate hate literature left.

Most sincerely, Ivy Ash

P.S. No wonder you defend Pat Robertson: you two have so much in common, using the devastation of a developing nation to advance your evangelical conversion efforts.