A Response to Atheist Analysis’ Christopher Tanner

Link to Comments at Atheist Analysis

Christopher Tanner writes (to “Speck Of The Cosmos”):

I appreciate the comments. I have been a trans and lgbtq Ally for probably 8 years now openly speaking out. I understand you want the article to be written by a trans person and I have nothing against that either. I also know many trans individuals in the movement and am personal friends with them well.

But that doesn’t mean I should be quiet. It doesn’t mean I should wait and let someone else write something. As allies we have to speak up. We have to voice that we are disgusted with this treatment. We have to tell people that they need to also stand up. Without the support of everyone a minority group will get bullied. Would it be more powerful coming from a transgender individual yes I think it would. But that doesn’t mean I should keep quiet.

As for not harassing the parents I am split. I think they are horrible people but I think their religion is worse. That is why I posed it as either their religion has made them bad people or they are bad people. But ultimately if we didn’t have religion we would not have this as big of an issue. I still think it could be but not to the extent it is because of religion. I am sorry but I think religion has done so few good things for society that I would rather not have it at all.

But I am not reducing the trans struggle to just religion because people are bigoted no matter what. But I can point out that the struggle would be easier without religion especially if we accepted science for what it was and instead of going to church on Sunday they spent 3 hours reading about science. Knowledge is power.

Lastly if you don’t feel the need to give the girl a proper burial that is fine. You don’t have to. I feel that it would send a message to society no matter what that even if someone doesn’t accept their child as trans that society will and society will start to instill this in people since the parents have failed to do so.

Laurence responds:

“As for not harassing the parents I am split. I think they are horrible people but I think their religion is worse. That is why I posed it as either their religion has made them bad people or they are bad people.”

They are bad people? I’m sorry, do you know what actually happened or did you just go blog surfing? On what basis or standard do you call them “bad”? If you are a father, and I think I heard on one of your programs you are, aren’t you lucky the public doesn’t know your misdeeds and bad choices as a parent. If I find a story of a teenager who commits suicide in an atheist, agnostic, or this latest BS I’ve been reading about “apatheist” household, who will you blame? The facts are what they are for this case, and they don’t need your spin on the matter to suit your agenda. If you want to raise awareness for your cause, so be it. But you’re sounding as “judgmental” as religionists are portrayed as. If you were once one of those kinds of Christians, you may have left the religion, but you kept the same vitriol.

“But ultimately if we didn’t have religion we would not have this as big of an issue. I still think it could be but not to the extent it is because of religion. I am sorry but I think religion has done so few good things for society that I would rather not have it at all.”

Oh I see, you have the mystical power to peer into parallel universes that don’t have religion. Religion may not be here in a hundred or a thousand years, but it is here now. Get over it, dude. If there was no religion, narcissistic personalities would still rise up and call the people so some ideological action. I never had a problem with the “question authority” kind of slogan. I think that’s good, but you can actually do that without being an asshole as well. Believe it or not, I like what you and Atheist Analysis is doing. Some things are thought provoking, but then there are some moments of vitriol like my encounter with those Prophetcast idiots, and the messenger(s) lose their credibility, and ultimately hurts the message.