Thought of the day.143

Rotten Fruit

Matthew’s genealogy reveals that Jesus descended from a long line of violent ancestors. His family tree includes David, killer of tens of thousands of men, women and children; Judah, who ordered a woman to be burned to death; Solomon, who secured the throne via multiple murders; Jehoram, who put all his brothers to the sword; Abijah, who led the slaughter of half a million of God’s own chosen people; Josiah, who slaughtered priests on the altars; Ahaz, who sacrificed his children as burnt offerings and Manasseh, who also practiced human sacrifice and butchered so many innocents that the streets of Jerusalem were said to have flowed with blood.

But all these violent men pale in comparison to Jesus who designed flesh-eating worms that never die and tends fires that are never put out in order to torture people forever making him by far the most rotten apple on this most rotten tree.

thought of the day.142

Ignoring the bible’s wickedness to cite its good points is like ignoring Hitler’s evil deeds to note he loved his wife and dog.

thought of the day.141

If truth is the goal we should listen most intently to those with whom we disagree.

thought of the day.140

The more we comprehend our connection to the world the more meaningful our everyday actions become. Things as simple as what we order for lunch and the clothes we buy either help reduce or contribute to suffering.

thought of the day.139

Christianity and Witches


The Bible says there are witches. And the good book says they must be killed. Making this Old Testament brutality seem like child’s play, Jesus promises grotesque tortures that never end. And countless millions believe all of this to be The Word of God.

Like Jesus who demonized unbelievers, calling them “evil”, “serpents”, and children of the “devil”, priests in Nigeria have branded thousands of children as “witches”. And intent on creating Jesus’ hell right here on earth, these “children of the devil” are “cut with knives, thrown onto fires, or have acid poured over them as a punishment or in an attempt to make them "confess" to being possessed. In one horrific case, a young girl called Uma had a three-inch nail driven into her skull....Many of those branded "child-witches" are murdered - hacked to death with machetes, poisoned, drowned, or buried alive in an attempt to drive Satan out of their soul.”

“The religious leaders offer help to the families whose children are named as witches, but at a price. The churches run exorcism, or "deliverance", evenings where the pastors attempt to drive out the evil spirits. Only they have the power to cleanse the child of evil spirits, they say. The exorcism costs the families up to a year's income. During the "deliverance" ceremonies, the children are shaken violently, dragged around the room and have potions poured into their eyes. The children look terrified. The parents look on, praying that the child will be cleansed. If the ritual fails, they know their children will have to be sent away, or killed. Many are held in churches, often on chains, and deprived of food until they "confess" to being a witch.”

A Mr. Foxworthy who has just finished a documentary film about the atrocities says "Any Christian would look at the situation that is going on here and just be absolutely outraged that they were using the teachings of Jesus Christ to exploit and abuse innocent children."

Too bad Christians aren’t outraged to the point of seeing the light—of recognizing that their own “holy” scriptures inspired the torture and murder of countless “witches” for two millenia continuing to this day. Too bad Christians aren’t outraged to the point of realizing their own religious leaders’ primitive superstitious beliefs about invisible beings are little different from these Nigerian priests. And too bad Christians aren’t outraged to the point of understanding that their own beliefs in ghosts, gods, and goblins contributes to the social acceptability of such harmful nonsense and therefore also share the responsibility for these horrors.

thought of the day.138

“All life is problem solving . . . There are no absolutes; progress comes through critical thought. . . . Reason, not obedience, should guide our lives. Though it took centuries to crumble, the entire ossified cage of European social hierarchy--from kings to serfs, and between men and women, all of it shored up by the Catholic Church--was destroyed by this thought.”

~ Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Infidel (2007)

Thought of the day.137

A beautiful and powerful example of the human spirit, empathy, and hope. And an equally powerful example of the nonsense of belief in miracles as “God” has never regrown a limb. Seems “God” just doesn’t care much for answering the prayers of amputees.

thought of the day.136

Empathy, not scripture, is the basis of morality.

thought of the day.135

If one asks only that her own attitude be changed, prayer can be effective. However, if one asks for anything outside herself be changed, prayer is only as effective as chance. And these results are exactly what we would expect from talking to oneself or perhaps from petitioning a jug of milk, but certainly not from communicating with an all powerful deity.

thought of the day.134

We needn’t ask what is moral or immoral but simply what fosters happiness, what causes suffering.

thought of the day.133

Not simply a victory for a man, African-Americans or Democrats, Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States was a victory for humanity. Now that race and gender are no longer barriers, perhaps someday homosexuals, non-Christians and heaven forbid, even atheists will have a chance to lead this country.

thought of the day.132

“I did not lose my faith—I gave it up purposely. The motivation that drove me into the ministry—to know and speak the truth— is the same that drove me out.”

~Dan Barker, Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists

thought of the day.131

Reduce meat consumption and reduce suffering. What an easy way to make the world a better place.

..

Call on Hormel to make changes for animals!

thought of the day.130

There is no more dysfunctional parent figure in all of literature than the God of the bible. This often petty, more often angry and violent, and always jealous character, doesn’t want independent children but forever dependent ones forbidden to grow up and think for themselves.

thought of the day.129

“There is not sufficient love and goodness in the world to permit us to give some of it away to imaginary beings.”

~Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All-Too-Human, 1878

thought of the day.128

"Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is - whether the victim is human or animal - we cannot expect things to be much better in this world. We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing, we set back the progress of humanity".

- Rachel Carson

thought of the day.127

The Origin of Heaven and Hell

Dreams about the deceased (understood by ancient people as communicating with the dead, and therefore not so dead) gave rise to the general idea of an after-life and our innate desire for justice in an often unjust world inspired the specific ideas of a heaven and hell where justice would ultimately prevail.

thought of the day.126

“We are here because one odd group of fishes had a peculiar fin anatomy that could transform into legs for terrestrial creatures; because the earth never froze entirely during an ice age; because a small and tenuous species, arising in Africa a quarter of a million years ago, has managed, so far, to survive by hook and by crook. We may yearn for a 'higher answer'--but none exists.”

~Stephen J. Gould

thought of the day.125

Church is for seekers of comfort, science for seekers of truth.

thought of the day.124

“For years many a thinking people have had gloomy forebodings as to the result of the immense power of the church in our political affairs. . . And the first step in the disestablishment of the church & of all churches is the taxation of church property. The government has no right to tax infidels for everything that takes the name of religion. For every dollar of church property untaxed, all other properties must be taxed one dollar more, and thus the poor man's home bears the burden of maintaining costly edifices from which he & his family are as effectively excluded--as though a policeman stood to bar their entrance, and in smaller towns all sects are building, building, building, not a little town in the western prairies but has its three & four churches & this immense accumulation of wealth is all exempt from taxation. In the new world as well as the old these rich ecclesiastical corporations are a heavy load on the shoulders of the people, for what wealth escapes, the laboring masses are compelled to meet. If all the church property in this country were taxed, in the same ratio poor widows are to day, we could soon roll off the national debt. . . .

The clergy of all sects are universally opposed to free thought & free speech, & if they had the power even in our republic to day would crush any man who dared to question the popular religion.”

~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton