Although, as Christians, we must refute the deceptions, untruths, and propaganda of godless men, we must also seek to be winsome in presenting the Gospel message to them.
Oct
17
Atheists and religious alike seek to identify foundation of morality Irish Times And no atheist that I know, particularly Richard Dawkins, has ever suggested that it is or should be or even could be. The theory of evolution describes how biological life evolves. Prof Mackey misunderstands the phrase “survival of the fittest” to ... |
Oct
17
So far, there has been a massive media blackout of Ron Paul during this election cycle. When I say blackout, I mean that nobody is talking about him or even mentioning him and usually when they do, it is along the lines about how he cannot win. Yet when his supporters point this out, they are often met with criticism about how they a bunch of spammers or that they are wrong. Well, two images have appeared within the last week that prove differently:
All the debates have been controlled by some media outlet or another. They are directed and moderated by the media and none of the candidates who are invited are given a fair shake. Also, this one just came out today:
Notice how Sarah Palin, who cannot win because she is not running, got more coverage than Ron Paul?
Now, all of this would be justified if Ron Paul was doing poorly overall. If he was consistently getting 2% of the votes in the polls across the country, then maybe I could see a justification for such lackluster coverage. Unfortunately, this is not the case as Ron Paul won the CPAC straw polls in 2010 and 2011, came in close second at the Ames Straw poll without having to buy any votes for a free country concert, won the California straw poll, and won the Values Voters straw poll. He has also come in third in many of the various polls taken from the more credible sources.
In the long run, Ron Paul does not matter all that much. But he is the only one who stands out from all the rest. The rest of the candidates seem to be offering the same solutions, even Herman Cain’s unique tax restructuring is merely something that has already been recommended by some in Congress in one form or another. None of them seem to be citing the Constitution when they articulate their policy plans and none of them have stated that they will decrease spending. Many just seem to want government to work better, not leaner.
The news media has long been biased for Statists and against liberty. I do not know why exactly, although if we were to go through the history of modern journalism I am sure the answers would become apparent, but that fact remains that they will always promote the most Statist candidate they can find.
Ron Paul, while not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, at least offers a golden path back to our constitutional roots as a nation. And while it may already be too late to save this nation from the coming collapse of our civilization, as long as it has not happened, it is worth a try. A Ron Paul presidency means our nation will in the right direction on all fronts while any other candidate, including the current President, means more business as usual.
Oct
17
Welcome, Atheists. But, Really, Why Are You Here? Huffington Post As a relative newcomer to posting articles in the Religion section of HuffPost, I've been struck by the number of "Comments" posted in response to my articles by people who are quick and loud to proclaim their atheism and the non-existence of God ... |
Oct
17
Texas Freethought Convention: Atheists Invade Houston Huffington Post On Oct. 7-8, Houston was invaded by some 700 atheists, agnostics, humanists and other unclassified nonbelievers for the annual Texas Freethought Convention. This year the event was also co-sponsored by the Atheist Alliance of America. ... |
Oct
17
ReThink Review: Footloose -- A Yankee Atheist In Rural Texas Huffington Post (blog) Instead, it's Ren -- a worldly city boy who is quite clearly an atheist -- who shakes the town from its complacency as he questions the blurring of church and state, stands up to the adults, and inspires his peers to make their voices heard through the ... |
Oct
17
Of course the state-run media doesn't want to cover the only candidate that would bring real change to Washington. The statist shills that laughably call themselves "journalists" are instead quite happy giving coverage to the same old tired "conservative" and "liberal" candidates and playing the Republican/Democrat musical chairs game that keeps the status quo of welfare and warfare going, no matter which party sits down in the chairs of power when the political music stops, unless, God forbid, Ron Paul were to win and upset the apple cart and actually shrink the size of their master the almighty state! The statist "mainstream" media will do all in their failing, collapsing power to stop that from happening.
That's why they must promote the Herman Cains and the Mitt Romneys, who will, if elected to replace Obama, shuffle the chairs on deck but otherwise continue to preside over the sinking ship of government as if the state's days were not numbered.
Ron Paul Media Blackout Confirmed 
That's why they must promote the Herman Cains and the Mitt Romneys, who will, if elected to replace Obama, shuffle the chairs on deck but otherwise continue to preside over the sinking ship of government as if the state's days were not numbered.
Oct
17
Oct
17
Judge Andrew Napolitano, host of Fox Business's Freedom Watch, on his new book, It Is Dangerous to Be Right When the Government Is Wrong: The Case for Personal Freedom.
Oct
17
Humanists, atheists drive for wider global impact Vancouver Sun "We, and probably a lot of Swiss people who have never thought about humanism or atheism, are tired of the influence the churches and religion still exert in this country," he said in an interview with Reuters. Kyriacou, a management consultant, ... Freethinkers club sparks religious debates |
Oct
17
OPINION: Why base voting on religious preferences? The Statesman If we object that being a Mormon potentially disqualifies a person from being elected president, we must also be prepared to say that making Islam, Judaism or even atheism an issue is equally irrelevant and wrong. I welcome the day when a candidate ... |
Oct
17
“I don't go after any particular religious group. I look at the absurdity of some beliefs. I don't think there's anything scary about this, these are facts to me. When a fundamentalist's belief is that the Earth is 5000 years old, that's ludicrous. It's 4.6 billion years. That should be taught as strict a truth as two and two are four. I don't want to offend anyone but sometimes I feel as
Oct
17
Are you feeling run down lately? Low in energy? Does the face that greets you in the bathroom mirror in the morning look pale and tired? Is it hard to make it through the working day?
You might be experiencing stress, or maybe you need more sleep. You might have some kind of physical condition causing your fatigue, and need a visit to your doctor.
Then again, maybe you're just the victim of an Energy Vampire.
I didn't know about Energy Vampires until I was sent a link by a loyal reader, who said, "Get a load of this." At first I was expecting more nonsense about people who are way too much into Twilight, but then I was sent to the website of Dr. Bruce Goldberg (here). The website goes into great detail, not about blood drinking monsters, but about people who extract the energy from people around them. At first I thought he was speaking metaphorically; we've all known people who are demanding, exhausting, draining of energy.
But no. Dr. Goldberg thinks that there are people who can literally, honestly suck out your energy.
For those of you who would rather not risk having your energy drained by even reading this stuff, Dr. Goldberg classifies Energy Vampires into five types: the Paranoid Type, the Ethereal Type, the Insecure Type, the Passive-Aggressive Type, and the Robot Type. Each of them, however, is a "psychic parasite," capable of "initiating a psychic attack" on you, resulting in your "psychic energy" being depleted. The only option is to avoid any kind of contact, especially physical, with these people.
Then, I found that Dr. Goldberg's stuff is only scratching the surface. It gets way more ridiculous than that. The Psychic Vampire Resource and Support Page (here) contains links to literally dozens of sites that go into tremendous detail about Energy Vampires, who, they say, are people "who can't create their own energy" and so need to drain energy from others. Some Energy Vampires are more benevolent of nature, and simply go around and handle objects that ordinary people have handled, subsisting on traces of used energy left behind, sort of like a psychic version of the folks who feel compelled to frequent garage sales. But others, apparently, prefer fresh energy straight from the source, and will try to touch you so as to establish a "psychic link," and then they feed on your energy, leaving you listless and depressed.
Then, there's the Vampirism and Energy Work Research Study (here), which has enormous amounts of data, including pie charts and bar graphs, detailing the responses to questions like "Do you consider yourself a sanguinarian, psychic, or hybrid vampire?" and "What blood substitutes do you use when you can't feed on real blood?" And thousands of people responded to these surveys.
I don't know about you, but this worries me. I'm willing to believe that at least some of these people (1) participated because they thought it was funny, or (2) belong to the aforementioned Twilight fan club, but that still leaves at least a few people who really, honestly think they're vampires.
And my general response to that is, "You people are loons."
So once again, we're up against a phenomenon that seems to skirt the line between role playing and insanity. As I've mentioned before, I don't want to be perceived as ridiculing someone who is mentally ill, so I'll just end by saying: Dear vampires, psychic or otherwise: I don't think you want my energy. My energy is probably all sour and thin from the fact that I don't get nearly enough sleep, so I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy it much anyway. If you're really desperate, however, you can come by and touch my mailbox, which probably has traces of my psychic energy on the handle. That way, you wouldn't need to get out of your car, or actually even come to a complete stop. Thank you.
You might be experiencing stress, or maybe you need more sleep. You might have some kind of physical condition causing your fatigue, and need a visit to your doctor.
Then again, maybe you're just the victim of an Energy Vampire.
I didn't know about Energy Vampires until I was sent a link by a loyal reader, who said, "Get a load of this." At first I was expecting more nonsense about people who are way too much into Twilight, but then I was sent to the website of Dr. Bruce Goldberg (here). The website goes into great detail, not about blood drinking monsters, but about people who extract the energy from people around them. At first I thought he was speaking metaphorically; we've all known people who are demanding, exhausting, draining of energy.
But no. Dr. Goldberg thinks that there are people who can literally, honestly suck out your energy.
For those of you who would rather not risk having your energy drained by even reading this stuff, Dr. Goldberg classifies Energy Vampires into five types: the Paranoid Type, the Ethereal Type, the Insecure Type, the Passive-Aggressive Type, and the Robot Type. Each of them, however, is a "psychic parasite," capable of "initiating a psychic attack" on you, resulting in your "psychic energy" being depleted. The only option is to avoid any kind of contact, especially physical, with these people.
Then, I found that Dr. Goldberg's stuff is only scratching the surface. It gets way more ridiculous than that. The Psychic Vampire Resource and Support Page (here) contains links to literally dozens of sites that go into tremendous detail about Energy Vampires, who, they say, are people "who can't create their own energy" and so need to drain energy from others. Some Energy Vampires are more benevolent of nature, and simply go around and handle objects that ordinary people have handled, subsisting on traces of used energy left behind, sort of like a psychic version of the folks who feel compelled to frequent garage sales. But others, apparently, prefer fresh energy straight from the source, and will try to touch you so as to establish a "psychic link," and then they feed on your energy, leaving you listless and depressed.
Then, there's the Vampirism and Energy Work Research Study (here), which has enormous amounts of data, including pie charts and bar graphs, detailing the responses to questions like "Do you consider yourself a sanguinarian, psychic, or hybrid vampire?" and "What blood substitutes do you use when you can't feed on real blood?" And thousands of people responded to these surveys.
I don't know about you, but this worries me. I'm willing to believe that at least some of these people (1) participated because they thought it was funny, or (2) belong to the aforementioned Twilight fan club, but that still leaves at least a few people who really, honestly think they're vampires.
And my general response to that is, "You people are loons."
So once again, we're up against a phenomenon that seems to skirt the line between role playing and insanity. As I've mentioned before, I don't want to be perceived as ridiculing someone who is mentally ill, so I'll just end by saying: Dear vampires, psychic or otherwise: I don't think you want my energy. My energy is probably all sour and thin from the fact that I don't get nearly enough sleep, so I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy it much anyway. If you're really desperate, however, you can come by and touch my mailbox, which probably has traces of my psychic energy on the handle. That way, you wouldn't need to get out of your car, or actually even come to a complete stop. Thank you.
Oct
17
 The Guardian | Would LDS elect atheist? Salt Lake Tribune As an atheist, this completely unconstitutional bias against non-Christian candidates is especially aggravating. Polls indicate that 80 percent of Americans would not vote for an atheist candidate for any office! Nevertheless, because I strongly ... Letter: Voters need to look past religion |
Oct
16
Oct
16
Dr. Cornel West, a well-known author and activist who has recently lent his support to the Occupy Wall Street movement, was one of nineteen people arrested on Sunday while protesting against corporate influence in politics on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC....Dr. West was holding a sign that said ‘Poverty is the Greatest Violence of All.’ He was arrested because holding political signs on the Supreme Court steps is illegal.-Cornel West arrested protesting at Supreme Court
Oct
16
New Sunday feature! You know you love animals (one way or another)!
Which animal is the most successful predator? Could it be, Mr. Fox? Now, I happen to like Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox the best of all foxes! He's a true anarchist socialist (or so it appears to me), and an action oriented anti-capitalist!
As for your more ordinary foxes, the red fox is the most ubiquitous, making its home everywhere in the world (continent wise) but Antarctica and South America. Foxes have always been hated by humans, but I say, you gotta love their spunk (and no, sicko, I don't mean anything nasty and disgusting)!
Which animal is the most successful predator? Could it be, Mr. Fox? Now, I happen to like Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox the best of all foxes! He's a true anarchist socialist (or so it appears to me), and an action oriented anti-capitalist!
As for your more ordinary foxes, the red fox is the most ubiquitous, making its home everywhere in the world (continent wise) but Antarctica and South America. Foxes have always been hated by humans, but I say, you gotta love their spunk (and no, sicko, I don't mean anything nasty and disgusting)!
Oct
16
Jerry Coyne has posted a piece from Julian Baggini that is the best argument against science/religion compatibility that this blogger can recall. Enjoy.
Oct
16
Some living creatures, which, if you believe in biblical creationism, you should be able to explain in terms of being perfectly created for a purpose by a loving creator god.
1. Liver Fluke ( Fasciola Hepatica)
A trematode or fluke measuring about 3cm by 1cm and infecting sheep, cattle and humans.
Complex life-cycle involving water snails and water plants. When ingested the fluke develops in the intestine, burrows into the peritoneum and then to the liver where is eats liver cells for a few weeks then migrates to the bile duct where females can produce up to 25,000 eggs a day. Eggs are released into the intestines from where they are expelled in faeces. On reaching water they hatch and infect a water snails and so complete the life cycle.
Symptom:
Diarrhea, eosinophilia (raised white blood cell count), fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, hepatitis, obstructive jaundice
1. Liver Fluke ( Fasciola Hepatica)
 |
| Liver Flukes |
Complex life-cycle involving water snails and water plants. When ingested the fluke develops in the intestine, burrows into the peritoneum and then to the liver where is eats liver cells for a few weeks then migrates to the bile duct where females can produce up to 25,000 eggs a day. Eggs are released into the intestines from where they are expelled in faeces. On reaching water they hatch and infect a water snails and so complete the life cycle.
Symptom:
Diarrhea, eosinophilia (raised white blood cell count), fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, hepatitis, obstructive jaundice
Benefits to the host:
None.
None.
2. Blood Flukes (Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium, S. japonicum, S. intercalatum, S. mekongi)
A genus of trematodes causing snail fever, also called bilharzia. Infecting an estimated 200 million people worldwide.
Complex life-cycle involving water snails and several larval stages. Eggs hatch in water and lava infect water snails where they develop into a second larval stage which is free-swimming. On detecting human skin then attach themselves and burrow through the skin, often via a hair follicle. They then migrate to the circulatory system where males and females pair up and migrate to rectal or mesenteric veins where they live for many years producing 300-3000 eggs per day which are shed via the faeces or urine. When in water they hatch and complete the life-cycle.
Symptoms:
Rash, itching, chills, cough, diarrhea, fatigue, fever and muscle aches. In children, anaemia, learning difficulties and malnutrition. Inflammation of intestines and liver may occur and, if the central nervous system becomes infected, paralysis, seizures and inflammation of the spinal cord may occur.
Benefits to the host:
None.
3. Tape worms (Diphyllobothrium latum, Hymenolepis nana, Taenia saginata, T. solium)
A group of segmented Cestoda known as tapeworms which live in the human intestinal tract, absorbing digested nutrients directly through their skin. H. nana can grow to a few centimetres in length, however, the other three listed here can reach many meters. The head, or scolex, of the tapeworm has hooks with which it attaches to the wall of the intestine. Each segment has its own male and female reproductive organs and can produce eggs on their own, however, they may mate with other segments from the same or another tapeworm. Eventually, when the segment is full of eggs it is shed from the end of the worm and is expelled from the host where it may be eaten by the secondary host (fish, rodent, cattle or pig respectively). In the secondary host the eggs hatch in the intestines, the larval form then migrate to muscles and form a cyst which may eventually be eaten by a human to complete the life cycle. In the case of H. nana microscopic eggs are shed via faeces from where they may contaminate food or be picked up on fingers. An estimated 30% of rodents sold as pets in stores in Connecticut are infected with H. nana.
Symptoms:
Anal itching, bloody diarrhea, diarrhea, headache, increased appetite, insomnia, loss of appetite, muscle spasms. nausea, nervousness, seizures, stomach ache, vomiting, weakness, weight loss.
Benefits to the host:
None.
4. Giant roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides)
This nematode worm infects some 25% of the human population. It is passed on when eggs are accidentally swallowed from dirty fingers or contaminated food or water. Larva hatch from the eggs, penetrate the intestinal walls and enter the circulatory system via which they pass into the lungs where they develop for two weeks before travelling up the respiratory tract to the throat, to be swallowed again as adult worms. The worms attach themselves to the intestinal wall and get nutrients from the host. Adult female worms are 20-35 cm long and 3-6 mm in diameter. Males are 15-30 cm long and 2-4 mm in diameter. On mating a female can produce 200,000 eggs a day and can live for two years. The eggs are passed out of the host in faeces and can survive for several months until swallowed by a human to complete the life-cycle.
Symptoms:
Blockage of the biliary tract, diarrhea, fever, nausea, obstruction of the bowel (which can be fatal), stomach ache, slower growing of a child or a teen, vomiting, weakness. During the larval stage, when the larva are developing in the lungs, symptoms may include breathing difficulty, cough and/or coughing up blood, eosinophilic pneumonitis.
Benefits to the host:
None.
5. Entamoeba hystolytica.
A protozoan (single-celled organism) which causes amoebiasis. About 50 million people are infected world wide. The parasite lives in the large intestine and reproduce by simple binary fission. Some individuals form microscopic cysts which are passed in faeces and can survive for many weeks until ingested in food, contaminated water of by dirty fingers. Very occupationally they can be sexually transmitted.
Symptoms:
Flatulence, intermittent constipation, loose stools, stomach ache, stomach cramping, anemia, appendicitis, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, fever, genital and skin lesions, intermittent constipation, liver abscesses (can lead to death, if not treated), malnutrition, painful defecation, peritonitis, pleuropulmonary abscesses, toxic megacolon, weight loss.
Benefits to the host:
None.
6. Malaria (Plasmodium falciparum)
A protozoan with a complex life-cycle involving the anopheles mosquito and infecting some 200 million people annually. It is the deadliest of all human parasites killing over 1 million people a year. Most deaths are of children under 5 years of age. Infection begins when a mosquito injects a form of the parasite into human skin when taking a blood meal. This form migrates via the circulatory system to the liver where it infects a liver cell. This can produce 30,000 - 40,000 daughter cells within six days, each of which can invade a red blood cell and produce 8-24 new parasites each of which can infect a new red blood cell. These cells may also produce a form which can infect a mosquito when it takes a blood meal. These then undergo sexual reproduction and via several stages migrate from the mosquito's digestive tract to its salivary glands, where it is ready to infect another human.
Symptoms:
Chills, diarrhea, fever, general discomfort, headaches, muscle pains, nausea, sweating, vomiting, weakness, enlargement of the spleen or liver, hyperpyrexia, increased breathing frequency, mild anemia, mild jaundice, breathing difficulties, coma, confusion, focal neurologic signs, seizures, severe anemia, abnormalities in blood coagulation, hemoglobin in the urine, high acidity of the blood, hypoglycemia, low blood pressure, kidney failure and death. In pregnancy it can cause premature birth and low birth-weight. Babies can be infected from the mother and may cause blindness, deafness, speech difficulty, dyskinesia and paralyses.
Benefits to the host:
None.
So Creationists, just six examples out of many, some more of which can be found here.
What on earth was your loving creator thinking of? How do these organisms fit into a model in which a creator created humans and made all the other living things FOR their benefit?
BTW, on a slightly different note. Some of the examples of parasitic worms have, during their evolution, become LESS complex since they no longer need to worry about evading predators, finding and digesting their own food, etc, so they show that an evolutionary process does not always mean increasing complexity. This is a very common phenomenon in parasites.
So tell me, how does LESS information give GREATER adaptation?
 |
| Blood Flukes |
Complex life-cycle involving water snails and several larval stages. Eggs hatch in water and lava infect water snails where they develop into a second larval stage which is free-swimming. On detecting human skin then attach themselves and burrow through the skin, often via a hair follicle. They then migrate to the circulatory system where males and females pair up and migrate to rectal or mesenteric veins where they live for many years producing 300-3000 eggs per day which are shed via the faeces or urine. When in water they hatch and complete the life-cycle.
Symptoms:
Rash, itching, chills, cough, diarrhea, fatigue, fever and muscle aches. In children, anaemia, learning difficulties and malnutrition. Inflammation of intestines and liver may occur and, if the central nervous system becomes infected, paralysis, seizures and inflammation of the spinal cord may occur.
Benefits to the host:
None.
3. Tape worms (Diphyllobothrium latum, Hymenolepis nana, Taenia saginata, T. solium)
 |
| Tapeworm |
 |
| Head or Scolex of Tapeworm |
A group of segmented Cestoda known as tapeworms which live in the human intestinal tract, absorbing digested nutrients directly through their skin. H. nana can grow to a few centimetres in length, however, the other three listed here can reach many meters. The head, or scolex, of the tapeworm has hooks with which it attaches to the wall of the intestine. Each segment has its own male and female reproductive organs and can produce eggs on their own, however, they may mate with other segments from the same or another tapeworm. Eventually, when the segment is full of eggs it is shed from the end of the worm and is expelled from the host where it may be eaten by the secondary host (fish, rodent, cattle or pig respectively). In the secondary host the eggs hatch in the intestines, the larval form then migrate to muscles and form a cyst which may eventually be eaten by a human to complete the life cycle. In the case of H. nana microscopic eggs are shed via faeces from where they may contaminate food or be picked up on fingers. An estimated 30% of rodents sold as pets in stores in Connecticut are infected with H. nana.
Symptoms:
Anal itching, bloody diarrhea, diarrhea, headache, increased appetite, insomnia, loss of appetite, muscle spasms. nausea, nervousness, seizures, stomach ache, vomiting, weakness, weight loss.
Benefits to the host:
None.
4. Giant roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides)
 |
| Giant Roundworms in the Intestinal Lumen |
Symptoms:
Blockage of the biliary tract, diarrhea, fever, nausea, obstruction of the bowel (which can be fatal), stomach ache, slower growing of a child or a teen, vomiting, weakness. During the larval stage, when the larva are developing in the lungs, symptoms may include breathing difficulty, cough and/or coughing up blood, eosinophilic pneumonitis.
Benefits to the host:
None.
5. Entamoeba hystolytica.
 |
| Entamoeba hystolitica |
Symptoms:
Flatulence, intermittent constipation, loose stools, stomach ache, stomach cramping, anemia, appendicitis, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, fever, genital and skin lesions, intermittent constipation, liver abscesses (can lead to death, if not treated), malnutrition, painful defecation, peritonitis, pleuropulmonary abscesses, toxic megacolon, weight loss.
Benefits to the host:
None.
6. Malaria (Plasmodium falciparum)
 |
| Plasmodium (Malaria) Life-cycle. |
Symptoms:
Chills, diarrhea, fever, general discomfort, headaches, muscle pains, nausea, sweating, vomiting, weakness, enlargement of the spleen or liver, hyperpyrexia, increased breathing frequency, mild anemia, mild jaundice, breathing difficulties, coma, confusion, focal neurologic signs, seizures, severe anemia, abnormalities in blood coagulation, hemoglobin in the urine, high acidity of the blood, hypoglycemia, low blood pressure, kidney failure and death. In pregnancy it can cause premature birth and low birth-weight. Babies can be infected from the mother and may cause blindness, deafness, speech difficulty, dyskinesia and paralyses.
Benefits to the host:
None.
So Creationists, just six examples out of many, some more of which can be found here.
What on earth was your loving creator thinking of? How do these organisms fit into a model in which a creator created humans and made all the other living things FOR their benefit?
BTW, on a slightly different note. Some of the examples of parasitic worms have, during their evolution, become LESS complex since they no longer need to worry about evading predators, finding and digesting their own food, etc, so they show that an evolutionary process does not always mean increasing complexity. This is a very common phenomenon in parasites.
So tell me, how does LESS information give GREATER adaptation?
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