Belief

     I recently had a long discussion with my wife about life experiences and the concept of belief. I carefully introduced the idea of experiencing all that life has to offer, good and bad, as I do not want to leave this short life without having embraced it fully. To quote the late great Dr. Carl Sagan, "I don't want to believe. I want to know". The topic stayed on my mind, until yesterday, when I went to church, to honor my parents' nomination as mission pastors. What I witnessed there, in that environment was far worse than I expected. Indeed all of the speeches and songs witnessed spoke of life being worthless without the christian deity. I felt as though I was sent back in time, during the days of sun worship, when everything about nature was being worshiped as a deity. It brings some feelings of despair, as well as a lower tolerance threshold for nonsense.

     In contrast with these feelings of despair, I chose to fight back and decided to redouble my efforts to understand those who follow the dictates of a Bronze Age myth, renewed in the 3rd century C.E and see why people cling to those tenets. I looked into my opposition, and attempted to start a dialogue, out of five different threads, none ended in a civil disagreement, instead ending with the other party either harassing my every post bombarding them with negative comments for simply asking a question, or posting violent threats, resulting in the poster being temporarily banned and the comment deleted. 

     The discussions ranged from a debate on Marriage Equality, to theological arguments on the nature of original sin, as well as the differences between gender and sex. It appears to me, that those who preach love from behind the pulpit, seem to be fearful, and going so far as to use hate speech from when hidden in behind the safety of the internet, where there is plausible deniability. There was one notable exception, a reverend who received many negative responses. This person made some very valid points in regards to the civil implications of marriage, which were received with the puerile response of repeating a debunked argument several times, with an increasing occurrence of capital letters. The Internet equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling. This same reasonable man also called a few article writers out in their dishonesty and did not receive the accolade one should for telling the truth, instead, his comment, including the misquoted original article, was buried under a number of negative reviews, with no positive comment.

     What I learned in this experience is that when it comes to fundamentalist Christianity and progress, they are mutually exclusive. One cannot embrace an ever evolving human race while holding sacred the tenets of an outdated religion. The leaders in churches are exploiting the followers, not only financially, living in far better conditions than the members of their congregations, but emotionally, by interpreting their sacred texts, and socially, forcing the congregation to agree with shameful altar calls. The rhetoric used in church leadership is typical of isolationist policies, and worse, they are now trying to control the political process by undermining the legal process, and doing so in complete impunity.

     It is no secret that I absolutely despise religion, as it forces us to be satisfied with not searching. Not only that, I do not believe it is intellectually honest to believe in a deity out of fear of the unknown, or even for a sense of comfort and security. The human race is capable of great things, but there are scientific advances which are stifled by religious belief, peace talks which are ruined over land rights allegedly given to a tribe of sheep herders by a deity they worshiped. One would be hard pressed to find an intellectually honest reason to believe. It is especially bad in the United States where a person attending a ministry school calls their degree a degree in theology; I'm sorry, those schools do not give degrees, they give certificates of completion for training in Christian Doctrine. Do not devalue the hard work of many students by putting your fake, third grade writing skill required, non critical thinking, parroting degree on the same level as one issued by a university. 

     With all that being said, the experience gained by visiting those fundamentalist pages would not have been inspired, if not for my wife challenging me to express why I am the way I am, as well as my visit to church. It is interesting where inspiration hits you, and how one may try to analyze the process of belief as well as its use as justification for bigotry, and even segregation. This week I learned a lot about humanity in general, as well as the process by which religious leaders manipulate their followers.

Fundamentalist Views of Marriage and Abortion

     I'm going to start this post by stating that I am not pro abortion, I am pro choice, there is a big difference. There are many ways to interpret holy texts, and apologists will flat out try and twist the meaning of the verses I will point out in this blog. Without the shadow of a doubt, god is pro abortion. Then I will also attempt to demonstrate that what we see as the traditional view on marriage is wrong, using historical evidence.

     Regarding abortions, we could start by defining when life, or personhood, starts. Most fundamentalists would argue that it starts at conception, unfortunately, that is not the biblical view on the subject as demonstrated by Leviticus 27:6. This passage clearly states that human beings have a value given to them once they reach one month of age, implying that those infants who are less than one month old, or unborn are worthless. Now there are some people who will attempt to say that I twisted their scriptures, but here's another passage Numbers 3:15-16. Having established that the Israeli deity doesn't care about the unborn or the infants, we can now go to the instructions on how to perform an abortion in Exodus 21:22-23.  The god of the Bible clearly gives instructions on how to destroy a fetus.

     Now on to marriage, most people, in today's America, is monogamous and romance based. But this was not always the case, was it? I mean in Israel's history (I'm using this as a starting point as fundamentalists choose to define it as a starting point), we see a lot of non monogamous marriages, usually at the detriment of women. Later, in history, we see a rise in monogamous marriage, but not for love, we see marriage for social reinforcement, be it of wealth, or social/political power. It wasn't until 1761 that romance marriages became somewhat accepted. So, no, including people of different perspectives DOES NOT destroy marriage, it fine tunes the definition.

     In conclusion, stop claiming your values are being destroyed, they are not. It is not an infringement on your liberties to allow others the same rights you have, no one is forcing you to do what you believe goes against your values. Though you are being dishonest in your definitions of personhood and marriage if you only take the modern definitions which are the result of centuries of cultural evolution, and are to be subjected to many more.

The Grammys So-Called Controversy

     Let's start with stating that Macklemore's performance at the Grammys was better than I expected. The mass wedding ceremony was... touching; though it is not my cup of tea, I was glad that someone took a stand for marriage equality in a worldwide broadcast - Queen Latifah: well done. There has been a lot of criticism coming from the religious right, but I fear we have only seen the beginning. A lot of hate has been expressed over this public act of defiance against a broken system of thought; I wish people would learn to mind their own damn business. To those on the religious right, or what I like to call "The Wrong Side of History": Why can't you understand that if same sex couples are allowed to get married, the only thing it will affect is same sex couples getting married? A marriage certificate is merely a symbol of legitimacy that would be shown to all, a symbol of acceptance from a society which had led to the very hatred of those people, not because of a choice, because of a slight deviation in sexual orientation. In his song, Same Love, Mackelmore speaks of understanding, and progress; why can't people who pride themselves in being wise and understanding understand the idea that love can't be wrong? It is the best tool we have to understand each other, whether we are straight, homosexual, bisexual, transgender,  whether we have the ability to love more than one person at the same time, or just one, there is no reason to judge each other on this basis, as love strives to not hurt people, and is an expression of respect, understanding, and, of course, affection. There is no war on Christianity, or Christian values; there is a war on bigotry and hate. If you do not agree with someone's love life, keep it to yourself. It's none of your business anyways; no one comes in and tells you that being straight is unnatural, or that you shouldn't have the same rights as homosexuals or anyone else. We are merely stating that everyone should be equal under the law. If you can't understand that, I believe it was Lily Allen who said it best: Fuck you, Fuck you very, very much, your point of view is medieval.

     Some people even complained that they are being persecuted, stating that this is similar to the so-called end of days persecution Christians would endure. Let me tell you something - the morons who stated this, who live in the majority, are complaining that they are unable to persecute or torture - oh yea, some parts of the commonly used gay conversion therapy use psychological torture as well as electroshock therapy in some cases (Source). Those people swear up and down that they do this out of love. This is anything but; love is caring, attempting to prevent harm from coming to those on the receiving end. Some relatively influential preachers, and indoctrination camp president Michael Brown, even speak in favor of such harmful treatments (Source). But in countless interviews they tell you they do it out of love. This is absolute emotional masturbation, and obvious hiding of the true motives of the religious fanatics pleading for special rights, as well as working to control the political process by intimidating those in power out of their dwindling power base. What they don't know though, is that their own audience is leaving them, tolerance is prevailing, just as it did during the civil rights movement. The same bigots who claim that Martin Luther King Jr. would've been on their side, the same egotistical maniacs who spit on the grave of Nelson Mandela, those are the people who claim to be on the side of love. No, friends, they are on the side of hatred, they are on the wrong side of history. Progress can't be stopped, it can be slowed down some, but it will rise, and, as it stands, us progressives are gaining momentum. We have science and reason on our side, not the remnants of a dying archaic belief system which belongs in the history books. They liken our scientists to the leaders who imprisoned Galileo, not realizing the irony of such a statement. They tell us that we are fighting against society as a whole, and, at some point in time, they were right, but societies change, and we have succeeded at making it better. We will fight society at every turn if we need to, not only for tolerance, but for acceptance as well. I was once told that it is similar to banging a clay pot and an iron pot together. Well, the reference wasn't wrong, but it is that which we are fighting that is clay, and we are made of iron!

Live Your Life

My atheism isn't a big secret; I will tell of my lack of belief to anyone who has an ear. It's not because I believe I'm smarter than those who believe in a deity of sorts; no, it is because, in my opinion, the burden of proof hasn't been met. But why go ahead and speak out against religion? Why bother those who believe in their chosen deity, using derogatory terms such as believers in a bearded Tinkerbell? Well, it is because I believe they are misled and I am trying to shock them into reality.

    

    I use Abrahamic religions as they are the most commonly held group of belief systems in the western hemisphere. Those religions teach us that while life is worth living, if we do not reach our goals, it's okay, we will meet them in heaven/paradise. Those faiths teach us that this life, the only one we have proof of, is merely a dress rehearsal for the real party, the heavenly North Korea, in which death is not an option. It teaches us to live in complacency with a complete disregard for what matters in this world, and yet it teaches us to fight against some extremely important aspects of the heart of our humanity, including those we are allowed to love. Well, I say this needs to end.

    I recently encountered a situation where some who are close to me spoke out against something they disagreed with in a rather casual yet venomous manner. They did not know that I adhere to the ideology which they spoke badly of; had they known, I have no doubt that they would have refrained from offending me or mine, and kept their ideas to themselves. This reminded me of Stone Sour's "Through Glass" lyrics, "While you're outside looking in, describing what you see, remember what you're staring at is me". It's interesting to see what people would say to you if they thought you agreed with them, when really, they are insulting you without even knowing it. Religion teaches us that it's okay to discriminate against those who are different, simply for being different: the LGBTQ community, the polyamorist community, some sects even fight against interracial marriages to this day! Why hate those who are different than us and try to infringe on their rights to be happy? Why hate at all? After all, consenting adults are aware of what they are doing and are prepared to face the consequences of their actions, consequences which have absolutely nothing to do with you.

    It is something I have been fighting for within myself for at least 20 years, where I knew of such acts of love, and did not think anything wrong with it. Yet society, ingrained with religious dogma, teaches that those behaviors are wrong. I have sat silently for 20 years and fought internally to keep a straight focus on equality among all humans, regardless of sex, gender, "ethnicity", or sexual orientation. It is our right, as human beings to want to be happy! I was always taught that "my freedom ends where yours begins", I am free to believe, or do what I want to, so long as it doesn't infringe on your freedom to do the same. Why won't more people believe and live by this simple truth?

    We only have one life folks - why waste it on fairy tales which teach us to be bigoted and mean spirited towards those who are different? There is only one race in the human genome: Human. We come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. The same can be said about our character; we are all different and have different inclinations. Why judge people based solely on what we are taught is right? Are we not smart enough to figure out what is right ourselves? Do we not have the capability? What about the Socratic method of learning, to question everything? I am reminded of Thomas Jefferson when he said "Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear". Those are powerful words that Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other faiths refuse to abide by; indeed the very questioning of the existence of our deity of choice is forbidden. In Luke 4:12 Jesus flat out says: "You must not test the LORD your God", a statement that insures the unquestioning slave-like position of the followers of the Christian Messiah. It is a method we see in the Wizard of Oz: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! In other words, be willfully ignorant and unwilling to see reason!

  A lot of apologists would use Pascal's Wager (If you believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you have lost nothing--but if you don't believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you will go to hell.) in which one states that the existence of god is binary. This is, of course, intellectually dishonest as it presupposes that there is only one god, and that the person posing the wager is worshiping the right one. It also insinuates that believing is a conscious act, and that an omnipotent deity would not be able to see through a hypocritical fake belief "just in case". Worst of all, Pascal also assumed one last thing, that believing in this chosen deity would not cost the believer anything. This is wrong; the most valuable thing we have is, arguably, time. Those who believe are so entranced by their beliefs that they waste their life away, not actively participating in making this world a better place, "Because why should we, it's only temporary anyway, and the sooner it is destroyed, the faster we all get to leave to meet the magical sky Gandalf who punishes gays and people who don't believe in him!" And he's supposed to love everyone unconditionally! Think of all of the good that could be done, all the problems that could be solved if believers would actively work to make this world a better place instead of sitting by complacent and content while waiting to meet their nonexistent creator...all of the wasted talent and potential!

We only have this one life, why not enjoy it, and live it as who we are, without fear of shame or guilt, cultivated in us by a society which strives to control and shape us into sheep, obediently being led to our deaths. Never be satisfied with being half the person you can be, or want to be. If society can't accept you for who you are, it is time to change society, do not let it change you. For far too long, we have felt the weight of our failing society crush us - let us rise and strive to leave this world a better place than the world we entered. Let us make this world a world of acceptance, love, and a legitimate search for truth!

The Evils of Fundamentalism

     It's no big secret that I am an atheist who has no respect for religion. Now, don't get me wrong, religious people, so long as they do not try to trample my rights or the rights of others, are fine, and deserve respect. That, fortunately for me does not include some vocal minorities such as Michael Brown, who, in his latest article mentioned a war on the unborn, supposedly waged by New York mayor Bill de Blasio. While the opinion that there is a war on the unborn seems fair to fundamentalists, it is also fair to state that those who claim to be "Pro Life" are really simply "Pro Birth", as they also tend to not care about the likelihood of survival for those families and infants who are born. Indeed, those same self proclaimed advocates for the sacred nature of life are also those who would vote for cutting of funding for lower income families as they "are lazy and living at the teat of the government". To be fair I haven't heard Brown make such a statement, but those he associates with often do.
   
     I am  pro choice, it doesn't mean that I am pro abortion, I respect life as it comes, though I also understand that such procedures can sometimes be more beneficial to the unborn, as well as to their families. It is my opinion that pro choicers are more in favor of life than their opposition as the vast majority tend to be pro birth as well, though with the caveat that those children who are born along with their families should be taken care of. Hell, welfare and food stamps are basic tenets of Christianity, but it is those same people  who advocate forced birth who oppose such social safety nets for those in need. I have asked several people as to why they are against the government being in charge, after all they like to proclaim that we are a Christian nation. I usually get the answer that it is the Church's job to take care of those in need, well, you're doing a damn fine job! How about instead of financing lavish lifestyles with numerous travels around the globe, you start fixing your communities? How about, instead of investing in extravagant building for your cults to gather in, you start a food bank, or donate to actual charities who will take care of those in need with no strings attached?

     Christianity, along with every other religion who claim to do good in their communities, are nothing but giant corporations who care about nothing but the implementation of a political agenda designed to bypass the laws of the nations in which they reside. In the United States, I hear a lot of hate towards those who hold no belief in gods, going so far as to petition for the expulsion from the country, as we are, apparently sub par citizens. Of course, it is a small minority who feels so emboldened by their own political power that they allow themselves to betray their true position on human rights. This minority, though tends to have a lot of social power, through the tax free money they get. The rights of several groups are still being undermined by such powerful so-called "charitable" corporations. The hatred that spews from fundamentalism knows no bound, it was what kept the civil rights movement from advancing for so many years, and still does to this day. I keep calling churches corporations as it is what they are, they are the worst type of retail where they sell you merchandise which cannot be verified. They are always asking for money, and that is the first thing one notices about churches; they get members in a trance like state through songs, then pass the collection plate, then guilt trips those same members through sermons which inevitably end in a request for donations.

     The sad thing about this whole thing, is that most of the members live in poverty, most are unable to afford healthcare, and most trust that their faith will heal them. This illusion is enhanced by the biblical scholars who encourage such beliefs. I have seen well respected pastors and ministry school faculty flat out tell a family, in public, that their dead child would rise again, as their god told them that fasting and praying would be necessary. That is the worst kind of false hope you can give to a grieving family. Of course, the child remained dead, and the family worse off because of the crushed hope. Fundamentalism is evil, and should be removed from the face of the earth.

Reflections on Individuality

     Lately I have been a little depressed, I quit my job due to the inability to perform my duties because of lack of backup from my supervisors. I have had a lot of opportunities to reflect on my own personality and, while I understand the person that I am, I can't, for the life of me tell whether I like it or not. I am, for the most part a neutral person, neither good nor bad, and that is what I thought human beings are like. I have come to the realization that I do not know how to interact with people and this leads to several awkward discussions/moments. I try to plan every single interaction I have during the day, most of the time at a moment's notice. I have come to understand that most people do not try to predict human interactions and go with the flow. This causes a serious problem in my social interactions, as sometimes I do not act as quickly as I think, and my movements do not develop the way I have planned, causing some undue awkwardness. 

     

     This is giving me some issues in my life as, after nearly 30 years on this planet, I have not once come to think that most people don't act this way. This is somewhat telling of the way I see the world. I am an outsider trying to fit in. My poor attempts to understand the human mind have come to a rather unnerving conclusion that it is easily manipulated, and, while I do not indulge in the practice of mental manipulation, it scares me that people can be so susceptible to suggestions. Entire concepts can be rearranged in order to benefit one person or the next, though the earlier they are planted, the harder those very concepts are to break through, especially when reinforced by a society which does not care about the well being of its denizens, but rather in their complete obedience and the adherence to several semi religious dogmas. 

     Life, as I see it in others, is meant to be enjoyed, not feared or simply lived through. This is hard for me, as the things I enjoy are severely reprimanded by society, legal, but heavily frowned upon, to the point of social exile for those participating in such behaviors. In the past year, I have achieved my goal of leading my life in such a way that my very existence is a sin, though it came at great social cost, the impact of which I had not fully understood in my life. I had not foreseen the repercussions it would have on those few who are close to me, and how they would be affected. I had indeed been blind to the casualties of my own social sacrifice. I can easily live with being ostracized, that is not the problem to me, but my loved ones are suffering for decisions they have not made. Hell, they are suffering for decisions I haven't made about who or what I am. 

     So in retrospect, I am what I am, and to those who are offended by it, you don't have to tolerate me, you can just ignore me and act like we never interacted, no pain will come to me in that, as I value honesty above all else. If you are so small minded that my existence and my way of thinking offends you, nobody's forcing you to remain sociable with me. To those who are hurt by others' behaviors: don't let them affect you, those who are quick to offense and project their own fears on others do not need to be in your life, they do not deserve the gems that you have to offer. We all have something to bring to the table in the marketplace of ideas, some ideas and concepts, though hard to understand are easier to deal with than others, and some have more merit than others, but everybody has a right to participate. I am seemingly quick to dismiss ideas that I disagree with, though I can't say that I have completely dismissed any without careful consideration, I just expect the same respect from other members of society.

Happy Holidays

     This post is merely to wish any reader a happy holiday season. It is a season for joy and happiness, and fortunately, I am able to spend it with family, though I do feel for those who are unable to.  I see terrible things happening all around me, during the holidays especially, vicious attacks from the left and the right, politically, as well as socially. To those bigots who support Phil Robertson: GO FUCK YOURSELVES!!! The man is obviously a religious bigot, or a troll. Many Youtubers have posted the hypocrisy in his statement. To those in any minority, be it racial, sexual, social, as well as others: keep on keeping on, it does get better friends, don't let those who fear change control who you are. You have allies such as reason, and logic; those who oppose you are on the wrong side of history, and just like everything else, it will just take some time for good things to happen.
     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!

The Importance of Staying True to Yourself

     This seems to be a remaining topic on this blog, so it is obvious that it is a topic that this writer struggles with a bit. It is understood that for society to function we have to inhibit some of our urges and personal quirks at our place of employment and social gatherings (to some extent). I do not believe in the world being a free for all, where one can go and tell people off willy nilly, not in our society anyways. I do, however, challenge the effect that said society has on us. people who are close to me are struggling about their own identities simply because society has taught them that it was wrong for so long to be a certain way, that their psyche has partially blocked such behaviors (be it in public of private).
     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.

The Hellenistic Characteristics of the Christ Myth

If we were to ask any Christian about their faith, one of the things we would hear is that it is unique, the concept of a sacrificial god, born of a young woman from a patriarchal god, it seems extremely enticing. Indeed this reflects the bias of the believer, there are many sources predating the myth of Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God similar in those qualities, take Heracles, for example, the son of Zeus born of an asexual relationship, a shower of gold, who selflessly travelled Greece in order to defend its inhabitants from the merciless toying of the gods, who even went to Tartarus -the Greek Hell-  in order to deliver Theseus from it, similar to the common tradition that Jesus went to the underworld to save the souls of the deceased before ascending into Heaven. The idea of a triune god is also not a novel concept as many gods in ancient Greece and Rome were represented by different forms such as Jupiter being the almighty god of the Roman pantheon, represented as a human, but also as an eagle, and the emperor, at least for a time was the representative of god, or Amon Ra, in Egypt being represented as the Pharaoh to the mere people. But the question is, why did Christianity prevail of those previously common myths and how did Jesus of Nazareth come out as a Savior god to the people of the Western World? Those questions are answered in the history of the composition and redaction of the texts depicting the life of the Son of God, and the politics surrounding them.

Starting at the beginning of the Christian Myth, one can clearly see resemblances between the greek Creation myth and fall of mankind, and the Judeo-Christian one, coming from a misogynist standpoint. Indeed, the story of the fall of man coming from a woman is not a new one, as the Christian Fall story and the cursing of the Earth is attributed to Eve, the Greek story of such a curse is attributed to Pandora (Hamilton:88). When Pandora opened her box and let all kinds of evil roam the world, she closed it, albeit too late. The last thing remaining in the box was Hope (Hamilton:88), in a similar fashion, hope was attached to women in the form of giving birth to the savior of all nations.

Now onto the Christian myth, it is easy to see similarities between Jesus and Heracles, or Hercules his given Roman name. They were both born of a god, Jesus of Yahweh, Heracles of Zeus, by a human mother. Both women were betrothed to a human man, Jesus’ mother Mary to Joseph, and Heracles’ mother to Amphytrion (Hamilton:227). As I mentioned before there are several different similarities between Jesus and Heracles, including the last feat Jesus accomplished according to Christian Tradition that he went to the underworld to preach to those lost souls who had the misfortune of dying before having the chance to witness his ministry. Heracles’ parallel to this story is none other than the last of his 12 works where he was sent to the underworld in order to defeat Cerberus and freed the Athenian Hero Theseus from the underworld (Hamilton:235).

But the Heracles comparison doesn’t end there, the young demigod was well educated but also extremely prone to violent and vicious fits throughout his childhood, such as the time where he murdered his music teacher simple because he disliked musical education (Hamilton:229). Young Jesus, as depicted in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, was quite the violent child as well, murdering, cursing, sadistically resurrecting children in front of their parents only to kill them again after they confirmed his word (Ehrman:58). The temper attributed to young Jesus in this Gospel seem to show in the casting the merchants out of the Temple in Matthew 21:12 (Wells:1239). Though apologists, as well as most Christians would argue that this anger was righteous, is is highly unlikely as the practice was condoned by the Torah, and price gouging were heavily frowned upon by the Temple administrators (Aslan:6).

Other Hellenistic influences are found in Christianity when compared to the Sumerian goddess Inanna, who descended through the seven levels of hell, having an encounter at each level, only to be crucified and humiliated at the bottom of the seventh level. The Christian savior, in a similar fashion descended through the seven levels of Heaven to Earth, having an encounter at each level, only to be humiliated and crucified at the bottom of the seventh level -Earth- as well (Carrier:18). After reading on both posthumous accounts, we also see an interesting similarity, the idea concept of spending three days and three nights in the underworld, as Inanna was dead for this amount of time, and Jesus predicted that exact same time period, though we know different as tradition has the Nazarene Savior god die on a Friday evening, and his resurrection happen on a Sunday morning, leaving only 2 nights (Carrier:18-19).

To this day, in certain Christian traditions, a Pantheon has been kept, we clearly see this in the Catholic prayers to the saints, similar to the worship of lesser gods in Ancient Greece, and is a remnant of the Roman influences in  Church, as many consider their prayers to the Saints as a respectful way to approach their Savior (Brom:1). We can clearly see that the worship of ancient minor gods directly affected this early Christian Church as a means to not bother the Almighty with the trivialities of life, and the saints would intercede for the living. In the Roman Catholic culture, the saints seem to have taken precedent over Jesus, not in importance, but in the day to day activities, similarly to what happened to the worship of Hestia in ancient Greece, who was the goddess of home and hearth, and whose temple flame was most important in Greek cities (Hamilton:34), though her name is generally unknown to the general population compared to Dionysus in the modern mind.

One way in which Christianity managed to survive, and still be relevant in its early stages was the ability complete disregard for the elitism attributed to Judaism, where one is born into a religion, and in the embracing of the gentiles (Carrier:51). Indeed, in a Roman controlled world, the only way to expand one’s worshippers base is also to avoid ostracizing people, welcoming people of all walks of life into the religion. Offering redemption for virtually any sin is also a good way to earn worshippers. Hellenism in its purest form promoted the longing for immortality and everlasting life, though it was a rather unknown process in the mind of the early leaders and worshippers, Christianity, by its very nature offers a vision of life everlasting and even a purpose for such an ideal, as well as a reason for a temporary life in the known mortal World (Von Dobshutz:249).

In yet another parallel with Hellenistic traditions, we see the Judeo-Christian myth to be polytheistic to some extent as with the existence of minor deities, some benevolent as angels and all the hierarchy which comes with it, others depicted as the source of all evil in the world and having a hierarchy of their own with the first fallen angel, Lucifer, at the top (Von Dobschutz:250). Though Christianity prides itself in being a monotheistic religion, it is only so in named, after the redefinition of the term, after all, by the Christian standard of monotheism, having one supreme god reign over all others, the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian myths can be considered monotheistic as well with Zeus, Jupiter, and Amon Ra set as supreme deities.

Lastly, we see the trial a tribulation of Jesus of Nazareth as a passion, and the pinnacle of the his ministry, Dr Richard Carrier, in his lecture for the UNCG Atheist about the historicity of Jesus points out that it is a typical trait of hellenistic deities (Carrier:Video). This point is driven home, especially as I mentioned previously that the last Heraclean trial was to travel to the underworld and conquer death. The trial is one of enduring pain and lasting fight. Such a trial was rather common especially when compared to all the other previous deities encountered in the Greco-Roman world, such as Prometheus enduring pain and suffering for a seeming eternity in order to provide humans with fire (Hamilton:95).

While semantics in the Christian myth apologist conferences, and articles lean towards a unique faith based on the life and death of a truly great man, we learn through our study of history that it is not as unique as it is portrayed. From the immaculate conception to the death of a Savior god, through the enduring of a passion, and humiliation. Jesus of Nazareth, if he lived in Galilee at the beginning of the first century BCE was little more than a plagiarist of previous religions, giving hope to those less fortunate, and adapting older myths to Judaism. The life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God could be a compilation of several stories given to us by Roman editors under Constantine’s supervision and a severe amount of redaction and adaptation in order to fit the story (Gonzalez:340).

If Christianity were a novel idea in any way, shape, or form, it would be in its adaptation of hellenistic elements in the Judaic faith and the expansion of salvation beyond a simple ethnicity, embracing the cultural influences of the Roman occupation in the Middle East. Though some elements are heavily resembling older Hellenist myths, it has been most successful in its expansion due to the appeal of redemption of any crime or transgression. The reinforced appeal of a benevolent god who wants nothing but good things for its creation and the explanation of the concept of ever lasting life. Jesus, as I stated before, is merely a Jewish version of Heracles and Inanna, among others, a mere compilation of previous myths which gave hope to an ever suffering population.

Works cited:

Aslan, Reza

Zealot, The Life and Times Of Jesus of Nazareth, Random House Publishing, New York (2013)

Brom, Robert (Bishop)

Praying to the Saints, Catholic.com (http://www.catholic.com/tracts/praying-to-the-saints) Accessed 11/10/2013

Carrier, Richard

Not The Impossible Faith: Why Christianity Didn’t Need a Miracle To Succeed, Lulu Publishing (2009)

Carrier, Richard

Why I think Jesus Didn't Exist Lecture March 18th 2013, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwUZOZN-9dc) Accessed 11/12/2013

Ehrman, Bart D.

Lost Scriptures, Books that Did Not Make it in The New Testament, Oxford University Press, New York (2003)

Gonzalez, Justo

A History of Christian Thought Vol. 1, Abingdon Press, Nashville (1970)

Hamilton, Edith

Mythology: A Timeless Tale of Gods and Heroes, Hamilton press, New York (1942)

Koester, Helmut

Introduction to The New Testament: History and Literature of Early Christianity, Volume 2, 2nd Ed.

DeGruyter Company, Berlin (2000)

Von Dobschutz, E.

Christianity and Hellenism, The Journal of Biblical Literature, Volume 33, no 4 (Dec 1914) pp.245-265

The Understanding and Acceptance of Differences

     It is interesting that we are usually willing to accept differences which do not affect us , but it becomes increasingly harder to accept them once the people we care about, those we are closest to and can affect our daily lives have them. I have been in a situation where my own wife, whom I love very much, was put in such a situation where she was asked to choose to spend the holidays with her mother and stepfather, as well as her brother, or with her husband. Naturally, she chose me, though I can't help but wonder why that choice was necessary. There are two different speculations referring to why I am not welcome at my in-laws: my wife's opinion is that they are upset with me for her atheism. She was a firm conservative evangelical Christian before we were married and renounced her faith based on evidence. I, on the other hand, think it is because her stepfather's status was challenged last year when, during the holidays, a discussion on equal rights came out and I challenged his faith based point of view with my evidence based opinion and his authority, within his own household was hurt due to his lack of cognitive capacities.

     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.

Morality?

     Well, this post is not going to be about religion... well maybe a little. Though I fully intend it to be related to life itself and the state of human society in general. I have been asking myself why humans, as a general rule are seemingly contradictory in their instincts and actions. Our instincts, based on evolutionary processes make us survivors, at the expense of others, though our nature is also one of altruism. We are, in fact very well aware of our own shortcomings in life. Hell, I know I am! People who think I have minimal issues only need ask my wife! But I try to be as helpful and inspirational as I can be with others, be it through leading by example, or providing much needed words of encouragement, or slight kicks in the ass. But why do I do it? Is it because of some basic sense of morality given to me at birth? No, it is a learned behavior, one that my parents passed down to me, and, though they disagree with how I live my life, I usually abide by the sense of justice they have inspired in me. I do not possess much, but I try to give everything I have to those who need it more than me. Is that 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.

On the Originality of the Bible

     Well, it seems that the God of the Bible is the all creating, all knowing, original lawmaker. Or is He? Most modern Christians would agree that modern law is based on the 10 commandments, that is not accurate in and of itself, but what if there was something else predating the 10 commandments? Surely such a thing would not exist, especially not in Babylon, the land of immorality and everything Yahweh stands against. Guess again! Hammurabi's Code predates the Mosaic Law by a few centuries, in fact, most of the Laws proposed and imposed by Moses were flat out copies of Hammurabi's with a Judaic twist. So how original is the God of the Bible? Does He bring any original ideas? Let's see!

   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.

Regarding Christian Eschatology

So, I was in class today, "Anthropology of the Bible" and the discussion turned to the topic of eschatology. I never really thought of the different topics at hand in a discussion about end times. But it seems to me Christians tend to love the idea of the world coming to an end. Yet it's the bleeding liberals who are bringing upon that particular end to this Earthly Realm. Let me make one thing clear, if anything, Liberals and Progressives, unlike conservatives are trying to preserve our planet and the likelihood of life on it. This may seem like a complete ass backwards concepts to some people but here is my humble explanation, or pathetic attempt at explaining our point of view.

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.

A direct response to Dr. Michael M. Brown Regarding the case against violent video games

  Alas, I am about to do something I thought I would never do in a public blog such as this, which is to call out someone specifically, by name, as the vitriolic cult leader they are. This is a direct response to Dr. Brown's article regarding the release and success of Grand Theft Auto 5  (link here). Indeed in his article, Brown -who is an advocate of religious rights and a strong opponent of everybody else who disagrees with his chosen type of insanity- blames the rise of violence in western culture to be in part because of the increased violence seen in the media, and specifically the interactive form of 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.

The failures of Christianity

     This post is mainly a summary of some of the failures of Christianity in the face of Science and of morality in general, as well as upon itself.  Let's get right to it. First of all, according to the Christian doctrine, humans need redemption because of the story of the Fall of Man. The entire redemptive value offered by Jesus in his supposed sacrifice is meant to wash away our sins inherited from the first man and woman who allegedly walked this planet. The fact of evolution demonstrates that there is no signs of this "Fall" therefore making original sin an imaginary disease, commonly referred to as created to sell an imaginary cure (salvation). This is the primary reason why Creationists not only accept the literal interpretation of the Genesis account (though are fuzzy about the rest of their Holy Book for some reason) but also reject the scientific evidence for an evolutionary track which led to modern humans, even going so far as to doubt proven dating methods.

     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).

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.

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!

A Rude Awakening

     I love my friends and family, I really do, but sometimes I can't help but think of how some see things. It is really disheartening to see such smart people believe in something so... deranged. Of course I remind myself that I used to believe in such fairy tales. I spend a great amount of time reading up on theist literature, watching theists’ videos, and then realizing that people really do believe that a creator is responsible for our existence and that this creator is male, of course. This belief is strange to me now that I analyze it from the outside looking in: that such a character exists who would condemn me for all eternity if I do not believe in him, not only without evidence, but also in spite of the evidence against him, is simply preposterous. I see people who possess a very analytical, critical, and scientific mind apply their inquisitive nature towards everything else but the state of their beliefs; the one person who took my challenge happened to have traded her faith with knowledge and reason - of course I am talking about my wife. 

     

     Words cannot describe the distress I feel whenever people make condemning statements about themselves in the name of humility and righteousness compared to a "perfect" being that condones rape, slavery, and overall ignorance, as well as being restrictive of the inquisitive nature of his own creation. I must question the reasons for such deliberate self-loathing. Why is it considered healthy to condemn yourself in a religious context? Why is it ok to call yourself a worthless being undeserving of a life of happiness? How come this deity sounds as petty and human as those of ancient Greece? Could it be because Bronze Age cultures projected their own fears and biases on the deity they created? Could it be because the very nature of our creator is human as we do not worship anything but ourselves? 

     Also, what is it with public displays of religious behaviors such as prayer? Isn't that in direct contradiction of Jesus' teachings (Matthew 6:6)? If Jesus is in fact God, and what he says is absolute Law, I question the motives of Christians who post publically their prayers on a forum, or even worse, demand that their religious type of wish making be made official in the eyes of the Government by declaring official days of prayer! I propose that it is in fact to boost their own egos and to try and keep the majority of people in the dark and afflicted by the shallowness of their beliefs. I find it amazing that MOST Christians I have talked to refuse to get their news from anywhere other than their beloved conservative religious news source. They refuse to hear the other side of the story, whereas, in the skeptic community, MOST watch several different liberal and conservative programs, though admittedly in order to learn about what the opposition thinks and to address the insane amount of bias on either side of the spectrum.

      In closing, I would like to expand on a quote from Steven Weinberg: 

   

  "Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

    

      It still amazes me that we are willing to deny people different rights according to our own religious bias, in America with Marriage Equality, as well as in the Middle East, where people are not even given the right to worship their own way because their Big Book Of Fairy Tales tells them that it should be the Law of the Land. Too long the skeptic community has held its tongue, too long have we been shackled by fear of judgment from our communities! It is time we fight back! They only have Tinkerbell on their side and we have Reason!

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?