Is the Bible Outdated? Asperger Observations

This was interesting to me...and it may piss off some others who read it and happen to be religious. If you are religious and prone to getting bent out of shape by someone's opinion, skip to tomorrow's post or yesterday's. If you decide you're curious enough for this post then do us both a favor and read it the entire way through. If you want to respond, go ahead with the comments, as long as they're constructive and preferably have some reasoning to back up and support your view. I'd rather not close comments on the blog because someone wants to be an arse-head.

I mentioned previously that I had a wonderful time reading Look Me In the Eye by John Elder Robison. I really recommend it. I was about to put the book into my sacred storage area where I could have it for reference in the future...a bit of clutter programming in my head, I suppose, wherein I stash things I think I might want later because I really liked them...but instead I passed the copy on to my mother in law (and perhaps father in law) to read in hopes that they may understand me a little better. I believed that while I would love to put it into my storage area the book will be useful only if the words carry on in other people's minds, and the only way to do that is pass it along. So I did.

Moving on...I also mentioned in that blog post that John Elder has a blog. Well, he posted an interesting observation regarding religion. The question seemed to have been posted innocently, but it is one that I've often pondered in my own head and made observations regarding. It's a really touchy subject though. Big surprise. Usually when I've tried to explore it with other people...and I don't personally know other Aspies in realspace, since I'm rather isolated socially (and most Aspies aren't social butterflies anyway, another big surprise) I end up offending people which I find out after the fact. Or right to my face when they get really huffy and start getting petulant or just flat out angry or insulted, thinking I'm calling them stupid. It makes it really difficult to puzzle things out when other people from whom you're trying to get information and understanding aren't cooperative.

He (John Elder) stated that he's spiritual, but not in an organized religion of sorts. He was asked by a researcher why Aspergians tend to not follow religious organizations. On reflection it seemed that other Aspies he's met weren't religious either, and this researcher was actually collecting (or had collected) data regarding this topic and found that apparently most aren't religious. Coincidence?

Here's what I can say:
Aspergers seems to create a predisposition towards reason and logic. We prefer working for results, not warm fuzzy feelings. We prefer working with people we deem effective, not "nice".

I've been told by someone neurotypical and close to me that they have seen the trend where the more educated people tend to be liberal in their beliefs, and the less educated tend to be neo-Republican. The Republican party in the US is famous for their family value platform, Bible values platform, as well as their willingness to murder thousands of foreigners in war (as long as the guys in suits don't have to go and get shot at) and the all too common scandal of yet another affair from Republican figureheads. It's not limited to them, but they're the ones generally telling their supporters they'll burn in Hell on the pulpit...er, campaign platform...before retiring to their office for some alone time with their cute senate page. Have to make it a quickie though...they have to get to the floor in time to vote on the laws they proposed that make what they just did more illegal.

The poor tend to be more religious. Could that be part of the reason that the generally more impoverished live along the Bible Belt in the US?

Religion (speaking of Christian religion in Northeastern USA, since that is the kind I'm personally exposed to) is full of fallacies and contradictions. The Bible is wonderful in that it can justify everything from kindness to strangers and justifying banning abortions for the sanctity of life to killing homosexuals. If you have a view of something, chances are you and someone who disagrees with you will find some way the Bible supports your view.

But Barry! You said religion has fallacies and contradictions, but you talk about the Bible! The above mentioned the Bible in particular, but religion is worse, as it is basically an interpretation of the Bible by people. Many religions are based on the Bible yet there are how many sects you can join? There are the big ones, of course, like the Catholics and Baptists and Methodists. The major religions take potshots at groups like the Mormons for being a cult. But the even The Family is based on the Bible as well. Check them out if you want to see how wild things get.

Hypocrisy is rampant in various organized religions. I've known Mormons swigging caffeinated beverages and downing chocolate. Priests are in the news for turning altar boys into altar men. I know regular church attendees who hate particular people for their features or actions or traits...where's the Christian love Jesus was so fond of? I roomed with a guy in college who refused to utter a single swear word (even though I don't see the difference it made when he simply substituted another word for the curse...other than it annoyed the hell out of me. Frick this, frick that, gosh darnit...I wanted to punch him square in the mouth). This same guy was heard thumpin' the ceiling over the living room area of the common room of the college apartment when his girlfriend visited, and since she lived on campus, it was every, @#%-ing, night. I asked him how he could profess to be so religious when getting more tail than most prostitutes.

"I'm human and have failings. I ask for forgiveness for them."

So it's not religion that has the failings, it's the people...

I've also observed that the religious tend to not understand much of what they're talking about with issues related to their religion. I don't think most have any idea that Jesus, if he existed, didn't speak English. We still have people who every Christmastime insist that "Xmas" is trying to remove the Christ from Christmas. Makes a good headline and riles up the followers, but it's wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Yet even when shown the proof I've had people insist their view was correct.

These are just some of the issues I had with religion while growing up.

If anything, I became a full atheist when I finally realized that with all the hypocrisy, contradictions, and ignorance I was encountering I simply couldn't live with what I felt were too many inconsistencies in the stories. I couldn't live with the idea that I would be living a lie. It came down to basically a question of would you rather be ignorant of what is happening and be happy, or know the truth and be miserable? It turns out that I'd rather know the truth.

I'm beginning to think this may be partially due to the Asperger's. There may also be a correlation between people being of liberal bias and having higher education, and true atheism and education (true atheism since I wouldn't count the people who have a "falling out" with God and thus say they're an atheist for it; they're just being pissy about something that happened to them, not seeking a higher truth). This correlation does not imply causation, but it does give one pause to scratch one's head a moment for some reflection.

This sounds arrogant. I'm simply stating what I've come to believe after a couple decades of observation and my own studies. Of course there's much more to it than I state here, but this is one facet of my understanding. And it pisses people off.

I don't know how to sugar coat it.

Even reactions to this give me a bit of a curiosity since in some cases it incites a lot of vitriol...when in most Christian sects, I'm supposed to be considered a wayward sheep in need of finding my way back with compassion. Another case of hypocrisy? I don't worry about it any more.

I don't know what the answers are with absolute certainty. But I do know what I've observed, and I know I've had many questions of religions that fail to have adequate answers. In the end people don't want to entertain the idea that they're wrong. They are happy with their beliefs. And I don't care what you believe as long as I don't suffer for what you believe. Myths, sky wizards, doublethink, whatever floats your boat. Just don't bother me unless you're willing to have an actual reasoned discussion. I have enough legislated morality to swim through in my world already.

I'll be interested to see what comments John Elder's blog post receives. I worry that some people will dismiss my opinions more then they already do if they associate my atheism with being "brain damaged" with Asperger's when perhaps it should give some pause to the fact that if there is a strong correlation, maybe they should wonder why people who are wired to see things through a nonemotional filter see religion as a sham, in general. But on the other hand maybe it's another reason to just leave my brain-damaged self alone.

High School: Geeks and Bullies

This post (click for link) by a PhD in computer science at Google regarding why he won't go to his high school reunion had me thinking back to my own experiences in high school.

I suppose this is another example of how I've ended up at this point, largely defined by my weight. The only thing is that I never had it as bad as this guy did. He describes having his fingers broken by some other student just so the bully could hear what it would sound like and having a swastika shape burned in front of his house; not that it was anti-semitically related, just that the kid who did it knew it would really bother him (and his brother got some revenge on the perpetrator too; he elaborated both of these details later on in the article). He grew up as a skinny geek and social outcast and his article is wondering what mental defect his ex-classmates have that they would think he'd want to see them at the 25th reunion.

It must have touched more than a few nerves; there's a huge list of anecdotes in the comments section.

I guess I was lucky. I grew up a geek; my first computer that I owned was a Commodore 128D, and I remember playing in elementary school...around third grade or so...with a TRS-80 in the school's enrichment program (or gifted program, whatever other schools would call it. I think it's a dying thing now since No Child Left Behind places emphasis on kids who don't want to be in school and gifted kids are assumed to be fine left to their own devices; a real shame). I wasn't an easy target though...I was overweight and sullen. Not emo. Just looked scary if I got mad, and my temperment was such that usually I left well enough alone. Mind your business, I'll mind mine. Step into my business and I usually used words that bullies were too dim-witted to understand. Or maybe they were afraid of what I'd do to them in retaliation.

Maybe it was the rural area I lived in or maybe it was because fat people were expected to be stupid and I didn't fit the stereotype, but for the most part I had no problem with people bullying me.

I was in chorus in high school. I did a lot of theater work (have a minor in it, actually). I wore a trenchcoat because it was a great utility; at the time, my fat usually kept me pretty warm so a thin trenchoat was just the ticket to protect from the wind without drenching me in sweat, but at the same time it had huge pockets for carrying my things which was necessary because I was too fat to get from one class to the lockers for my things then to the next class in time. I don't know how I'd survive in today's school system where bookbags are a hazard and coats aren't allowed during the day and trenchcoats are a one-way ticket to the guidance counselor, if not the principal. There was also the fact that the coat was almost like a post-industrial wizard's robe or hero's cape.

The fact that the coat draped on an already oversized guy sporting a non-smiling face was probably somewhat intimidating probably helped, in retrospect, send a message to not bother me if I wasn't in the mood.

I was a class clown despite these appearances. My insecurities and social awkwardness expressed itself by making others laugh; I enjoyed performing on stage and in class alike, to the chagrin of my teachers.

I had a small circle of friends. I only hear from a few of them anymore and those I do keep in touch with I usually only hear snippets from via Facebook.

I was fat, geeky, socially awkward, "different", hated sports, strongly disliked school and the institution of public education, resented the people I saw around me to be fools and ignoramuses, and introverted. And I liked computers, rejected organized religion which in itself is a sin in a small rural town like the one I grew up in, and wore a trench coat. What a formula. And of course I didn't date. There were a couple of girls I had a crush on at some point but no one ever wanted to be known for dating the fat social reject. I was far closer to "friend" material than dating material.

(I sometimes wonder if I would meet some of these people on the street if they'd not recognize me and suddenly be open to going out on a date, just so I could reminisce about whether they remember some fatass from high school that they wouldn't give the time of day to...then tell them to go to hell. Not that I'm bitter. My wife might even get a kick from listening to this transpire.)

And yet no one really picked on me. Aside from the expected comments about being fat. Usually I didn't hear them much, either because it was said behind my back or I didn't provoke outright teasing (or they feared that if I did catch up to them at some point, this fatass could still give them an ass whupping, I don't know).

I suppose that while I look back with very little fondness for my public school years I was fortunate in leaving without great mental scarring, unlike the guy that posted the article that got me thinking about this again. I honestly don't recall any great pains inflicted by my peers while growing up except for the occasional teenage melodrama of heartbreak, but that's hardly limited to something geeks have the monopoly on.

See? I've finally found something fortunate in my life to focus on. I'm told I always focus on the negative...now I have an example to point to.

Although now that I've said that I'll probably find a memory I've been supressing...

Anyone else have anything they'd like to share from their formative years?