An excellent video by YouTube user Philhellenes that was falsely flagged and removed from his channel. As a result, it went viral and can now be found all over YouTube. It has since been reinstated to his channel.
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
On Theistic Evolution
Some Christians, in light of the overwhelming evidence for evolution and an old earth, have attempted to reconcile Christianity and evolution with theistic evolution, or the belief that Genesis is actually symbolic and evolution is correct. Some justify this syncretism by saying that one day to God could mean thousands or millions of years to us. After all, He is God, isn't He? Some have attempted to say that since the big bang, time has been expanding, and when seven days is applied to this time expansion, seven days totals to around fifteen billion years, around what scientists have determined the age of the universe to be.
Atheists and creationists alike have leveled numerous attacks at this view. Unfortunately for theistic evolutionists, this view runs into several problems with Genesis and in fact undermines the entire theology behind Christianity. It directly contradicts some aspects of Genesis and some things elsewhere in the Bible.
Discrepancies with Genesis
If Genesis is just a poetic description of the beginnings of the universe and life on Earth, then it seems to have the order of events wrong. According to secular theories, stars and galaxies were formed first, followed by planets and solar systems, then DNA (and thus life) emerged on earth. Genesis, however, has the earth forming first, then the plants, then the sun (how the plants survived before the sun was formed is beyond me), followed by the surrounding cosmos.
Genesis describes the sun rising and setting between the days. This indicates a literal day, which runs into direct contradiction with the "day=era" theory. I don't know enough about modern cosmology to discuss the time expansion theory, but it runs into the problem of having the events in a different order, described earlier.
According to theistic evolution, God did not create the planet ex nihilo, or from nothing, a very important doctrine in Christianity. Genesis never states, not even in some metaphoric or symbolic way, that God created some sort of organic material to set off life's formation. It does not have earth forming from cosmic dust. It does not even state this symbolically (e.g. "God created dust to form the earth" or "God made the earth from dust"). This is very difficult for a Christian to explain away or interpret his way around (although I'm sure it can be done).
The Sabbath day Moses commanded the Jews to follow is meaningless by theistic evolution. In Exodus, the Jews are clearly instructed to work for six days and then do no work on the seventh, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day [...]" (Ex. 20.11 KJV). The Jews weren't told to work for four and a half billion years and rest for a few hundred million. They were told to work for six days and to not work on the seventh. This is explicit!
Issues with Christian Theology
As described in this video, theistic evolution runs into the problem of evil. Evolution is rampant with suffering and death. It is why the weaker members of a species die off and give way to the stronger species for reproduction. It is why child birth is so painful. If God intentionally used evolution to create life, then the blame for death and suffering can no longer be placed on man's fall.
Theistic evolution undermines the entire doctrine of salvation by Christ's death on the cross. If suffering existed before man's creation and His actions, then there really is no need for salvation since it really isn't man's fault to begin with. Think about it. Because of disease and resource scarcity (a result of evolution), people have to kill members of other species to research cures for diseases and have to kill each other in war for resources. Theistic evolution really doesn't account for this.
If man's fall is just some sort of allegorical myth, then the integrity of Christian doctrine is undermined, since salvation through Christ reduces to symbolic allegory. Salvation through Christ is the central doctrine of Christianity. You cannot call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in this doctrine!
Clearly, theistic evolution raises some grave questions about Scripture and the entire theology of Christianity.
Conclusion
I am not attempting to disprove God or Christianity here. I am merely pointing out that theistic evolution seems to create a lot of problems for Christians who hold to the view. I am not saying that evolution somehow disproves God (although it certainly doesn't help Him out), but I am saying that for the theistic evolutionist, these issues have to be addressed.
From my personal standpoint, theistic evolution is a way of bridging the (very large) gap between modern science and Christianity. All it seems to do is just throw God into the mix. In short, it's a cop out. When Genesis is conflicted with scientific evidence, theistic evolution creates an excuse that clearly generates more problems than it solves (something not uncommon in Christian apologetics).
Further Reading:
"10 Dangers of Theistic Evolution"
"Is the 'Gap Theory' an acceptable way to harmonize the Bible and the geologic record?"
Atheists and creationists alike have leveled numerous attacks at this view. Unfortunately for theistic evolutionists, this view runs into several problems with Genesis and in fact undermines the entire theology behind Christianity. It directly contradicts some aspects of Genesis and some things elsewhere in the Bible.
Discrepancies with Genesis
If Genesis is just a poetic description of the beginnings of the universe and life on Earth, then it seems to have the order of events wrong. According to secular theories, stars and galaxies were formed first, followed by planets and solar systems, then DNA (and thus life) emerged on earth. Genesis, however, has the earth forming first, then the plants, then the sun (how the plants survived before the sun was formed is beyond me), followed by the surrounding cosmos.
Genesis describes the sun rising and setting between the days. This indicates a literal day, which runs into direct contradiction with the "day=era" theory. I don't know enough about modern cosmology to discuss the time expansion theory, but it runs into the problem of having the events in a different order, described earlier.
According to theistic evolution, God did not create the planet ex nihilo, or from nothing, a very important doctrine in Christianity. Genesis never states, not even in some metaphoric or symbolic way, that God created some sort of organic material to set off life's formation. It does not have earth forming from cosmic dust. It does not even state this symbolically (e.g. "God created dust to form the earth" or "God made the earth from dust"). This is very difficult for a Christian to explain away or interpret his way around (although I'm sure it can be done).
The Sabbath day Moses commanded the Jews to follow is meaningless by theistic evolution. In Exodus, the Jews are clearly instructed to work for six days and then do no work on the seventh, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day [...]" (Ex. 20.11 KJV). The Jews weren't told to work for four and a half billion years and rest for a few hundred million. They were told to work for six days and to not work on the seventh. This is explicit!
Issues with Christian Theology
As described in this video, theistic evolution runs into the problem of evil. Evolution is rampant with suffering and death. It is why the weaker members of a species die off and give way to the stronger species for reproduction. It is why child birth is so painful. If God intentionally used evolution to create life, then the blame for death and suffering can no longer be placed on man's fall.
Theistic evolution undermines the entire doctrine of salvation by Christ's death on the cross. If suffering existed before man's creation and His actions, then there really is no need for salvation since it really isn't man's fault to begin with. Think about it. Because of disease and resource scarcity (a result of evolution), people have to kill members of other species to research cures for diseases and have to kill each other in war for resources. Theistic evolution really doesn't account for this.
If man's fall is just some sort of allegorical myth, then the integrity of Christian doctrine is undermined, since salvation through Christ reduces to symbolic allegory. Salvation through Christ is the central doctrine of Christianity. You cannot call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in this doctrine!
Clearly, theistic evolution raises some grave questions about Scripture and the entire theology of Christianity.
Conclusion
I am not attempting to disprove God or Christianity here. I am merely pointing out that theistic evolution seems to create a lot of problems for Christians who hold to the view. I am not saying that evolution somehow disproves God (although it certainly doesn't help Him out), but I am saying that for the theistic evolutionist, these issues have to be addressed.
From my personal standpoint, theistic evolution is a way of bridging the (very large) gap between modern science and Christianity. All it seems to do is just throw God into the mix. In short, it's a cop out. When Genesis is conflicted with scientific evidence, theistic evolution creates an excuse that clearly generates more problems than it solves (something not uncommon in Christian apologetics).
Further Reading:
"10 Dangers of Theistic Evolution"
"Is the 'Gap Theory' an acceptable way to harmonize the Bible and the geologic record?"
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Contemptible, Remorseless Cunt
In the area in which I live, I am frequently reminded of the utter moral reprehensibility of Christian fundamentalists. They're almost like professional football players. Society holds them up as role models and beacons for morality, when they are both (mostly) despicable individuals. I'd even go as far as saying that theologians are worse than professional football players with respect to immorality. Even I was surprised at the Jerry Falwell-worthy comments one of my instructors (who is a pastor spewing his hate to church goers when not in a classroom) made about a rape victim.
Before I get to his vile comments about the unfortunate victim, I would like to provide some background information on this pitiful, hateful man.
This person had his upbringings in a not-so-religious home, and one day in college, he found Jesus (I still can't find that sneaky fucker - I've checked everywhere). The man became a pastor, and the rest is history.
One day, he was discussing human mortality, and his thoughts on whether or not people survive death. Nothing out of the ordinary for the snake oil merchant. Then, he told us about his father, who is long dead and gone. Apparently, his father saw no reason to believe in surviving death, frequently claiming in the nursing home, "When you die, you die, and that's it!" According to the pastor, there were some other adjectives in there, as well.
Then, with a smile on his face, he said, "I think he found out how wrong he was after he died."
Just think about that. It's one thing if you're happy about abortion doctors and homosexuals burning in hell, but this man is content at the idea of his own father spending eternity in hell!
Despicable, heartless twat.
Commenting on recent protests by so-called "pro lifers", the shameless asshole got into a diatribe about how we're "ending human lives" and all that other jazz. Well that's something I'd expect, so his little soap box speech against abortion just went in one ear and out the other with me. But this individual dug himself a deeper grave.
He informed us of a rape in the area that led to a pregnancy. The woman was a hardcore Christian, evidently. She decided to keep the tumor. The bastard stated, with a typical preacher tone, "She decided not to throw away that human life." Now, I'm actually glad that he took a stance of opposing abortion even in the case of rape, because I feel that opposing abortion but supporting exceptions for rape is a double standard. Why does that fetus, which you claim is precious, suddenly have less value if it resulted from a rape? Saying you support abortion for rape victims is a double standard. I was at least happy he had a consistent view on the issue.
But this is where this twisted man's message got toxic. Mocking women's choice rights, he said, "The only choice she was capable of making was not going to that party with a bunch of people she didn't know from Adam."
Do you see what he has done? He has put the blame of a rape on the victim! He's basically said, "Well, she went out, got raped, knocked up, and it's her own damn fault for going to that party with those strange people."
Contemptible, bitter, remorseless cunt. Pitiful, asinine, self-righteous prick.
If there is a god, this asshole is not his prophet. I cannot accept that a god as evil and maniacal as this man is behind all time, energy, and matter in the universe. I'm sorry, but Christian fundamentalism is the last place I'll derive my morality from. If anything, it shows me exactly how not to behave.
Before I get to his vile comments about the unfortunate victim, I would like to provide some background information on this pitiful, hateful man.
This person had his upbringings in a not-so-religious home, and one day in college, he found Jesus (I still can't find that sneaky fucker - I've checked everywhere). The man became a pastor, and the rest is history.
One day, he was discussing human mortality, and his thoughts on whether or not people survive death. Nothing out of the ordinary for the snake oil merchant. Then, he told us about his father, who is long dead and gone. Apparently, his father saw no reason to believe in surviving death, frequently claiming in the nursing home, "When you die, you die, and that's it!" According to the pastor, there were some other adjectives in there, as well.
Then, with a smile on his face, he said, "I think he found out how wrong he was after he died."
Just think about that. It's one thing if you're happy about abortion doctors and homosexuals burning in hell, but this man is content at the idea of his own father spending eternity in hell!
Despicable, heartless twat.
Commenting on recent protests by so-called "pro lifers", the shameless asshole got into a diatribe about how we're "ending human lives" and all that other jazz. Well that's something I'd expect, so his little soap box speech against abortion just went in one ear and out the other with me. But this individual dug himself a deeper grave.
He informed us of a rape in the area that led to a pregnancy. The woman was a hardcore Christian, evidently. She decided to keep the tumor. The bastard stated, with a typical preacher tone, "She decided not to throw away that human life." Now, I'm actually glad that he took a stance of opposing abortion even in the case of rape, because I feel that opposing abortion but supporting exceptions for rape is a double standard. Why does that fetus, which you claim is precious, suddenly have less value if it resulted from a rape? Saying you support abortion for rape victims is a double standard. I was at least happy he had a consistent view on the issue.
But this is where this twisted man's message got toxic. Mocking women's choice rights, he said, "The only choice she was capable of making was not going to that party with a bunch of people she didn't know from Adam."
Do you see what he has done? He has put the blame of a rape on the victim! He's basically said, "Well, she went out, got raped, knocked up, and it's her own damn fault for going to that party with those strange people."
Contemptible, bitter, remorseless cunt. Pitiful, asinine, self-righteous prick.
If there is a god, this asshole is not his prophet. I cannot accept that a god as evil and maniacal as this man is behind all time, energy, and matter in the universe. I'm sorry, but Christian fundamentalism is the last place I'll derive my morality from. If anything, it shows me exactly how not to behave.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
What do I believe in?
I've reached an interesting conclusion recently. It's that atheism is a word that should not even be used. We do not define people by what they don't believe. You wouldn't call a Christian a non-Jew. Calling them a non-Jew is logically accurate, but it's senseless to call them that. That really doesn't tell us what they DO believe. Similarly, calling someone an atheist really doesn't give us an idea of what they do believe. Sure, it tells us they don't believe in any sort of deity, but it doesn't give us any idea what they do believe.
So what sort of things do I believe in? I believe in several things. I don't blindly worship a deity, but I have beliefs. What are these beliefs?
I believe in scientific progress. This means teaching science in science classes, not fantasy like creationism. Creationism will never make it to any peer-reviewed journal because there is no evidence for it. I believe in using physical evidence to explain things. A "feeling" is not physical evidence. The fact that you believe it does not make it true.
I believe in social progress and change. I believe in the benefit of society, the collective good. This does not mean the good of a few fat cats at AIG. I believe in the good of everyone, and that everyone has rights, even criminals, even the poor, even the disabled.
I believe in families, any families. Families by blood, families by adoption, or even a network of close friends. I believe that everyone has a right to have a family, not just heterosexual couples with their kids and their dog Spot. Everyone should be able to turn to the comfort of a family, gay or straight, by blood or adoption, with relatives or close friends.
I am a believer in morality. This means understanding that values are subjective. An understanding for one another's values is morally right. I believe that morality is measured not by tradition or dogmas, but by how well we treat our fellow man. A crusty, old alcoholic with a potty mouth who shows compassion and kindness for others is more moral than a virgin teetotaler priest who hates homosexuals and non-Christians. He may adhere to stronger traditions than the alcoholic, but he is still morally bankrupt because of his irrational resentment for people who like others with similar body parts.
I don't know what sort of word would summarize those beliefs. Maybe people could consider me a "secular humanist" or something like that. Calling me a liberal is certainly accurate. I simply believe in rational logic, and goodwill to others. I reject deities, but very strongly believe in progress and morality.
So what sort of things do I believe in? I believe in several things. I don't blindly worship a deity, but I have beliefs. What are these beliefs?
I believe in scientific progress. This means teaching science in science classes, not fantasy like creationism. Creationism will never make it to any peer-reviewed journal because there is no evidence for it. I believe in using physical evidence to explain things. A "feeling" is not physical evidence. The fact that you believe it does not make it true.
I believe in social progress and change. I believe in the benefit of society, the collective good. This does not mean the good of a few fat cats at AIG. I believe in the good of everyone, and that everyone has rights, even criminals, even the poor, even the disabled.
I believe in families, any families. Families by blood, families by adoption, or even a network of close friends. I believe that everyone has a right to have a family, not just heterosexual couples with their kids and their dog Spot. Everyone should be able to turn to the comfort of a family, gay or straight, by blood or adoption, with relatives or close friends.
I am a believer in morality. This means understanding that values are subjective. An understanding for one another's values is morally right. I believe that morality is measured not by tradition or dogmas, but by how well we treat our fellow man. A crusty, old alcoholic with a potty mouth who shows compassion and kindness for others is more moral than a virgin teetotaler priest who hates homosexuals and non-Christians. He may adhere to stronger traditions than the alcoholic, but he is still morally bankrupt because of his irrational resentment for people who like others with similar body parts.
I don't know what sort of word would summarize those beliefs. Maybe people could consider me a "secular humanist" or something like that. Calling me a liberal is certainly accurate. I simply believe in rational logic, and goodwill to others. I reject deities, but very strongly believe in progress and morality.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Debunking Pascal's Wager
One thing that made me hold my beliefs for as long as I did was Pascal's Wager. This is the idea that one should believe in god just to "be safe". If you believe and it turns out there isn't a god, then the worst that happens is you simply die. But if you don't believe and there is, the result is pretty severe. Therefore, it's better to believe and be wrong than it is to not believe and be wrong.
Well, there are numerous reasons this argument fails.
It ignores other heavens and hells, for one thing. What if you kick the bucket and Muhammad is standing at the pearly gates (and you're a Christian). Then you and atheists are both going to hell, but at least the atheists got to sleep in on Sundays.
Besides, there are over 30,000 denominations of Christianity, each claiming to be the "correct" one. What if you have the wrong denomination? What if it turns out the Mormons are the ones that got it right, and you're a reformed Calvinist or something like that? Even as a Christian, you've only got one chance in about 30,000 of entering heaven.
Hell's got quite the history behind it, actually. What if I told you that it is never mentioned in the Old Testament? In an accurate Bible translation, it never appears in the Old Testament. Ever. The King James Version of the Bible actually mistranslates the word "Sheol" into hell. Sheol, in Hebrew, is simply "the grave". This essentially means you die, you stay dead, that's it. Sheol is simply the resting place of the dead, righteous or otherwise.
The ancient Hebrews had no concept of hell. Hell is never mentioned, in its current understanding, until the New Testament, and it is believed that it only appears in the NT because of Sheol's mistranslation in the OT.
Hell is never mentioned, in any translation of the Bible, in Mosaic Law (that is - the first five books of the OT). Mosaic Law only deals with curses and blessings in this lifetime, not in the life to come. Now, you'd think God would have told his covenant people about a place like Hell. You'd think it would have been mentioned to Adam and Eve, or at least to folks like Abraham and Moses, but in is never mentioned to them.
So, the question is, where did Hell come from?
Well, like many other things in Christianity, the concept of Hell is plagiarized from paganism. The Greeks, for instance, believed in the underworld, where all the dead went, righteous or otherwise, to simply rest. No eternal torture. Around Jerusalem, many pagans did child sacrifices in a trash dump called Gehenna, where these children were burned alive in a sacrifice to Baal. It was the valley where the dead burned. Sounds familiar, huh?
Hell is merely an appeal to fear. In the early Catholic church, many people were not allowed into the church unless they believed that some would be in torment forever in Hell. Hell was used, originally, as a tactic for people to give the church money. Money to be kept from Hell. Hell is a scam.
There are actually Christians that don't believe in the existence of hell, and for good reason.
I would like to address the fence sitters at this point. Those of you who are beginning to think of throwing off those chains of religion forever. I implore you, all of you, to throw those shackles down. The natural world isn't so bad, guys. You get to go to bed without having to talk to the air, you can sleep in on Sundays, you can have all the sex you want (safely, of course), the list goes on. You are good people. There are many good people out there who could be at their full potential if they didn't have the religion monkey on their backs. Let's remove ourselves from the stocks of religion and become a healthy species!
-Matt
Well, there are numerous reasons this argument fails.
It ignores other heavens and hells, for one thing. What if you kick the bucket and Muhammad is standing at the pearly gates (and you're a Christian). Then you and atheists are both going to hell, but at least the atheists got to sleep in on Sundays.
Besides, there are over 30,000 denominations of Christianity, each claiming to be the "correct" one. What if you have the wrong denomination? What if it turns out the Mormons are the ones that got it right, and you're a reformed Calvinist or something like that? Even as a Christian, you've only got one chance in about 30,000 of entering heaven.
Hell's got quite the history behind it, actually. What if I told you that it is never mentioned in the Old Testament? In an accurate Bible translation, it never appears in the Old Testament. Ever. The King James Version of the Bible actually mistranslates the word "Sheol" into hell. Sheol, in Hebrew, is simply "the grave". This essentially means you die, you stay dead, that's it. Sheol is simply the resting place of the dead, righteous or otherwise.
The ancient Hebrews had no concept of hell. Hell is never mentioned, in its current understanding, until the New Testament, and it is believed that it only appears in the NT because of Sheol's mistranslation in the OT.
Hell is never mentioned, in any translation of the Bible, in Mosaic Law (that is - the first five books of the OT). Mosaic Law only deals with curses and blessings in this lifetime, not in the life to come. Now, you'd think God would have told his covenant people about a place like Hell. You'd think it would have been mentioned to Adam and Eve, or at least to folks like Abraham and Moses, but in is never mentioned to them.
So, the question is, where did Hell come from?
Well, like many other things in Christianity, the concept of Hell is plagiarized from paganism. The Greeks, for instance, believed in the underworld, where all the dead went, righteous or otherwise, to simply rest. No eternal torture. Around Jerusalem, many pagans did child sacrifices in a trash dump called Gehenna, where these children were burned alive in a sacrifice to Baal. It was the valley where the dead burned. Sounds familiar, huh?
Hell is merely an appeal to fear. In the early Catholic church, many people were not allowed into the church unless they believed that some would be in torment forever in Hell. Hell was used, originally, as a tactic for people to give the church money. Money to be kept from Hell. Hell is a scam.
There are actually Christians that don't believe in the existence of hell, and for good reason.
I would like to address the fence sitters at this point. Those of you who are beginning to think of throwing off those chains of religion forever. I implore you, all of you, to throw those shackles down. The natural world isn't so bad, guys. You get to go to bed without having to talk to the air, you can sleep in on Sundays, you can have all the sex you want (safely, of course), the list goes on. You are good people. There are many good people out there who could be at their full potential if they didn't have the religion monkey on their backs. Let's remove ourselves from the stocks of religion and become a healthy species!
-Matt
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Concluding remarks
Well I just finished Revelation, the last book of the horrendous christian scripture. I must say, it does a nice job of concluding a book where it seems like every other word is DEATH or KILL or DIE or ANGER or WRATH or something similar. Seriously, I wonder what kind of anger issues these bronze age men had.
I really loved chapter 14, where it talks about how unbelievers will be tormented in burning sulfur in the face of this loving god, who will smell the sweet aroma of the smoke off their burning flesh, that will rise forever and ever (it's in there, see for yourself).
Seriously, how the FUCK do people buy into this shit? Who is the sick motherfucker that made this crap up??
I am regretful that my first nineteen years of life were spent with this crucifix-shaped dick up my ass. My pity goes out to the people who believe the shit in this book.
-Matt
I really loved chapter 14, where it talks about how unbelievers will be tormented in burning sulfur in the face of this loving god, who will smell the sweet aroma of the smoke off their burning flesh, that will rise forever and ever (it's in there, see for yourself).
Seriously, how the FUCK do people buy into this shit? Who is the sick motherfucker that made this crap up??
I am regretful that my first nineteen years of life were spent with this crucifix-shaped dick up my ass. My pity goes out to the people who believe the shit in this book.
-Matt
Thursday, April 9, 2009
De-Converting Hardcore Theists is Impossible
Do I try to de-convert Christians, Jews, and other theists? No. I do not. That is impossible. I used to be that way, and no one could de-convert me. People have to do it on their own. That's how it works. While I do not try to de-convert theists, I do try to influence the "fence-sitters" or the people who are exploring life outside of religious dogma, but aren't quite "there". That is where I had been for months before I broke the chains of faith. Many de-converts lie in the gray phase for some time before fully awakening to the scam.
Ever debated a conspiracy theorist? You know, the folks who think that 9/11 was carried out with bombs, or the people who think the Federal Reserve was conceived by a handful of wealthy bankers, or the people who argue that climate change is a scam by highly educated and intelligent scientists? It's pretty much impossible, isn't it? Why is that? Because if you disagree with them, you're "in on it". That's the only reason you'd disagree with them, because you are IN on it. That, or you are under a hopeless influence by the people responsible.
It's the same way with theists. Any sort of logic or reason is "temptation from Satan" or something similar. It is therefore impossible to convince a theist that their beliefs are bullshit, because you are just under the influence of Satan, or demons, or whatever. How delightfully convenient that any sort of dissent is the work of some sort of evil being.
Of course this is logically unsound on their part, but in their minds, any dissent to their beliefs is "evil". With their own flawed logic, their beliefs are easily destroyed.
For example, there is a way to prove that you are God. That's right, you can prove that you are God, using their logic. Here is thunderf00t's method of proving that you are indeed God.
1) Telling a lie makes you a liar and stealing makes you a thief. That is said in the Bible.
2) Everything in the Bible is true.
3) The Bible says there are none good except God.
4) With the logic of assumption 1, a single act of good makes you good. If a single lie makes you a liar, why can't a single act of good make you good?
5) According to assumption 3, being good makes you God.
6) With a single act of good, you are God.
Ever debated a conspiracy theorist? You know, the folks who think that 9/11 was carried out with bombs, or the people who think the Federal Reserve was conceived by a handful of wealthy bankers, or the people who argue that climate change is a scam by highly educated and intelligent scientists? It's pretty much impossible, isn't it? Why is that? Because if you disagree with them, you're "in on it". That's the only reason you'd disagree with them, because you are IN on it. That, or you are under a hopeless influence by the people responsible.
It's the same way with theists. Any sort of logic or reason is "temptation from Satan" or something similar. It is therefore impossible to convince a theist that their beliefs are bullshit, because you are just under the influence of Satan, or demons, or whatever. How delightfully convenient that any sort of dissent is the work of some sort of evil being.
Of course this is logically unsound on their part, but in their minds, any dissent to their beliefs is "evil". With their own flawed logic, their beliefs are easily destroyed.
For example, there is a way to prove that you are God. That's right, you can prove that you are God, using their logic. Here is thunderf00t's method of proving that you are indeed God.
1) Telling a lie makes you a liar and stealing makes you a thief. That is said in the Bible.
2) Everything in the Bible is true.
3) The Bible says there are none good except God.
4) With the logic of assumption 1, a single act of good makes you good. If a single lie makes you a liar, why can't a single act of good make you good?
5) According to assumption 3, being good makes you God.
6) With a single act of good, you are God.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The founders of religion must have been intelligent
It is my belief that some of the founders of religion, like various rulers, were highly intelligent people. Especially the founders of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Think about it. These people created a mechanism that could control massive populations for millennia.
Furthermore, they devised an instrument that could silence anyone intelligent enough to figure this scam out. The increasingly loud voice of atheism is making more people abandon their faith than gain it. If this had happened in the early times, the scheme would topple and the people behind the scam would lose all control.
It was necessary, then, to convince the population that those who rejected the beliefs of the fabrication were somehow immoral or problematic to society, and that following in their footsteps would lead to an eternal punishment.
Why would such an instrument be used? I suppose there are two possibilities.
Perhaps it was the only way a government could work. Maybe populations rejected government unless they were convinced that there was a divine influence over them to submit to a government. The deceivers might have had good intentions, merely desiring peace and order in a population, and the scam just got out of control.
Another possibility is that they were simply bloodthirsty, murderous, thoughtless maniacs. Intelligent, but obviously not using it for the well-being of the human race. Given early human civilization, I would not be surprised if this was the case.
This is a scam that dupes people to this day, and it dupes them in large numbers. It's doing a damn good job of psychologically enslaving society. This is a scam by intelligent people - possibly without any moral compass - that has grown out of control.
The cost to humanity has been devastating.
It forces people to believe in objective morality (such belief is deadly) and to believe in imaginary things, which is delusional by definition.
Monday, March 23, 2009
God's "love"
"Why would a god create a person knowing he's going to Hell? Isn't that sadistic?" -FightingAtheist
VenomFangX, the most popular creationist on YouTube, has said "Forced love is basically rape, and God loves us too much to force us to love Him."
But I guess He just doesn't love us enough to not send us to Hell. Loves us too much to force us to love Him, but sorry, just not quite enough to not send us to His special place full of fire, smoke, torment, etc.
One of my biggest questions for theists, particularly Christians, is why did God knowingly create flawed (not sinless) human beings? He did this knowingly. The Bible says that God knows past, present, and future. Thus, when creating humans, He must have known that Adam and Eve would fuck up and eat from that tree. (And why the hell was that tree there to start with?). So, after knowingly creating humans that would slip up, He sends them to Hell and even regrets creating them. First of all, how does a perfect being like God create imperfect things like humans? And when he does this intentionally, why does it piss him off so much when people screw up, when he fucking knows they were going to?
It's like making a bomb and then getting pissed when it blows up after you light the fuse. Why the hell did you create the bomb and light the fuse, knowing it would blow up? If you knew it was going to detonate, even while you were creating it, why are you so pissed it detonated?
One student in this Bible class I'm forced to take even asked the professor why the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was planted in the Garden of Eden when God knew that Adam and Eve would eat from it. I was impressed that one of these brainwashed people even asked such a question. Well, this other student chimes in and says "Without choice there's no love." I assume he's referring to the love by humans for God. VenomFangX tells us that God "loves" us too much to force us to love Him, so that's why they had that choice.
So, let's recap. God creates humans and a tree they shouldn't eat from knowing they'll choose to eat from it. God "loves" them too much to not put the tree there and thus prevent the fall of man altogether. So, people are sent to Hell for their sin, which resulted from the original two humans created by a being that knew they were going to fuck over the human race while He was creating them. Remember, God loved us too much to just create us without flaws, but sends us to a place full of torture and anguish to suffer forever for these flaws that HE engineered into us.
If you're a sane person, there is a question coming to your mind right now:
What... the... fuck?
Can you see why this whole story just fails so hard? I mean, it's such bullshit. People who are brainwashed by this dogma really need to look into this shit. Many of them don't because it makes them feel like they're disobeying their (G)god in doing so. That fear has been psychologically indoctrinated into them in their childhood. How delightfully convenient for religions that any sort of logical thought is "temptation from the devil" and so forth. Well, what if it turns out the ancient Greeks were right and Zeus is who you should have been worshiping all along? Then you've completely disobeyed him already. People brought up in classical Greece would have been too frightened to think critically about Zeus because it created a fear of disobedience to do so. It's the same thing today with Yahweh (the Judeo-Christian God). You're too scared to think critically about this being because of your indoctrination. You need to start doing so. Once you stray from this indoctrination, you can recover from this delusion you've been forced to live in from childhood, and thus cease being a slave to religion.
VenomFangX, the most popular creationist on YouTube, has said "Forced love is basically rape, and God loves us too much to force us to love Him."
But I guess He just doesn't love us enough to not send us to Hell. Loves us too much to force us to love Him, but sorry, just not quite enough to not send us to His special place full of fire, smoke, torment, etc.
One of my biggest questions for theists, particularly Christians, is why did God knowingly create flawed (not sinless) human beings? He did this knowingly. The Bible says that God knows past, present, and future. Thus, when creating humans, He must have known that Adam and Eve would fuck up and eat from that tree. (And why the hell was that tree there to start with?). So, after knowingly creating humans that would slip up, He sends them to Hell and even regrets creating them. First of all, how does a perfect being like God create imperfect things like humans? And when he does this intentionally, why does it piss him off so much when people screw up, when he fucking knows they were going to?
It's like making a bomb and then getting pissed when it blows up after you light the fuse. Why the hell did you create the bomb and light the fuse, knowing it would blow up? If you knew it was going to detonate, even while you were creating it, why are you so pissed it detonated?
One student in this Bible class I'm forced to take even asked the professor why the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was planted in the Garden of Eden when God knew that Adam and Eve would eat from it. I was impressed that one of these brainwashed people even asked such a question. Well, this other student chimes in and says "Without choice there's no love." I assume he's referring to the love by humans for God. VenomFangX tells us that God "loves" us too much to force us to love Him, so that's why they had that choice.
So, let's recap. God creates humans and a tree they shouldn't eat from knowing they'll choose to eat from it. God "loves" them too much to not put the tree there and thus prevent the fall of man altogether. So, people are sent to Hell for their sin, which resulted from the original two humans created by a being that knew they were going to fuck over the human race while He was creating them. Remember, God loved us too much to just create us without flaws, but sends us to a place full of torture and anguish to suffer forever for these flaws that HE engineered into us.
If you're a sane person, there is a question coming to your mind right now:
What... the... fuck?
Can you see why this whole story just fails so hard? I mean, it's such bullshit. People who are brainwashed by this dogma really need to look into this shit. Many of them don't because it makes them feel like they're disobeying their (G)god in doing so. That fear has been psychologically indoctrinated into them in their childhood. How delightfully convenient for religions that any sort of logical thought is "temptation from the devil" and so forth. Well, what if it turns out the ancient Greeks were right and Zeus is who you should have been worshiping all along? Then you've completely disobeyed him already. People brought up in classical Greece would have been too frightened to think critically about Zeus because it created a fear of disobedience to do so. It's the same thing today with Yahweh (the Judeo-Christian God). You're too scared to think critically about this being because of your indoctrination. You need to start doing so. Once you stray from this indoctrination, you can recover from this delusion you've been forced to live in from childhood, and thus cease being a slave to religion.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Manifestation of a Dangerous Institution
To avoid getting my balls sued off or getting kicked out, I will not disclose which college I'm attending. I will, however, discuss the events that take place here as well as some of my academic information (under FERPA, I can do that).
I do generally well here, though these gen eds I'm forced to take may change that, with me being forced to have conservative propaganda as well as religious dogma shoved down my throat in some classes. I was told I was supposed to have children at one point. It's essentially a big kid's bible camp. People look at me like I'm some kind of blasphemer (which is accurate) or as some kind of freak when I mention not desiring to put more polluting shit machines into the world. These southerners are conditioned from birth to reproduce and have families and all that rubbish, as if life depends on it almost. Any variation from that destroys their narrow paradigm (which scares the living shit out of them).
I honestly don't see why people got so pissy about Obama's mention of people clinging to guns and religion. I think he was absolutely correct. And I think his preacher had some wise words, too. This country WAS built on the backs of slaves. Sorry if you don't like that. It's true. I couldn't give a flying fuck about him or his preacher's "controversial" comments. They're probably what needs to be said in this country, anyway.
I'm getting sidetracked, though.
This place I'm forced to attend (pressured by parents, I'm also dirt poor and need the scholarship) claims to be all about morals, when it is in fact morally bankrupt. They're almost as morally bankrupt as the bible (if you read that carefully, you'll find it is VERY morally bankrupt).
I think one of it's greatest immoralities is in its students. These godly little Christian fundies are some of the biggest partiers I've seen in my life. I know of cases where they smuggle alcohol into their rooms. They treat women like they're lower in society, believing that they are merely for kitchen duty and making even more little conservative christian robots.
"You see they didn't always let girls in (workstation censored for privacy)... which is how I think it should be today..."
"This workstation's gone downhill because they've let girls work here."
--anonymous co-worker and schoolmate
"I want someone to keep my name."
"I wanna find me a tall girl so my kids will have a chance."
--anonymous schoolmate
Clearly, we don't see a whole hell of a lot of critical thinking on their part.
They even go as far as harassing and judging students who are "different" from others. There were a couple of outcast girls at my workstation one time. They were ridiculed behind their backs by some of the other workers for no reason - other than perhaps their appearance or simple unwillingness to socialize with others. These girls had not said two words to these people, yet they were ridiculed and scorned by them for mere insociability. There's some real christian love and acceptance for you.
Then there's immorality from the administration and school. The administration is corrupt as all hell. I have first hand experience of some students treated better than others merely because they had connections. This place claims to be a college for the poor, yet they accept students who drive new Mustangs and similar vehicles around campus. Student athletes here often get the nicer dorms. I don't think such corruption is a great way to get into heaven.
Unless of course you're a catholic priest. Then corruption is the only way to get into heaven. That and raping children.
Lest we forget the way they impose on students' private lives. This ranges from censorship all the way to fascist policies restricting personal freedoms. If you try to go to a website containing information they may not want you to see on your own computer in your own dorm room, they Websense it. That's right. You are censored on your very own computer. They are trying to create a generation of more little conservative religious consumers, and they're doing it by censoring what these students see. Utter moral bankruptcy.
We have curfews, and have to be in our residence hall four nights of the week. It is a must. It's almost like we're in the seventh grade again.
We are forced to attend classes that shove conservative propaganda down our throats, and are required to watch conservative gasbags cum themselves in an auditorium listening to their own voices.
It's mind control and it's restriction of freedom.
This does not even begin to show their extreme immoral and ultimately inhumane treatment of human beings. Nothing shows it more than the oppression that, several years ago, led a student to committing suicide in the garage of one of the administrators' homes by way of intentional carbon monoxide poisoning. After (probably) being pressured by his parents to attend this highly homophobic school, this gay student could not find reconciliation anywhere. He was told by one of the pastor "counselors" that since he had not had sex with another man, the gay community would not accept him. In his mind, the gays didn't like him, and these homophobic classmates of his did not like him either.
The homophobic administration and student body killed him. They did it indirectly, but they killed him, for nothing other than the fact that he was gay.
Even more sickening was the fact that none of the professors or students was to find out about it. They tried their best to keep this tragedy quiet. Why did they want to keep it quiet so desperately? It's almost as if they may have had something to do with his death. It may have had something to do with the fact that the homophobic attitudes they promote amongst themselves and students led this man to take his own life.
I guess someone's life has lesser value if they happen to be gay.
Somewhere with such little regard for human life and personal freedom is morally bankrupt in my book. Especially homophobic, fascist, oppressive institutes like this one. Religion is the root cause. Religion places higher value on some people than on others. Killing is okay sometimes (especially if the person in question believes in a different invisible man or no invisible man, or if the person is gay). Religion is manifested through oppressive churches, schools, organizations, and other bodies and perpetuates lies, dogma, and hatred through these manifestations. It is not as moral as it claims to be.
Religion is a dangerous institution. It destroys lives and it kills.
I do generally well here, though these gen eds I'm forced to take may change that, with me being forced to have conservative propaganda as well as religious dogma shoved down my throat in some classes. I was told I was supposed to have children at one point. It's essentially a big kid's bible camp. People look at me like I'm some kind of blasphemer (which is accurate) or as some kind of freak when I mention not desiring to put more polluting shit machines into the world. These southerners are conditioned from birth to reproduce and have families and all that rubbish, as if life depends on it almost. Any variation from that destroys their narrow paradigm (which scares the living shit out of them).
I honestly don't see why people got so pissy about Obama's mention of people clinging to guns and religion. I think he was absolutely correct. And I think his preacher had some wise words, too. This country WAS built on the backs of slaves. Sorry if you don't like that. It's true. I couldn't give a flying fuck about him or his preacher's "controversial" comments. They're probably what needs to be said in this country, anyway.
I'm getting sidetracked, though.
This place I'm forced to attend (pressured by parents, I'm also dirt poor and need the scholarship) claims to be all about morals, when it is in fact morally bankrupt. They're almost as morally bankrupt as the bible (if you read that carefully, you'll find it is VERY morally bankrupt).
I think one of it's greatest immoralities is in its students. These godly little Christian fundies are some of the biggest partiers I've seen in my life. I know of cases where they smuggle alcohol into their rooms. They treat women like they're lower in society, believing that they are merely for kitchen duty and making even more little conservative christian robots.
"You see they didn't always let girls in (workstation censored for privacy)... which is how I think it should be today..."
"This workstation's gone downhill because they've let girls work here."
--anonymous co-worker and schoolmate
"I want someone to keep my name."
"I wanna find me a tall girl so my kids will have a chance."
--anonymous schoolmate
Clearly, we don't see a whole hell of a lot of critical thinking on their part.
They even go as far as harassing and judging students who are "different" from others. There were a couple of outcast girls at my workstation one time. They were ridiculed behind their backs by some of the other workers for no reason - other than perhaps their appearance or simple unwillingness to socialize with others. These girls had not said two words to these people, yet they were ridiculed and scorned by them for mere insociability. There's some real christian love and acceptance for you.
Then there's immorality from the administration and school. The administration is corrupt as all hell. I have first hand experience of some students treated better than others merely because they had connections. This place claims to be a college for the poor, yet they accept students who drive new Mustangs and similar vehicles around campus. Student athletes here often get the nicer dorms. I don't think such corruption is a great way to get into heaven.
Unless of course you're a catholic priest. Then corruption is the only way to get into heaven. That and raping children.
Lest we forget the way they impose on students' private lives. This ranges from censorship all the way to fascist policies restricting personal freedoms. If you try to go to a website containing information they may not want you to see on your own computer in your own dorm room, they Websense it. That's right. You are censored on your very own computer. They are trying to create a generation of more little conservative religious consumers, and they're doing it by censoring what these students see. Utter moral bankruptcy.
We have curfews, and have to be in our residence hall four nights of the week. It is a must. It's almost like we're in the seventh grade again.
We are forced to attend classes that shove conservative propaganda down our throats, and are required to watch conservative gasbags cum themselves in an auditorium listening to their own voices.
It's mind control and it's restriction of freedom.
This does not even begin to show their extreme immoral and ultimately inhumane treatment of human beings. Nothing shows it more than the oppression that, several years ago, led a student to committing suicide in the garage of one of the administrators' homes by way of intentional carbon monoxide poisoning. After (probably) being pressured by his parents to attend this highly homophobic school, this gay student could not find reconciliation anywhere. He was told by one of the pastor "counselors" that since he had not had sex with another man, the gay community would not accept him. In his mind, the gays didn't like him, and these homophobic classmates of his did not like him either.
The homophobic administration and student body killed him. They did it indirectly, but they killed him, for nothing other than the fact that he was gay.
Even more sickening was the fact that none of the professors or students was to find out about it. They tried their best to keep this tragedy quiet. Why did they want to keep it quiet so desperately? It's almost as if they may have had something to do with his death. It may have had something to do with the fact that the homophobic attitudes they promote amongst themselves and students led this man to take his own life.
I guess someone's life has lesser value if they happen to be gay.
Somewhere with such little regard for human life and personal freedom is morally bankrupt in my book. Especially homophobic, fascist, oppressive institutes like this one. Religion is the root cause. Religion places higher value on some people than on others. Killing is okay sometimes (especially if the person in question believes in a different invisible man or no invisible man, or if the person is gay). Religion is manifested through oppressive churches, schools, organizations, and other bodies and perpetuates lies, dogma, and hatred through these manifestations. It is not as moral as it claims to be.
Religion is a dangerous institution. It destroys lives and it kills.
Life sucks and then you die
Some of the greatest questions us nonbelievers are faced with is "What happens to you when you die?" and "What is life for?"
These are tough questions, indeed. I'm something of a nihilist at times. I've often thought that life has no value. If there is no afterlife, it's not like we'll be punished, or on the flip side, rewarded, for what we've done in life, so what is the point in living? This question is almost impossible to answer without answering the other question "What happens to you when you die?"
I don't claim to be one hundred percent sure of anything. I would say I'm probably about 70-80 percent sure there isn't any sort of god or other supernatural being (I am what is called an "agnostic atheist"). Saying you're absolutely sure is bad science. I am, however, pretty sure, that once we die, that's it. We're dead. We're just gone. Our conscious ceases to exist and that's all. Oblivion. Nothing.
It's much like global warming. You have no clue how much I'd LOVE for global warming to just be a conspiracy by quack scientists. I WISH it was all bullshit, that it was a myth, and that my beloved winters were safe from extinction. I really wish I was wrong. The sad thing is, I (along with most scientific institutions) am not wrong.
I'd love to believe that after I die I get to live in paradise for all eternity. I really wish that was the case, but it's (most likely) not.
I suppose if you share some Buddhist beliefs you may think that perhaps we're reborn as someone else. If you share even more of these beliefs, what you are born as depends on how you lived your previous life. If you lived well, you may be born to live a happier life. If not, you may be born into a less fortunate life. This raises the question, though, of who determines how well you lived your life. If you don't believe in something to determine this, then it seems like it may be a groundless belief.
Many claim to have had what's called out of body experiences, in which their mind literally leaves their body and travels about. Perhaps this is what happens. Your conscious self is just left behind. There is no scientific evidence, though, for or against this.
Epicurus, one of the earliest skeptic thinkers, believed that death is something not to be feared, as it is the end of body and soul. I look at it like this: How can you suffer from nonexistence if you don't exist to suffer to begin with?
If you believe in an afterlife that is determined by how full your life was, or reincarnation, or simply fading into nonexistence, or whatever, one thing is certain: you have to live your life as best as you can.
These are tough questions, indeed. I'm something of a nihilist at times. I've often thought that life has no value. If there is no afterlife, it's not like we'll be punished, or on the flip side, rewarded, for what we've done in life, so what is the point in living? This question is almost impossible to answer without answering the other question "What happens to you when you die?"
I don't claim to be one hundred percent sure of anything. I would say I'm probably about 70-80 percent sure there isn't any sort of god or other supernatural being (I am what is called an "agnostic atheist"). Saying you're absolutely sure is bad science. I am, however, pretty sure, that once we die, that's it. We're dead. We're just gone. Our conscious ceases to exist and that's all. Oblivion. Nothing.
It's much like global warming. You have no clue how much I'd LOVE for global warming to just be a conspiracy by quack scientists. I WISH it was all bullshit, that it was a myth, and that my beloved winters were safe from extinction. I really wish I was wrong. The sad thing is, I (along with most scientific institutions) am not wrong.
I'd love to believe that after I die I get to live in paradise for all eternity. I really wish that was the case, but it's (most likely) not.
I suppose if you share some Buddhist beliefs you may think that perhaps we're reborn as someone else. If you share even more of these beliefs, what you are born as depends on how you lived your previous life. If you lived well, you may be born to live a happier life. If not, you may be born into a less fortunate life. This raises the question, though, of who determines how well you lived your life. If you don't believe in something to determine this, then it seems like it may be a groundless belief.
Many claim to have had what's called out of body experiences, in which their mind literally leaves their body and travels about. Perhaps this is what happens. Your conscious self is just left behind. There is no scientific evidence, though, for or against this.
Epicurus, one of the earliest skeptic thinkers, believed that death is something not to be feared, as it is the end of body and soul. I look at it like this: How can you suffer from nonexistence if you don't exist to suffer to begin with?
If you believe in an afterlife that is determined by how full your life was, or reincarnation, or simply fading into nonexistence, or whatever, one thing is certain: you have to live your life as best as you can.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Why God can't get tenure
You may have seen this list before. Pretty funny.
1. Only published one book.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. There is doubt He wrote it Himself.
4. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning all the subjects.
5. When sample subjects do not behave as predicted, He deletes the whole sample
6. He rarely comes to class-just tells His students to read the Book.
7. It is rumored that He sometimes lets His Son teach the class.
8. Although He only has 10 requirements, His students often fail His tests.
9. He expelled His first two students for learning.
10. His office hours are infrequent and usually held on a mountain top.
1. Only published one book.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. There is doubt He wrote it Himself.
4. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning all the subjects.
5. When sample subjects do not behave as predicted, He deletes the whole sample
6. He rarely comes to class-just tells His students to read the Book.
7. It is rumored that He sometimes lets His Son teach the class.
8. Although He only has 10 requirements, His students often fail His tests.
9. He expelled His first two students for learning.
10. His office hours are infrequent and usually held on a mountain top.
Ownage: Thunderf00t
Watching creationists get destroyed is a joy to me. To see their ignorant beliefs destroyed in their faces is like this snowstorm in Maine. Absolutely beautiful.
Perhaps one of the best destroyers of creationism on YouTube is thunderf00t. Take a look at his "Why do people laugh at creationists?" series on his channel. He uses some undeniable scientific logic as well as gut-busting humor to destroy different creationists like the banned comment-censoring user VenomFangX and the tax fraudster Kent Hovind (who is serving a ten-year sentence in prison for tax fraud). It's kind of a shame those guys have been banned and jailed. Now we need to find new ways of entertainment. Nothing funnier than watching Hovind trying to use a science fiction book (the Bible) to back scientific arguments, which would never make it to the pages of any self-respecting scientific journal.
This is just sort of an introductory post. I call this blog the Vomit Bowl because when I see the unimaginable ignorance like what's seen in the United States (religious conservatism, nationalistic jingoism, etc.), I can't help but feel like throwing up.
Matt
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