My family has a history of religious evangelism, but at least my elderly relatives were respectful of others’ right to independent thought. Maybe I have a congenital distaste for authority, but I feel that I grew up surrounded by fundamentalisms-and today those fundamentalisms seem to be getting even stronger. All my life I have been subjected to the dogmatic, fundamentalist attitudes of authority figures. Even more alarming than the number of these injunctions is their frequent intolerance. We are constantly exposed to subtle or not-so-subtle messages about how we should behave-in advertisements, movies, radio and television talk shows, even music and books. Ministers, priests, and imams tell us that we must lead a life in accord with ancient decrees or face the consequences in the afterlife. Politicians try to persuade us that they have the answers to the world’s problems if only we will enlist in their cause. All of us are bombarded every day by people telling us what we should do and how we should think. Maybe she figured that suppressing the bad would get rid of the good, too. But my mom rarely condemned me or my brother for the rebellious And I did get in trouble, especially after she got back from meeting with the principal. “That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble,” she said. Finally, one day when I was talking too much to my friends, Miss Rood said, “Gregory, do you have something to say to us all?” I replied, “Don’t call me Gregory, Wanda.” When my mother heard what I’d done, she laughed. I have always been Greg to my family and friends, and whenever Miss Rood called me Gregory to humiliate or intimidate me, I burned with anger. When I was in the third grade at Lake Bluff Elementary School just outside Milwaukee, my teacher, Wanda Rood, knew that I hated to be called by my full name, Gregory. I’ve always had a problem with authority. Pierre-Simon Laplace1 To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself. THE PROBLEM WITH AUTHORITY Sire, I have no need of that hypothesis. Anarchy Evolution Faith, Science, and Bad Religion in a World Without Godįor Allison, Graham, and Ella fcf For Sarah and Eric SOĬontents 1 The Problem with Authority 2 Making Sense of Life 3 The False Idol of Natural Selection 4 The False Idol of Atheism 5 Tragedy: The Construction of a Worldview 6 Creativity, Not Creation 7 Where Faith Belongs 8 Believe Wisely 9 A Meaningful Afterlife Notes Acknowledgments About the Authors Credits

Anarchy evolution by greg graffin