Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Happy Holidays
I understand the concept of respecting ideas opposing our own as it is the very driving factor of progress. Without opposition, there is complacency, and in that state, there is no progress. Our side is about peace, their side is about separation. This season is supposed to be about charity and family; those who oppose us seek to destroy both, only providing charity in order to gain something (tax break, followers which lead to a return investment in tithes and offering, social bragging rights). We all have something in our lives we have to struggle with; some can find comfort in their family, but others who cannot, no matter what happens, no matter what the issue is, those people you chose as close allies are your family, not those who judge you for who you are, not those who only come to you when they need something. There is nothing stronger than the bond shared between individuals who help each other in their struggles.
Anyways, this may be a little corny, but to those who struggle in their lives about who they are, or what they are, hell those who fear they will be abandoned because of features that are core to their very being: If people don't accept you for who you are, family or not, those people are not worthy of knowing you, not worthy of being given the time of day, and most importantly, not worthy of you losing parts of yourself over. They are the problem with society, not you!
Monday, December 16, 2013
The Importance of Staying True to Yourself
For the sake of anonymity, I will not state any personal information about this acquaintance, though I will state that they are struggling with something that is a part of them and were taught was wrong, and "of the devil" since childhood. This form of child abuse is not only to be placed on the shoulders of the parent who supports those archaic concepts, but on the society which fortifies them as well. A man or woman who is bisexual should not feel excluded from society because of the way they feel towards people of both sexes.
For the sake of those involved, I hope that this person comes to terms with who they are and lives a fulfilled life in spite of what they were taught to be. I can be who I am in most aspects of my life, and wish it to be true for everyone. A big portion of human personality lies in sexual and emotional attachments. We are, after all, social creatures, and I as often joke, monkeys in shoes. Though it is, at best, repressed by society, as it is generally considered gross by those people we entrusted with our education.
For what it's worth, I have hope in newer generations as they show empathy and understanding towards those who are different. I was recently painfully reminded that homosexuality was, until recently, treated with electroshock therapy and negative reinforcements. Why must we hurt that which is different? Why must we destroy that which we do not understand, instead of understanding them? That is the cost of religion and bigotry. As we fail to understand behavioral changes around us, some members of our modern civilization still look to bronze age knowledge given to sheep herders and likely molesters in the desert, supposedly by a deity who has failed to show itself since the invention of the fucking camera.
Well, I thought I was going to make it one entire blog post (academic works aside) without cussing, but apparently I feel too strongly about the state of humanity and its dependence on archaic beliefs to restrain from actually get enraged. More importantly, when those beliefs make people feel like shit and force them to be who they are not in order to fit a cookie cutter ideal given by an archaic people, they make the world a worse place to be and that is counter intuitive to the perpetuation of the human race.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
The Hellenistic Characteristics of the Christ Myth
Monday, November 25, 2013
The Understanding and Acceptance of Differences
Let's analyze my wife's point of view first. Though I do take credit for presenting her with the evidence for a scientific explanation of human origins, it was my wife's decision to defy her beliefs and to break the cognitive dissonance associated with her faith. Her mother was adamant that I was solely responsible for her change of heart and dismissed her own daughter's reasoning abilities only to turn her into a puppet of whoever would be a major part of her life. That is something I do not believe in and trust that she is her own person and makes her own decision. I find that the process her side of the family is describing to be stripping of humanity and dismissive of her intelligence and ability to be her own person. My wife is an intelligent woman, capable of making her own decisions; she is not a follower, by any definition of the term, and I find it insulting, not only for her, but for my pride as I like to think that I chose her because of her strong demeanor and intellect (though she is incredibly sexy and beautiful!). Such harsh judgement, to me is a mere projection of their own behaviors, and their indoctrination of their son.
For the second behavior, that of the failing Alpha being challenged in a battle of wits for which he came unarmed, the only thing I can say is that they are completely off their rockers if they believe that anecdotal evidence or faith based reasoning is enough to restrict human rights in a secular society. The man refuses to believe that sexuality is innate except for heterosexuality of course. Why? Simply because he is a heterosexual and the only book he ever read (if he indeed did) with the intent to learn anything from it, or out of a need for self empowerment and affirmation of masculinity, defined any sexual behavior outside of for reproductive purposes as a reprehensible act. To be challenged by someone 20 or so years your junior and losing because they are better educated on the subject you are discussing is a complete shame and an experience he would not want to replicate. His status as Alpha would have been damaged and the intellectual honesty needed to apologize is lacking. The man refuses to apologize or face his opponent, probably for fear of having to resort to primal violence in order to prove his point. This type of behavior may have worked in the long history of bullying in the World, but in this day and age, reason tends to prevail, peaceful negotiations and debate are the way to go. He is a dying breed and I am happy for it, the world will be a better place when the might makes right mentality is gone.
In conclusion, while both ideas are speculation, I find it interesting to entertain the different possibilities for such a ban. It is also extremely easy to understand that regardless of which hypothesis is correct, they stem from a lack of understanding of differing views and opinions in the minds of the actors. It is fascinating to see the mind processes unravel and even spur an interest in neuroscience. So out of this hideous act of segregation something good came out.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Morality?
Morality is usually defined by a set of beliefs about the difference between a "right behavior" and a "wrong behavior", though what dictates this? Society? Education? Upbringing? Human Nature? All of the above? I believe it is dictated by all of those, though sometimes, a subculture forms forming its own set of moral behaviors; those that are successful tend to change societal views of certain moral issues, and those that aren't adapt, or disappear into oblivion. One must only look at the LGBTQ movement to see a successful subculture within our own. I consider myself an ally of those members of the community, not because I have an interest in it, but because I understand it is not a learned behavior, it is not a choice, it simply is. I completely understand the want to belong to society and then to have it reject parts of who you are. There is no simple way to express the sense of despair that comes with that realization. But with help and time, as well as a well adjusted "give them hell" attitude, one can overcome this depression.
Those that are not as successful at adapting or even incorporating themselves into society live in fear and eventually disappear. I do hope that is not the case for many human rights -I did not use civil rights on purpose as they pertain to Humanity in general not just citizens of a given nation- I am a supporter of what is considered outside of the norm, so long as it does not hurt those who perform it, and it is between consenting adults - polyamorous marriages, gay marriages, swingers, etc... Those may seem to exist outside of the civilized criteria for moral, but who, or what is it hurting? Does it just feel uncomfortable because it is different? Because the majority of people do not understand the feeling or concept? It is time for society to understand the wide spectrum of the human attraction, and understand that, most of the time, it is not a choice. We all have our own moral standards to follow. Mine, I know, are extremely different than those of the general population, and you know what? I can live with that. I tend to want to give people hell anyway. To those who refuse to understand that others have needs, be it because of politics, religion, or societal conformism, they need to step out of the shelter of their bubble and understand that humans, in general are multidimensional creatures.
For those too lazy to read through the entire thing, I have two things to say: It's not long come on! And as a summary: Morality is taught, then developed as a part of the population -even one person- discovers who they are. There is no greater feeling of empowerment than that of knowing what you are and being free to express it.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
On the Originality of the Bible
Original sin is a novel idea and concept in the Bible, and according to most Christians.is the reason for the coming of Jesus Christ, according to most scholars, the story of Genesis was written around the 7th Century BCE, whereas the story of Pandora ( a woman bringing about all the evils in the world) came around the same time. It is interesting to see who or what came first, but in both cases it was a woman who brought on a curse to mankind. Original? that's debatable.
Then there is the story of the flood, being a blatant copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh, in which the hero saves all the animals surrounding the area from a Great Flood, by putting them in his boat, the tale was later greatly exaggerated by the accounts in Genesis. Again, borrowing elements of salvation from another myth. Tsk Tsk Yahweh.
Lastly, the immaculate conception, the Greeks already had such a story of a man Hero, son of Zeus through no natural means (a gold shower?), Heracles was born of a young woman, and saved many lives because of his superhuman strength/powers. Heracles went as far as to go to the Underworld in order to save Theseus, which is later reproduced by Jesus supposedly dying on the cross and spending 3 days in hell in order to save lost souls who were not given the opportunity to be saved prior to their death (according to common christian extrapolation of NT verses).
So... Yea, a creative deity indeed. Or, like Loki, a trickster god trying to gain a following through misappropriation of myths, or even better and more plausible, a story meant to simply protect people from a hard cold reality which they were not ready to face due to lack of knowledge regarding their surroundings.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Regarding Christian Eschatology
One of the main debates between progressives and conservatives is the issue of global warming. Now it is a fact that CO2 emissions cause a greenhouse effect on our planet. There seems to be a complete misunderstanding of the concept of "Global Warming". It does not mean that ALL temperatures in the WHOLE WORLD are on the rise. It means that the average temperature in the world rises. Some areas will see a decrease in temperature as the melted icecaps bring in a cold current towards the continents and eventually cause temperatures in those affected areas.
Secondly, the issue of abortion, now I disagree with abortions myself but I will not force my personal beliefs on others especially when it affects their life and not mine. Progressives aren't pro abortions, we are pro choice, there is a different, as a matter of fact, I read a few surveys showing that progressives and liberals are less likely to have abortions than conservatives.
Lastly, Progressives are immoral and are the cause of the downfall of civilization. Yeah, because Progressives are pro war, pro death penalty, and are threatening an armed uprising. Oh wait, that's Conservatives. Conservatives are in favor of Might makes Right, they are in favor of policing the World, regardless of what the conflict is, but rather to reshape the world in their own desolate image, a smoked out, top 1% rule world, they want a World Oligarchy, and the idea of a World government. Why do they want it? Because it has been said by a dude stoned out of his mind that it will bring them closer to an eternity in paradise with their less holy version of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and his meatballs.
Christians, especially in the United States need to understand that the supposed prophecies which are being fulfilled are so because they are willfully fulfilling them! They are actively participating in the advent of the world government, they are so full of themselves, of their so-called humility that they claim to have the only possible answer to a time old question, that of the meaning of life. Isn't there a simpler answer? That the meaning of life is simply to live? The idea that the rest of the world is out to destroy them is laughable at best, it is quite the other way around, They are here to destroy the world and prevent our descendants from living comfortable lives in the same ways that previous generations, through manipulations of the legislature screwed the current generations. The problem is, they are sheep following their leaders who know full well what they preach is bullshit and do not care about the future generations as they will not be here to deal with it.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
A direct response to Dr. Michael M. Brown Regarding the case against violent video games
First I would like to mention that the article is merely its author's opinion based on a review made by another conservative journalist. Brown writes his opinion as fact when there is little data to support his analysis, quite the contrary as pointed out by one of the comments, which, if there were a correlation between violence in video games and violence in society, it is a negative one, as violence has decreased over time, in our society, whereas the amount of violent media (especially video games) has increased significantly. But more importantly, the original reviewer fails to mention that the parts reviewed in the article are merely a flashback, and doesn't mention how the game is designed to allow players to make ethical choices, to return stolen items, to attempt to reconcile a married couple, to bond as father and son... No, the reviewer focused on the negative; yes, it is a game where you play as not one, but three criminals, and the story mode (the only playable mode available until multiplayer becomes available) takes you through a narrative of how the main protagonists evolve as human beings, but if anything, it is a virtual ethnography of criminals in the west.
Brown, of course, uses a rhetoric which detaches him from all responsibilities about what is done based on his words, and, just like a good cult leader, obviously attacks the few in the opposing factions, those mentally ill people who cannot differentiate between fiction and reality, and act, unrestricted, upon their own view of the world, without even mentioning the attacks made by those who follow the same doctrine he teaches, the liberties being suppressed by the religious right, and the blatant ignorance of the acts of terror committed by anybody but atheists (few as there may be) and muslim extremists (who are condemned by the islamic leadership). Indeed, Brown also fails to mention his own militaristic rhetoric about taking the government back, where any loon can be touched by his words and mistake their meaning with taking back the government by force. At this rate, sir, I would strongly suggest you start using a more candy coated vocabulary, less riddled with violence, or pseudo violence.
Lastly, I would also like to point out what Brown and his mindless followers are trying to bring: a roll back to the 17th century, in culture at least, when the Church was in power and was free to exterminate the opposition unpunished. That is what religion does to people and that is what we must fight. There was a time when people were burnt at the stake for not believing in the Christian myth, or even questioning the doctrine of the Church. Indeed, were that to happen, the comic/movie "V: For Vendetta" would not be far from becoming a documentary of how freedom would be taken back and religion would fall.
Friday, August 23, 2013
The failures of Christianity
While I find this disturbing, it is nothing compared to the historical facts of the story of the crucifixion. In the Roman law of the time depicted in the Gospels, this particularly harsh punishment was only given for revolutionaries and dissenters of the Roman Empire, not for Jewish criminals, or people found guilty under Jewish law, but only for people encouraging a revolt against the Roman Empire. This story leaves the whole narrative given by the gospels of Jesus being sold by the Sanhedrin rather impotent as the punishment would not match the crime (and as we all know, Romans were particularly famous for following the rule of Law).
Furthermore, I would like to point out that Christianity fails to meet its own promises as Jesus stated that he would return and that the end of days would happen before the death of the disciples present before his demise... Last I checked they were all dead. Paul reiterates this promise and again fails to be met by the all knowing God of Creation. We can take a few things away from this example of blatant ignorance: 1) Jesus lied and therefore is not perfect and has sinned and is not God, 2) Jesus thought he would come back when his disciples were still alive and was wrong, and therefore was not an all knowing God, 3) The Bible is not so perfect after all, and is not the perfect word of a perfect Creator. We can also add that most of the doctrines of modern day Christianity come from the writings of Paul, who according to several scholars was considered a heretic by early Christians. Let us remember that Paul was a man who never met Jesus, yet told people that he had an encounter and was told by Jesus to reform the Law of the Old Testament. His letters were written long before the gospels which were supposed to be the basis of Christianity.
Which leads me to my last point of the post: we have no originals from the Gospels, or any of the New Testament, and most of the Old Testament was originally given as oral tradition then written down for the literate masses. The New Testament, as we know it, was translated from documents which were copies of copies of copies of translations of copies of letters which were, you guessed it copied, most of which were contradictory and a group of men decided which parts were best representative of their faith as they say it centuries later. They are not historical facts, but mere opinions which were altered through miscommunication and an obvious personal agenda. Christianity is above all, the word of a few men interpreting the ideology they were taught by their culture at a time when only certain people were allowed to express their opinions. It is an obviously plagiarized combination of several Hellenistic myths all bundled with the ever so angry God of the Old Testament, probably in order to claim some kind of originality (even though Judaism has a lot of its myths plagiarized from older civilizations as well, see the Epic of Gilgamesh as a reference of the Flood, for example).
Monday, August 19, 2013
Evolution and False Assertions
Well, it has been an interesting month, I do apologize for the late post, things have been somewhat crazy at work and at home. Anyways, let's dig right in to the subject matter at hand, shall we? Some professional con men, as it is the preferable option to those content providers being humans with the IQ of a banana, have been posting videos of students interviewed about their knowledge of evolution. Now normally that would not have been a problem, though the editing put forth in the video betrays the dishonesty of its creator. Indeed, anyone can mine quote, or ask for such insanely stupid questions that the interviewee is dumbfounded by how little understanding their opponent has of reality. I am speaking, of course of Evolution vs God, the latest gem from the folks in Ray Comfort's ministry. Comfort goes so far as to interview professors of Evolutionary Biology and Anthropology, though only uses the footage of them being completely dumbfounded by the stupidity of the question Banana Man asked.
After this mini rant, I must respond to Comfort's assertions with one single statement: Scientists, be they Geneticists, Physicists, Anthropologists (and all than includes) have provided mountains of evidence regarding the BASIS of modern Biology, the issue is that Creationists keep moving the goal posts when it comes to the requirement for meeting the burden of proof. If you deny evolution, stop getting shots, as they are changing year after year due to the fact that viruses evolve. I am sick to my stomach when I talk to people who do not understand the basis of modern life sciences yet argue that their deity of choice is, in fact, real, and the proof lies in a contradiction plagued, bronze age book, which obviously plagiarizes older texts and legends. Furthermore, there is more and more evidence piling against a deity as it is defined by most theists in the God of the gaps arguments. To conclude this section, I would also like to point out that a THEORY as in the Theory of Evolution, is meant as a scientific theory, which is hypotheses confirmed by the evidence. It is NOT just some dude smoking a joint dreaming up that shit in his lab!
Lastly, I want to answer the claim that atheism is Dogmatic and has to prove its stance. Simply put, Atheism is defined as a lack of belief, it does not claim knowledge that there is no god, it is the denial of the existence of a deity that has not met its burden of proof. Another way of stating this is to state that I am also an abigfootist, I don't believe bigfoot exists because of the serious lack of evidence, I am also an asupermanist, as the only evidence given for the existence of the Man of Steel from Krypton is found in books. Seriously, stop with the shifting of the burden of proof! Finally, and I thought this was common sense, DO NOT use the Bible in order to argue for the existence of your god! If you do so, I fully claim the right to use the Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook to prove that Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Fairies exist (and they are a whole lot more interesting). No I don't believe in that stuff, but your argument is as silly as mine in this case.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Why I won't worship the christian deity, even if it were to exist
Sorry about the lack of posts lately, it seems life caught up to me, leaving me no time to post anything.
Today, I would like to post about the Christian deity, and why it is not worthy of worship. It is interesting to me how I ever believed in such a terrible being, but also agreed that it was worthy to be praised by its supposed creation. The God of Abraham, as he is described in the Bible seems to be a petty, vitriolic, arrogant bastard, his constant punishment of people whose hearts he has hardened also adds sadism to his list of attributes, I have compiled a list of biblical reasons why such a being, were it to exist, would only be worthy of ridicule and contempt.
1) From the beginning of the Bible, at the time of creation, God, who supposedly created the natural order seems to go completely against it during creation. The Genesis points out days existing when there is no sun. The omniscient deity also sets the moon as its own light (not as a reflection of the sunlight to earth).
2) The story of the "Creation of Humans" and "The Fall" lack a serious amount of logic, and are obviously geared to lower a woman's status in society. The creation is so full of crap, stating that Man was created first, in the image of God, and women were created as copies of Man. If this were true, how come men have nipples? How come the constant in chromosomes determining the sex of a fetus is the X chromosome, the female determinant? The God who created science obviously didn't know that, almost as if the illiterate goat herding tribe who created him didn't know. The story of the Fall of Man, is so illogical Mr. Spock would bitch slap its author to death. Seriously, mankind's crime is to have eaten from the fruit of the tree of knowledge, which is also known as the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If they didn't know the difference between good and evil, sin and righteousness, how can a just being punish billions with suffering simply because two idiots who didn't know any better committed a crime?
3) The obvious lack of historicity in the Old Testament is simply astonishing, there is no record of a 40 years track in the desert by a tribe leaving Egypt, on the contrary, archaeological records show Israelite buildings in Canaan long before they "conquered" the land, and evidence shows that it was, in fact a rebellion, not an invasion. Similar stories are debunked by the archaeological record about David and Solomon's conquests placing the destruction of some cities generations after their deaths.
4) The lack of Justice in a petty god, as the Bible points out, the Christian God is unchanging, so he doesn't have a problem with killing 42 kids in a rather gruesome way for merely calling a prophet "Baldy"... I'm sure Elijah was deeply hurt by their comments and had to receive immediate psychological and medical treatment for this terrible act of mockery.
5) Jesus lied... Repeatedly! That's right, the only hippie religious activists will listen to happens to be wrong about when he is supposed to come back, but he knows everything, and is never wrong... He told the apostles that he would come back before they passed... Yea, I'm pretty sure they are all dead...
6) The idea of justice in an infinite punishment (Hell) for a finite crime (human life lasting less than eternity). Who in their right mind would do that? It's like me telling my kids I love them, but also as soon as they disobey me, lock them in a basement and torture them for the rest of their lives... Yea, that would be biblical morality...
7) The many contradictions in the Bible, such as the ways to "get saved" according to Jesus, versus Paul's ideas. Jesus stated that obeying the law, and accepting him as a savior is the only way. Paul stating that works will get you saved as mere acceptance of Jesus is only one of the requirements, oh and also, just obey the convenient laws, like don't accept the gays, and don't murder, you can totally eat shrimp and pork, cause Paul said so.
8) The obvious hypocrisy of God... Seriously, he stated that we should forgive everyone, no matter what, whether they apologize or not, or we will be sent to hell, because he is holy and will not stand idly while someone is unwilling to forgive, but go ahead and do something he doesn't like... Hell!!! No forgiveness, you do not pass go, immediately go to hell. Unless you ask Jesus for forgiveness... Double standards are apparently applied to perfect deities as well...
So there you have it, it is not a complete list, but as I am writing this at 3 in the morning is it kind of the main ideas. Comment on why you would/would not worship the Christian God if you feel like it. Don't forget to like/+1/share if you enjoyed this post!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
A Rude Awakening
In closing, I would like to expand on a quote from Steven Weinberg:
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
On Liberty
On the eve of the celebration of the American Independence Day, I can't help but think of the innumerable violations of civil liberties still in play in the American Empire. From the obvious bias of politics in favor of the Christian Fairy Tale, to the hatred of people who dare to think and act different than what is considered the norm, ending in the imprisonment and condemnation of people for daring to inhale smoke produced by the burning of a plant. That's right friends, America is no longer in danger of becoming an oligarchy, it is one. Those in power may do whatever they please, while those who protest and uphold the Constitution - the supposed law of the Land- are imprisoned. It is a shame to see the prison statistics, considering most of the inmates lives' were ruined by the government's failure to uphold its own policies in favor of lobbyists.
Friends, I know this is coming, and it may take a few generations, but anarchy is the way we need to be headed. I do not mean chaos, by any means, but the self regulation of communities through understanding and knowledge, wisdom and education. The days of human decency ruling the world will come, and that can only happen when we learn to not only tolerate those who are different, but to be happy to call them friends. I have had a friendly discussion with someone who thought very differently than I do, a very strong theist, and this discussion did not end in a debate or a screaming match; no, friends, it ended in mutual respect for each other's position without so much as a bad thought about each other. When people realize that gays, bisexuals, and other minorities or labeled groups are merely human beings, and only want to live their lives as best they can, the same as everybody else, that day we will have no need for religion, no need for government, no need for imposed regulations, as people will only need to think!
The world needs only one law, one rule: compassion. Yes, I know this sounds touchy feely, but think about it. What war cannot be overcome by compassion? Fights over territories will be obsolete as no land will belong to any one government; differences of ideas will be met on paper and not on the battlefield, with the reasonable ones winning wars; fucking civil rights will be accorded to all members of society - women, children, gays, polyamorists, atheists, christians, mulims and jews alike. It is imperative for the people of the world to rise above the status quo and fight for what we know is right: Down with the oligarchs, strip them of their power, strip them of any so-called birth-rights. Give the people of the world a chance to govern themselves without prejudice. The day this is feasable may not be in my lifetime, or in my children's lifetime, but it will happen. Who will be a part of this revolutionary concept of true uninhibited freedom? Who will make a stand against the tyranny of governments and the implicit hatred of differences?
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Fear of marriage equality
It is with great regret that I observe people discriminating against others mainly because they are different. Those same people who claim to not tolerate injustice would deny equal rights to those who act differently than they do. I cannot stand this amount of hypocrisy and fear mongering. This, of course, is yet another post about marriage equality and LGBTQ rights. People of this community are just that, people, who are no different than you and me. They love, grieve, enjoy things, are hurt, and simply want the same rights heterosexuals enjoy in marriage. The main arguments I hear against it, aside from old reliable: "The Bible calls it an abomination!" (which can easily be refuted by stating that the very same Bible only mentions homosexuality as an abomination 4 times, whereas it mentions several times that eating shrimp is detestable to the Lord), is that the age of consent is going to be lowered to accomodate pedophiles and then bestiality will be allowed. Do keep in mind that those very same arguments were made against interracial marriages, and they still haven't happened. Those religious professional fear mongerers are simply attempting to terrorize people with their own bigotry and cannot be allowed to gain power. Those same members of the clergy who continuously push their religious views onto a SECULAR government obviously forgot that, as Thomas Jefferson put it, the First Amendment was put in place as a WALL between church and State.
Those very same people run their religious institutions as corporations and use their money to lobby the government to favor their particular myth over another. If you want your particular delusion of a magical sky daddy to lobby the government, go on ahead, nobody is stopping you... though we will have to treat your institution as a corporation and tax the ever living shit out of it... freeing up some of the estimated $71 billions a year subsidized into religious institutions. That's right, you can't have your cake and eat it too! For crying out loud you worship a fucking hippie who provided free healthcare for those who asked and promoted socialism, while there are some religious institutions who provide services to their communities through soup kitchens and lodging, most aren't and those that are always have the idea that by doing so they have the right to preach to those they help in order to gain more money... it is an investment, not in the so called kingdom of they favorite flavor of sky fairy, but in the very pockets of the ministers in charge. Everytime I have presented this idea, I have been called naive and unrealistic but here goes: why don't all members of the clergy do their duties for free, and try to have an actual job on the side, while the church is ran by volunteers. All income is to pay the utility bills, and the rest of the money donated to charities for helping those in need, not in house (because of possible fraudulent activities), but through those organizations that are already established? I mean it certainly has biblical precedent as I believe it was Paul who worked as a tent maker. If your god is so powerful, then he can provide you with a job, and with the strength to perform your calling along with this job! No congregation should allow for remuneration of their leadership!!!!!
I would also like to point out that countries who have legalized same sex marriages do not suffer any of the predicted consequences cited earlier. Do you want to know why? MARRIAGE IS BETWEEN CONSENTING ADULTS! The age of consent is in place to protect those who cannot fully understand the consequences of their actions and the repercussions they may have, so children cannot make lifelong decisions (that includes baptism by the way douchebags) without being educated in all the possible repercussions which we set fot 18 as it is the time, in our society, when teenagers start to become adults and are educated enough to make their own decisions. Animals CANNOT express their consent with human beings as there is limited communication and our understanding of other animals' cognitive abilities is still rather limited, regardless, they cannot be educated in our ways so much as their behavior is being modified to fit our perception of what they should do. Sadly enough, it is exactly what churches do, and, if you allow me the analogy, If Jesus is the good shepherd and his Church is the sheep, but also his bride, then your religion, at least in its rhetoric condones bestiality when it comes to sheep - Yay Bronze Age mentality!!!!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Venting--- Caution this will involve an incredible amount of foul language...
Secondly, what is it with all the fucking falsehoods propagated by the Church about how the Bible isn't allowed in schools, about how prayer is illegal? Those fucktards propagate the idea that the government is anti-Christian... yea that's fucking great, except that your religion has no less rights than any other. Do not mistake the idea of a government waging war on a religion with the government not letting you dictate what others should do. Last time I checked (and there may have been yet another translation of the Bible which contradicts this statement), your holy text, the book that you claim to follow, obviously condemns liars, of any kind... and guess what, that includes jokes, that includes any falsehood propagated through your writing, art, voice, and expression of any form. Here is what the government banned regarding the christian faith in schools: TEACHERS (you know, those guys that apparently are supposed to raise your kids for you) CANNOT mandate prayer or scriptures in the schools as representatives of the secular government... STUDENTS may (and quite often do) initiate prayer groups, Bible study sessions etc... The fucking government isn't out to get you, it just doesn't allow you to indoctrinate kids on their dime. How the fuck would you feel if teachers were to tell your kids to pray 5 times a day facing Mecca, or to observe Ramadan? Yes, I thought so, you'd raise hell and cite the fucking first amendment... Where is that same text when it comes to YOU infringing on others' liberties? How about you shut the fuck up and be a fucking honest member of society?
Third, how in the fuck are you actually claiming to be a religion based on love? "God loves you soooo much that if you don't love him back he will send you to a special place of torture for all eternity!" Yea how about an infinite punishment for a finite crime to define perfect justice? Hitchens, one of the great writers of the 20th/21st century said, and I cite: "Most religions now come before us with ingratiating smirks and outspread hands, like an unctuous merchant in a bazaar. They offer consolation and solidarity and uplift, competing as they do in the marketplace. But we have a right to remember how barbarically they behave when they were strong and were making an offer that people could not refuse." These words resonate in me; they express what I think about religions. Indeed, now that secularism is on the rise, religious people tend to come at us, not through accusation (though some of them still do and are repeatedly made fun of), but rather attempt to lure us with (poorly composed) music, (badly written) texts, and (horribly executed) promises of love and completion. Though in times when it had power, and in places where it still does, religion infringes on basic human rights. For Americans who read this blog, the Declaration of Independence, while not a legal document, is still a very influential text revealing the intent of the founding fathers for this nation, telling us that every man is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What makes me happy is the truth, not the delusion of an imaginary friend, be it a bearded sky-daddy, or a fucking fairy riding a dragon, and wielding an elemental rod of shitstorming...
Lastly, for this entry, I am sick and fucking tired of religious people's logical fallacies, especially post hoc ergo propter hoc. For those not versed in debating terms, or Latin, this fallacy is simply: This happened after this, therefore the latter happened because of the former. In other words: You were misdiagnosed and do not have cancer, I prayed after the original diagnostic and God must've healed you. NO! This is not how it fucking works. First, you have to determine causation. If I were to say that Bob, in London will eat lunch tomorrow, and some dude named Bob eats lunch tomorrow in London, this does not make me a fucking prophet. Or stating that we live in the fucking end times because the Bible fucking states that in the end times there will be wars and rumors of war... guess the fuck what, as long as people have lived in factions (probably before we had acquired our recent cognitive skills) there were wars and rumors of wars in our bands, over control of resources. Or the infamous Bible Code where by looking at different letter intervals in the original language, we can find shit that happened in the past; do you know what that proves? The Bible contains a lot of characters recognized as letters. I find it interesting that those fucking messages and prophecies are only found out after the fact by fucktards who are looking for those particular items.
Anyways, I am getting tired of shit from religious douchefucks, now I am not saying that everyone of them is a douchefuck... but I will state that every follower of a religion, any religion, is seriously mislead. I consider myself a seeker of truth, whether it is convenient or not. Life is not about convenience, it is about facts. The distortion of those facts by unscrupulous social rejects who vow to control those who rejected them by interpreting a doctrine created by goat fuckers in the bronze age in order to fuck women and profit from their neighbors is sickening to me and will be met with not only resistance, but counter attacks.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
The State Of Unbelief, The Stance of Disbelief, The Honor of Logic
It is with great clarity that I write this post, I thought about writing on the skeptics' need to become militant, but I soon realize that our burden is not to convince those around us who do believe, ours is to simply live our lives and fight in order to get our rights respected. We should not have to answer to those who make an irrational claim!
I have recently been painfully made aware of the sheer amount of ignorance and repetitiveness coming from theists regarding the state of unbelievers. Yes, like most overqualified retail workers, I am used to answering idiotic questions, though I often grow tired of the same ones coming up. Here is a short list of the short bus questions I get upon revealing my lack of belief in a deity along with some typical responses (though the smartarseness of my response does not show well in written form, I beg of those of you who know me to please add my regular attitude towards lack of intelligence in my responses):
But what if you're wrong? (Pascal's wager... ahhh a classic)
Well, this question is malformed as every myth claims to be the one truth and that anyone who does not share in its theology is damned to an eternity in a very displeasing place, typically a place of eternal torture known as hell. The only real answer to this question is to return it! There are over 6,000 different religions, over 30,000 different denominations of Christianity alone, each claiming that the others are false doctrines, how do you know you are in the right, as those who believe in different doctrines will defend their stance with every bit of righteousness and conviction as you? You are an unbeliever when it comes to all of those other deities except for (insert number of magical sky fairies believed in), I just go (use same number of mystical creatures as before).
But where do you get your morality? (Friends this is where we get the moral high ground)
I get my morality from myself, as a member of a society, I understand that such a lifestyle depends solely on our ability to get along with each other, and to better our lives in community and in our social conventions. I do not need a higher power (or other pejorative word describing a mythical sky daddy) to tell me what is right and what is wrong as I have my own understanding of those matters and know that I should not harm those around me in order to get ahead. Of course, sometimes it is harder than others, but my morality comes from me and not out of fear of punishment or hope of reward. If something is detrimental to society, I do not do it. Though I may not say the same about theists who would do anything the voices in their heads tells them to (refer to Abraham's test in sacrificing his son).
How can you support homosexual marriages? (Not necessarily for atheists but a good chunk of us are in favor)
Well, they are human beings, they deserve the same treatment as any of us. What makes a bronze age doctrine made up by goat herders the authority on how to treat other human beings? But the Bible says that...(Leviticus) That very same book claims that eating shrimp and wearing two of the same threads are an abomination, and according to Matthew 5, not one jot or tittle of the law (meaning of course the Pentateuch) shall be taken until Heaven and the Earth have come to pass. (Romans) Paul, in his letter to the Romans clearly states that man shall not lie with man, that is true, though I could argue that Paul was rejected by the early Christians due to his heresy in contradicting Jesus. He was not, according to the Bible, directly appointed by Jesus, but rather hallucinated on the road to Damascus - no doubt haunted by the faces of those he persecuted- and changed his ways, making shit up as he went along.
But your world view must be so bleak, I mean you believe that when you die that's it, how can you live that way?
I find wonder in everyday life such as the love of my family, the expanse of the universe, the complexity of nature. There is plenty to live for, to grow human knowledge, whether it is useful or not (yea most of what I know is useless). If you know you are going to heaven, yet your loved ones are in hell, how can you be truly happy knowing that they are suffering for all eternity while you're drinking wine and having a good time? If you don't care then you are dehumanized.
But there can be no justice without God, he created everything, how can you deny that?
Justice? Really? The deity portrayed in the Bible (for this example) is, at best, a capricious child whose will and deeds are not as mature as those of a 5 year old. He kills on a whim for the most stupid, most insignificant crimes such as making fun of a prophet, or a man spilling his seed on the ground, hell, even disagreeing with those who believe in him is a crime punishable by death! But we have grace now. Grace, by definition is the suspention of justice, therefore your god is either perfectly Just, or perfectly Merciful, he may not be both as those are in direct opposition of each other. He also is one of those Zeus types: do as I say not as I do, as apparently, it is ok for him to be jealous (though it is against his own law) and also it is ok for him to ravish a betrothed young lady in order to give birth to himself so he can sacrifice himself to himself so we can be saved from him... yea a truly logical, not paradoxical god at all you got there!
So this is a small sample of those questions I typically receive, at least twice a week from those around me who find out I am a non believer. I do hope you enjoyed my answers and if you find a better response, or would like to share your own answers to stupid questions, please comment.