It's not my fault, really. I'm an atheist, I find it exciting to satisfying my lover (not to mention flood her with a desire for more), and like anyone with half an imagination, I'm getting better with age. So please, my readers with religious convictions, don't take it out on me if you happen to see the California billboard (image above, click to enlarge), and take umbrage. Here's how the reasoning goes, according to Hugh Kramer's interpretation ~ "Atheists make better lovers because they have less guilt about sex, while people believing in religious superstitions attach a negative aspect to sex. We do not think a supernatural deity is watching us ~ neither in life nor in bed .... many Americans have a great deal of distrust with atheists even though many friends, fellow workers and family members are atheists. It's common knowledge among atheists that they are just as moral, and often more moral than religious believers because they follow their own world values vs. ones that are espoused by ancient religious texts.
" .... A 2010 article by Kanazawa mentions that atheists are more likely to be sexually exclusive (more loyal) and have higher IQs. A study by Lefkowitz says religious people have less efficacy with condom use and strange thoughts about HIV risk. Other studies have repeatedly found that religious people are less educated about sex, have higher teen pregnancy rates, and have higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases."
So I guess the take-home lesson is that singles in search of a mate should specify that they are looking for an atheist partner, if they're serious about finding someone who is intelligent, devoted, and creative in bed. For the record, while it is an ego boost to learn that atheists tend to have higher IQs and better sex lives, I do not entirely suggest a cause-and-effect relationship ~ becoming an atheist will not immediately make you smarter or better in bed. The "becoming" is a journey toward understanding, and during that journey one becomes more intimate and comfortable with oneself. It follows that one also may also learn to become more intimate and comfortable with one's partner. It is an act of will, imagination, and creativity. But hey, it's worth it if you get your own billboard.
Speaking of sexual controversy, check out Avi Steinberg's article in the Paris Review ~ it recounts the intimate history between pornography and librarians (as characters in porn stories). Steinberg's account of the research alone is pretty hilarious. Did you know that librarians have been prominent characters in porn for at least five hundred years, and across global cultures. I wonder if part of the allure might not be the forbidden nature of doing the nasty in among the stacks, trying to be quiet (ssh!) while getting away with something wonderful. The stories have evolved in tone over the years, reflecting what is going on socially at the time. It's an interesting and very different treatise on literature, no?
Finally, here is one of George Denis Patrick Carlin's last monologue performances. The edgy, highly intelligent comic (I wonder if he was an atheist?) never hesitated to shine a light on hypocrisy, and never feared taking on those in power. He does so brilliantly in the piece "It's a big club and you ain't in it." Guess we'll have to start our own club. Maybe call it The 99%.
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