Sep
30
But the atheist organization, based in Madison, Wisc., found another way to attack the church. It sicked the Franklin County, Ohio Auditor's Office on Christ Cathedral, claiming that the church was required to pay property taxes ...
Sep
30
 Christian Post | Poll: Is a Christian conversion a one-way trip? Tucson Citizen Since I was born again, but now I'm an atheist, would you guys who think I'm still saved be comfortable if I just call myself a “Born Again Atheist?” There's some disagreement about whether someone such as myself can get “unsaved”. ... Has Atheism Been Sold to America? |
Sep
30
September 30th is International Blasphemy Day . Atheists and anyone else who supports freedom of speech and the right to satire are encouraged to be blasphemous.
Sep
30
Lebanon's witch hunt for Satanists — authorities arrest heavy metal musicians and fans Possibly no other simple violation of civil rights illustrates the weakness and subconscious uncertainty of religious thought than arrests for "blasphemy." As they say: "Blasphemy is a victimless crime."
Speaking of which...TODAY is International Blasphemy Rights Day!
Christian Lies About '
Sep
30
My mom, although she was generous to a fault with her friends and family, was very suspicious of strangers. I blame this in part on the fact that during the last ten years of her life, she watched the show Cops every night. If you expose yourself, even willingly, to a continual parade of thieves, arsonists, murderers, and other no-goods, you're bound to come away with the view that the world is a pretty shady place, and most of humanity unscrupulous at best and dangerous at worst.
It is perhaps an occupational hazard of writing a blog such as this one that I often find myself wondering if humans are honestly capable of any shred of rationality. I realize that, like my mom, I'm deliberately opening myself to a skewed viewpoint -- every day I seek out examples of weird beliefs and bizarre behavior, so I shouldn't be surprised that I come away with the jaundiced attitude that my fellow humans are, by and large, a bunch of wingnuts. Still, some of the stories I ran into this morning leave me shaking my head and wondering how natural selection hasn't replaced us with a more sensible, intelligent dominant species. I think that dolphins, for example, might well make better Lords of the Earth, given some of our behavior.
For example, we have a murder case in Florida, in which 18-year-old Stephanie Pistey is accused of killing 16-year-old Jacob Hendershot. All of which would be tragic but not relevant to today's topic, except that Pistey maintains that she killed Hendershot because she's "a vampire-werewolf hybrid." According to the reports, Pistey "talked calmly and rationally" about her beliefs, which included the fact that "bloodlust is just part of who we are."
Of course, I'm sure that when Pistey comes to trial, her defense will try to prove that she's mentally unbalanced. Which is clearly a true statement, but then, how mentally unbalanced do you have to be before you're honestly not responsible for your actions? It's hard to believe that anyone who had not completely lost touch with reality (and there's apparently no evidence that Pistey is schizophrenic) would be so convinced that she was part vampire, part werewolf that she would kill someone. But that's evidently exactly what happened here. Clearly Pistey believes that vampires and werewolves are real, and it's to be assumed that she didn't come by that belief on her own.
Just yesterday, we had news that a couple in Oregon were found guilty two days ago of second-degree manslaughter for allowing their premature newborn to die. The couple believed that praying for the child, and anointing him with "blessed oil," would cause god to save his life -- teachings promoted by their church, the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City. Amazingly, the judge agreed to a "religious exemption" -- meaning that the couple will likely spend less than 18 months in jail for the offense. One has to wonder what other homicidal lunacy might become excusable as long as it's based on religious grounds.
Speaking of which, we have the cheery story that our allies in Saudi Arabia have beheaded a Sudanese man for witchcraft. The man, Abdul Hamid bin Hussein Mostafa al-Fakki, was arrested in 2005 for "casting a spell to reconcile his divorced parents," and found guilty of sorcery, which is a capital offense in Islamic religious law. He was executed by beheading last week. And lest we think that such medieval beliefs are limited to the Middle East, we have a story from Uganda that four people were banished from their village for witchcraft, and a businessman in Indonesia is currently awaiting trial for using "dark magic" to harm his competitors in the marketplace. Apparently, the fact that there's no such thing as Black Magic doesn't mean that you can't be convicted of it in a court of law.
I think I'll end with a story about an archaeological dig in Piombino, Italy. Archaeologists searching for the tomb of St. Cerbonius, alleged to be in the vicinity, came upon the bones of a woman, who was between 25 and 30 years old at her death, which occurred in about 1200 C.E. What caught the attention of the researchers was the fashion in which she was buried -- she had several nails driven into her jawbone, and there were more nails struck into the ground near her body. (The cause of death is as yet undetermined, and it's to be hoped the nails were hammered into her after she'd died -- but that's not certain, unfortunately.) The archaeologists stated that according to writings from the time, this was the way the bodies of witches, warlocks, and vampires were treated -- the nails were intended to keep them from coming back from the dead and harming the living.
How far we've come in 800 years.
It is perhaps an occupational hazard of writing a blog such as this one that I often find myself wondering if humans are honestly capable of any shred of rationality. I realize that, like my mom, I'm deliberately opening myself to a skewed viewpoint -- every day I seek out examples of weird beliefs and bizarre behavior, so I shouldn't be surprised that I come away with the jaundiced attitude that my fellow humans are, by and large, a bunch of wingnuts. Still, some of the stories I ran into this morning leave me shaking my head and wondering how natural selection hasn't replaced us with a more sensible, intelligent dominant species. I think that dolphins, for example, might well make better Lords of the Earth, given some of our behavior.
For example, we have a murder case in Florida, in which 18-year-old Stephanie Pistey is accused of killing 16-year-old Jacob Hendershot. All of which would be tragic but not relevant to today's topic, except that Pistey maintains that she killed Hendershot because she's "a vampire-werewolf hybrid." According to the reports, Pistey "talked calmly and rationally" about her beliefs, which included the fact that "bloodlust is just part of who we are."
Of course, I'm sure that when Pistey comes to trial, her defense will try to prove that she's mentally unbalanced. Which is clearly a true statement, but then, how mentally unbalanced do you have to be before you're honestly not responsible for your actions? It's hard to believe that anyone who had not completely lost touch with reality (and there's apparently no evidence that Pistey is schizophrenic) would be so convinced that she was part vampire, part werewolf that she would kill someone. But that's evidently exactly what happened here. Clearly Pistey believes that vampires and werewolves are real, and it's to be assumed that she didn't come by that belief on her own.
Just yesterday, we had news that a couple in Oregon were found guilty two days ago of second-degree manslaughter for allowing their premature newborn to die. The couple believed that praying for the child, and anointing him with "blessed oil," would cause god to save his life -- teachings promoted by their church, the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City. Amazingly, the judge agreed to a "religious exemption" -- meaning that the couple will likely spend less than 18 months in jail for the offense. One has to wonder what other homicidal lunacy might become excusable as long as it's based on religious grounds.
Speaking of which, we have the cheery story that our allies in Saudi Arabia have beheaded a Sudanese man for witchcraft. The man, Abdul Hamid bin Hussein Mostafa al-Fakki, was arrested in 2005 for "casting a spell to reconcile his divorced parents," and found guilty of sorcery, which is a capital offense in Islamic religious law. He was executed by beheading last week. And lest we think that such medieval beliefs are limited to the Middle East, we have a story from Uganda that four people were banished from their village for witchcraft, and a businessman in Indonesia is currently awaiting trial for using "dark magic" to harm his competitors in the marketplace. Apparently, the fact that there's no such thing as Black Magic doesn't mean that you can't be convicted of it in a court of law.
I think I'll end with a story about an archaeological dig in Piombino, Italy. Archaeologists searching for the tomb of St. Cerbonius, alleged to be in the vicinity, came upon the bones of a woman, who was between 25 and 30 years old at her death, which occurred in about 1200 C.E. What caught the attention of the researchers was the fashion in which she was buried -- she had several nails driven into her jawbone, and there were more nails struck into the ground near her body. (The cause of death is as yet undetermined, and it's to be hoped the nails were hammered into her after she'd died -- but that's not certain, unfortunately.) The archaeologists stated that according to writings from the time, this was the way the bodies of witches, warlocks, and vampires were treated -- the nails were intended to keep them from coming back from the dead and harming the living.
How far we've come in 800 years.
Sep
30
Public school the level playing field Edmonton Journal I do not share Fevin's atheist beliefs, or lack thereof, but I do think that in a public school, every faith should be studied with preference to none. In Paula Simons's column, Fevin is not protesting outside of a church or Buddhist temple, ... |
Sep
30
The following guest post was submitted by Alex Abbott, who comments here under the handle of Teleprompter. He also blogs at The Electoral College.
Sep
30
"It's nice to be around people who aren't going to bash me for believing in nothing," said Bricelyn Rector This is another excitable new atheist talking point 101.
Sep
30
Ohio Church Under Attack by Atheist Group Christian Post When Christ Cathedral Church in Columbus, Ohio had an atheist billboard removed from its property back in June, it thought it had heard the last from the billboard's sponsor, the so-called Freedom From ... |
Sep
30
Hundreds filled the Physician's Auditorium on the College of Charleston campus Thursday night to hear the atheist and the Christian debate the existence of God.
Sep
29
The Reason and Science Society and Evangelical Union are getting together on Monday to discuss why they believe what they do about God and related things during.
Sep
29
Earlier today my buddy and I were having a discussion on religion, and its affects on politics and how the country is run. I thought I'd see what your thoughts were on this. As for.
Sep
29
I think one of the hardest things to know in this world is yourself… hard, but not impossible. Still, I don't understand people who lose their minds trying to find themselves. If you’re trying to find yourself, I recommend trying to remember where you last saw yourself. And remember: put things away where they belong and this won’t happen.
I do know myself. It turns out, I’m me, which is good, because I’ve been paying bills addressed to me for years now. I also know I rely on humor to cope with the world. There is something primal about laughing. Humans are not the only animal on the planet that laughs, which proves you don’t have to be that intelligent to laugh, but I think you have to be stupid not to. If you never laugh, I assume you didn’t get the joke.
At the core of all humor is observation and unusual connections. Sure, I can make a room full of second graders laugh by making farting noises, and slapstick comedy is certainly popular with some people, but even these might be included. The juxtaposition of an adult standing before a group of children and doing something they didn’t expect, or the unusual nature of seeing a fat person falling down for our amusement, are still working on the mechanics of breaking norms and presenting the audience with what is unexpected.
Humor alters the way the mind works. I’m no brainologist or rocket surgeon, but I know that there is some part of our brain we control consciously, and another (probably much larger, more significant) part that we can’t directly affect. However, I think we do indirectly alter the way the deeper recesses of our brains function, and I believe one of these methods is through humor.
In other words, I believe that we are who we are, not because of direct decisions, but because of what we do routinely. We are our habits, and I think one of the best habits you can get into is looking at the world humorously.
I don’t know why, but some people take everything very seriously. I’ll never understand why they make this decision, perhaps because they don’t know they have another option, perhaps because they look down upon humor as being frivolous. Deep down, I would like to believe they just aren’t smart enough, but I suspect it usually relates to something job related (jobs are awfully serious business).
Anyone can look at a situation without seeing the humor in it. It takes intelligence to look at something that you have looked at millions of times before and to see it another way. It takes a little luck for that observation to turn out to be funny enough to elicit a laugh from someone else.
The things I find amusing aren’t the same as for everyone else. I love the things we all do but never talk about, so those usually involve the human body. People are really uncomfortable about their bodies.
You don’t see a lot of comedy about feeling a painful bump under your skin, knowing it’s going to be a pimple. Maybe it’s on your ass and you awkwardly view it in the mirror, maybe it’s on your back and you have to have a spouse (or uncomfortably close friend) monitor it for you, or maybe it’s just on your face, like when you were a teenager. They always say then when you hit your teens, you get acne, but I got the impression it was something you dealt with in adolescence. It turns out it’s just something you have the rest of your life, like body odor and the urge to stay in bed in the morning.
Sure, you shouldn’t mess with that little cyst. You can’t see it yet, so you might as well just leave it be and let it erupt naturally so you have a few more blemish-free days, but no… you press it between your fingernails and try to burst that mother fucker, because sometimes it just squirts out and splats on the mirror like your pore just ejaculated. And you know, deep down, that you just prevented a pimple. That is sometimes the most satisfying part of my day.
But of course, this time, it’s not budging. It’s just getting redder, and maybe you left long, thin finger nail marks on either side. I always approach it again perpendicular, so that I have a nice little frame around the developing zit.
Of course, those are better than the ones that just bleed a little or drip a weird, clear or yellowish liquid. I took anatomy, so I know it’s called “interstitial fluid,” but we all know and love it as that gross liquid that portends the coming of a weird crystalline orange scab that you will inevitably pick at a dozen times before you finally wake up one morning days later and peel it back to reveal healthy skin.
I find that humor sort of alters my norms regarding what I am willing to talk about. I feel comfortable criticizing myself, and I don’t even mind criticism. Of course… getting serious criticism usually compels me to give a snarky reply, but even if it seems like I dismiss someone, I did read what they said and I do process it over a great length of time. I don’t know if other people do (or even can), but I don’t ignore anything.
Therein lies the biggest reason I see humor as a philosophy, and a helpful one at that. It provides for me a very distinct outlook, and one which makes it possible to deal with the sometimes heavy issues in life with a smile on my face. I can’t ignore much of anything, so a lot of things bug me. Sure, I have my share of first-world problems, but I have largely grown to ignore them. To me, it’s more depressing when you look outside yourself, at the big picture, at the world as a whole.
If I couldn’t make fun of everything, I wouldn’t be able to cope with it all. I would lose it if I had to seriously confront a world filled with natural disasters, disease, death, ignorance, violence, hatred, starving children, and adults who read Harry Potter.
I do know myself. It turns out, I’m me, which is good, because I’ve been paying bills addressed to me for years now. I also know I rely on humor to cope with the world. There is something primal about laughing. Humans are not the only animal on the planet that laughs, which proves you don’t have to be that intelligent to laugh, but I think you have to be stupid not to. If you never laugh, I assume you didn’t get the joke.
At the core of all humor is observation and unusual connections. Sure, I can make a room full of second graders laugh by making farting noises, and slapstick comedy is certainly popular with some people, but even these might be included. The juxtaposition of an adult standing before a group of children and doing something they didn’t expect, or the unusual nature of seeing a fat person falling down for our amusement, are still working on the mechanics of breaking norms and presenting the audience with what is unexpected.
Humor alters the way the mind works. I’m no brainologist or rocket surgeon, but I know that there is some part of our brain we control consciously, and another (probably much larger, more significant) part that we can’t directly affect. However, I think we do indirectly alter the way the deeper recesses of our brains function, and I believe one of these methods is through humor.
In other words, I believe that we are who we are, not because of direct decisions, but because of what we do routinely. We are our habits, and I think one of the best habits you can get into is looking at the world humorously.
I don’t know why, but some people take everything very seriously. I’ll never understand why they make this decision, perhaps because they don’t know they have another option, perhaps because they look down upon humor as being frivolous. Deep down, I would like to believe they just aren’t smart enough, but I suspect it usually relates to something job related (jobs are awfully serious business).
Anyone can look at a situation without seeing the humor in it. It takes intelligence to look at something that you have looked at millions of times before and to see it another way. It takes a little luck for that observation to turn out to be funny enough to elicit a laugh from someone else.
The things I find amusing aren’t the same as for everyone else. I love the things we all do but never talk about, so those usually involve the human body. People are really uncomfortable about their bodies.
You don’t see a lot of comedy about feeling a painful bump under your skin, knowing it’s going to be a pimple. Maybe it’s on your ass and you awkwardly view it in the mirror, maybe it’s on your back and you have to have a spouse (or uncomfortably close friend) monitor it for you, or maybe it’s just on your face, like when you were a teenager. They always say then when you hit your teens, you get acne, but I got the impression it was something you dealt with in adolescence. It turns out it’s just something you have the rest of your life, like body odor and the urge to stay in bed in the morning.
Sure, you shouldn’t mess with that little cyst. You can’t see it yet, so you might as well just leave it be and let it erupt naturally so you have a few more blemish-free days, but no… you press it between your fingernails and try to burst that mother fucker, because sometimes it just squirts out and splats on the mirror like your pore just ejaculated. And you know, deep down, that you just prevented a pimple. That is sometimes the most satisfying part of my day.
But of course, this time, it’s not budging. It’s just getting redder, and maybe you left long, thin finger nail marks on either side. I always approach it again perpendicular, so that I have a nice little frame around the developing zit.
Of course, those are better than the ones that just bleed a little or drip a weird, clear or yellowish liquid. I took anatomy, so I know it’s called “interstitial fluid,” but we all know and love it as that gross liquid that portends the coming of a weird crystalline orange scab that you will inevitably pick at a dozen times before you finally wake up one morning days later and peel it back to reveal healthy skin.
I find that humor sort of alters my norms regarding what I am willing to talk about. I feel comfortable criticizing myself, and I don’t even mind criticism. Of course… getting serious criticism usually compels me to give a snarky reply, but even if it seems like I dismiss someone, I did read what they said and I do process it over a great length of time. I don’t know if other people do (or even can), but I don’t ignore anything.
Therein lies the biggest reason I see humor as a philosophy, and a helpful one at that. It provides for me a very distinct outlook, and one which makes it possible to deal with the sometimes heavy issues in life with a smile on my face. I can’t ignore much of anything, so a lot of things bug me. Sure, I have my share of first-world problems, but I have largely grown to ignore them. To me, it’s more depressing when you look outside yourself, at the big picture, at the world as a whole.
If I couldn’t make fun of everything, I wouldn’t be able to cope with it all. I would lose it if I had to seriously confront a world filled with natural disasters, disease, death, ignorance, violence, hatred, starving children, and adults who read Harry Potter.
Sep
29
Many atheists realize that the fervour displayed by religious extremists has deep psychological roots�that history has witnessed its bloodiest moments when causes were already lost. The legalization of Christianity (312? ...
Sep
29
More questions for the Presidential candidates:
- Will you support Congressional action to raise the debt ceiling or will you veto such legislation?
- Is unemployment a problem or is it a symptom of a much larger problem? Explain.
- What are the effects of labor regulations with regard to unemployment?
- What is the difference between the economic systems of capitalism, corporatism, fascism, and Socialism?
- Do treaties signed with foreign nations trump the United States Constitution?
- Are you for limited, constitutional government? Define what limited, constitutional government is to you.
- Given that the Consumer Price Index excludes food and fuel prices, do you believe that it is an accurate measure of price inflation?
- Does the FDA fulfill a necessary role in the market? Explain.
- Does the EPA fulfill a necessary role in the market? Explain.
- What do you believe interstate commerce means?
- Should an amendment be passed to extend Letters of Marque and Reprisal to non-pirate groups?
- Before engaging in a military offensive, should the President require Congressional approval in the form of a formal declaration of war or a Letter of Marque and Reprisal?
- When is the President permitted to engage in aggressive military actions?
- What is the purpose of the ATF?
- There are over 10,000 laws on the Federal books. Do you believe that this is too many, not enough, or just right? Explain.
- Every day there are no-knock SWAT raids on Americans. Do you find these raids to be constitutional? Explain.
- Is the War on Drugs a Constitutional program? Explain.
- Given that the Federal government has over 14 trillion in debt, is the Federal government bankrupt?
- What is your plan for reducing the national debt?
- Should the Federal Reserve keep interest rates low or raise them and why?
- Should private citizens be allowed to create a competing currency with the United States Dollar?
- Will you issue an executive order to undo President Nixon’s “temporary” abandonment of the Gold Standard?
- What will you do to get rid of the various redundant agencies within the Federal government?
- Do you believe that the United States Federal government is in dire need of austerity measures?
- Should all foreign aid be continued, some of it be continued, or all of it eliminated from the Federal budget?
- Should aid to non-profit groups such as Planned Parenthood be continued?
- Should the Federal government be in the business of playing favorites with corporations as they clearly do now?
- What is the best definition of the free-market you can give?
- Does God talk to you?
Well, that was fun. Too bad none of these will ever get asked on a national debate.
Sep
29
One thing that atheists get attacked about is the fact that we focus so much of our energy on something we don't believe in. Why do we spend so much time talking about a god we don't believe in? Greta Christina, who recently ...
Sep
29
Can you imagine as typical mainstream news medium questioning Darwin? They can question Einstein, not Darwin. And doesn't that tell you loads about the current debacle? more.
Sep
29
Earlier today, Greta Christina posted a nice piece on the negative definition of atheism. I left a brief comment there, but wanted to post this much longer and.
Sep
29
 The Hook | He's baaack: Selfish Gene author pens one for the kids The Hook This time, however, the British scientist and atheist extraordinaire (he's also author of the 2006 best-seller The God Delusion) will speak at a venue that may be big enough to hold the crowds clamoring for his rational view of the world. ... |
