Be an Antichrist
Some believe in a God who requires a blood sacrifice for redemption of sins, and a subset of those also believe in a Messiah, or Christ, named "Jesus" or "Y'shua", who died for our sins. The Antichrist eschews such ideas, and teaches that humans can and should live freely without such dependencies on invisible entities. You can be an Antichrist for your own edification, as well as for your friends and family.
This particular concept of Antichrist was inspired by the fictional work The Story of B, by author Daniel Quinn, but is also influenced by other ideas. It provides a starting point for those who disagree with deity based religions such as Christianity and Wicca, but who wish to develop their beliefs independently of, or who otherwise do not entirely agree with, existing anti-deity religions such as LaVeyan Satanism.
Steps
- Liberate yourself from any gods, messiahs, prophets, and spiritual teachers by deciding to believe only what survives rigorous scientific proof (or predicate logic, for those with a mathematical bent), based on axioms that are acceptable to you; then question your axioms, and repeat. It is quite possible you will find you believe in nothing, yet you still have goals and dreams; you can still function in society; you can still appreciate beauty in the world around you. This realization itself can be liberating on many levels.
- Live for your own self-interest, respecting that others should, and mostly will, do the same.
- Pretend for a moment that you are sinless; naked and unashamed; a wild animal, alive and free, in a pristine world of endless possibilities. Is this thought pleasing to you? If so, why not accept it as one of your axioms?
- Question anyone whose motivation appears contrary to his own self-interest, especially to the point of his own death. If your interest is in life, then gods and saviors who deal in death, and glorify it, should be highly suspect.
- Study pre-Neolithic cultures who had no use for, nor even concepts for, saviors or "Messiahs", and see if they were philosophically crippled by the lack of such concepts.
- Study the parallels between monotheistic religions and the hierarchical societies that arose with the growth of agriculture. That the perceived need for salvation grew along with increased servitude to rulers can be illuminating.
- Observe the ways that the spark of life is maintained by other cultures in nature, without having to have any god-prescribed laws, expressed by B as the Law of Limited Competition: "Compete to the best of your ability, but do not destroy your competitors' food; do not deny them access to food; and do not hunt down your competition."
- Teach others what you are learning. This will liberate others and help cement your own understanding.
Tips
- Associate with others who are liberating themselves from gods and saviors, and read authors who have found some level of freedom: Ayn Rand, Robert Heinlein, Daniel Quinn, and Harry Browne provide a good start in your education.
- Be familiar with atheistic thought, and perhaps more importantly, animism.
Warnings
- You may alienate friends, family, and members of your community by rejecting the dominant belief systems of you community, examples:
- In the southern United States rejecting God/Jesus may inspire suspicion and hatred. In parts of Central Asia rejecting Buddha, Tengri or Confucius may cause unfavorable bias in matters of job selection, promotion, or involvement in community matters; but generally does not result in open hostility. In the Middle East much will depend on the specific country, as well as the social and political climate at the time; however, organized torture and public execution is possible.
Related Articles
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- Wake up from the American Dream
- Accept Christ As Your Savior
- Become a Christian According to the Bible
- Be a Christian
- Pray Effectively (Christianity)
- Understand Messianic Prophecies
Sources and Citations
- The Story of B, Daniel Quinn's novel that may have originated this concept of Antichrist
- This research was made possible, in part, by a land grant from the City of the Sun though the specifics of the research were not coordinated nor endorsed by COSF.
