Some religious people are assholes. Some religious people are smart and kind. Some non-religious people are assholes. Some non-religious people are smart and kind.
Satanism
When most people talk about Satanism, they’re thinking of LaVeyan Satanism (The Church Of Satan, established in the 1960s). Satanism is a philosophy, not a religion, and does not involve devil-worship at all, contrary to popular opinion. It’s about loving oneself and not being an asshole to people unless they really deserve it.
Satanists do not believe in Satan as an entity - they simply use his name (see below) and are closer to Atheists than anything else. Satan worshippers and Devil worshippers are the ones who associate with Satan as a being. While this is a slight distinction, it is an important one.
The original Hebrew term, satan, is a noun from a verb meaning primarily to “obstruct, oppose.” Ha-Satan is traditionally translated as “the accuser,” or “the adversary.” The definite article “ha-” (English “the”) is used to show that this is a title bestowed on a being, versus the name of a being.
Anti-theism
Don’t be a jerk. Some people legitimately enjoy their religion and don’t use it as a shitty crutch, so if you try to “convert” them then you are an asshole. The systematic eradication of religious belief is not a noble goal and does not make you a better person to believe in this goal. If someone might be open to Atheism, there isn’t any harm in having a polite conversation about religion, but don’t press the issue. If the other person says “no thanks, I’m happy how I am,” then why on Earth would you keep going and undermine that happiness? There are hundreds of religions and religious subgroups, all with different purposes and beliefs, and until you completely understand a person’s individual beliefs you have no right to tell them that their beliefs are horrible.
The problem isn’t theism, it’s dogma, which some Atheists share.
Atheism has been, contrary to popular belief in the skeptic community, directly responsible for death and persecution. Religion does not have a monopoly on this.
Christianity
Specifically, homosexuality in regard to the Bible: it’s okay. It’s not immoral or a sin as long as it’s consensual. Let’s get a few things out of the way first:
- The Bible does not have even one passage about gay marriage or gay relationships.
- The Bible does have a couple of passages referring to homosexual sex between men (not women), but the context has to be considered.
- One must consider the Bible in regard to the era in which it was written. Naturally, not everything in the Bible can/will apply to modern times.
- You cannot take passages out of context. If you don’t take 100% of the Bible literally, then you cannot use it as a debate tool. Don’t cherry-pick unless you're prepared to accept that you are likely a sinner, because a lot of things have been ignored by Christians.
- Some Christians are perfectly okay with homosexuality.
- If you're basing things off what's written in Leviticus, first take note of what else is banned and keep in mind it's about purification rites for male priests and not the general public. It's almost impossible to take the entire book of Leviticus literally.
Old Testament passages and New Testament passages alike can be dismissed for a number of reasons. More information here. There’s even a handy flowchart which probably won’t offend most people.
Note that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. In fact, in regard to the New Covenant, much/all of the Old Testament was invalidated by Jesus’ sacrifice (Supersessionism).
Some additional info:
- http://www.religioustolerance.org/christ.htm
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmp6lLct-fQ
- Homosexuality is natural and can be scientifically explained. It takes place in nature. [2] [3]
- Studies find that children raised by gay parents are generally happy and healthy.
Did Jesus exist? Probably, but there are multiple candidates.
- http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Jesus_myth_theory (Jesus wouldn't have been born in December, the Virgin Birth is probably untrue, etc.)
Other stuff:
CREATIONISM & EVOLUTION
Creationism is not a science and cannot be substituted in lieu of scientific belief. Evolution is presented as irrefutable fact and has consistently proven itself to be true.
Today, many religious denominations accept that biological evolution has produced the diversity of living things over billions of years of Earth’s history. Many have issued statements observing that evolution and the tenets of their faiths are compatible. Scientists and theologians have written eloquently about their awe and wonder at the history of the universe and of life on this planet, explaining that they see no conflict between their faith in God and the evidence for evolution. Religious denominations that do not accept the occurrence of evolution tend to be those that believe in strictly literal interpretations of religious texts.
—National Academy of Sciences, Science, Evolution, and Creationism
"But evolution is just a theory!" Yes and so is gravity.
Evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world’s data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts do not go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein’s theory of gravitation replaced Newton’s, but apples did not suspend themselves in mid-air, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from ape-like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin’s proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered.