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

thought of the day.256

Test of Faith. 2 Chronicles

God helped
A. heal all the sick children in Egypt
B. slaughter half a million Israelites

God and his army
A. fought for truth and justice
B. attacked shepherds and stole their sheep

God had the king of Babylonia
A. memorize bible verses
B. murder men and women, young and old

2 Ch 13:13-18, 14:12-15, 36:17

thought of the day.255

Gems from The Simpsons Library of Wisdom

“Pride goeth before prejudice, and I before Ye except after Thee.”
Isayso 16:18

“But if you break my covenant I will chastise you seven times more for your sins, and then I will bring on you seven times more plagues, plus I will punish you another seven times more just for the hell of it.”
Reverberations 6:8

“The Lord neither giveth slack nor taketh any up.”
Luke and Matthew Perry 3:19

“Thus was said to Peter, Paul, and Mary: “Taketh the blasphemer and let Ye stone him unto death, and let he who pitched last season’s shutout game cast the first stone.”
Hey Jude 24:16

~ Flanders’ Book of Faith

thought of the day.254

Dear Bishop Spong,

I’ve been a big fan of yours for several years. I applaud you for leading people out of the narrow confines of a literal interpretation of the bible, but am writing to voice my growing disenchantment.

You write, “Our experience has rendered the religious answers of yesterday to be inoperative....The God of yesterday dies as we struggle to view the birth of the God of tomorrow.”

“God of tomorrow”? Please, no more God talk! Hasn’t the world had its fill of Gods and the suffering that inevitably accompanies such notions? Isn’t it time we stop speaking of our relation to “God” (which only confuses communication) and instead speak of our relation to reality. Isn’t reality remarkable enough? It seems to me you’ve had one foot out of the atheist-closet for some time. Why not come all of the way out and continue your extraordinary journey unencumbered by the language of theology?

thought of the day.253

Some Mistakes of Jesus

Jesus has long been proclaimed as Perfect. Sinless. The Prince of Peace. God in the flesh! But Jesus wasn’t perfect, sinless, a promoter of peace, nor a deity come to earth. Jesus was a mythological character—and a very flawed one at that.

1. Jesus committed an unforgivable sin by never once condemning slavery. This failure shows he wasn’t divine, nor even as enlightened as other men of his time who did condemn it. He should have made it clear that it was profoundly evil to own humans as property. Jesus’ silence on this fundamental matter of morality allowed the slave trade to flourish at the hands of Christians and made the lives of countless men, women and children a living hell.

2. Jesus initially refused to heal a little girl and referred to her and her non-Jewish mother as “dogs” because they were outside his small circle of concern. (Mt 15:22-28, Mk 7:25-30) He only healed a handful of people with his supernatural powers. Why so damn stingy? Besides healing this child he should have given the world tips on preventing diseases like the Black Death that killed over 75 million.

3. Jesus killed an out of season fig tree because he was hungry and it had no fruit. (Mt 21:18-22 Mk 11:12-14, 19-25) This was a ridiculously senseless and selfish act which denied food and shelter for human and creature alike. If Jesus had any common sense he would have known it wasn’t fig season and that searching the tree was pointless. He should have “blessed” the tree with fruit rather than “curse” it with death and explained that it’s evil to kill things just because they disappoint us.

4. Jesus sent demons into 2,000 pigs causing them to run into the sea and drown. (Mk 5:1-17) St. Augustine explained that this act was intended to teach us that we have no responsibilities for the welfare of animals. St. Thomas Aquinas agreed and thought there was nothing wrong in itself with making animals suffer. Pete Singer explains that as late as the middle of the nineteenth century “Pope Pius IX refused permission for the founding of a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Rome, on the grounds that to grant permission would imply that human beings have duties to the lower creatures.” How differently animals would have been treated if Jesus had said a few words about treating all life—even pigs— with reverence instead of sending them to a watery grave.

5. Jesus promised that believers could pick up venomous snakes and drink poison without being harmed (Mk 16:17-18) leading to thousands of bites, deformities and nearly a hundred documented deaths in the last century alone. I’m not sure who is more irresponsible and stupid—Jesus or those that believed him. He should have encouraged people to ignore “teachers” who spouted such harmful nonsense.

6. Jesus proclaimed that he didn’t come to bring peace to the world but “division.” (Lk 12:49-53) He promised that because of him families would be divided—fathers against sons, mothers against daughters, and daughters-in-law against mothers-in-law. He said “a man’s worst enemies will be members of his own family.” (Mt 10:36) He should have worked to unite the family, communities, countries and world.

7. Jesus demonized unbelieving Jews, calling them “evil,” “serpents,” and children of the “devil” leading to 2,000 years of Jewish persecution. He should have explained how immoral and destructive it is to dehumanize people.

8. Jesus said he hadn’t come to do away with the Law of Moses (which includes commands to chop off wives’ hands (Dt 25:11-12), burn daughters (Lv 21:9) and stone sons (Dt 21:18)) but to make the teachings come true. In fact, he warned that obeying the Law was necessary to enter the Kingdom of heaven. (Mt 5:17-20) He should have condemned the Law of Moses as the work of manipulative and power hungry men and explained that the Kingdom of heaven was not a place to go after death but a state of mind to be achieved here and now.

9. Jesus said he didn’t come to bring peace but a sword (Mt 10:34) and told his followers if they didn’t own a sword to sell their coat and buy one (Luke 22:36). He told violent parables about a vineyard owner slaying his tenants; a master slicing up his slave; a king commanding his enemies be executed in front of him; a stone symbolizing himself, upon which people are broken to pieces and under which others are crushed; and threatened to throw Jezebel and her adulturous partners on a bed where he would make them “suffer terribly” and “kill her children.” (Rev 2:22-23) He should have explained that violence only begets violence.

10. Jesus was the most intolerant character ever as he promised eternal torture for those who didn’t agree with him. This evil idea has caused more suffering than any concept in history. His description of sinners being gathered and cast into the fiery furnace led to the burning of hundreds of thousands if not millions of people as heretics and witches and his threats of torture still cause mental anguish and divisiveness today. He should have said there was no more wicked idea than hell and that it was merely that, an idea used to control people.

thought of the day.252

“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

~Alexander Solzhenitsyn

thought of the day.251

Top 10 Blood Baths of the Bible or Over a Billion Reasons Not to be a Christian

10. GOD SLAUGHTERS OVER 50,000 PEOPLE OF BETHSHEMESH
And [the LORD] smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. (1 S 6:19)

9. GOD SLAUGHTERS 70,000 ISRAELITES
So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. (2 S 24:15)

8. GOD LEADS GIDEON IN SLAUGHTER OF 120,000 MIDIANITES
...the LORD said unto [Gideon], ...I have delivered [the Midianites] into thine hand. ...and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow...And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.... there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. (Jg 7:9, 22-25, 8:10)

7. GOD LEADS SLAUGHTER OF 120,000 JUDEANS
Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.... And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters... (2 Ch 28:5-8)

6. GOD’S ANGEL SLAUGHTERS 185,000 ASSYRIANS
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. (2 K 19:35)

5. GOD LEADS SLAUGHTER OF 500,000 ISRAELITES
...and they cried unto the LORD, and ...it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand. And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers. (2 Ch 13:14-18)

4. GOD LEADS MOSES IN SLAUGHTER OF COUNTLESS MIDIANITES
And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males....And ...took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones...And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?...Now therefore kill every male among the little ones (children), and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him....But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. (Nu 31:7-18)

3. GOD SLAUGHTERS COUNTLESS EGYPTIANS
The LORD turned streams to blood and killed the Egyptians firstborn: And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink. He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them. He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; And smote all the firstborn in Egypt... (Ps 78:44-51)

2. GOD SLAUGHTERS EVERY THING THAT BREATHS ON EARTH
And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air....And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. (Gn 6:7, 7:23)

1. JESUS TO BRING BLOOD BATH OF ALL BLOOD BATHS
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men (Would mean a slaughter of over 2 Billion people if Jesus returned today). And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand...and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. (Rev 9:15-18)

Thankfully, these accounts are myths. The God of the bible is not a supernatural being but a product of the imagination of violent men. The Book of Exodus describes this character as a war Lord: “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name” (Ex 15:3). Such “a man of war” will always provide any nation that calls on him—that glorifies him—divine justification for violence on a massive scale. There is no hope for peace as long as “a man of war” is worshipped which makes all the Abrahamic religions enemies of humanity.

thought of the day.250

A christian and atheist discuss the bible

One of the most despicable stories in all of literature can be found in that holiest of all books—the Bible. Chapter 31 of the Book of Numbers tells of a “Holy” War fought by God’s people against the people of Midian. It begins with the LORD telling Moses to, "Take vengeance on the Midianites.” So they fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and “killed every man.” The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns to the ground. Moses was furious that anyone was left alive and commanded the officers of the army to “kill all the boys” and “kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.”

Now to the discussion. The participants are Mike the Christian who is an author, teacher, speaker and Christian apologist. John the Atheist is an ex-Christian.

John the Atheist:
This story alone should lead any ethical person to reject the God of the Bible as morally abhorent. It is evil to kill captured and cowering little boys and mothers; evil to kill a young girl’s mother, father, brother and friends and then give her to the soldier that slaughtered them; and despicable to defend such behavior.

Mike the Christian:
An Israelite was permitted to marry women from the captives of a particular battle. If an Israelite soldier genuinely desired one of the captives he could have her only through marriage. This helped protect the dignity of the women captives and the purity of the Israelite soldiers. Israelites were not to rape, plunder, or otherwise mistreat captives as other armies of the ancient Near East did.

John the Atheist:
I find your choice of words about the soldiers and captives disturbing: “genuinely,” “protect,” “dignity,” “purity.” The reality of this young girl’s situation is that she has just witnessed an attack on her town and watched as her mother and father were hacked to pieces with swords, her older brothers, grandfather and all the males in her town have been likewise slaughtered. Her little brothers along with tens of thousand of other little boys were chased down, rounded up, brought before Moses and then murdered. All of the girl friends of this captive have been taken away by soldiers who must have been dripping with the blood of her family and friends to undoubtedly be raped repeatedly. Can you put yourself in the place of this young girl? Can you imagine your daughters in such a situation? Do you really feel it’s honest to speak of the soldier’s “purity” or the girl’s protection of “dignity”? Again you have used words to paint a noble picture of utter atrocity and shifted the focus to the armies of the Near East, who you say, are the ones who rape and plunder. Yet the Israelites’ plunder from this battle alone included nearly a million animals and 32,000 virgins!

Mike the Christian:
A soldier’s marriage to a foreign captive could not take place immediately. The prospective wife was first prepared psychologically for her new life as an Israelite. She was actually integrated into the Jewish culture as family. This was accomplished by her shaving her head, trimming her nails, having a change of clothes, and mourning for her parents for one month. The full month allowed the captive woman a proper amount of time for mourning, (Jews only mourn for 7 days) and it also gave the prospective husband opportunity to reflect on his initial decision to take her as his wife. For with a shaved head she would be less attractive. The phrase, If you are not pleased with her may refer not to some trivial problem in their relationship, but rather to the new wife’s refusal to accept her husband’s spiritual values. In this case the husband could dissolve the marriage only by giving up all rights over her. Clearly he is forbidden from treating her as a slave if she leaves and he was expected to treat her as a wife if she stayed. This law underscored the value of human life; it contrasted with the terrible treatment of war captives common throughout the ancient Near East.

John the Atheist:
Again, I find your choice of words to be dishonest. “Prepared psychologically,” “integrated into the Jewish culture as family”?These people just covered an entire town with entrails and dismembered limbs. They are barbarians of the worst kind, killing the old men and women, the blind, the crippled, mothers and the babies at their breast, fathers, teenagers—boys just like our sons. Is it truly honest to say that the fiends that did these things to these girls’ families and friends are now concerned about gently preparing them psychologically? That the man is going to reflect on his decision of a wife? You make it sound like these are Harvard educated, contemplative and sensitive men. You speak of the law that underscored the value of human life— PLEASE! And again, you say it is not the Israelites who are barbaric but the people of the Near East!

Mike the Christian:
As for the killing of the children, several things should be noted. (1) Given the immoral state of the society into which they were born, they had no chance to avoid its fatal pollution and subsequent eternal consequences. (2) Children who die before the age of accountability go to heaven. This was an act of God’s mercy to take them into His holy presence from such an unholy environment. (3) God is sovereign over life and can order its end according to His will and in view of the creature’s ultimate good. As for the virgins, they were spared (only by Moses concession) because they obviously had had no role in the Baal of Peor incident nor could they by themselves perpetuate the Midianite peoples. The purpose for utterly destroying the Midianites was to protect the Israelites from further deception and harm by completely removing the Midianite people from the earth.

John the Atheist:
Murdering children is actually an act of God’s mercy? Mike, you scare me-is this how badly you must twist your thinking to reconcile the despicable evil attributed to the God of the Bible? Your argument makes no sense, if it was so merciful to have male children slaughtered so that they could enter His holy presence as you say, why not the female children? Is it conceivable that the truth is that this story reflects ancient soldiers lusting after young virgins rather than a God who demanded the murder of countless people?

Mike the Christian:
It was common practice for women to serve as “staff” in the Temple. (1 Sam 2:22) These women were given to Temple service and would have been under the direct authority and care of the priests. These women were still protected by the law given in Deuteronomy and thus they would not have been raped, summarily killed, or used as “human sacrifices.”

John the Atheist:
The Bible says that 16,000 virgins were given to the soldiers, 320 were given to the Levites, and 15,680 were given to the men of the community leaving 32 girls who were given to Eleazar the priest as a “tax for the LORD.” Everything else that was given as a “tax for the LORD” was sacrificed but you say they became Temple “staff.” You make it sound like a great career move — do they get Christmas bonuses? When you say these girls were under the “care” of the priests, and “protected” by the law you make it sound like they won the lottery and were blessed to be in such a warm environment. It must have been spiritually fulfilling for them to work in the Temple of the God responsible for commanding the murders of their family and friends and sexually fulfilling satisfying the lusts of godly men. If they weren’t sacrificed, they probably wished they were.

The only thing more disturbing than the slaughter of the Midianites is listening to Christians try to defend it.

thought of the day.249

Putting all propositions on a probability scale leads to confidence but never certainty. And far better to be confident than certain, for certainty breeds intolerance; and doubt, compassion.

thought of the day.248

“The Christian ...can exult over his own salvation while seeing others going to destruction. This is a fiendish happiness, a devilish joy. For one to be happy while knowing that a brother or sister is lost shows a hard, selfish, cruel heart.

“Think of the Christian mother being happy for having been rescued from her burning home in whose fatal flames her children all perished! Think of the Christian father filled with joy at his escape from the sinking ship in which his wife and babe sailed to the port of death! Think of a Christian man or woman exulting over their good fortune in not having a disease which took away those who were nearest and dearest! Such joy, such happiness, as this is not human, it is brutish.

“The Christian is welcome to all the happiness his heartless religion affords him. I want none of it. Such a religion would drive me mad. The loving heart is happiest in the joy of those it loves; it is happy in seeing others happy, but there could be no joy for it to be saved while those it loved were lost. Christianity is a heartless religion, a cruel faith, a selfish scheme...”

~ Lemuel K. Washburn, Is The Bible Worth Reading?, 1911

thought of the day.247

Test of Faith.Lamentations

Who invited enemies to murder beloved children?
A. Satan
B. God

Who angrily pursues people and kills without mercy?
A. Satan
B. God

Who brought such starvation that mothers ate children?
A. Satan
B. God

Lm 2:22, 3:43, 4:10

thought of the day.246

New Book Attacks Evolution Supporters as ‘Atheists,’ ‘Monsters’ and ‘Morons’

Preceding a critical vote on science curriculum, the chairman of the Texas State Board of Education endorsed a new book that portrays parents who want their children to learn about evolution as “monsters,” and pastors who accept the science of evolution as “morons.”

Christianity strikes again.

thought of the day.245

O.C.I.C.B.W.

It seems a good phrase to write upon our heart, tattoo across our forehead, and perhaps wear in bright-colored rubber bracelet form around our wrist, would be...“Of course, I could be wrong.”

thought of the day.244

Was a spectacularly pretty day today—blue skies and perfect temperature. I talked a little religion with an old friend and a new one; was treated to a delicious lunch by a much appreciated client; had a nice walk in the park with my wife and threw bread to swooping seagulls; held a beautiful 2 week old baby while eating pizza and drinking beer; experienced a weird mixture of pride and horror as my 16 year old son nearly whipped me in a playful wrestling match; and we topped off the day with popcorn, candy and sodas while watching a movie. It’s spring break and we’re taking the train to the zoo tomorrow—life is sweet.

Postscript: 11:58 pm. 18 year old daughter is on the phone—crying. Seems to have a flat tire. Oh, and seems to have some body damage. I stumble out of bed. The formerly near mint condition 94 Celica has been split open along the side with what looks like a giant can opener. Fire hydrants will do that. But she’s o.k. Sadly, her bank account won’t be. Maybe next time she comes home after working all day (like her mom suggested) instead of driving to the boyfriend’s house. Tow truck will be called in the morning. Life is still sweet.

thought of the day.243

Reason or the bible?

Reason says people can’t live to be nearly a thousand years old.
The bible says they can.

Reason says men can’t turn sticks into snakes and rivers into blood.
The bible says they can.

Reason says snakes, donkeys and burning bushes can’t talk.
The bible says they can.

Reason says the sun can’t be stopped in the sky.
The bible says it can.

Reason says hordes of rotted people can’t walk out of their graves.
The bible says they can.

Reason says there are no witches.
The bible says there are—and to kill them.

Knowing this, shouldn’t we teach our children to listen to reason
rather than the bible and its preachers?

thought of the day.242

“Happiness is not an individual matter. When you are able to bring relief, or bring back the smile to one person, not only that person profits, but you also profit. The deepest happiness you can have comes from that capacity to help relieve the suffering of others. So if we have the habit of being peace, then there is a natural tendency for us to go in the direction of service. Nothing compels us, except the joy of sharing peace, the joy of sharing freedom from afflictions, freedom from worries, freedom from craving, which are the true foundations for happiness...

“And once we have the condition of peace and joy in us, we can afford to be in any situation. Even in the situation of hell, we will be able to contribute our peace and serenity. The most important thing is for each of us to have some freedom in our heart, some stability in our heart, some peace in our heart. Only then will we be able to relieve the suffering around us.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh, Inquiring Mind Magazine, Spring 1996

thought of the day.241

“The only thing that makes life endurable in this world is human love, and yet, according to Christianity...We are to be so taken up
with Jesus and angels, that we shall care nothing about our brothers and sisters that have been damned. We shall be so carried away with the music of the harp that we shall not even hear the wail of father and mother. Such a religion is a disgrace to human nature.”

~ Robert G. Ingersoll

thought of the day.240

A Few Good, Devoted, Spirit-Filled, Zealous Men of God

Elijah proved he was a “man of God” not by loving people, but incinerating them. Likewise, Jehu proved his devotion to the LORD not through acts of kindness, but mass murder. Phinehas’ zealous killing didn’t anger God, but pleased him. Each time “the Spirit of the LORD” came upon Samson, he didn’t become more generous, but more violent, spilling more and more blood. And no hands were more blood-stained than those of our bible “heroes” Moses and David, the former ordering untold numbers of helpless, captured little boys and their mothers to be systematically murdered, and the latter, said to be a man after God’s own heart who cut the hands, feet, and heads off of people and slaughtered tens of thousands in the name of the LORD.

Yet countless Christians—either oblivious to the mind-numbing atrocities in their “holy” scriptures, or perhaps because of them—pray for such godly men to rise up and lead our country. In The Bible Unmasked, Joseph Lewis writes, “When ministers plead for another David perhaps they want another Savage Commander. Surely the proper place for the Bible is in the War Colleges of belligerent nations...Killing and murder are related with so little compunction that a continued reading of the Bible cannot help but make one callous to the value of human life. No wonder the Christian countries at war use the Bible as the basis of their national religion and give each soldier a copy while engaged in battle.”


2K 1:10-12, 2K 10:16-17, Nu 25:1-13, Jg 14:6-16:30, Nu 31:17, 1 S 18:6-9

thought of the day.239

Test of Faith.Leviticus

Children who curse a parent must be
A. prayed for
B. killed

Children
A. are most precious to God
B. may be enslaved for life

Everyone “unconditionally dedicated” to the LORD
A. is blessed
B. must be killed

Leviticus 20:9, 25:44-46, 27:28-29

thought of the day.238

Not only does “objective morality” not exist, it cannot exist. Morality is but meaning we give to behavior, and as all meaning is subjective, all morality must necessarily be as well.

But where one might interpret this as “anything goes,” our social ties means it does not. The fact that morality is subjective is indeed liberating—where obedience to the ghost of an objective or revealed morality is confining—but with freedom comes responsibility.

thought of the day.237

Our “carbon footprint” is but one in our trail of “suffering footprints.” One giant step toward reducing suffering is simply eating less meat.

thought of the day.236

The Making of Jesus

Two thousand years ago gods were a dime a dozen. People worshiped Osiris, Glycon, Simon, Apollonius of Tyana, Pythagoras, Orpheus, Dionysus, Zalmoxis, Kore, Samothrace, Attis, Adonis, Horus and Mithras. Their claims to fame included being born of a virgin, walking on water, healing lepers, raising the dead, turning water into wine, and dying and rising again. The writers of the Christian scriptures—like those of Judaism before it, Islam after it, and the countless religions scattered all about it—were influenced by the superstitions of the time and borrowed (or less charitably—plagiarized) from other stories in making their own. But my argument is not that Jesus was copied from “pagan” religions (though these had an influence) but was largely created from the Jewish scriptures themselves—primarily the books of Kings which give us the escapades of the god-like characters, Elijah and Elisha. In fact, Jesus speaks about Eljah coming to get everything ready for him (Mt 17:11-12), compares himself to Elijah and Elisha (Lk 4:25-27) and Elijah even makes an appearance and converses with Jesus (Lk 9:30-31). Some people think Jesus IS Elijah (Mt 16:14). Even the names mean the same thing — Elisha meaning “God (Jehovah) is salvation” and Jesus, “Jehovah saves.”

Obviously, the gospel accounts aren’t word for word copies of these earlier myths, but many share an unmistakable theme upon which the later writer based his stories. The Jesus character presented in the bible was not a unique person in history but a literary Frankenstein, largely cobbled together from dozens of long existing stories.

THE FOLLOWING 30 COMPARISONS TAKEN COLLECTIVELY SHOW THAT JESUS WAS LIKELY A CHARACTER BASED ON ELIJAH AND ELISHA.

SHARP DRESSED MAN
Elijah (Elisha’s predecessor) wore animal skins tied with a leather belt (2K 1:8)
John the Baptist (Jesus’ predecessor) wore animal skins tied with a leather belt (Mk 1:6)

HOLY SPIRIT, HOLY RIVER
Elisha received the spirit at the Jordan (2K 2:9)
Jesus received the spirit at the Jordan (Mk 1:1)

40 DAY & NIGHT FAST
Elijah went 40 days & nights in the wilderness without food (1K 19:4)
Jesus went 40 days & nights in the wilderness without food (Mt 4)
Also Moses (Ex 34:28)

MINISTERING ANGELS
An angel helped Elijah before his wilderness trip (1K 19:5-9)
Angels helped Jesus after his wilderness trip (Mk 1:12-13)

PROPHET
Elijah was called a prophet (1K 1:3)
Jesus was called a prophet (Lk 7:17)

GROUPIES
Elisha had a group of followers (2K 6)
Jesus had a group of followers (Mk 13)

FAITHFUL SERVANT
Elijah did as God commanded (2K 1:4)
Jesus did as God commanded (Jn 4:34)

VISIONS OF DOOM
Elijah could see the future and spoke of horrible violence coming soon (2K 8:12)
Jesus could see the future and spoke of horrible violence coming soon (Lk 21:10-33)

DRINK OF WATER
Upon entering a town, Elijah had a woman get him a glass of water and then worked a miracle (1K 17:10)
Upon entering a town, Jesus had a woman get him a glass of water and then promised a miracle (Jn 4:5)

COMMANDER OF THE ELEMENTS
Elijah controlled the weather (1K 17:1)
Jesus controlled the weather (Mk 4:39 also Ps 107:28)

CROSSING THE WATER
Elijah and Elisha walked across divided water (2K 2:8)
Jesus walked across the top of water (Mk 6:45)

HELPING THE ARMY OFFICER
Elisha helped an army officer (2K 5:1-15)
Jesus helped an army officer (Mt 8:5-6)

NOW YOU SEE, NOW YOU DON’T
Elisha caused the seeing to go blind (2K 6:18) and the blind to see (2K 6:20)
Jesus made the blind see (Mk 8: 21-26)

THE LEPER
Elisha healed a man with leprosy (2K 5)
Jesus healed a man with leprosy (Mk 1:41)

RAISING THE DEAD I
Elijah raised a widow’s dead son & gave him to his mother (1K 17:21)
Jesus raised a widow’s dead son & gave him to his mother (Lk 7:11)

RAISING THE DEAD II
Elisha raised a dead child in a home (2K 4:27-37)
Jesus raised a dead child in a home (Mk 5:22-43)

RAISING THE DEAD III
Elisha’s bones raised a dead man in a tomb (2 K:21)
Jesus raised a dead man in a tomb (Jn 11)

FEEDING THE MULTITUDE
Elisha fed a multitude and had left overs (2K 4:42)
Jesus fed a multitude and had left overs (Mk 6:31)

CURSE OF DEATH
Elisha’s curse caused death (2K 2:24)
Jesus’ curse caused death (Mt 21:18)

MAGIC NUMBER
Elijah used 12 stones to rebuild the altar (1K 18:32)
Jesus used 12 disciples to build the Church (Mt 10:1)

FOOT OF THE MASTER
A distraught woman held Elisha’s feet (2K 4:27)
A distraught woman held Jesus’ feet (Lk 7:36)

FINANCIAL WIZARD
Elisha worked a financial miracle (2K 4:1)
Jesus worked a financial miracle (Mt 17: 24)

TRANSFORMER
Elisha transformed a substance — food (2K 4:38) and water (2K 2:19-22)
Jesus transformed a substance — water (Jn 2:6)

FIRE FROM HEAVEN
Elijah called down fire from heaven to kill people (2K 1:10)
Jesus’ disciples asked to call down fire from heaven to kill people (Lk 9:54)

GO IN PEACE
Elisha said “Go in peace” (2 K 5:19)
Jesus said “Go in peace” (Lk 7:50)

DUPLICITOUS UNDERLING
Elisha’s duplicitous servant asked for 3,000 silver coins & suffered dire consequences (2K 5)
Jesus’ duplicitous disciple accepted 30 silver coins & suffered dire consequences (Mt 26:14)

WANTED MAN
The people wanted to kill Elijah (1 K 19:10)
The people wanted to kill Jesus (Mt 27:20)

MY LORD, MY LORD!
As Elijah “died,” Elisha cried out, “My father, my father” (2K:2:12)
As Elisha died, the king cried out “My father, my father” (2K 13:14)
As Jesus died, he cried out, “My God, my God” (Mt 27:46)

TEARING OF CLOTH
Elisha tore his cloak in two upon Elijah’s death (2K 12)
The Temple’s curtain tore in two upon Jesus’ death (Mt 27:51)

HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN
Elijah was visibly taken to heaven (2K 2:11)
Jesus was visibly taken to heaven (Acts 1:9)



NT PASSAGES WITH CITED OT SCRIPTURE SHOWING INDISPUTABLE SOURCE:

ELIJAH AND ELISHA (1K 17:8-24, 2K 5) (Lk 4:23-27)
Jesus cites the miracles performed by Elijah and Elisha

FATE OF CRIMINALS ( ?) (Lk 22:37)
Jesus cites OT scripture about sharing the fate of criminals

GOING TO KILL THEM ALL! (Lk 17:22-30)
Jesus cites the stories of Noah and Sodom and says when the Son of Man is revealed it will be like in the time of Noah when The Flood came and “killed them all” and when fire and sulfur rained on Sodom and “killed them all.”

DAVID’S BREAD (1Samuel 21:1-6) (Mk 2:25-26)
Jesus cites the story of David and his men eating holy bread

KILL THE CURSERS (Ex 21:17) (Mt 15:4)
Jesus notes God’s Law that demands those cursing their parents must be killed.

3 DAYS AND 3 NIGHTS (Mt 12:40) (Jon 1:17)
Jesus said, just as Jonah spent 3 days and nights in the belly of a fish, he will spend 3 days and nights in the earth

UNBROKEN BONES (Ps 34:20, also Ex 12:46) (Jn 19:34)
The Psalmist’s words that the righteous won’t have any bones broken
is cited and Jesus’ bones aren’t broken

PIERCING (Jn 19:34) (Zec 12:10)
Jesus is pierced by a soldier and Zechariah’s words that people will look upon the pierced is cited

DONKEY DONKEY (Zec 9:9) (Mt 21:1)
Matthew cites Zechariah’s words that a king comes riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey and Jesus mounts both a donkey and a colt

SCATTERED FLOCK (Zec 13:7) (Mt 26:31)
Jesus says his disciples will run away and cites Zechariah’s words that God said kill the shepherd and the sheep will scatter

ESCAPE TO EGYPT (Ho 11) (Mt 2:14)
Jesus is taken to Egypt and Hosea’s words are cited: “out of Egypt I have called my son”

UNROLLING THE SCROLL (Jn 4:16-20)
Jesus quotes OT scripture and says it has come true with his reading

IMMANUEL (Is 7:14) (Mt 1:22)
Isaiah said a young woman will give birth to a son named Immanuel
OT verse is cited / Note: “young woman” is mistranslated as “virgin”

BETHLEHEM (Mic 5:2) (Mt 2:6)
God said he will bring forth a ruler from Bethlehem
OT verse is cited / Jesus is born in Bethlehem

GALILEE (Mt 4:12-17)
OT verse is cited / Jesus goes away to Galilee




NT STORIES WITH LIKELY OT SOURCES

DIVINE BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
An angel told Samson’s mother she’d have a son (Jg 13:2)
An angel told Jesus’ mother she’d have a son (Lk 1:30)

WONDER WOMB
Joseph was a miracle baby (Gn 30:22)
Jesus was a miracle baby (Mt 1:18)

PRAYER OF PRAISE
Hannah praises God after conceiving Samuel by divine intervention (1 Sm 2:1)
Mary praises God after conceiving Jesus by divine intervention (Lk 1:46)

GLORY OF THE LORD
Isaiah writes of the shining “glory of the Lord” (Isaiah 60)
Luke writes of the shining “glory of the Lord” (Lk 2:9)

GOLD, FRANKINCENSE & MYRRH
Solomon received gifts of gold and myrrh (1K 10:10)
Isaiah said kings shall bring gold and frankincense (Is 60:1)
Jesus received gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Mt 2:11)

SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENTS
A king orders the murder of male children but Moses is saved (Ex 1:9)
A king orders the murder of male children but Jesus is saved (Mt 2:16)

30 CANDLES
Joseph began his public work at age 30 (Gn 41:46)
Jesus began his public work at age 30 (Lk 3:23)

WORDS FROM ON HIGH
Moses spoke to crowds about God from a mountain (Dt 5)
Jesus spoke to crowds about God from a hill (Mt 5)

PROFITABLE BETRAYAL
Judah (& bros) made 20 pieces of silver by betraying Joseph (Gn 37:28)
Judas made 30 pieces of silver by betraying Jesus (Mt 26:15)

PERFECT LAMB
Moses said a flawless lamb must be killed to save people (Ex 12:5)
Jesus is said to be a flawless lamb killed to save people (1 P 1:19)

FLESH-EATING WORMS
Isaiah said worms and fire await the disobedient (Isaiah 66:24)
Jesus said worms and fire await the disobedient (Mk 9:48)

BLIND NO MORE
God heals the blind (Is 35:5)
Jesus heals the blind (Mt 20:34)

BOAT IN A STORM
Asleep on a boat, Jonah is awakened and thrown overboard to calm a storm. (Jon 1)
Asleep on a boat, Jesus is awakened and he calms a storm. (Mk 4:35)

MID-DAY NIGHT
The sky is darkened at noon (Am 8:8)
The sky is darkened at noon (Mt 27:45)

ZOMBIES
The dead climb out of their graves (Ez 37:12)
The dead climb out of their graves (Mt 27:52)

GAMBLING FOR CLOTHES - Stolen Theme 52
“They gamble for my clothes and divide them among themselves” (Ps 22:18)
Men gamble for Jesus’ clothes and divide them among themselves (Mk 15:24)

SCAPEGOAT/LAMB - Stolen Theme 44
A goat carried away all the sins of the people (Lv 16:28)
Jesus carried away all the sins of the people (1 P 2:24)

HYSSOP BRANCH- Stolen Theme 45
A hyssop branch was used to wipe the blood of a slain lamb on doorposts (Ex 12:22)
A hyssop branch was used to lift a wine-soaked sponge to Jesus on the cross (Jn 19:29)

TEMPLE “CLEANSING” - Stolen Theme 38
Zechariah writes of no more traders in the Lord’s house (Zec 14:21)
Jesus drives out traders in the Lord’s house (Mt 21:12)

SHEPHERD - Stolen Theme 26
Joseph was a shepherd (Gn 37:2)
Jesus was a shepherd (Jn 10:11)

(more to come)

IN CONCLUSION
The True Believer may rationalize all of this away but there’s no disputing that there’s nothing unique about Jesus. Further study of comparative religions reveals Christianity stole all of its ideas—from the virgin birth to Jesus’ prophesied thousand year reign upon his return—from older scriptures and “pagan religions.” In fact, Christianity IS a pagan religion. It simply has outlasted most of its competition, aided by two millennia of persecuting them.

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There’s no better medicine than laughter and nothing better to laugh at than oneself.

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It has long been recognized that men make gods in their own image. Greek philosopher, Xenophenes, noted, “The Ethiops say that their gods are flat-nosed and black while the Thracians say that theirs have blue eyes and red hair. Yet if cattle or horses or lions had hands and could draw and could sculpture like men, then horses would draw their gods like horses, and cattle like cattle, and each would then shape bodies of gods in the likeness, each kind of its own.”

The Israelites, just like the Ethiopians and Thracians, created their god in their own image. Yahweh was an exalted father and they were his children. Like other parents, he took strolls in the garden and like most men, he savored the smell of cooking meat. He was also the tribal leader, who took up residence in a tent and gave the orders of when to make and break camp. He was a tailor, who made clothes out of animal skins; a ship builder, who designed the very first boat; an architect, who provided plans for buildings; an interior designer who specified fabric colors, lamp styles, artwork and placement of furnishings; a judge, who sought justice and resolved conflicts the same way his people did—with violence; an assassin, who waited at a camping place to kill Moses and a “man of war” who directed the Israeli army to commit genocide.

Though he wore many hats, in the final analysis, Yahweh was the “father” of Israel. As a father figure, he was a firm disciplinarian and sadly, like many fathers, he was physically abusive, punishing his children by hurting or killing them in myriad ways.

By recognizing our innate tendency to anthropomorphize we can purposefully dismiss these absurd thoughts and any notions that even hint of a super-human deity as being the product of our very human imagination.


Thanks for the art goes to my uber talented friend, Willie Baronet.
williebaronet.blogspot.com

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It isn’t love that fuels religion but fear. Fear of the unknown, death, loneliness and being unloved. But as Marie Curie said, “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” The more our knowledge about ourselves and the universe increases, and the more compassion, love, and reality-based hope we can fill the world with, the less need there’ll be for fear-based superstitious belief systems.

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WE INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY PROGRAMMED THOUGHT OF THE DAY FOR AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE. EVERYONE’S FAVORITE REVEREND STAYED UP VERY LATE LAST NIGHT UNEARTHING STARTLING AND COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT JESUS WAS NOT A UNIQUE HISTORICAL PERSON BUT SIMPLY A FICTIONAL CHARACTER BASED ON A VERY SIMILAR CHARACTER THAT PRECEDED HIM. THE WORLD (OR AT LEAST THE 3 PEOPLE WHO OCCASIONALLY VISIT THE TOTALLY RIGHTEOUS CHURCH OF REASON) SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH MONDAY, MARCH 9.

NOTE: YOU MAY WANT TO STOCK UP ON BATTERIES, WATER AND CANNED FOOD AS THERE IS NO TELLING HOW THIS EVIDENCE MAY SHAKE THE VERY FOUNDATION OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. HAVE A GOOD DAY.

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Reason and Christianity

In our modern age of science, it seems Christians are increasingly uncomfortable with merely having child-like “faith.” They want to claim their belief is reasonable. But there is nothing reasonable about talking bushes, snakes and donkeys, nor the other myriad fantastic stories of scripture. These things are, by definition, unreasonable.

Martin Luther, founder of the Protestant Reformation, understood that not only was reason incompatible with Christianity—it threatened it. He noted, “There is on earth among all dangers no more dangerous thing than a richly endowed and adroit reason, especially if she enters into spiritual matters which concern the soul and God. For it is more possible to teach a donkey to read than to blind such a reason and lead it right; for reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of sight and … know nothing but the word of God.”

And if trampling reason, sense and understanding under foot doesn’t do the trick, Luther suggests blinding oneself to such things: “Whoever wishes to be a Christian, let him tear out the eyes of his reason.”

St. Tertullian turned reason completely upside down and inside out by claiming the more unreasonable Christianity seemed, the more reasonable it was to believe it: “And the Son of God died; it is by all means to be believed, because it is absurd. And He was buried and rose again; the fact is certain because it is impossible.”


Works Vol. 12, First Psalm Lectures, Luther's Works, Vol. 11, p.285

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There is no easier, no cheaper, no less honorable way to increase one’s power and influence than to suggest “God” is on one’s side.

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Morality

Christians speak of an “objective moral law giver” or “God” as being imperative to having a basis for morality. But a “moral law” is an oxymoron. Morality comes from within not without. It is a personal response to a particular situation, the consideration of consequences to one’s actions. It demands the best of us— wisdom, empathy, and courage not mere obedience to authority.

My friend, Jason Heatherly, shared this story about his experience with Christianity. His willingness to question authority and his courage to go against the grain of a group’s idea of goodness, is to my mind, an excellent example of true morality:

“I grew up protestant primarily because my mother’s father was a protestant preacher. My dad never really claimed a denomination, just sorta went through the motions. In High School I was involved in a christian group called young life. It's pretty popular amongst HS kids and it was mostly just to socialize for me more than anything. The summer I graduated from HS in 2001 I went to a camp in Virginia and Florida and West Virginia. It was a blast. White water rafting and the beach and the girls on the trip I didn’t mind either, but then we got to the actual camp and I sat through and listened every night to what these guys were telling me and I just couldn't buy it. It was all scare tactics.

“There was a moment out in the camp where we were to all go somewhere and sit by ourselves and “think” for 15 minutes. I sat there, and watched everyone else sitting there and thought something was off. We came back in and everyone was to pass a mic around and say they have “given their life to christ” or just pass the mic. Well, out of 500 kids, I was the only one to just pass the mic. I remember afterwards my camp leader, who was also my basketball coach, asked if I had a bible. I remember laughing a little bit.

“Since then I got really into learning more about religion, and that just turned into realizing how much sense it actually doesn‘t make. So I have been an atheist (not as outspoken as I used to be about it) for about 5 or 6 years. I have lost friends over it, had gf break up with me over it, had people tell me they feel sorry for me. Nothing actually irritates me more than the ‘religious right.’”

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“A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men. It needs a fearless outlook and a free intelligence.”

~ Bertrand Russell