thought of the day.363

2009 was a very good year. :) May 2010 be even better....

thought of the day.362

To believe God answers prayer is to believe one shares in omnipotence — perhaps the grandest of all delusions.

thought of the day.361

The journey is the destination. Enjoy the route.

thought of the day.360

We can’t answer the question of whether or not a god exists, but we can answer the question of whether or not there is any evidence of one. That answer is a shout from the rooftops, NO!

thought of the day.359

“I absolutely believe what Ellie [Arroway, the atheist astronomer in the movie "Contact"] believes--that there is no direct evidence, so how could you ask me to believe in God when there's absolutely no evidence that I can see? I do believe in the beauty and the awe-inspiring mystery of the science that's out there that we haven't discovered yet, that there are scientific explanations for phenomena that we call mystical because we don't know any better.”

~ Jodie Foster

thought of the day.358

Beware of Cynicism

"Cynicism and doubt are not the same experience. Cynicism is a state of disbelief, an active act of not believing. Doubt raises questions, but it is not closed-minded. Cynicism shuts off possibilities; doubt leaves room for hope. Cynicism leads to pessimism; doubt leaves room for optimism. Cynicism contracts; doubt expands. Doubt confronts the world full throttle and dares faith: Go ahead, show me! Cynicism turns its back and slowly wanders away."

~ Arthur P. Ciaramicoli and Katherine Ketcham, The Power of Empathy

thought of the day.357

New Testament “events” not substantiated by any historian. Hmmmm.

1. SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENTS Mt 2:16
How is it that all the young boys throughout a region can be pried from their hysterical parent’s arms and murdered on orders from a king and yet no historian makes note of it?
Perhaps because it was a myth just like Jesus.

2. LIGHTS OUT Mk 15:33
How is it that a country can suddenly be blanketed in darkness for three hours in the middle of the day and yet no historian makes note of it?
Perhaps because it was a myth just like Jesus.

3. ZOMBIES Mt 27:51
How is it that the earth can shake and hordes off rotten bodies can crawl out of their graves and walk throughout a bustling city like Jerusalem and yet no historian makes note of it?
Perhaps because it was a myth just like Jesus.

4. MIRACLES GALORE
How is it that a man can perform miracle after miracle for some three years including flying into the clouds (and continuing through the Milky Way one assumes) for all to see and yet no historian makes note of it?

How is it that all these things and more could happen and yet not one historian alive at the time Jesus supposedly lived records his existence? Not one.
Perhaps because all these events were but myths just like Jesus.

thought of the day.356

A collection of comments (sure to grow) taken from conversations I have had with Christians about the bible. Though I strive to keep my comments focused on the bible itself, I find believers often shift the focus from the bible to me and my shortcomings.

Apparently, the reason that I criticize the immorality of the biblical God is not because it is justified but because...

I AM ANGRY
“It is clear ... you are in active and often angry rebellion against God”
“Why so angry at God?”
“Rage if you must, just please take it somewhere else”

I AM BITTER
“you are a bitter person”

I HAVEN’T READ THE BIBLE
“You don’t know scripture”

I HAVE NO MORALS
“folks of your ilk are always looking for an moral out, but always have strength enough to lift your fingers and point to those like me who actually have moral convictions.”

I AM A FUNDAMENTALIST
“Atheists are just like fundamentalists...taking scripture out of context and translating verbatim.”
“I think if you stop behaving like a fundamentalist...”
“You obviously come from a very fundamentalist background.“

I NEED TO BE PRAYED FOR
“Ill pray for you John!”
“I’ll light a candle for you too John at mass on Sunday.”
“I'm STILL praying for you John.”

I TEAR PEOPLE DOWN
“...you John tried to tear those people down. You diminished their faith to rape and your ignorance of scripture. You tried to tear me down but you lost. You lost big and for that I am so sorry such scripture inspired you to tear someone down... God is Good!”

I AM A FOOL
"Only a fool says there is no God"

I AM HELL BOUND
“At the judgement, there will be weeping and nashing of teeth and men crying out that they did this and they did that in His name." His reply will be, "Depart from me, for I never knew you". Enough said. Ask yourself, "what if I'm wrong". It's better to bet on a God that can love Mary Magdalene, than one who puts a woman in a sack (Allah) or one who doesn't exist. When you're waiting to die, who are you going to turn to? There are no Atheists in Hell.”

I AM OUT OF MY PLACE
“you all are doing an excellent job putting John in his place.”

I AM GUILT RIDDEN
“ you must feel guilty for being blessed with such an artistic ability.”

I AM NOT NICE
“It's so much easier to be nice. Try it sometime.”

I WAS NEVER A REAL CHRISTIAN

I MAKE PEOPLE LOOK LIKE IDIOTS
“You sure do know how to make a person with faith look like an idiot. Thanks John.”

I FEEL THE NEED TO PUT PEOPLE DOWN
“I never put you down for your "lack" of faith in God though you sure felt it nexcessary to do that to me.”

I RUIN PEOPLE’S DAYS
“No more comments please, you have totally ruined my day.”

I AM AN IDOLATOR
“John, I would suggest you are an idolator and your idol, the thing you place your faith, hope, and trust in, is science.”

thought of the day.355

Any being that would create a place of eternal torture is a demon not a god and worthy of condemnation not praise.

thought of the day.354

A beautiful garden requires both sowing and weeding.

thought of the day.353

Religion vs. Spirituality

"Religion involves creeds and catechisms. Spirituality involves feelings and experiences that transcend mere words. Religion is imitative and comes from without; spirituality comes from within; spirituality comes from "my strength, hope and experience." Religion is "left-brain"-it is rooted in words, sacred texts, and culture. Spirituality is "right-brain"; it transcends the boundaries of body, language, reason, and culture...Most religious beliefs involve dogma. Spiritual trust involves metaphor. So what is the difference between dogma and metaphor? Metaphors are open-ended and playful; dogma is rigid and serious. Metaphors mean "analogous to" and "as if"; dogma conveys "so I've been told" and "it's right there in the Bible..." Metaphors allow the truth of our dreams to become clearer with every retelling. In contrast, dogma may insist that heretics be executed....Dogma retards science;metaphors advance science."

~ George E. Vaillant, MD, Aging Well, 2002 pg 260

thought of the day.352

“The belief that there is only one truth and that oneself is in possession of it seems to me the deepest root of all evil that is in the world.”

~ Max Born

thought of the day.351

“Why go to the Bible [about woman suffrage]? What question was ever settled by the Bible? What question of theology or any other department?

The human mind is greater than any book. The mind sits in judgment on every book. If there be truth in the book, we take it; if error, we discard it. Why refer this to the Bible? In this country, the Bible has been used to support slavery and capital punishment; while in the old countries, it has been quoted to sustain all manner of tyranny and persecution. All reforms are anti-Bible.”

~ William Lloyd Garrison, Oct. 18, 1854.

thought of the day.350

The sound of a soft rain, the feel of a cozy sweatshirt on a cold morning, the smell of coffee, the sight of ten times ten thousand things around me that are so rarely ever seen. Mindfulness.

thought of the day.349

“Reason can wrestle terror, and overthrow it at last.”

~Euripedes

thought of the day.348

“Prayers are to men as dolls are to children. They are not without use and comfort, but it is not easy to take them very seriously.”

~ Samuel Butler, "Unprofessional Sermons," 1912

thought of the day.347

Gentleness is stronger than fury.

thought of the day.346

God is pretend. Love is divine.

thought of the day.345

Which 5 people would you invite to dinner?

My youngest son, Nicholas, was asked that as part of an assignment in class a couple days ago. I have always enjoyed reading which people are chosen and why. The persons picked are always important to the person picking. Jesus, a famous athlete, celebrity, scientist, family member, etc. But Nic chose people he felt didn’t get the appreciation and love they deserved when alive and wanted them to know how much people cared about them after they had died. It wasn’t about him at all. Damn. I was impressed.

thought of the day.344

One of my fundamentalist christian friends just updated me on his truly remarkable children. What excellent citizens, athletes and students these kids are! Yet I couldn’t help but think how sad it was that their brightness is dimmed by the horrible shadow of hell. How sad to go through life thinking all one’s wrong-believing friends and neighbors are destined for a very uncomfortable eternity. What a crime.

thought of the day.343

On Humanism

Old: God created the world and humanity.
New: The world and humanity evolved.

Old: Hell is a place of eternal torment for the wicked.
New: Suffering is the natural result of breaking the laws of right living.

Old: Heaven is the place where good people go when they die.
New: Doing right brings its own satisfaction.

Old: The chief end of humanity is to glorify God.
New: The chief end of humanity is to improve ourselves, as individuals and as the human race.

Old: Religion has to do with the supernatural.
New: Religion has to do with the natural; the so-called supernatural is only the not-yet-understood natural.

Old: Humankind is inherently evil and a worm of the dust.
New: Humankind is inherently good and has infinite possibilities.

Old: Humankind should submit to the will of God.
New: Humankind should not submit to injustice or suffering without protest and should endeavor to remove its causes.

Old: Salvation comes from outside humanity.
New: Improvement comes from within. No person or god can save another person.

Old: The ideas of sin, salvation, redemption, prayer, and worship are important.
New: These ideas are unimportant.

Old: The truth is to be found in one religion only.
New: There are truths in all religions and outside of religion.

~ Charles Francis Potter, Originally published in 1930, Language updated in 1994

thought of the day.342

While conversing with a Christian today I was offered this gem that is often used as a last resort:

“...When I die, if I am wrong about my God, I have nothing to lose. When you die and if you are wrong about there not being a God, you have everything to lose."

My response: What if you are wrong about the particular god you worship? What if there is in fact a god but his name is Allah and you get tortured in Muslim hell? Or what if there is a god but She doesn’t care for religious types and rewards only atheists with heavenly bliss?

If there is no god — no afterlife — it means the christian has spent their one and only life living a grand delusion. They have spent precious time and resources on believing and perpetuating a falsehood — a big fat juicy lie. Now that seems to me to be quite a loss indeed.

thought of the day.341

The difference between Science and Creationism

Scientists search for a deeper understanding of reality by:
1. collecting data
2. drawing conclusions

Creationists believe they already possess the Truth (Bible) and so:
1. start with the conclusion
2. collect data to support it

Science continually expands our knowledge while Creationism retards it and is yet another example of the harm done by religion.

thought of the day.340

Just wanted to share something a buddy of mine wrote about his dog, Scout. Strange, but I felt I was actually a better person for simply having read it. By the way, Goetz designs as well as he writes.

If you've got a minute, a toast to a friend...

Almost 16 years ago, in the spring of 1994, I decided it was a good
time to get a dog. I had just bought my first house and was starting
to admit to myself that among the reasons I had bought the house on
Coolair Drive was to have a place to keep my dog. The only thing
missing was a dog. So on a sunny afternoon in May, I aimed my car in
the direction of the Animal Adoption Center on Garland Road and set
out to find that dog. That's where I met my gal Scout.

Instantly, and for the next 15-odd years of my life, that sweet
patchwork quilt of a dog became the most loyal friend I have ever
known. Whether we were claiming the Pedernales River for a day -- not
a soul in sight for miles, except for an occasional herd of cattle
taking a drink from the river at sundown -- or hiking the trails of
Dinosaur Valley, Scout was with me literally every step of the way. We
took road trips, we camped, we hiked, we terrorized armadillos, we
chased jackrabbits and bobcats (Scout carried a "souvenir" on her ear
as the result of one particularly ill-fated but memorable encounter
with the latter), we drank beer on the patio, we crashed buddies'
bars, we made friends, we met girls, we mowed the lawn, we smoked
brisket, we stared at the stars in the back yard, we hosted parties
and we pissed off the neighbors. From the death of my father to the
birth of my daughter, Scout was a constant, comforting, irreplaceable
fixture in virtually every aspect of my life.

But Norbuck Park was the best. For 14 straight years, Norbuck was the
place where Scout and I would escape the world, if only for an hour or
so, but damn near every single day, rain or shine. A 40-acre oasis
comprised of trails and woods and cedar trees and pecan groves in the
middle of East Dallas, Norbuck was Heaven on Earth and the Greatest
Secret in Dallas. We'd run those trails every morning like a couple of
goofy giddy school kids, competing to see who could outsmart and
outrun the other and make it to the pecan grove on the north end
first. It was the place where we both spent some of the finest hours
of our lives. It was where our Wild Things were.

I had to put my dog Scout to sleep last week. She had become a ghost
of her old self over the past many months and finally let me know, in
no uncertain terms, that she had had enough. There's no doubt that
sentiment as sappy as this, spent on a dog no less, must seem entirely
silly to most, but for those of you who have been blessed to share
such a large portion of your life with a friend as steadfast and
virtuous as my dog Scout, you know exactly where I'm coming from.
Hell, that's what dogs do to us... they make us far sappier than we
ever plan on being. Scout was a damn good friend and a damn fine dog
-- as fine as they come -- and worthy of as dignified a salutation as
I could muster for all the joy she brought to me and those who knew her.

It's been about a year and a half since Scout was able to run the
Norbuck trails with me, but I will always remember our adventures
there like they happened yesterday -- especially on those crisp autumn
mornings when the sky was impossibly blue, the trees impossibly
brilliant and the promise of the day impossibly boundless. And I can
still hear the silent conversation that took place five thousand times
between she and me on those shady trails...

"Hey buddy, I'm going to run up this trail a little ways. You cool
with that?"

"That's cool, buddy. You run on up ahead. But don't stray too far."

"I won't. I'll be just a little ways ahead of you."

"I know you will. I'll see you soon, sweet girl."

~ Pierce Goetz

thought of the day.339

“I consider religion the enemy of science because it short-circuits critical thought and gives believers an escape hatch to superstition. As long as religion teaches that the answers to real world issues can be found in revelation and authority and the interpretation of holy texts, belief is inimical to scientific thinking.”

~PZ Myers

thought of the day.338

“Organized religion came of age...to fill many roles, not the least of which was the justification of power for the ruling elite. The ‘divine right of kings’ is not the invention of early-modern European monarchs. In fact, every chiefdom and state society known to archaeologists from around the world, including those in the Middle East, near East, Far East, North and South America, and the Polynesian Pacific islands, jutified political power through divine sanction, in which the chief, pharaoh, king, queen, monarch, emperor, sovereign, or ruler of whatever title claimed a relationship to God or the gods, who allegedly anointed them with the power to act on behalf of the divinity.”

Michael Shermer, The Science of Good and Evil, pg.33-34

thought of the day.337

"Tell me a creation story more wondrous than that of a living cell forged from the residue of exploding stars. Tell me a story of transformation more magical than that of a fish hauling out onto land and becoming amphibian, or a reptile taking to the air and becoming bird, or a mammal slipping back into the sea and becoming whale. Surely this science-based culture of all cultures can find meaning and cause for celebration in its very own cosmic creation story."

-- Connie Barlow

thought of the day.336

In the long run—the real long run—our actions make no difference at all. In the short run, they make all the difference.

thought of the day.335

“Since there is no place large enough to contain so much happiness, you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you into everything you touch. You are not responsible. You take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit for the moon, but continues to hold it, and share it, and in that way, be known.”

-Naomi Shihab

thought of the day. 334

Conversing with a fundamentalist Christian friend the other day I was struck by his statement that if it wasn’t for his God calling him to be other-centered, he would be very self-centered. But isn’t it far better, far more authentic, to be other-centered because one genuinely cares about others—has true empathy for others—than to be motivated by a “divine calling?”




“The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still purely primitive, legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. ... For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstition.”

~ Albert Einstein

thought of the day.333

Beautiful thoughts about struggle and joy by my insightful sister,
Sandy Fish.

‘till you find your dream’….
10.4.09

Oh my our lives are hard and we can wonder, ‘what have I done to deserve such a fate’…’why me?’ ‘the only luck I have is bad luck, or I’d have no luck at all’….and again and again, thumping our chests with our question and crying out in our psyches, ‘why ME?!’…..

Spend a day at the grocery store and you’ll get your answer. There could be a chorus from every single customer, ‘help! Why me!‘ ‘Why us?!’ That’s more like it, Why US?….struggle, bad legs, humped backs, big bodies, frail ones, toothless, broken inside and out….single, married big large small tiny…..

Standing at the cookie demo cart for four hours I get to watch this human spectacle of us….I watch as the grocery shelves are scoured by these creatures who after a few hours all look like either descendants of birds or monkeys… foraging for food….we have to…we have to go and get food no matter how depressed or heartbroke or body bent we are….

I watch.

I cry. I do…I hold back tears at the bravery of most people. Their struggles are too much for me….at once I am grateful for my own struggles, they are what I barely handle….but these….I can almost smell the sofa on some of the pale soft bodies who have dragged themselves to the store to get food….and when I call out for them to try a cookie or ask how they are….they smile, they do, they smile! In spite of the flat tire, the broken tooth, the traffic ticket, the stolen purse, the transmission and the goddam computer crashing, they smile and say they are fine. A woman is hunched over making her way….so many seem to lumber or limp and in others you see the stress of it all on their faces as they frown at the different eggs or butter they must choose in spite of the divorce, the death, the disappointments, the disappointments, disappointments…..

This is our lot. I see that. We dress up our broken beleaguered bodies, pull a red sweater, clean and fresh, over the hump….place a bright pin on our collar buttoned up on the aging neck that has seen deaths by now of loved ones, the teens in new sneakers or shiny belts dressing up the aches, fears, manic gladnesses that turn at a text into sadnesses….the eyes twinkle after they bite a cookie, they raise it up, ‘these are good!’….there are sweet moments.

It is mostly struggle. That is our plight. It just simply is. And why have we been fed some notion of attaining comfort? That, that is some attainable goal? That, there is some comfy destiny some reach. I don’t believe it! It’s a lie! It is! I watch. I watch and watch and watch….. I see the huge burdens, physical or emotional….I see it…I smell it, I feel it….and I am impressed.

And I want to know, not how to attain comfort or riches-- things that are but a glamour…a glimmer of glamour of smoke and mirrors, illusion….but to know the struggle….to embrace that fact with maybe a wince but not a whine, not a why me, not a poor me…..but Me! We! I am here because I am struggling, therefore I know- I Am. No, no, not I THINK Therefore I am, I STRUGGLE Therefore I Am; I am, I am very much alive and there, aha, it is, the twinkle, the smile, the grandness of all who can do it….and say, “I’m Fine”….

The glory that we are not shiny photos in magazines, not popping out in high def luxury….not cruising in cars with painted smiles 24/7 being what is called prettiness….that is not alive and as far as I can tell and see when I watch for hours all of us….being alive is the goal…….living

The disappointments come from the lie. To try to believe a lie is to be weighted in a constant inert fog of disappointment….

There is substance in….working in the cold or lugging heavy things up and down hills in the heat; to have sore feet and not enough money, to feel lonely or inadequate or crowded and nervous, sick or sore, exhausted, frustrated. It brings, I suppose most would say, a ridiculous, smile to me….yet it is the finest sweetest lightest kind of joy…..because to feel these things, to be involved in the battle against the elements whether outside of us or inside of us or on our very bodies….is to share the burden of our humanness… and shared burdens are lighter….there now… that’s true… and so my struggle becomes my comfort giving me the knowledge that ‘I am’, one of us, which brings a joy that makes me smile and say, ‘I’m Fine!”

~ Sandy Fish

thought of the day.332

(From the Religious Tolerance web site)

How and why do people become Atheists?
A series of personal stories and journeys

A very common belief expressed by many conservative Christians is that many, perhaps most, Atheists are deceitful liars. They suggest that Atheists really do believe in the existence of God. However, Atheists deny this because if they admitted that he existed, they would have to come to terms with God's demands in their life concerning morality and ethics, salvation, heaven and hell, beliefs in the cardinal doctrines of Christianity, etc.

From the personal experiences I have had with the Atheist in our virtual office and with other Atheists, I suspect that this is a false understanding of why people become Atheists. That suspicion was confirmed by reading an Internet forum provided by Amazon.com. The personal stories of many Atheists indicate that people are forced to become Atheists because they become convinced -- often reluctantly -- that either:

An all-powerful, all knowing, all-present, creator God does not exist, or

The probability of the existence of such a God is extremely small.

They are often compelled to become Atheists because their personal ethics demand that they be true to themselves. They have no other option.

On 2007-SEP-09, Karen Terrell posted a new discussion to an Amazon.com religion forum called "Dear atheists." She wrote to the Atheists of the world:

"There are times when I actually feel more comfortable talking with you guys than with others on this Forum. I enjoy the intelligence and wit that you express. And I'd really like to hear how you came to be atheists. Were you brought up in atheistic homes? Or did you experience some epiphany that brought you to atheism? Or did you see a whole lot of hypocrisy amongst God-believers that just turned you off? Or did atheism come to you as a result of reasoning and education? Did any of you start off as Christians / Pagans / Muslims / Buddhists and then have some experience that took away your belief in a god?"

She appears to imply that Buddhists have a belief in God. Actually, most Buddhists have no concept of a deity.

Fourteen out of sixteen readers reacted positively to Karen's posting. The forum received 200 responses in its first 35 days. Some are shown below.

Two things struck me about the individual postings. There was an almost complete lack of spelling and grammatical errors. More important, there was a high level of respect for each other's postings that I have never observed before on a religious forum. Everyone was quite respectful of each other's opinions and beliefs.

Personal stories of conversion to Atheism:

"Ariex:" My childhood family life was disorganized, with only minimal contact with religion. In my teens, I found myself drawn to the "clean cut" among my schoolmates, and I began to be curious about Christianity. When I became engaged to a Christian girl, I took the leap and became a Christian, enthusiastically attending church. A couple of years after marriage I began to seriously study the Bible, beginning with a thorough reading from cover to cover, and immediately found problems. I sought answers from clergy, who pointed me to various apologetic works. These actually set off "alarm bells" in my head as I recognized things that seemed contrived and artificial, designed to save the reliability of the Bible, but I began to feel as if they were directed at people who were gullible and would believe anything. I kept at it, but the problems kept cropping up and the answers kept looking lame. Finally I started reading critical Biblical scholarship and found that there were answers, just not the ones I was hoping to find. I kept on studying and finally recognized the probability that gods were mythology, the product of ancient minds trying to explain their own existence and purpose. My search for "truth" began in 1964, and continues to this day.

James Longmire: I grew up in a nominally Baptist family. We did not go to church, or discuss religious matters. We did go thru some of the motions, including Sunday school, at least until I was expelled at the age of 8 ;o)

I can't recall ever believing in God, altho' I'm sure I must have at one time. I certainly remember believing in Santa! (but not the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy, LOL)

Religion was never an issue where I grew up (Nova Scotia, mostly) and those who were overly vocal about their beliefs were looked upon as being slightly daft. Quite different from the US Bible Belt, I guess...

I was a bit of an evangelical atheist for a while, but eventually came to realize that such an approach was not only pointless, but was in fact, presumptuous. Who am I to tell people what to believe?

As I am a skeptic by nature, and a materialist philosophically, I regard all claims of the supernatural to be without merit. Still, I may very well be wrong, tho' I've yet to encounter either evidence for the supernatural, or even a compelling argument for its' existence.

So, I experienced no trauma, nor do I feel a sense of 'betrayal', as ... many other atheists seem to. The concept of the supernatural just never made sense to me. I know that 'absence of evidence, is not evidence of absence', but I also know that evidence cannot be found for the non-existent...

I believe in tolerance of other's beliefs, but not respect. Respect must be earned.

John E. Evans: I was a Christian from the time I was 5 until about 4 years ago. That is when I turned 40 and was compelled to know God as much as humanly possible. I wanted to love God more than any human that had walked the earth. I began a quest for truth that started with an in-depth study of the bible which I continue today, consultation with theologians, intensive book reading of almost a book a week for the past 4 years, interviewing church leaders, attending laity classes at SMU and much personal thinking.

I loved Jesus and God with all my heart. I never questioned heaven. I prayed almost every day. We were even one of those families that prayed before dinner in restaurants. I felt sorry for atheists and could not comprehend why they did not believe.

But early in my journey, as I was trying to wrap my mind around God, I decided that if God was anything, God was truth. So I made truth my god and decided to follow it wherever it led. I NEVER would have guessed it would have led me to atheism but it has. It was not pleasant letting go of the idea of God. It was scary and dark and lonely at first.

But I discovered a new way of seeing that makes far more sense and is actually far more interesting than my old way. Like opening a dirty window and feeling a spring breeze and morning light illuminate a dark musty room, I feel more alive than I ever did while accepting the Christian worldview. I feel like I am making steady progress toward a better understanding of reality and that is incredibly exciting and fulfilling.

Conley Thorn: I was born into a Baptist family in the hills of West Virginia. They were solidly religious, and my mother regularly read me stories from a large illustrated Bible. Later we moved to a small city in southern Virginia where I attended a rural public school. I was a sincere believer until about my 15th birthday, leader of a youth Baptist training class, etc. I had met two women missionaries and corresponded with them briefly after they returned to the Sudan. For three years I was privileged to attend a week-long summer church camp, the third year at Massanetta Springs, VA. On the first evening there, everyone assembled at an outdoor amphitheater for vespers. When the service ended it was beginning to get dark and red streaks were visible in the sky through the pines. I sat on the hillside, glorying in "God's universe" until everyone else had gone to their cabins. My "heart" seemed filled with glory, and I was certain I was communing with God. The following morning, in a Bible class, a lovely young lady asked the instructor a question regarding free will and predestination. His reply was to the effect that that was one of the thorniest problems in the Christian tradition. "A problem?" I thought--"in my religion?" It was almost a shock to me. I'd never before questioned any item of belief, nor heard anyone else do so. I began to wrestle with the seeming contradiction that had been posed. It was the first time I had realized that I could think critically about such things--probably the first time I realized I had the capacity to do so. Once begun, I continued the process fervently and fearlessly. I was agnostic within a month, though there were many more years of thought and study before I considered myself an atheist. But my apostasy resulted purely from intellection, not from any anger or disappointment with family, church or "God." I have always felt very fortunate that I had those years of experience in religion, and in Bible classes. It's a rich heritage that I would not want to have missed.

"LawStudent2187:" For me, there was nothing dramatic that led me to atheism. I'm a confirmed catholic, but I never really felt what others apparently do while I was going through the rituals. When I went to college and started spending more time critically thinking, I started to reevaluate the wisdom of the religious teachings I'd been exposed to. I too acknowledge the possibility there's a god, but I know of no good reason to believe in one.

"Zoltan:" It was easy, quick and painless, really. The Easter Bunny turned out to be a lie, Santa Claus turned out to be a lie, along with a whole lot of other things that adults tell kids. Stories about God always sounded suspect to me, if a little bit scary sometimes. When the things adults told me about God didn't pan out, he entered the same category as the bunny and the fat guy. I think I was about eight when I figured this out. Later, as an adult, I began to explore theism and religious belief. Everything I have encountered reinforces my childhood notion that all of theism is a sham.

"Ponger:" ... I don't blindly disbelieve. I look at how religion came to be and see a rational progression that has nothing to do with any real evidence of a god. And I understand that our the emotions and ego allow us to believe in anything from Astrology to Tarot cards to created a reality we can feel more comfortable in. So when I factor all this stuff in the evidenced gives me 99.99% confidence we created God in our own image. I am surprised most people don't see it this way. But I have been lucky to have a good life and don't need to find fulfillment by being made in God's image. ...

J. Stewart: I was raised in a very strict Christian home. My six siblings and I were home-schooled all of our lives; we never owned a television or a computer. There was no explanation, meaning or purpose outside of the Bible and we studied it for hours every day. My father is an international evangelist. As far as I know, I am the only atheist in my family.

I believe that my de-conversion occurred because I searched for answers; over a period of roughly ten years, I came to regard religion as being intelligently designed. I envy those who never truly believed. The trauma associated with my de-conversion is greater than anything I have ever experienced, but I survived and I suspect that this is more than can be said for many others. The freedom of being able to think for myself without the constraints of a totalitarian deity was worth the price.

Thomas A. Lewis: I was born-again at 12, home schooled for seventh grade with the usual creationist, "Christian history" propaganda (and sincerely believed it,) and baptized at 15.

That all started to unravel at about age 19 when I started to realize the psychological functionalism inherent in afterlife beliefs. At that point, religion became quite clearly false to me but I still held to a generic theism/deism. After that it was simply an intellectual journey. Sometime around my sophomore year in college I wanted to become a "better Christian" (I still called myself and believed the basic tenets of Christianity at this time even though in retrospect it is more accurately called "generic theism/deism.") and so I began studying my religion.

After about two years and 100 books ranging and hailing from both sides of creation/evolution, psychology of religion, history of religion, etc I was pretty sure that atheism was correct.

I still have an open mind and would accept a god (gods) if I found that plausible, for to me it is a simple question of correctness. However, I find that highly unlikely because a thoroughgoing naturalism seems to be the standard of reality.
bullet "Old man:" I came from a non-religious family. I envied my friends who believed in god and went to Sunday school. I read the Bible off and on throughout my life and I found nothing in it that wasn't in any other history book, fiction mythology book.

What convinced me was when I studied anthropology/evolution/mythology and found that religious mythology to be no different than any other mythology and today's science fiction stories.

Eric Pyle: My experience parallels that of old (but wise) man's. Like him, I felt no religious pressure from my family. Like him, I occasionally envied those who had faith. In my case, this wasn't true in childhood, but in my teens when I started to look around. The beauties of Dante, Milton, Bach, the cathedrals of Europe, these really appealed to me, and their aesthetics lured me to learn as much as I could about Christianity.

But as he wrote before, when you study history, anthropology, etc, you realize that every culture in history has had a religion. They have had as much reason to believe theirs as we have to believe one from ancient Palestine. They were as sincere and as intelligent as we are.

In the zillion years of human history, am I supposed to believe that only our supernatural unprovable beliefs are true? Though many generations have believed they were in "end times", in our case it's really true? That the theology of the trinity makes more sense than Hinduism or Jainism? Nope, can't believe that. I still love the art, though."

Daniel Burdette: My parents weren't the most religious people. My dad was an agnostic, and my mom always said she believed in God, but they were the types to just make the customary Easter & Christmas appearances at church. For some reason, they felt that we (my sisters and I) needed to go to Sunday school every week though.

So, early on, I was learning religious stuff pretty much every week. I don't know how critically I thought about it (being maybe 6 or 7 when I started), but I definitely remember it never seeming real to me.

I was very much an imaginative kid, always drawing pictures of monsters and dragons, and whatever else I could come up with, and while I knew the difference between reality and fiction, even the stuff I made up seemed more "real" than what they taught me every week at Sunday school. One day, in probably 3rd or 4th grade, our teacher was talking about how old the earth was, and he said something about it being only thousands of years old (I forget his exact number). Being a young boy, I had a fairly vested interest in dinosaurs, and his statement alarmed me.

I asked "But what about the dinosaurs? If Earth isn't millions of years old, when did the dinosaurs live?". His answer? "They didn't, their bones are just a trick of Satan". And with that, I was gone forever.

I still had to attend, per my parents wishes, until I finally negotiated my way out of it at age 12, but mentally, I was never back in that room after that. I *knew* that dinosaurs were real, and not the trick of some evil dude who I never really believed existed.

From there, I eventually looked into several other things (wiccan nonsense that was all the rage among loners in high school, LaVeyan Satanism, because it seemed "cool", etc), and found all of them lacking as well.

Beyond that, I never really thought seriously about it again. I'll debate religious beliefs, think about religious concepts, philosophy, etc...but nothing I've ever read, watched, or experienced has given me any reason to think that belief in a higher power is anything more than wishful thinking.

David Lister: ... I was raised in a nominally Christian family, although neither of my parents were churchgoers. As a teen, I was a member of a Presbyterian youth group, primarily for the exposure to social activities. A friend and I often attended churches of other denominations out of curiosity. It was through this habit that I was able to observe everything from the majesty of a Catholic midnight mass to the passion of a large evangelical service, a Billy Graham crusade held at the Seattle Domed Stadium, and the anti-music, anti-dancing, anti-everything teaching of a particular branch of Christian fundamentalism. While in the army, stationed in Italy, I briefly studied Mormon theology with the Mormon missionaries that were living nearby.

In other words, from a very early age, I've always been a religious seeker, but not for the typical reasons. I was more interested in understanding why people believed what they believed, and less interested in picking a belief system that I could then ascribe to.

For much of my adult life I was an agnostic, and I argued that atheism was as foolish as theism. Eventually, however, I came to understand that in reality I was an atheist. I think Richard Dawkins did it for me, when I read his quote (I think it was his and I'm paraphrasing here) that most people are atheists about all gods but one, but that atheists simply take it one god farther.

A light bulb went off in my head, and I realized that since I believed in no theology, I was without theology--therefore an atheist, by very definition of the word. It became revelation (if I can use that term) to me that to be an atheist one need not deny the possibility of a creator (proving a negative is, after all, impossible), but that he/she merely must choose to live without theology and to assume God's nonexistence, based on the lack of evidence to the contrary.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/atheist11.htm

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“I maintain that thoughtful Atheism affords greater possibility for human happiness than any system yet based on, or possible to be founded on, Theism, and that the lives of true Atheists must be more virtuous--because more human--than those of the believers in Deity, . .

Atheism, properly understood, is no mere disbelief; is in no wise a cold, barren negative; it is, on the contrary, a hearty, fruitful affirmation of all truth, and involves the positive assertion of action of highest humanity.”

~ Charles Bradlaugh, "A Plea for Atheism," Humanity's Gain from Unbelief (1929)

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“The freethinker has the same right to discredit the beliefs of Christians that the Orthodox Christians enjoy in destroying reverence, respect, and confidence in Mohammedanism, Mormonism, Christian Science, or Atheism.”

~ Theodore Schroeder, Constitutional Free Speech Defined and Defended in an Unfinished Argument in a Case of Blasphemy (1919).

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“Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.”

~ James Thurber

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“I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind--that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking.

I believe that no discovery of fact, however trivial, can be wholly useless to the race, and that no trumpeting of falsehood, however virtuous in intent, can be anything but vicious. . .

I believe that the evidence for immortality is no better than the evidence of witches, and deserves no more respect.

I believe in the complete freedom of thought and speech . . .

I believe in the capacity of man to conquer his world, and to find out what it is made of, and how it is run.

I believe in the reality of progress.

But the whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant.“

~ H. L. Mencken’s Creed, cited by George Seldes in Great Thoughts

thought of the day.327

Nothing is certain but everything is not equally uncertain. All ideas should be put on a scale of probability which will show that though it is uncertain the sun will “rise” tomorrow, it is exceedingly more certain than the idea that Santa lives at the North Pole or that “God” exists.

thought of the day.326

Justice not vengeance. Compassion not righteousness. Reason not Faith.

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“The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.”

~ Henry Miller

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“If ignorance of nature gave birth to gods, knowledge of nature is made for their destruction.”

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Necessity of Atheism, 1811

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“It is natural that people should differ most, and most violently, about the unknowable. . . . There is all the room in the world for divergence of opinion about something that, so far as we can realistically perceive, does not exist.”

~ E. Haldeman-Julius, “The Unknowable”

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“Another person's words are the windows to his or her world, through which I see what it is like to be that person. When another speaks to me in truth, he or she becomes a transparent self, and releases in me an imaginative experience of his or her existence. If he or she cannot speak, if I do not listen, or if I cannot understand then we must remain suspicious strangers to one another, uncognizant of our authentic similarities and differences.”

~ Sidney Jourard

thought of the day.321

“We have our hands, we have our brains, we have the challenge all around us, and we have within (from whatever source) the will to strive. That is enough; there is no need to assert 'belief' in that which we do not, as yet, know.”

~ Robert A. Heinlein, personal correspondence in 1956 with Warren Allen Smith, cited in Who's Who in Hell

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“There is no argument worthy of the name that will justify the union of the Christian religion with the State. Every consideration of justice and equality forbids it. Every argument in favor of free Republican institutions is equally an argument in favor of a complete divorce of the State from the Church. History in warning tones tells us there can be no liberty without it. Justice demands it. Public safety requires it. He who opposes it is, whether he realizes it or not, an enemy of freedom. ”

~ Benjamin Underwood, "The Practical Separation of Church & State," an address to the 1876 Centennial Congress of Liberals

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Is America a Christian Nation?

Many Christians claim America is a “Christian nation” but America has never been a Christian nation for the simple reason that a “nation” cannot be religious—only people can. America, like all nations, is made up of people with myriad ideas, religious and otherwise, and those ideas are in constant flux. Most believe in one of the many flavors of Christianity though it should be noted that in 1790 some 90% of Americans did not go to church at all. Trends suggest we may be coming full circle as fewer and fewer Americans affiliate with Christianity or any other religion and it is possible we could see a predominately atheistic American population at some point. Of course it would be just as inaccurate to call America an atheist nation then as it is to call it a Christian nation now.

It is also argued that because America was founded by Christians it is therefore a “Christian nation” but It seems our first six presidents are better described as Deists, not Christians. The author of The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, denied the divinity of Jesus and Thomas Paine, widely considered the man most responsible for inspiring the Declaration of Independence, absolutely detested the Bible. However, even if our founding fathers were Christians, it would not mean that our nation should forever embrace their religious ideas as most all of them also believed it just —even God ordained— to own other human beings as property and withhold from women the right to vote. We abandoned these and other primitive ideas so why not abandon their religious notions as well? What makes a country thrive is its ability to continuously evolve.

In 1873, Robert Green Ingersoll said, “It is contended by many that ours is a Christian government, founded upon the Bible, and that all who look upon the book as false or foolish are destroying the foundation of our country. The truth is, our government is not founded upon the rights of gods, but upon the rights of men. Our Constitution was framed, not to declare and uphold the deity of Christ, but the sacredness of humanity. Ours is the first government made by the people and for the people. It is the only nation with which the gods have had nothing to do. And yet there are some judges dishonest and cowardly enough to solemnly decide that this is a Christian country, and that our free institutions are based upon the infamous laws of Jehovah.”

In a "Reply To The Indianapolis Clergy" Ingersoll writes, “Our civilization is not Christian. It does not come from the skies. It is not a result of "inspiration." It is the child of invention, of discovery, of applied knowledge -- that is to say, of science. When man becomes great and grand enough to admit that all have equal rights; when thought is untrammeled; when worship shall consist in doing useful things; when religion means the discharge of obligations to our fellow-men, then, and not until then, will the world be civilized.”

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“It is not hardness of heart or evil passions that drive certain individuals to atheism, but rather a scrupulous intellectual honesty.”

~ Steve Allen, 2000 Years of Disbelief

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Genesis 1-3 NBT (Non-Believer Translation)

An invisible something called 'God' who existed forever and always as a penis-less Father, a mother-less Son of the Father and a sheetless Ghost rolled into one, yet remaining distinctly three, without shape or substance, decided to make a universe. This God performed ‘his’ first miracle by making light but no light source. More miracles followed when he made mornings and nights without sunrises and sunsets and molded a man out of dirt, shaping each eyelash, each organ (vestigial ones included), and each neuron and synapse with his bigger than life invisible God hands. Perhaps even more miraculous than the dirt-man becoming flesh and blood is that he came to life speaking a language.

After failing miserably at his attempt to find a suitable mate for the man amongst a parade of animals, (not a terribly astute all-knowing being) the invisible God put the man to sleep, knifed his way into his chest and broke off a rib—Ouch! He rubbed his bigger than life invisible God hands on the bloody broken bone and magically transformed it into a woman. Bad move. Should have stuck with an aardvark or sheep as a partner for the man as all hell broke lose when the woman brought death into the world by disobeying the disembodied voice of the invisible God. Soon after, the invisible sculptor/surgeon put on the hat of invisible hunter as he killed some animals (perhaps with a big invisible bow and arrow or maybe he just beat their heads against a rock) and after somehow gutting and skinning them, (maybe Jesus had a holy hunting knife on hand) he replaced his camouflage hat with a tailor cap and used his big invisible bloodstained hands to fashion clothes for his naked Ken and Barbie (needle and thread provided by helpful angels who procured them from a sewing shop just above the clouds no doubt).

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“Man is the only religious animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion—several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat, if his theology isn't straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother's path to happiness and heaven.”

~ Mark Twain (1835-1910), Letters from the Earth, "The Damned Human Race," 1909

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“They first came for the Communists and I didn't speak up -
because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up-
because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up -
because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up -
because I wasn't a Catholic.
Then they came for me -
and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

~ Pastor Martin Niemoeller

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“I realized early on that it is detailed scientific knowledge which makes certain religious beliefs untenable. A knowledge of the true age of the earth and of the fossil record makes it impossible for any balanced intellect to believe in the literal truth of every part of the Bible in the way that fundamentalists do. And if some of the Bible is manifestly wrong, why should any of the rest of it be accepted automatically? . . . What could be more foolish than to base one's entire view of life on ideas that, however plausible at the time, now appear to be quite erroneous? And what would be more important than to find our true place in the universe by removing one by one these unfortunate vestiges of earlier beliefs?”

~ Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery, 1988

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Problems don’t exist outside our mind.

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Vaccinations, Autism and Jesus

Harriet Hall, MD, writes, “During a question and answer session after a talk I recently gave, I was asked for my opinion about the vaccine/autism controversy. That was easy: my opinion is that there is no controversy. The evidence is in. The scientific community has reached a clear consensus that vaccines don’t cause autism. There is no controversy.

“There is, however, a manufactroversy — a manufactured controversy — created by junk science, dishonest researchers, professional misconduct, outright fraud, lies, misrepresentations, irresponsible reporting, unfortunate media publicity, poor judgment, celebrities who think they are wiser than the whole of medical science, and a few maverick doctors who ought to know better. Thousands of parents have been frightened into rejecting or delaying immunizations for their children. The immunization rate has dropped, resulting in the return of endemic measles in the U.K. and various outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. children have died. Herd immunity has been lost. The public health consequences are serious and are likely to get worse before they get better — a load of unscientific nonsense has put us all at risk. ”

This an example of how accepting ideas without evidence often leads to all kinds of negative consequences. Whether the topic is autism, real estate, politics, religion or anything else, it is never a good idea to accept ideas without compelling supporting evidence.

thought of the day.311

The difference between Reality and Truth

Reality is the actual state of things independent of our minds whereas “truth” is merely a perception of reality. The closer that perception aligns with reality, the more true it is, but as all perceptions are subjective and incomplete, so is “truth”.

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Death is not Nothingness

There’s no Heaven, no Hell, no eternal bliss, no everlasting torment, no silent oblivion, no black engulfing emptiness. No nothingness. For all these things are something and death is the annihilation of everything—the complete cessation of sense. So there’s no reason to fear death but every reason to suck the marrow out of each and every moment!

thought of the day.309

No sermon can compare to the song of birds on a sunny Sunday morning!

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Test of Faith. Proverbs

He that loves his children
A. nurtures them like a garden
B. beats them with a rod

To deliver a child’s soul from hell
A. pray for them
B. beat them with a rod

A child learns wisdom by being
A. taught well
B. beaten with a rod

Proverbs 13:24, 23:14, 29:15

“Punishment is embedded in most Christian theology. The threat of future and eternal punishment has provided the ineradicable core of violence, suffering, and pain that has perpetuated anxiety and fear in the minds of vast numbers of people throughout the world for two millenia. Although the Old Testament provides most of the verses and texts used to advocate the physical punishment of children, the New Testament Gospels and Epistles and the Book of Revelation provide the basis for terror contained in a single word: hell.…. Incalculable suffering and pain have been inflicted on children because of the belief in the physical reality of hell. Many Christians have heeded and acted upon the words of Proverbs 23:13-14: “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” The threat of eternal punishment remains one of the greatest sources of anxiety and terror ever known, and must be recognized as a primary basis for the rationales for painful physical discipline and punishment advocated and practiced by so many Americans for centuries.

“Larry Christenson, whose book The Christian Family has sold more than a million copies throughout the world, observes in his chapter “God’s Order for Parents”: God holds you accountable for the discipline of your children. If you discipline and bring up your children according to his Word, you will have his approval and blessing. If you fail to do so, you will incur His wrath.

“Christenson also insists that “The Scriptural method of discipline is simple and unequivacal: the rod.”

“In recent years, however, Benjamin Spock has taken a clear public stand against the practice of corporal punishments. “I hope,” he wrote in 1988, “American parents can outgrow the conviction, which a majority have, that physical punishment is necessary to bring up well-behaved children.” In Dr. Spock on Parenting (1988), Spock acknowledges that:

“In earlier decades–and in earlier editions of Baby and Child Care–I avoided a flat statement of disapproval of physical punishment. I contented myself with the statement that I didn’t think it was necessary. This was because of my belief that it’s disturbing to parents when a professional person appears to imply that he knows better than they. What made me go against my own rule was my growing concern over the sky-high and ever-rising figures for murders within the family,
wife abuse, and child abuse in America, and our government’s enthusiasm for the nuclear arms race and for an aggressive foreign policy. It’s not that physical punishment creates these alarming conditions by itself, but it certainly plays a role in our acceptance of violence. If we are ever to turn toward a kindlier society and a safer world, a revulsion against the physical punishment of children would be a good place to start.”


~ Philip Greven, Spare the Child: The Religious Roots of Punishment and the Psychological Impact of Physical Abuse, 1990

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The only God worthy of worship would be one who didn’t want any; who loathed praise, ritual and doctrine; and who desired that our focus —our time, energy and love—be showered on each other, not Her.

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Smile! There is no hell.

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A few thoughts on religion and atheism from Hitler:

"Secular schools can never be tolerated because such schools have no religious instruction, and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith ...we need believing people."
-Adolf Hitler, from a speech on April 26, 1933

"We were convinced that the people need and require this faith. We have therefore undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that not merely with a few theoretical declarations: we have stamped it out."
-Adolf Hitler, from a speech on October 24, 1933

"My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison. To-day, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more profoundly than ever before the fact that it was for this that He had to shed His blood upon the Cross. As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice... And if there is anything which could demonstrate that we are acting rightly it is the distress that daily grows. For as a Christian I have also a duty to my own people.”
-Adolf Hitler, in a speech on April 12, 1922

"For this, to be sure, from the child's primer down to the last newspaper, every theater and every movie house, every advertising pillar and every billboard, must be pressed into the service of this one great mission, until the timorous prayer of our present parlor patriots: 'Lord, make us free!' is transformed in the brain of the smallest boy into the burning plea: 'Almighty God, bless our arms when the time comes; be just as thou hast always been; judge now whether we be deserving of freedom; Lord, bless our battle!'"
-Adolf Hitler's prayer, from Mein Kampf, Vol. 2, Chapter 13

"We demand freedom for all religious confessions in the state, insofar as they do not endanger its existence or conflict with the customs and moral sentiments of the Germanic race. The party as such represents the standpoint of a positive Christianity, without owing itself to a particular confession...."
- Article 20 of the program of the German Workers' Party (later named the National Socialist German Workers' Party, NSDAP)

“This human world of ours would be inconceivable without the practical existence of a religious belief. The great masses of a nation are not composed of philosophers. For the masses of the people, especially faith is absolutely the only basis of a moral outlook on life. The various substitutes that have been offered have not shown any results that might warrant us in thinking that they might usefully replace the existing denominations. ...There may be a few hundreds of thousands of superior men who can live wisely and intelligently without depending on the general standards that prevail in everyday life, but the millions of others cannot do so. ”
- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1 Chapter 10

“The greatness of Christianity did not lie in attempted negotiations for compromise with any similar philosophical opinions in the ancient world, but in its inexorable fanaticism in preaching and fighting for its own doctrine. ”
- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf Vol. 1 Chapter 12

“Christianity could not content itself with building up its own altar; it was absolutely forced to undertake the destruction of the heathen altars. Only from this fanatical intolerance could its apodictic faith take form; this intolerance is, in fact, its absolute presupposition. ”
- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf Vol. 2 Chapter 5

“For how shall we fill people with blind faith in the correctness of a doctrine, if we ourselves spread uncertainty and doubt by constant changes in its outward structure? ...Here, too, we can learn by the example of the Catholic Church. Though its doctrinal edifice, and in part quite superfluously, comes into collision with exact science and research, it is none the less unwilling to sacrifice so much as one little syllable of its dogmas... it is only such dogmas which lend to the whole body the character of a faith. ”
- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf Vol. 2 Chapter 5

“Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.”
-Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

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“To a man whose mind is free there is something even more intolerable in the sufferings of animals than in the sufferings of man. For with the latter it is at least admitted that suffering is evil and that the man who causes it is a criminal. But thousands of animals are uselessly butchered every day without a shadow of remorse. If any man were to refer to it, he would be thought ridiculous. And that is the unpardonable crime.”

~ Romain Rolland, author, Nobel Prize 1915

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“The gods did not reveal, from the beginning,

All things to us; but in the course of time,

Through seeking, men find that which is the better ...

These things are, we conjecture, like the truth.

But as for certain truth, no man has known it,

Nor will he know it; neither of the gods,

Nor yet of all the things of which I speak.

And even if by chance he were to utter

The final truth, he would himself not know it;

For all is but a woven web of guesses.”


~ XENOPHANES of Colophon (570-480 BC)

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For me, Heaven is sex, biking with friends, double scoops of ice cream, and a kazillion other things to be experienced here and now. Great conversation and beers with my pals last night was truly awesome. Thanks guys.

thought of the day.301

Test of Faith. Luke

Jesus told his friends not to fear people, but
A. fear only fear itself
B. fear God, who after killing, may throw them into hell

Jesus came to bring the world
A. peace and harmony
B. division and family strife

Jesus said when he comes again it will be
A. a day of great joy for everyone
B. like when God rained fire on Sodom and killed everyone

Lk 12:4-5, 12:49-53, 17:22-30

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Most Christians don’t realize how atheistic they are. They are born atheists and remain atheists about all the countless Gods of history but one.

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For those who think the New Testament is more enlightened than the Old, just remember that Jesus commands people to obey the Law of Moses which includes commands to cut off the hands of women, kill children, friends and neighbors, stone brides on their wedding night, sacrifice animals and humans, and allows fathers to sell their daughters into slavery. But far more despicable than Jesus’ upholding of the barbaric Law, is his promise to gather unbelievers into his chamber of eternal torture making the New Testament infinitely more dehumanizing than the Old.

Mt 5:17-18

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Christians value their possessions more than their Lord and Savior’s words. For Jesus said, “When someone asks you for something, give it to him;” yet they conveniently interpret this command to mean anything but what it plainly does. Of course this just shows they have more sense than their God.

Mt 5:42

thought of the day.297

Pick up a book called Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich and you won’t want to put it down. It’s sure to make you more appreciative of what you have. It will also make you see the often invisible people around you with new eyes.

thought of the day.296

www.youtube.com/v/gLBE5QAYXp8&hl

Great video about our terribly flawed and unsustainable system of consumption. For being rather clever creatures we sure are stupid.

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Religion Divides — Again

“It was during recess at one of Santa Barbara’s adorable, sun-spangled elementary schools that Ashley, a sprightly 6-year-old, approached her first-grade classmate Emma near the swing sets and delivered the bad news.

“You can’t go to heaven.”

“Ashley had already determined that Emma, the only Jewish girl in her class, did not believe in Jesus.

“Emma protested, but Ashley persisted. “If you don’t believe in Jesus, you are going to hell.”

Without religion, these two girls might have been enjoying recess jumping rope together or perhaps braiding each other’s hair. But due directly to religion— and the Good News Club that taught Ashley that her unbelieving friends would suffer in hell—they found themselves divided into the saved and the damned, the right and the wrong—the good and the evil—and their friendship and both their views of life and others was poisoned. This divisiveness and poisoning of perspectives in young children is perhaps the greatest crime of religious superstition.

Read the excellent story by Katherine Stewart at
www.independent.com/news/2009/may/07/reading-writing-and-original-sin/

thought of the day.294

Test of Faith. Second Samuel

Jerusalem became known as a holy city after David
A. prayed God’s blessings upon it
B. slaughtered its inhabitants

When a man tried to keep the Covenant Box from falling, God
A. blessed him and his descendants
B. killed him

God punished David for adultery and murder by
A. making him step down as king
B. having his innocent wives raped for all to see

2 Samuel 5:6-10, 6:1-8, 12:5-15

thought of the day.293

A common idea held by many believers is, “everything happens for a reason.” Of course, this is another way of saying “God” is in control.

This seems to me to be a most unhealthy way to view reality. Are we really to think that there is a “reason” that a child is diagnosed with cancer, that a wife is beaten to death by a husband, or terrorists fly planes into buildings?

Everything happens as a result of a natural cause, not for a mysterious, supernatural reason. For example, the wind causes a kite to fly. The kite doesn't soar for a reason.

The only reason—or meaning—in life, is that which we personally give it.

thought of the day.292

The Rev has a book recommendation for today. It only takes about 15 or 20 minutes to read the whole thing. (It’s a reprint of a commencement speech given to a graduating college class). One of my new all time favorites.

This is Water by David Foster Wallace

thought of the day.291

Happy Mother’s Day!

Let it be remembered that mothers are people too! So be nice to them—at least today.

thought of the day.290

Word of God or Myth of Man?

1. When the Great Spirit first made the earth he also created a large number of spirits. Some of these spirits were benevolent, but many were malevolent, and they went to live beneath the earth.

2. When mankind had spread all over the world, and girls were being born, some of the supernatural beings saw that these girls were beautiful, so they took the ones they liked. In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and supernatural beings.

3. The children of darkness were descended from the dwarf Nibelung who was famous for having slain twelve giants.

All of these should strike the reader as whimsical story telling—as myth. But if told one of these statements is from the bible, the True Believer suspends normal critical judgment and any notion becomes plausible.

thought of the day.289

“The abominable laws respecting [women in the Bible] . . . are a disgrace to civilization and English literature; and any family which permits such a volume to lie on their parlor-table ought to be ostracized from all respectable society. . .”

~ Ella E. Gibson, The Godly Women of the Bible by an Ungodly Woman of the Nineteenth Century, 1870s.

thought of the day.288

“I get my morality from the same place that I think moral persons of faith get theirs - my personal sense of right and wrong. This encompasses a strong sense of fairness, honesty, and an ethos of minimization of harm.

The bible has some charming moral tales. It also has some truly vile ones. A quick flick through the bible reveals incitements to genocide, infanticide, pederasty, misogyny, slavery, racism, rape, murder, death penalties for trivial crimes, witch-burning and more. (I won't provide references, but there are plenty of websites which do).

Bishop Shelby Spong has a reply for people who say that the bible is a complete source of morality - "Have you read it?"

Presumably some Christians are unaware of these passages. Others pretend that they're not there and skip straight to the sermon on the mount. A third group take even the most vicious passages literally, which is scary and possibly the world's most active source of evil. (I'm happy to level the same accusation against people who take similar incitements in the Koran literally). A fourth group will attempt to explain it away - "God moves in mysterious ways" (which must be the ultimate intellectual cop-out) or attempt contorted and improbable theological explanations.

But, surely, there must be at least a sizeable minority who read such passages and think "That's just evil". Any reasonable person should be viewing acts of slavery and genocide that way. And that's where morality comes in. Real morality doesn't come from obeying the bible slavishly out of fear of a bad outcome in the afterlife - it comes from our own minds.

So, my morality comes from a sense of freedom, fairness, kindness, honesty, and an ethos of minimisation of harm. Some aspects of Christian morality are just fine to me, others are destructive. Many of religion's sexual hang-ups are simply repressive. Any ethos which limits medical research or processes is just evil (think restrictions on stem-cell research. A fair way to think this through is to imagine that you have a daughter with a genetic disease which might become curable). Misleading the public on matters of science is vile also (yes, I mean you, Benedict). Freedom of speech in the public sphere is crucial, so blasphemy is a badge I would wear with pride.

As for meaning of life, that's easy. Atheism is totally life-affirming - what could be more inspirational than knowing that this is it, this is our only chance? So, for me the meaning of life is: aged cabernet, rare steak, fried squid, good chocolate, a cold drink on a hot day, Albert King guitar solos, progressive rock epics, English comedy shows, a high level bridge game, boardgames with friends, water views, peace and quiet, sleeping in on weekends, playing games with small children, spending time with my wife, walking through rainforests, making the world a better place.”


~ Kieran May 5, 2009 4:08 Beliefnet response to article

thought of the day.287

Renowned religious philosopher William Lane Craig recently said, “The fruit of the naturalistic worldview is that mankind is reduced to meaninglessness, valuelessness and purposelessness.”

But the “fruit” of a worldview should be of no concern. The concern should be what is true. And are we to think that without a god, Craig would find being a husband meaningless, his children without value, and getting out of bed without purpose? If so, perhaps it’s best that he, and those like him, believe in whatever it takes to see their loved ones as valuable and their life worth living.

thought of the day.286

Test of Faith. 1 Samuel

God
A. keeps his promises
B. breaks his promises

The “spirit of God” made Samuel
A. kind and peaceful
B. furious and threatening

God told his people to
A. love their neighbors
B. kill men, women, children and babies


1Samuel 2:30-36, 11:6-7, 15:1-3, 27:8

thought of the day.285

“We all have but one life to live. In this finite time we have but a moment to understand who we are and where we come from. Unable to prove that we live beyond mental and physical death any more than the ant we crush with our index finger, our life is immeasurably precious. One day we will all face our own deaths and, before the silence of the stars, we have only a short time to examine our place within the cosmos.

Understanding our existence truthfully and honestly is the quest of many atheists and agnostics. There is nothing more beautiful than the pursuit of truth and to glimpse – for but a second – the strange creature that we are. To do this, we cannot accept answers simply because our parents told them to us as children.

To really seek the answers, we must ask uncomfortable questions and confront the issues that some people might prefer to keep in the closet. As an atheist, I refuse to sit complacently and accept stories that smack of superstition. If all cultures believe in contradictory ideas of reality, we need a method to understand what the truth really is.

In the present day, this means the use of empirical evidence that can be demonstrated and repeated – the opposite of hearsay and faith. Faith is believing in something despite the evidence, for with evidence, faith is superfluous. Conversely, modern science and rationality have provided a way for us to examine our claims. So powerful is this method that the language of science has become universal, nearly every society on earth having adopted its practice. Yet religions have remained separated by geography because they cannot convincingly prove their own claims.

Many people say atheists are no different than religious thinkers because atheists “believe” in empirical facts – a kind of faith. This claim is nonsense. Everyone alive, as far as I know, accepts the fact that they live in a physical and empirical world. Every time we open our eyes we confirm a physical reality.

Further, atheism is not a religion; it is not a religious proposition so much as the lack of one. Atheists do not have to prove God does not exist anymore than atheists must prove that leprechauns do not exist. We must take reality for what is, leaving out our assumptions and desires as much as possible. We build our understanding from experience and measure it with our reason.

I have never experienced the supernatural and never has it been scientifically demonstrated. The factual existence of gods and leprechauns must be supported by evidence and proof from those who claim them to be real.

Additionally, never have I confirmed that a supernatural being is watching over me. Indeed, if I told you Zeus was watching over you, you would not believe me. In this way, we are all atheists of Zeus. The same reason modern day religious thinkers do not believe in Zeus is the same reason atheists do not believe in the modern day God. Atheists just extend their critical analysis one god further.

Finally, the reason atheists and agnostics sometimes passionately engage in debate is because we believe religious thought is distorting reality. To truly create the most inclusive and harmonious society, it is imperative we understand the truth of who we are. From this knowledge we can create the proper regulations and controls to cultivate a more humane and inclusive morality.

Atheists and agnostics wish to probe into the uncomfortable assumptions of all times and of all cultures. It is not that we wish to upset people. We wish to find the truth.”

~Nickolas Conrad, THE DAILY EVERGREEN, 04/27/2009

thought of the day.284

“I’ve read I flew up the hills and mountains of France. But you don’t fly up a hill. You struggle slowly and painfully up a hill, and maybe, if you work very hard, you get to the top ahead of everybody else.”

~ Lance Armstrong

Off to ride a 100k up and down the monstrous hills of Muenster, Texas today with Team Cruise and Booze. Happy day!

thought of the day.283

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

~ Thomas Edison

thought of the day.282

The Christian is in the unenviable position of believing she possesses The Truth—“God made everything...Jesus loves me...I am Heaven bound...Hallelujah!” but this mindset is life-narrowing rather than expanding as any information that challenges these beliefs causes discomfort and is met with resistance, if not hostility.

It seems the preferable position is that of the atheist who seeks a better understanding of reality. With no cherished beliefs to protect, she is always willing to abandon currently held propositions in favor of ones better supported by evidence.

thought of the day.281

“Death is not an event in life; we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present.”

~Ludwig Wittgenstein

thought of the day.280

Test of Faith: 1 Kings

On his death bed, David called for
A. forgiveness and mercy
B. revenge and murder

Solomon became king after
A. working tirelessly for the people
B. murdering several powerful men

God promised Jeroboam he would
A. never punish sons for the father’s sins
B. kill all his male descendants

1 Kings 2:1-9, 2:13-46, 14:9-11

thought of the day.279

“It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas . . . If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you . . . On the other hand, if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense in you, then you cannot distinguish the useful ideas from the worthless ones.”

~ Carl Sagan

thought of the day.278

The Good Life

Just finished reading an excellent book by William B. Irvine called “A Guide to the Good Life: the ancient art of stoic joy”.

He begins by asking “What do you want out of life?” He says “I am asking not for the goals you form as you go about your daily activities but for your grand goal in living. In other words, of the things in life you might pursue, which is the thing you believe to be the most valuable?”

He explains that without taking the time to formulate such a grand goal there is a danger one will mislive—find themselves at the end of their life not having pursued what was most important to them.

My goal: To become ever more aware, compassionate, and joyful.

I now have a very simple guide to keep in the back of my mind at all times. Hopefully, these things will be an ever increasing part of my life.

thought of the day.277

Just watched the 2006 Academy Award nominated documentary, “Deliver Us from Evil,” about the Catholic Church’s 1,600 year old sexual abuse cover-up.

I want to throw up. Made me never want to set foot in a Catholic church again. I will, I’m sure, but will do so with a new understanding of the inherent wickedness of the Church hierarchy.

thought of the day.276

Desiring heaven requires relinquishing power to hope and fear, clergy, creed, bible, church... Having no need of heaven is power—power to think fearlessly, power to live one’s life as one deems right.

thought of the day.274

Pierce from Dallas, asks, “What is the difference...between “prayer” and the acquisition of strength/energy through meditation or deep and total spiritual immersion? When a friend...tells me that they will “pray for me” ...I always accept their offering as an act of good karma, regardless of whether I believe in the source from which they are drawing. ...

“Or...in your opinion, are such notions that the generation of positive energy (ergo positive results), through thought or meditation or prayer...simply fool’s gold?...I recently spoke with...a friend who is two years beyond breast cancer -- and she insisted that “the Lord Jesus Christ Our Savior” was solely responsible for her recovery.

“I suggested that her inherent strength and fortitude and mental acuity, combined with her doctors’ expertise were the reason for her recovery. Needless to say, my suggestion was blasphemous in her mind.

“Jesus was the sole reason for her success. I was told that “until you experience the grace of God in your life, you cannot know what it means.” I must confess, I was rendered a little bit envious by her confidence in this god that no one can see, and it made me wonder if I somehow got on the wrong bus somewhere along the way. Even though, during the conversation, I felt as though I was listening to an 8 year-old tell me about how cool Santa Claus is, I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew something I didn’t know.”

Dear Pierce, We first need to note that there are two distinct types of prayer—intercessory (prayer for others) and personal. The most recent study* of intercessory prayer showed prayer to be of absolutely no benefit for the prayed for, and in fact, those prayed for experienced slightly more complications than the other groups (believed caused by the stress of feeling their condition was dire enough to warrant prayer).

Personal prayer—whether to “Jesus,” “Allah,“ “St. Patrick,” or “Zeus,” has clearly helped many cope with life’s difficulties, though evidence would suggest any benefits are simply a placebo effect since praying to any god, or a jug of milk for that matter, can produce the same results. But belief in a God who answers prayers also has a dark side as it may lead people to forego medical treatment (their own or their children’s) resulting in needless suffering and death. And when prayer fails, believers may feel rejected—wondering if they’re not worthy, are being punished, didn’t pray properly or didn’t have enough faith.

* $2.4 million study was funded by the John Templeton Foundation

thought of the day.273

Test of Faith: Micah

God commands his people to
A. forgive and love others
B. punish and crush others

God
A. guards his people from enemies
B. abandons his people to enemies

God brings
A. enlightenment and mercy
B. ruin, destruction and hunger


Micah 4:15, 5:3, 6:13-16

thought of the day.272

Bonus thought of the day!!

My good blogging friend, myrtle, suggested tackling "The kalam cosmological syllogism" which is stated:

a. Everything that has a beginning has a cause
b. The universe has a beginning
c. Therefore the universe has a cause

a. It seems terribly arrogant to think we of such feeble abilities to comprehend reality can know a great degree about something as incomprehensibly large and complex as the universe. The best we can say in response to the assertion made is "as far as we know" everything that has a beginning has a cause.

b. The evidence points to the fact that the current universe we inhabit had a beginning roughly 13 billion years ago. However, it is possible that we find ourselves in the middle of one particular expansion of the universe in what has been an ongoing expansion and contraction process making the universe an unknown age. It is also possible that there are multiple universes. But "as far as we know" the universe we find ourselves in did have a beginning.

c. Knowing what we do, it is fair to say, "As far as we know" the universe did have a cause. Apparently, scientists can peer back in time to within hundredths of a second after what is called the 'singularity' became the 'Big Bang' and our current universe began to take shape. But we do not have the technology to go back further, (and it seems there is no time or space to observe before the Big Bang and thus likely impossible to do so.)

In conclusion, it seems reasonable and responsible to say 'we do not know' what caused the universe and that we likely cannot know. It seems unreasonable and irresponsible to invent something (God) to fill in this gap in our knowledge. I would add that suggesting “God” did it only complicates the matter for now we have an even bigger mystery of what is and what caused “God”.

It seems there are people who are content to live with unanswered questions such as “how did the universe come about” and tend to believe there are natural explanations for everything and there are those not so comfortable with such unanswered questions who tend to believe in supernatural explanations. For me, supernatural explanations are not really explanations at all. They are constructions that reduce uncertainty but have no relation to reality.

thought of the day.271

Hitchens/Craig Debate

Last Sunday I watched Christopher Hitchens and William Lane Craig via a live simulcast debate the idea “Does God Exist?” My overall impression was that Craig was well organized and Hitchens was less so. It also seemed Hitchens could have used a comb and maybe a bath.

But rather than discussing the points argued, I would like to note how the debate was slanted before anyone took the microphone.

To phrase the debate as “Does God Exist?” is misleading. An admittedly less catchy, but far more fair and accurate phrasing would be: “Is it Likely Any Gods Exist?” Wording it in such a way reminds us that one cannot prove the existence or non-existence of a “God” or “Gods” but can only place such a notion on a scale of probability. It also reminds us of the fact that there has never been one agreed upon “God” but countless competing gods. And if we believe that any gods are merely the product of human imagination (which we all do) then it is possible (if not likely) that all gods are.

thought of the day.270

Happy Eastre!

Before Jesus came hopping down the bunny trail, Easter was a festival devoted to honoring a Teutonic goddess named Eastre. And from her festival came the traditions of the Easter Bunny (symbol of fertility), colored Easter eggs and baby chicks (symbols of new life).

The pattern of nature dying in winter and coming back to life in spring has been the basis for countless religions. The return of Persephone from the underworld to the light of day symbolized the resurrection of life in the spring after the desolation of winter to the ancient Greeks. The Phrygians believed that their omnipotent deity went to sleep at the time of the winter solstice, and they performed ceremonies with music and dancing at the spring equinox to awaken him.

Though Easter is considered a Christian holiday, we see from its pagan origins that it needn’t be. Whether or not Jesus or any of the thousands of gods and goddesses of history literally rose from the dead or not, the miracle of Spring— of rebirth and resurrected life—is ample cause for celebration!

thought of the day.269

Bible Fun Fact: Foreskins before Foreplay

What kind of man pulls down the pants of dead men to genitally mutilate the corpses? A Bible-Hero kind of man, of course! David, considered a “man after God’s own heart”, paid for the first of his many wives with foreskins carved from hundreds of murdered men.

1 S 18:20-28

thought of the day.268

Happy Good Friday to all my Christian friends.

“God is a metaphor for that which trancends all levels of intellectual thought. It’s as simple as that.”

~ Joseph Campbell

thought of the day.267

A Few Reasons to Go Vegetarian

U.S. Animal Agriculture is responsible for:

LAND USE: 1 billion acres of land. That's 43% of all U.S. land, and 83% of agricultural land.

CROPS: 560 billion pounds of grain a year fed to U.S. livestock, enough to feed 840 million people.

SOIL EROSION: 2 trillion pounds a year.

ENERGY: The equivalent of burning 26 billion gallons of gas a year.

GREENHOUSE GAS: Emissions equivalent to 1 trillion pounds of CO2 a year.

EXCREMENT: 9 billion pounds a year, or as much in 3 days as produced by the U.S. human population in a year.

WATER USE: 35 trillion gallons a year, more than half of all US water use, enough for every American to take 26 showers a day.

WATER POLLUTION: 570,000 miles of U.S. streams and rivers and 6 million acres of U.S. lakes and reservoirs are polluted due to animal agriculture, comprising 15% of all streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

thought of the day.266

The ugliness of Christianity is no more evident then when a believer beholds a beautiful newborn child and sees her as a sinner—a fallen creature worthy of eternal torture— and believes her only hope of escaping being gathered up with the other “goats” and hurled into a lake of fire is being baptised and growing to believe certain things. From birth to death, nothing poisons life like Christianity’s threat of hell.

thought of the day.265

“The only position that leaves me with no cognitive dissonance is atheism. It is not a creed. Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell. Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel lonliness and joy and love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.”

~ Ayaan Hirsi Ali

thought of the day.264

In his usual eloquent style, Robert Ingersoll said, “There is something tenderly appropriate in the serene death of the old. . . . When the duties of life have all been nobly done; when the sun touches the horizon; when the purple twilight falls upon the past, the present, and the future; when memory, with dim eyes, can scarcely spell the blurred and faded records of the vanished days—then, surrounded by kindred and by friends, death comes like a strain of music. The day has been long, the road weary, and the traveler gladly stops at the welcome inn.”

But there is nothing tenderly appropriate about the death of the young.

We’ll be attending a memorial service today for a 16 year old who collapsed and died suddenly during football practice. He was the family’s only son.

thought of the day.263

Test of Faith. Genesis

God said wives were to be
A. equal to husbands
B. subject to husbands

Lot offered up his daughters to be
A. baptised
B. gang-raped

God used his power to
A. heal the sick children in Sodom and Gomorah
B. burn the children in Sodom and Gomorah

Gn 3:16, 19:6-8, 19:24

thought of the day.262

“To profess to be doing God’s will is a form of megalomania.”

~ Joseph Prescott

thought of the day.261

I love riding my bike. It makes me feel like a kid; burns enough calories that I can eat (and drink!) whatever I want without getting too obese; clears my little mind of cobwebs and connects me to nature and friends. And once the small fortune is spent on all the equipment and clothes, it costs nothing to go for a ride. I love my bike.

thought of the day.260

“Imagine a world in which generations of human beings come to believe that certain films were made by God or that specific software was coded by him. Imagine a future in which millions of our descendants murder each other over rival interpretations of Star Wars or Windows 98. Could anything — anything—be more ridiculous? And yet, this would be no more ridiculous than the world we are living in.”

~ Sam Harris

Thought of the day.259

Happy April Fools Day!

In its April 1985 edition, Sports Illustrated published an article by George Plimpton that described an incredible rookie baseball player who was training at the Mets camp in St. Petersburg, Florida. The player was named Sidd Finch (Sidd being short for Siddhartha, the Indian mystic in Hermann Hesse’s book of the same name). He could reportedly pitch a baseball at 168 mph with pinpoint accuracy. The fastest previous recorded speed for a pitch was 103 mph.
museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/Sidd_Finch/

The Taco Liberty Bell - In 1996, the Taco Bell Corporation announced that it had bought the Liberty Bell from the federal government and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Naturally, hundreds of outraged citizens called up the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell is housed to express their anger. Things only calmed down when Taco Bell revealed a few hours later that it was just a practical joke.

For April Fools Day - 2007, Google.Com did two hilarious pranks which were featured on their homepage. One was the TiSP (BETA)™, a free in-home wireless broadband service that delivers online connectivity via users' plumbing systems (i.e. their toilets). Users who sign up online for the TiSP system will receive a full home self-installation kit, which includes a spindle of fiber-optic cable, a TiSP wireless router, installation CD and setup guide. Home installation is a simple matter of GFlushing™ the fiber-optic cable down to the nearest TiSP Access Node, then plugging the other end into the network port of your Google-provided TiSP wireless router. Within sixty minutes, the Access Node's crack team of Plumbing Hardware Dispatchers (PHDs) should have your internet connection up and running.

aprilfoolsjokes.info/

thought of the day.258

First, the President throws unbelievers a bone by acknowledging their existence, and now, Family Guy’s, “Brian”, comes out as an atheist! Change is definitely in the air!

thought of the day.257

Money pays the bills but friends make us rich.

Some thoughts on friendship:

“The intelligent and good man holds in his affections the good and true of every land—the boundaries of countries are not the limitations of his sympathies. Caring nothing for race, or color, he loves those who speak other languages and worship other gods. Between him and those who suffer, there is no impassable gulf. He salutes the world, and extends the hand of friendship to the human race. He does not bow before a provincial and patriotic god—one who protects his tribe or nation, and abhores the rest of mankind.”
~ Robert Ingersoll


“What profit is there in agreeing that universal friendship is good, and talking of the solidarity of the human race as a grand ideal? Unless these thoughts are translated into the world of action, they are useless. The wrong in the world continues to exist just because people only talk of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice. If actions took the place of words, the world’s misery would very soon be changed into comfort.”
~ Baha'u'llah


“I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.”
~ Maya Angelou


“A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.”
~ Charles Darwin

“Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For these, my dear boy, are the answers to what is most important in this world.”
~ Jon J. Muth