thought of the day.96

The delusion of having access to the ultimate power in the universe, through prayer and “holy” scripture, allows for the ultimate justifying of any idea or action, no matter how harmful, making “God” the most dangerous of all ideas.

thought of the day.95

Test of Faith. Numbers

When people complained about being hungry, God sent
A. bread to sustain them
B. poisonous snakes to kill them

God was pleased when Phinehas saw a foreign woman and
A. shared the Bible with her
B. drove a spear through her

Moses had his men take thousands of moms and kids and
A. baptize them
B. murder them

Numbers 21:4-6, 25:1-13, 31:1-18

thought of the day.94

“One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.”

~Jack Handey

Happy April Fool’s Day!

thought of the day.93

Strange how humans are at once the most beautiful and the ugliest, the wisest and the most foolish of all the animals.

thought of the day.92

To be pro-life and pro-death penalty is to be a hypocrite more concerned with control and vengeance than life and justice.

thought of the day.91

“Theology” is the study of make-believe.

thought of the day.90

C.S. Lewis said Jesus must either be Lord, Liar, or Lunatic,
dishonestly leaving out the most probable option—Legend.

thought of the day.89

It is plain wicked to hope for a heaven if it comes with a hell.

thought of the day.88

Test of Faith. Jeremiah

God said he’d make people eat their
A. words
B. children

God
A. watches over children
B. starves children to death

God said he’d
A. love people unconditionally
B. kill people mercilessly

Jeremiah 19:8-9, 11:22, 13:14

thought of the day.87

“It is a fascinating “coincidence” that this year “Easter” - purportedly the day of the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ, the “only begotten Son of God” - falls precisely on the last day of the three-day vernal equinox period.

“In reality, this development is no “coincidence,” because the vernal equinox is the real “reason for the season,” and “Christ” is in reality the personification of the SUN of God, revered around the globe for millennia.

“The vernal equinox marks the arrival of Spring, when for three days the SUN is “hung on a cross,” whereby the days and the nights are the same length. At the end of the three days - during which time the sun is said to be in a "tomb," as it showed no movement - the day begins to become longer than the night, and the sun is said to have been “resurrected.” In ancient times, the sun’s resurrection at the end of the vernal equinox was accompanied by great celebrations during which it was shouted, “He is risen!”

— Acharya S

http://www.truthbeknown.com/easter.htm

thought of the day.86

Con-artists, I’m sorry, “Pastors” Mike and Hazel Simons, of the Promiseland Television Network invited the public to a local church for a night of miracles. Of course, this I had to see. It was truly shameful. Rather than encouraging these ailing people to seek proper medical help, Mike filled them with false hopes and played ludicrous tricks on these credulous, desperate people such as making an elderly woman's malformed leg miraculously grow a couple of inches as she lay on the floor.

Not content in playing mind games and jeopardizing lives, Mike aims to drain bank accounts too. He says, “Your financial gift of $30 a month” will make a “miracle happen.” Of course, the bigger the gift, the greater your miracle, “Many are standing with us with a gift of $1,000.” And getting your miracle is easy. “You can call our operators 24 hours a day at 1-800-717-0765 and give by debit card, credit card, or check by phone. You can also give online on our secured site at www.mikesimons.com.”

But as despicable as the Simons’ actions are, all religious leaders are guilty of preying on the hopes and fears of their followers when they pass the offering basket in the name of “God.”

thought of the day.85

“Religion unites, motivates, and consoles beleaguered people not with knowledge, but with superstition and false promises. Surely there is a better way to bring people together in the 21st century.”

—Sam Harris

thought of the day.84

Heaven and hell are here and now.

thought of the day.83

The Lord says, “I hate all your show and pretense—
the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.
I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.
I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.
Away with your noisy hymns of praise!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
an endless river of righteous living.

Sometimes even an atheist can say “amen.”

Amos 5:21-24

thought of the day.82

If Jesus is God then Jesus killed every child in the world with his Flood so how on earth can anyone praise him?

Gn 7:23

thought of the day.81

Remaining silent about a wrong is the same as voicing support for it.

thought of the day.80

I would think it of great import for Catholics to know precisely when the Eucharist ceased to be the body and blood of Jesus. For if Jesus survives chewing and swallowing and is vomited, shouldn’t that Jesus-Vomit be preserved in an urn or something? And if Jesus has the strength to overcome digestion and crosses the finish line, so to speak, wouldn’t it be sinful to flush him? And would that be a mortal or venial sin?

thought of the day.79

Isn’t it a bit ironic that the Vatican now deems excessive wealth a sin?

thought of the day.78

Fear and faith go hand in hand, as do fearlessness and freedom.

thought of the day.77

“Pascal’s Wager” says it’s best to bet that a God exists for the believer gains everything if right and loses nothing if wrong, whereas an atheist gains nothing if right and loses everything if wrong. Following are a few reasons why this is typical poor Christian reasoning.

1. If a non-Christian God exists, a Christian is no better off than an atheist.

2. If the Christian God exists, He would know the difference between belief and betting, and without true belief hell awaits the so called “Christian.” The atheist can accept hell gladly if it means separation from a deity diabolical enough to create one.

3. If no God exists, it means the Christian lived with unwarranted guilt and fear while wasting time and money supporting a delusion whereas the atheist didn’t.

thought of the day.76

Jesus got it backwards when he said, “the truth shall make you free.” It’s being free to think, free to question everything, that leads to truth.

thought of the day.75

Test of Faith. Acts

Believers helped spread Christianity by
A. writing books
B. burning books

An angel of the Lord
A. showered Herod with God’s grace
B. killed Herod with flesh-eating worms

Ananias and his wife Sapphira were
A. loved by the Lord
B. killed by the Lord

Acts 19:19-20, 12:21-23, 5:1-11

thought of the day.74

An ice cream cone doesn’t last forever and we enjoy it all the same. Isn’t it enough to look at life like that? Each day a different flavor to be tasted, to be savored.

thought of the day.74

Approaching Reality with devotion makes religion obsolete.

thought of the day.73

Bet you didn’t know that today is International Women’s Day. Visit internationalwomensday.com to see the unbelievably ironic video featuring a woman spokesperson who’s head is covered because her male-dominated culture and male-created, male deity demand her submission. No woman will be truly free as long as she accepts the sexist god of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

thought of the day.72

Religion is less the opium of the masses than the pornography.
“God” is the ultimate fantasy, the centerfold at the center of group mental masterbation.

thought of the day.71

Imagine if all the abolitionists would have asked themselves “what would Jesus do” and then held their tongues about the evil of slavery.

thought of the day.70

Ignorance is ignorance whether scrawled on a public restroom wall or written in a book. But when written in a “holy” book the believer often interprets ignorance as wisdom, hate as love, evil as good.

thought of the day.69

A real miracle would be a church that didn’t want your money.

thought of the day.68

A Christian who encouraged others to think for themselves rather than believe like himself would be a true blessing, but then he wouldn’t be a true Christian.

thought of the day.67

There can’t be peace where there’s fear and Christianity is rooted in fear — fear of the Devil, fear of the Lord’s Wrath, fear of Hell...

thought of the day.66

Just as a garden requires maintenance to flourish, we need to continuously weed our minds of false and harmful ideas.

thought of the day.65

Which is more wicked, Lot offering his virgin daughters to a mob of men to gang rape, or Jesus’ hand picked disciple, Peter, calling Lot “good” and “godly”? Or is teaching our daughters that such a demeaning book is the Word of God even worse?

Gn 19:8, 2P 2:7-9

thought of the day.64

Peace comes in those moments we stop wanting—wanting to be richer, to be younger, to be somewhere else, or whatever— and just be.

thought of the day.63

There’s no Master Plan, no Divine Providence, no Destiny, no Fate. Choices and chance determines our lives.

thought of the day.62

When we’re disappointed by ourselves or others it’s good to remember that we’re merely fish-amphibian-reptile-mammal-hybrids in human’s clothing.

thought of the day.61

Even in its most seemingly benign and productive employment - the inspiring of charity for instance - the belief in God is harmful because it shackles freethought and points the believer down a path of superstition leading to unwarranted guilt and fear.

thought of the day.60

Long before Hitler, a seed of hatred was planted in the mind of humanity. Planted by the writers of Christian scriptures, it declared that Jews were responsible for the murder of God. In those writings Jesus demonizes unbelieving Jews, calling them “evil,” “serpents,” and children of the “devil.”

Following in Jesus’ footsteps, Paul demonized Elymas, calling him a “child of the devil,” and then blinded him (Acts 13:6-12). During the council of Nicaea—when Christianity was made the official religion of Rome—Jews were referred to as “mad”... “utterly depraved”...“murderers of our Lord.” Early fathers of the Christian church continued the demonizing of Jews inspiring nearly 2,000 years of persecution. Like Jesus, Saint Jerome denounced them as Judaic “serpents.” Saint John Chrysotom said “It is incumbent upon all Christians to hate the Jews.” Saint Fulgentius echos the violent words of Jesus by saying Jews who die outside the Catholic Church, will “go into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Pope Pius IX saw Jews as "dogs who bark in the street." In a precursor of Nazi Germany, Pope Innocent III summoned The Fourth Council of the Lateran which stripped Jews of their civil rights and compelled them to wear a special mark to identify themselves in public. And leader of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, called Jews “desperate, thoroughly evil, poisonous, and devilish” and said “We ought to take revenge … and kill them.”

The long history of demonizing Jews begun by Jesus led to Hitler’s “Final Solution.” Hitler said “the personification of the devil as the symbol of all evil assumes the living shape of the Jew” and exterminated some six million people while believing he was “acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator” and was “fighting for the work of the Lord.” Hitler is rightly condemned for the Nazi holocaust, yet Jesus promises an eternal holocaust which will torture countless more men, women and children forever and always and is praised.

Calling Jesus, “The Prince of Peace” is like calling Hitler, “The Lord of Love”.

thought of the day.59

Considering all of humanity as One and each of our 6 billion plus individuals as unique personalities of the One offers a powerful unifying perspective that makes war suicide.

thought of the day.58

The opposite of faith is knowledge.

thought of the day.57

Test of Faith. Deuteronomy

God says a man may take a girl to be his wife
A. if he wins her heart with love and affection
B. after killing her family and friends and taking her prisoner

A virgin who is raped
A. is to be prayed for and the rapist to be imprisoned
B. must marry her rapist and never get divorced

A husband encouraged to worship a different deity by his wife is to
A. share the Good News with her
B. Kill her!

Dt 21:10-14, 22:28-29, 13:6-10

thought of the day.56

The Jesus character has many faces. There’s Kind-Jesus. Confusing-Jesus. Destroyer-of-life Jesus. Damn-you-to-hell- Jesus. Shepherd-of-sheep-Jesus. Miracle-worker-Jesus, and so on. Let’s look at Jerk-Jesus.

Matthew 15:21-28 (NIV)

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."

Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."

He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table."

Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

This is not a God of Love but simply a product of the male dominated, bigoted culture in which this Jesus character was fashioned. To ignore a mother distraught over the suffering of her little girl is beyond arrogant, it’s incredibly cruel. To dehumanize a mother and child by likening them to dogs is wicked.

thought of the day.55

One of the many ethically disturbing stories in the New Testament concerns a hungry Jesus going in search of figs to eat.

Matthew’s account has Jesus cursing a tree which the disciples see whither immediately while Mark’s account has the disciples learning of the tree’s death the following day. These contradicting stories alone would cause the witness’ testimony to be thrown out in a court of law, but my focus here is on the unethical and absurd aspects of the story. To simplify, we’ll just look at the story found in Matthew. (Mt 21:18-22)

“Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Problem 1: “Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.”
Even common people knew that it was not fig season. Jesus shows his ignorance by bothering to go up to it and examine it. If he was an all-knowing God he would have already known the tree was figless.

Problem 2: “Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered.”
Is it reasonable to kill something because it fails to meet one’s expectations? This is the behavior one might expect from a spoiled child not a reasonable man and certainly not from a supposed God. By killing the tree he destroyed an entire ecosystem that lived within its roots, branches and leaves. What of the small animals and birds that relied on it for shelter and food? What of the humans that did the same? Why curse and destroy rather than bless and make fruitful? Any reasonable person with such powers would have used them to nourish and enhance life not destroy it.

Problem 3: “When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. ‘How did the fig tree wither so quickly?’ they asked.”
This makes no sense. According to the bible his disciples had heard Jesus tell a man he would find tax money in the mouth of the first fish he caught. They had watched him feed 4,000 people with only a few fish and loaves of bread. They had seen him make the lame walk and the blind see. Instead of being “amazed” at the death of a tree cursed by their Miracle Worker they should have expected it.

Problem 4: “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. ”
No tree-hugger was Jesus who tells believers that they they too can destroy fig trees just like him! Jesus then makes the absurd claim that his followers can command mountains to throw themselves in the sea. Believers might argue that this must be understood as figurative speech. But why? If the destroying of the fig tree was a literal event and Jesus said believers could literally do the same why switch to speaking figuratively in mid sentence? More nonsense.

Problem 5: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Every honest person will readily admit that this simply isn’t true. Not only will believers not get “whatever” they ask for, they seldom get anything, and what may appear to be answered prayers can always be explained as coincidence.

In conclusion, the cursing of the fig tree shows Jesus to be more a dolt than deity, more an irrational child than man of reason, and more a spewer of hot air and absurd promises than sage.

thought of the day.54

Prior to Genesis Babylonians had their own account of creation called “Enuma Elish,” which tells of the god Marduk forming man out of clay.

Before hymns were written to the biblical god they were written to the Egyptian god Ra: “Thou art the one god who came into being at the beginning of time. Thou didst create the earth. Thou didst fashion man, thou didst make the watery abyss of the sky, thou didst form the Nile, thou didst create the great deep, and thou dost give life to all that therein.”

The story of Noah and the Flood was borrowed from The “Epic of Gilgamesh.”

The story of the birth and rise to power of Moses was borrowed from The legend of “Sargon of Agade.”

Before the biblical god gave his laws to Moses, Shamash, the god of Babylonia gave his laws to Hammurabi and before either Moses or Hammurabi received their laws, the Sumerian King Ur-Nammu was given laws from the sky god An and the wind/storm god Enlil.

Much of the wisdom teachings or proverbs found in the Bible were drawn from an Egyptian collection by Amen-em-ope and the infamous admonishments to use a “rod” to strike children were taken from the Wisdom of Ahikar, a 7th century B.C.E. Assyrian folk tale.

Being born of a virgin was a common theme in pre-Christian religions as were the ideas of divine births in a stable or cave. Jesus was not the first to have his birth heralded by a star, attended by shepherds or be visited by gift-bearing magi. December 25th (an approximation of the Winter Solstice) was celebrated as the birthdate of other gods before the Church essentially stole the holiday from the pagans, making it Jesus’ birthday. Easter (an approximation of the Vernal Equinox) is also of pagan origin and was the time of year that the death and resurrection of pre-Christian Gods were celebrated.

Other saviors had 12 disciples (for the 12 zodiac signs) before Jesus did.

Before Jesus turned water into wine, Dionysus did it. Others were said to teach spiritual truths, walk on water, control the wind and rain, foretell the future, cast out demons, heal the blind and lame and raise the dead before Jesus supposedly worked these same miracles.

The Good Shepherd, the Word, the Light of the World, Son of Man, Son of God, God made flesh, the True Vine, and the Savior of the World described other deities before being attributed to Jesus.

The Dove, Fish and Lamb were symbols for pagan gods before becoming symbols for Jesus.

The taking away of sins, Holy Spirit, Trinity, descent into hell and return to life after three days, baptism and being born again were all pre-Christian concepts.

Speaking in tongues and eating the body and drinking the blood of a god (eucharist or holy communion) preceded Christianity.

Before Jesus' lifeless body was wrapped in linen and anointed with myrrh and aloe, Osiris’ was.

Myths that promised the return of a god in the last days and his subsequent reign of a thousand years circulated for centuries before such a story was written for Jesus.

The story of Jesus driving demons from a man into a herd of 2,000 pigs who rush over a cliff and drown seems to have been drawn from accounts of initiates in Eleusis, (numbering about 2,000) who would bathe in the sea with a pig to which their sins would be transferred upon which the pigs were chased over a chasm and killed.

The story of Jesus (Jn 21:11) performing a miracle enabling Simon Peter to catch exactly 153 fish seems to have come from Pythagoras who considered 153 a sacred number. The ratio of 153 to 265 was referred to by the Pagan Archimedes as "the measure of the fish." That ratio is used to generate a fish-like shape using two circles. The sign of the fish was used by the early Christians as their main symbol.

In Euripides’ play, The Bacchae, Dionysus is described as bringing a new religion to the people, being plotted against by the leaders, being arrested and appearing before the political ruler. Long before Jesus is made to utter nearly identical words, Dionysus said to his captors “You know not what you are doing...”

In fact, the story of Jesus consists of material borrowed from other myths to such an extent that J.M. Robertson writes, "There is not a conception associated with Christ that is not common to some or all of the Savior cults of antiquity.”

Not a single historian alive at the time that Jesus is said to have lived records his existence. In his work, On The True Doctrine, c 178 AD, Celsus writes,“Clearly the Christians have used ... myths ... in fabricating the story of Jesus' birth'...It is clear to me that the writings of the Christians are a lie and that your fables are not well-enough constructed to conceal this monstrous fiction."

Jesus, as conveyed in the bible, is simply a myth built upon myths.

thought of the day.53

Fearing so much and knowing so little, early mankind sought explanations for the behavior of nature. They imagined a world of supernatural beings that regulated the courses of the stars, controlled the wind and lightning, earthquakes, volcanos, and floods. By befriending these beings and seeking their favor through sacrificial ritual, mankind gained the delusion of control over his surroundings. But with the new sense of control came a new set of fears—the fear of the gods themselves.

Opportunistic people gained power by claiming to speak for the gods giving rise to the priesthood and the idea of divine revelation which gave rise to religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. No longer demanding blood sacrifices these belief systems now demand the sacrifice of free thought, divide us into the saved and damned, induce unwarranted guilt and instill yet more fear by promising grotesque tortures for the unbeliever.

Understanding why we invented the gods empowers us to let go of the toxic Abrahamic idea of God and evolve a spirituality free of fear, guilt and divisiveness.

thought of the day.52

Christians speak reverently of Jesus’ great “sacrifice.” But to go from wandering dusty roads while being hounded by illiterate, diseased and demon possessed people who had yet to invent indoor plumbing to sitting comfortably on a throne at the right hand of God while being attended to by angels in a heavenly city boasting streets of gold and buildings of jewels was not a sacrifice but the career move of all time.

thought of the day.51

Christians say “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” but real understanding—real wisdom—begins in the absence of fear, the absence of emotion that clouds critical thinking.

thought of the day.50

The efficacy of prayer is succinctly captured in former slave turned abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ comment, “I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.”

thought of the day.49

Though our animal might may give us the “right” to rule over the less mighty, that which makes us human—our intellect, our sense of compassion—dictates that we don’t. Unfortunately, we’re still early in the process of becoming fully human—fully humane—and hence all the needless suffering.

thought of the day.48

Jesus says to “fear God” who can throw you “into hell.”

But Real Love casts out fear. Real Love is the antithesis of fear.

Lk 12:4-5

thought of the day.47

Perhaps the greatest chance to reduce suffering would be to transition from the inherently divisive religions of today to ones based on scientific fact fused with poetry and compassion.

thought of the day.46

That Jesus promises atrocities that make Auschwitz seem like a picnic in the park and is praised is an example of how Christianity poisons our sense of justice, our sense of goodness.

thought of the day.45

It’s a bit disconcerting that our most cherished things—things such as justice, mercy, love, freedom, beauty, truth, peace, and I would add God, are mere ideas or feelings that don’t exist outside our minds.

thought of the day.44

God isn’t spirit nor being nor ground of all being. God is an idea.

thought of the day.43

The desire for power over others is the root of all evil.

thought of the day.42

Dostoevsky’s sentiment that “If God does not exist, everything is permitted” suggests believers refrain from wickedness only out of fear of divine wrath but true morality is doing right regardless of a God.

thought of the day.41

The God who acts as a placeholder for what we don’t yet comprehend will always get smaller and smaller.

But reality-understood through science-grows ever more awesome.

thought of the day.40

War is evil. Sometimes necessary but always evil.

thought of the day.39

The words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance excludes unbelievers making the phrase “justice for all” ring hollow.

These word violate the First Amendment, are divisive, unjust, and un-American.

thought of the day.38

Where there is substance, ornament is unnecessary.
Hence the Pope’s hat.

thought of the day.37

True love—like happiness—is a choice. It wants the very best for another, whether family, friend, or stranger.

thought of the day.36

Science and religion are polar opposites in the way information—
or lack thereof—is processed.

Science demands evidence. Religion demands belief without evidence.

thought of the day.35

We’re all born naked, cold and hungry. And atheists.

We created the gods to mentally clothe, warm, and feed us—
to protect us like a parent in this indifferent universe.

thought of the day.34

As important as justice is, mercy is more so.

thought of the day.33

Once an ordinary city, Jerusalem only became “holy” after the attack and slaughter of its residents by men of God seething with hate. Holiness is often wickedness masquerading as good.

2 S 5:8

thought of the day.32

There is no single “meaning of life” but countless meaningful lives.

And the more our lives mean to ourselves and others,
the more meaningful they are.

thought of the day.31

Whether believer or nonbeliever, without compassion we’re lost.

thought of the day.30

Why think that children who have invisible friends are playing “make believe” but adults who have invisible friends are not?

thought of the day.29

Being Awed by the Common exercise/meditation.

The idea is to focus on one sense at a time for several moments.
Close your eyes and...

1. listen as if you had never in your life heard a sound nor will again.

2. touch something -the hardness of a table, the softness of hair, or feel your breath on your hand-as if you had never felt a sensation.

3. smell something -skin, shirt, bread- as if you had never inhaled an aroma.

4. taste something, anything- as if you had never tasted anything before.

5. open your eyes and focus on the everyday stuff around you as if you were seeing it for the very first time.

It takes some practice but is a simple way to remind ourselves how amazing even the most common things are.

thought of the day.28

“God” is a stumbling block to understanding the universe in two powerful ways.

1. When sacred myths are understood as literal history they give us a false understanding of reality.

2. Believing “God” did this or that encourages us to be satisfied with untestable supernatural explanations, rather than encouraging us to seek natural explanations.

thought of the day.27

I’ve sat cross legged and bare foot while taking in the sights, sounds and smells (as well as an incredible Indian breakfast) of a Hindu service. I’ve heard the hauntingly beautiful chants of a Muslim service in which I was mooned by some 400 prostrated men. A yarmulke has kept my bald head warm and the shine from blinding Yahweh while attending a Jewish service. I’ve visited the Church of Scientology and dozens of different flavored Christian churches from tongue speaking Pentecostal to a Cowboy church held in a bar to a Baptist megachurch the size of a mall. All of these services undoubtedly provided the participants with community and a story to build their lives around. But with the good comes the evils of guilt and fear, the sacrifice of intellectual freedom, toxic primitive ideas about the subjugation of women and the earth, and so on. And of course, such belief systems are inherently divisive which breeds all kinds of suffering.

But last night I attended what I “pray” is the church of tomorrow. The preacher preached the holiest message I’ve ever heard in a church. And the bible and hymnal he used was science. Though I would feel better about jettisoning the word “God” altogether, Michael Dowd is pointing us in the right direction with his message of evolutionary theology. I encourage everyone to visit his site: ThankGodforEvolution.com

thought of the day.26

I saw a puppet show yesterday.
The puppet master pulled some strings
and made the puppets stand and sing
lift their arms and close their eyes
and open their wallets while swallowing lies.

Wicked show.

thought of the day.25

A good religion would work to banish fear not instill it, free the mind not shackle it, and focus on this world and human beings not some otherworld and invisible beings.

thought of the day.24

If Christianity is true, many billions of people will suffer unimaginable and unending pain in hell. If Islam is true, even more billions will be tortured forever. But if atheists are correct, not a single soul will be troubled in the least.

Doesn’t common decency demand we all root for the atheists?

thought of the day.23

“Sin” is the Christian leader’s most powerful tool. With that little word he can explain away the evils of the world, instill fear of eternal suffering, guilt for life’s pleasures, and move his followers to empty their wallets for the “glory of God.”

thought of the day.22

Most Toxic Ideas of All Time

1. God has revealed his will to humans.

2. Humans are to rule over the earth.

3. Men are to rule over women.

4. Men may buy and sell humans.

5. Unbelievers will be tortured forever.

These biblical ideas resulted in two millennia of divinely justified torture, rape, murder, war, genocide, oppression, slavery, inequality, battering of wives, sexual abuse, inhumane treatment of animals, pollution, environmental destruction, burning of books, destruction and theft of property, manipulation through fear and guilt and lies, and on and on.

thought of the day.21

Isn’t it a bit inconsistent to shout the commands of Exodus chapter 20 from the rooftop while sweeping those of chapter 21 under the rug?

thought of the day.20

Christianity degrades humanity by condemning us as sinners worthy of hell fire and breeds arrogance by claiming the universe was made just for us.

thought of the day.19

Taking the straight and narrow path to heaven can’t be near the adventure as following truth wherever she leads.

Mt 7:13-14

thought of the day.18

The core of the Christian message is “think like us or burn in hell.”

Seems "think for yourself and best wishes" would make a happier world.

Mk 16:16

Thought of the day.17

The death penalty is murder by a different name. It’s not justice but revenge.

thought of the day.16

Denying a woman control over her own body is more immoral than any choice she might make regarding it.

thought of the day.15

Love is love, whether between homosexuals or heterosexuals.

Denying equal marriage rights is as unjust as denying women the right to vote or racial segregation.

thought of the day.14

“Zoo” is a cuddly name for animal prison.

No matter how enlightened a particular zoo may be in their education and conservation efforts, their imprisonment of animals is immoral and perpetuates the myth that animals exist for us. We should preserve natural habitats, not incarcerate animals in unnatural ones.

thought of the day.13

The sacrifice of free thought required of countless Christians for two thousand years seems a far greater sacrifice than their heros’ few hours on a cross.

thought of the day.12

Darkening a child’s mind with the fear of hell is no less child abuse than darkening her body with bruises.

thought of the day.11

The God of the bible drowns children, burns children, starves children, and infects them with painful diseases. And the Christian calls him “Good”.

He permits the enslavement of children, punishes them for the sins of their parents, and commands their stoning for disobedience. And the Christian calls him “Just”.

He sends wild animals to tear children apart, sends armies to hack pregnant women and their unborn babies to pieces, and “blesses” those who smash babies’ heads against rocks. And the Christian calls him “Love.”

Dt 13:6-10 Dt 28:53-59 Lv 26:22 Lv 25:45-46 Lv 26:27-29
Nu 14:18 Ez 5:17 Ez 9:6-7 Ez 20:25-26 1 S 15:3 Ps 137:8-9 Ho 13:15-16
Ho 9:15-16 Is 14:22 Gn 7:23 Gn 19:23-25 2 K 2:23-24 Ex 12:29

thought of the day.10

Once the bible is accepted as “The Truth” its content ceases to matter. For the True Believer can reconcile every contradiction, justify every injustice, believe every absurdity, and make holy every horror.

thought of the day.9

Factory farms manufacture suffering and eating their “products” feeds the evil.

www.petatv.com

thought of the day.8

The “love” shown by the God of the bible is “conditional love”
which is not love at all.

Lv 26:14-39, Mk 16:16

thought of the day.7

To praise Jesus, the preacher of hell fire, is to praise inhumanity.
It is to lose one’s “soul” in the attempt to save it.

thought of the day.6

Where Does Morality Come From?

Morality can be based on the empirical evidence that all life (when in a healthy state) “prefers” well-being and life over suffering and death.

So the desire to foster well-being can be called moral and the desire to cause needless suffering, immoral.

thought of the day.5

The Ten Commandments are not about morality but control.
Morality comes from within and demands the very best of us—
insight, compassion and courage.

Commandments or laws are imposed from without and demand nothing more than mere obedience.

thought of the day.4

Believing that the King of the Universe watches over one’s each and every move, knows one’s each and every thought, cherishes one’s each and every hair on one’s precious head, is not an act of humility but unbridled egotism.

thought of the day.3

The seeker of truth holds all “truths” tentatively and welcomes additional information that may prove them false.

The True Believer possesses “The Truth” and eschews any contradictory information as necessarily false.

thought of the day.2

No humane person could be happy in heaven knowing a family member, friend, or even a perfect stranger is suffering in hell.

So if hell exists, heaven cannot.

thought of the day.1

Because we are so profoundly limited by the subjective nature of our mind, the instant the idea of a god enters our consciousness is the instant we’ve created our own god—a false god, an idol.

Atheism then, is not only the most reasonable position based on the lack of evidence for such a being, but must also be, ironically, less offensive to any such possible deity than theism.

The Santa God Delusion

Santa is God to children as God is Santa to adults.

As believers in Santa, we go to the mall to tell Santa what we want and to the mail box to send him letters. We present offerings of milk and cookies, sing songs and read stories about him and his supernatural powers. As believers in God, we go to the church instead of the mall and talk to the priest or pastor instead of Santa. We send our letters in prayer form through the air rather than the mail, our offerings are of cash instead of cookies, and of course we sing songs and read stories about God as well. Both God and Santa are all-knowing, seeing our each and every deed. They sit as cosmic judges, showering the good with toys and blessings, while punishing the bad with a lump of coal or burning them like one. Both hail from faraway places, Santa residing in a secret place atop the world and God above the clouds. Santa writes people’s names in his big book as does God. Both have somehow existed forever and neither seems likely to ever die. Both Santa and God have supernatural helpers and both are creators and distributors of gifts, Santa employing elves to assist him and God, angels.

Both children and adults long to see the object of their affection and many are convinced they do. A glimpse of a red hat in the living room on Christmas Eve, the sound of reindeer on the roof, the jingle of a bell or an angel in human form, a magical, unexplainable feeling, a heavenly whisper, an answered prayer.

It’s fun and relatively harmless to believe such things as a child. It may bring joy and comfort to persist in such delusion as an adult but it’s hardly harmless. Belief in the supernatural leads to unwarranted guilt and fear and the danger increases dramatically with increased power as when the Christian Church burned priceless books and countless people, when Muslims, sure of their ticket to Paradise, flew planes into buildings, or when the most powerful man in the world thought he heard the whisper of his God command war.

is this perfection?

It’s widely accepted that God and Jesus are “perfect.” Let’s look at this idea.

SINS OF THE FATHER AND SON
The God of the Bible commanded, condoned and committed atrocity after atrocity. He drowned countless people and animals and burned countless others to death with fire and brimstone. He starved his own chosen people to the point of eating their infants, afterbirth and all. He punished them with diseases that made their eyes rot in their sockets and their tongues rot in their mouth. He opened the earth to swallow entire families, sent poisonous snakes to bite them, bears to tear them to pieces, enemies to slaughter and enslave them and commanded the genocide of entire nations. And if it’s understood that Jesus IS God, then it must be understood that Jesus did the same. Throw in the Holy Spirit who gives true believers the power to blind people (Acts 13:6-12) and you have three gods in one who all solve problems through violence.

If the three headed deity is “perfect” and solves problems with violence why shouldn’t we?

SLAVERY
God declared that his people were permitted to buy and sell men, women and children as slaves. In fact, God said a father could sell his own daughters into lifelong slavery. Jesus spoke often of masters and their slaves — of slaves being “heavily whipped”, “beaten,” “killed,” “stoned” and “cut into pieces” but not once does Jesus condemn slavery. Never does he suggest it’s immoral to sell your daughters. Paul instructs slaves to obey their masters in several passages (Ephesians 6:5, I Timothy 6:1, Titus 2:9-10) and Peter instructs slaves to obey and fear their master, even the cruel and unjust (1 Peter 2:18). Perhaps a single sentence condemning slavery would have changed the course of history.

If “perfection” never condemned slavery as evil why should we?

CRUELTY TO THE POWERLESS
Jesus is shown to be a cruel and bigoted character when he chooses to ignore a mother distraught over the suffering of her daughter. Apparently Jesus only came to heal certain people and this woman was born on the wrong side of the DNA tracks. No Jew, no service. When the mother desperately kneels and begs Jesus for help, he callously rejects her pleas and dehumanizes her by likening her and her little girl to “dogs” before finally easing the child’s suffering.

If “perfection” can speak so cruely to others why shouldn’t we?

In an act more appropriate of a demon than benevolent deity, a hungry and frustrated Jesus cursed an out of season fig tree to death simply because it had no fruit. Would it not be more “perfect” to “bless” with life rather than “curse” with death?

If “perfection” destroys life simply because it sometimes disappoints why shouldn’t we?

On another occasion he displays a total disregard for the welfare of animals—as well as the property of others—as he sends demons into a herd of two thousand pigs making them drown in the sea. Saint Augustine explained that this act was intended to teach us that we have no responsibilities for the welfare of animals. Pete Singer notes: “This interpretation was accepted by Thomas Aquinas, who stated that the only possible objection to cruelty to animals was that it might lead to cruelty to humans - according to Aquinas, there was nothing wrong in itself with making animals suffer. This became the official view of the Roman Catholic Church to such good — or bad — effect 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.”

If “perfection” destroyed innocent life and the property of others why shouldn’t we?

THE GREAT DEMONIZER
Long before Hitler became known as one of the most evil men of all time, a seed of hatred was planted in the mind of humanity. Planted by the writers of Christian scriptures, it declared that Jews were responsible for the murder of God. In those writings Jesus demonizes unbelieving Jews, calling them “evil,” “serpents,” and children of the “devil” damned to be burned in a furnace.

Following in the footsteps of Jesus, Paul demonized Elymas, calling him a “child of the devil,” and then blinded him (Acts 13:6-12). During the council of Nicaea—when Christianity was made the official religion of Rome—Jews were referred to as “mad”... “utterly depraved”...“murderers of our Lord.” Early fathers of the Christian church continued the dehumanizing and demonizing of Jews inspiring nearly 2,000 years of often violent persecution leading to Hitler’s “Final Solution.”

If “perfection” demonized others why shouldn’t we?

THE SLAUGHTER OF BILLIONS
Jesus spoke approvingly of his father drowning and burning great multitudes of humanity and promised similar destruction on the day he returned. Paul describes Jesus as coming from heaven “with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution.” If the Old Testament drips with blood, the New Testament Book of Revelation is swimming in it. D.H. Lawrence describes the writer’s lust for blood and destruction in the second half of Revelation as “flamboyant hate.”

Jesus’ revelations include images of people being pummeled by 100 pound hail stones, poisoned by bitter water, crushed by falling buildings, tortured for months on end by grotesque creatures, burned with fire, killed by war, famine, disease and wild animals. The “King of kings and Lord of lords” returns wearing a robe covered with blood. Blood is spilled in the streets and rains from the sky. There are rivers of blood, a sea of blood filled with dead creatures and a flood of blood pouring out of the wine press of his father’s furious anger. Jesus reveals that upon his second coming over a third of the world’s population will be killed meaning a slaughter of over two billion men, women and children if he returned today.

If “perfection” promises to cover the earth in blood why shouldn’t we?

ETERNAL VIOLENCE
Jesus said he came not to bring peace but a sword. He told many violent parables which included accounts of 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 some people are broken to pieces and under which others are crushed to dust and threatened to personally throw Jezebel and her adulturous partners on a bed where he would make them “suffer terribly” and “kill her children.” Of course, no violence can compare to Jesus’ threat of punishing humans in the fires of hell for eternity.

Jesus promised that humans would be burned by flames that never go out and would be eaten by worms that never die. He spoke of disbelievers being condemned, of angels separating the wicked from the righteous, of crying and gnashing of teeth, of people suffering day and night for ever and always, of entire cities being thrown into a fiery furnace. Again and again, Jesus preached the most abhorent of all concepts—the doctrine of Hell.

The Sight of Hell (1855), inspired by Jesus, penned by a priest and distributed to children in Catholic churches has St. Basil and St. Teresa describing hell as a place where worms without number bite and eat the flesh causing unbearable pain. The question is asked: “How will you feel in hell, when millions of them make their dwelling-place in your mouth, and ears, and eyes, and creep all over you, and sting you with their deadly stings through all eternity?” On the sordid tour of the “fiery furnace” we are escorted into different torture chambers where children are burning alive and screaming to get out. One young woman is described as wearing a flaming dress and bonnet of fire that burns into her skull and melts her brain. Children are “chained down on beds of red-hot blazing fire” and their bodies are salted with fire. “The fire burns through every bone and every muscle. Every nerve is trembling and quivering with the sharp fire. The fire rages inside the skull, it shoots out through the eyes, it drops out through the ears, it roars in the throat as it roars up a chimney.” The booklet concludes…“There is one thing which could change hell into heaven. An angel of God comes to the gates of hell and says: ‘Listen to me, all ye people in hell, for I bring you good news. You will still burn in hell for almost countless millions of years. But a day will come, and on that day the pains of hell will be no more! You will go out of hell.’ But such a message will never come to hell, because God has said that the punishment of hell shall be everlasting!”

It is time we call these archaic methods of control exactly what they are—‘mental abuse.’ In the year 2004 alone, over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse were filed in the U.S. against priests accused of molesting and raping children and teenagers. Ethologist, Richard Dawkins said, “Who will say with confidence that sexual abuse is more permanently damaging to children then threatening them with the eternal and unquenchable fires of hell?” Psychologist Margaret Knight, said “This hideous doctrine of eternal torment after death has probably caused more terror and misery, more cruelty and more violation of natural human sympathy, than any belief in the history of mankind. Yet this doctrine was taught unambiguously by Jesus.”

If “perfection” inflicts never ending torture why shouldn’t we inflict all the torture we’re capable of?

LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES
In the gospel of Mark, the Jesus character said “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mk 11:24) We all know this simply is not true. In Matthew he said, “Ask and it will be given to you... For everyone who asks receives...” (Mt 7:7-8) And, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Mt 21:22) Again, both statements are clearly not true. In another gospel, Jesus promises, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it...” (John 14:13-14) Once again, not true. Jesus also notes that if one gets a friend to agree on a wish, God himself will make it real. “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them...” (Matthew 18:19) Yet another demonstrable untruth. How many untrue statements must a person make before it is fair to call them a liar?

Not only is the Jesus character a blatant liar, his statements are irresponsible and dangerous. Imagine if all Christians really believed what he said about handling snakes and drinking poison? (Mark16:18) Sadly, thousands of people have and have suffered countless bites, deformities, and death due directly to Jesus’ lies. And it seems Jesus had no understanding of germs, disease or epilepsy thinking instead that “evil spirits” or “demons” were behind their ailments. (See Luke 13:15-16 for but one example) What if all Christians took their suffering children to the priest instead of the doctor? Or just asked God to make them well like Jesus suggested? Glass of poison anyone?

If “perfection” tells lies, why shouldn’t we?

If perfection solves problems with violence, speaks cruelly to others, destroys innocent life and the property of others, demonizes others, covers the earth in blood, tortures people, and tells lies, why shouldn’t we? Are we to be holier than our God? To suggest such a miserable projection of our worst human characteristics is a “perfect” God is to call evil, good.

the real ten commandments in ten parts

1. Few people realize that the Ten Commandments were not given once but several times. Even fewer people realize that God gave Moses two dramatically different sets of Ten Commandments. Initially they were simply spoken by God, a second time God carved them in stone with his finger, and a third time God dictated them to Moses who wrote them on stone tablets himself. Yet a fourth telling of the story has details that differ from the previous accounts.

2. Though it matters little to the story, it should be noted that Moses was very likely a fictional character based on a much older mythological character known as Sargon of Agade. It’s also important to know that Moses was not the first character to claim to receive commandments from a god. Shamash, the god of Babylonia, gave his laws to Hammurabi long before Yahweh (the god of the Israelites), gave his laws to Moses and before either Moses or Hammurabi received their laws, the Sumerian King Ur-Nammu was given laws from the sky god An and the wind/storm god Enlil. It seems it was common thinking that claiming laws to be of divine origin imbued them with more authority.

3. Early in their relationship God meets Moses at a camping place and tries to kill him. (Ex 4:24-26) Luckily for Moses, his wife has the insight to hurriedly cut off her son’s foreskin with a sharp stone and press it against Moses’ feet. How she knew that Moses was in need of having his foot touched with her son’s freshly amputated bloody foreskin is a mystery but it seems to appease God who now changes his plans for Moses from wanting him dead to employing him as his spokesman.

4. Putting the attempt on his life behind him, Moses travels on to Egypt as God’s messenger to demand the freeing of his people. The first trick Moses performs fails to impress as the king’s magicians could also turn a wooden stick into a live snake. (Ex 7:8-13) His second trick of turning all the water in Egypt into blood also falls flat as again the king’s magicians match the feat which was actually far more impressive as it seems they first had to restore the water that God had ruined and then ruin it all over again. (Ex 7:14-25) God goes on to inflict great suffering culminating in the slaughter of all the first-born males in Egypt. The king is so distraught over the loss of his child that his will is broken and he frees the Israelites. (Ex 12:29-31) The first regulations Moses receives from God concern the Passover celebration thus named in honor of the Angel of Death which “passed over” the Israelites while only smiting the Egyptians.

5. To the Ten Commandments we go. Moses warns that anyone — man or animal — approaching the mountain will be stoned to death or shot with arrows. (Ex 19:12-13) Once all the people have been frightened away, Moses approaches God who apparently is made out of smoke and fire and speaks Thunder. (Ex 19:18-19) We note that in this version God has commanded Moses to bring Aaron up with him (Ex 19:24) and we see that the Ten Commandments are initially spoken not written in stone. (Ex 19:25-20:1-17) Some of the first laws God gives concern the proper protocol for buying slaves (Ex 21:1-11) and killing disobedient children. (Ex 21:15-17) First things first. There are a few more commands to kill certain women and those worshiping other gods (Ex 22:18-20) and concludes with timeless wisdom of never cooking a goat in its mother’s milk. (Ex 23:14-19)

6. Apparently God then decides the Ten Commandments he had given verbally to Moses and Aaron back in chapter 20 should be carved in stone. This time he only calls Moses up the mountain to receive two tablets and Aaron is left back at camp.(Ex 24:12-14) At this point we find out that God is very particular about fancy linens, diamonds and gold and the next several pages are dedicated to his detailed specifications concerning such things. When God is finally done speaking to Moses, he gives him two stone tablets on which he himself has written his commandments. (Ex 31:18)

7. While Moses was on the mountain going without food and water for 40 days, (Ex 34:28) the Israelites grew restless and abandoned God. Moses returns with tablets in hand and is furious to see Aaron and the people worshiping a new god. Moses promptly throws down God’s Laws breaking them into pieces. To quash the coup, Moses tells his followers that God commands them to “go through the camp … and kill your brothers, your friends, and your neighbors.”(Ex 32:25-29) Those obedient to Moses then kill 3,000 of their brothers, friends and neighbors and God blesses them for their holy slaughter and Moses thanks them by ordaining them as Priests.

8. After breaking God’s first set of holy stones, God tells Moses to “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke” (Ex 34:1). Clear as day, God says he is going to write the same words that were on the first stones. And according to God himself, what were the Ten Commandments that were written on both the first and second set of stone tablets?

“Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Ex 34:14)

"Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. (Ex 34:15)

"Do not make cast idols. (Ex 34:17)

"Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. (Ex 34:18)

"The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed. (Ex 34:19-20)

"Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest. (Ex 34:21)

"Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD, the God of Israel. I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the LORD your God. (Ex 34:22-23)

"Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning. (Ex 34:25)

"Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. (Ex 34:26)

"Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." (Ex 34:26)

9. What were these Laws called? Let’s listen in on God’s conversation with Moses... “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." ... And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.” (Ex 34:27-28) It’s this version and this version only in which God states immediately before and after the commandments that it is with these words which he makes his covenant.(Ex 34:10, 27) And it is only when carrying this version of the Ten Commandments down the mountain does Moses’ face radiate. (Ex 34:29-35)

10. So when good Christians clamor to post the Ten Commandments in public places let’s make sure they post God’s final “covenant” version that condemns cooking a goat in his mother’s milk. That way we can rest assured that our children will be obedient. Or perhaps an even better way to keep our kids in line would be to post God’s commandment to stone the trouble makers. (Ex 21:15-17)