It stinks in the bull penn

"The Vatican should leave science to those that believe in it." - Penn Jillette on Bullshit

Sure. Now please, sir, eat your own words and leave religion to those who believe in it. Please please, pretty pretty please.

Another atheist rant. I know the fact that I believe in God takes away all of my credibility, even with some of my faithful readers. However, I am a somewhat rational person (at least I hope). I can imagine what life might be like not believing in anything greater than the human mind. What I can't fathom is why I would care so much about religion, especially that Catholic Church which, in the minds of many atheists, seems to be the biggest joke of all.

Here I'll reference the episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit that has everyone up in arms. The saddest part is that it isn't funny, but rather scathing, as if big jovial Penn was replaced by windbag Greg Giraldo. The show lays down the typical, hysterical argument: the Vatican has lots of money and power and is causing destruction around the world.

It is responsible for people in Africa dying of AIDS, for example. Is the Catholic Church the only organization allowed to access African countries? Penn kept referencing how the unbelieving are so naturally moral, compassionate, conscientious, and humane-- why aren't they taking care of the AIDS problem south of the equator by distributing condoms and teaching safe sex as they wish the Vatican would do? Many athiests are quite well off, enough that if all of them banded together they could take care of the problem in little time. Why hasn't that happened yet? And if it is happening, than why care so much that the Church is teaching abstinence and not handing out condoms?

Again, as a "religious" person I hardly find the atheists of the world capable of taking care of hunger, poverty, ignorance, or the corrupt powers that be as they seem unorganized and apathetic. So I take it upon myself as the person of morality to contibute to the education, feeding, housing, and clothing of the disenfrachised. If Penn is so convinced that religious people are filled with "intolerance, greed, paranoia, and callus disregard for human life" than I hope he is trying to step into the space the church is supposedly standing in when it comes to AIDS or poverty.

Addendum: a more aptly put bit about the same topic