Archive for October, 2007
There’s a widely held, but completely untrue assumption going around that America is a “Christian Nation”. Well, it’s not, and whats more, the founding fathers went to great lengths to ensure it wasn’t eschewed towards any particular religion. Unfortunately, those who wish to further their own agenda are constantly pushing this idea of a “Christian Nation”.
The latest example came in the recent GOP debate when Mike Huckabee claimed that “most” of the founding fathers were clergy men. As some of you will be aware, out of the 56 founding fathers, only one was an active clergyman, with three former members. So no, “most” weren’t clergymen, unless 4 out of 56 can be classified as most. And saying four is pushing it.
If you speak to a Christian about the devil, one of the identifying aspects of the devil is the fact that he/it uses illusions, lies, misdirection and propogander. He will tempt you with false truths so you can do his bidding. So, if you were to be a Christian who applies logic (oxymoron, I know), you could logically deduce that Mike Huckabee, in lying to convince you of his argument, is the devil.
I knew it.
Tags: politics
I just want to share a conversation overheard a a few weeks ago and comment on it. The key point is below, I’ll leave the rest out.
Person 1: I think I’m becoming an Atheist.
Person 2: That’s fantastic.
Person 1: Not really, it means I’m going to hell.
Funny, isnt it. The person involved had obviously been questioning their long held beliefs, but can’t quite overcome what’s been deeply ingrained into her, that hell exists. Fear is a favourite tool of the religious, if you don’t believe in God, you will be subjected to an eternity of torture. And there’s no point tippy toeing around the fact, it may not be phrased that exact way in the holy books, but it’s what they mean.
This fear, in some cases, results in people trying their best to be “good”. This causes two problems. Firstly, if it’s only fear that’s making you be a decent person, it’s all obviously fleeting and secondly, the same thing that is imposing the fear, also controls the conditions of that fear. What I mean by this is, if you believe the Bible’s version of things, with Hell existing, the only way you can avoid Hell is to follow the handy directions contained in the same source that describes Hell itself.
So on to the headline, why is denying atheism rejecting humanity? Logic dictates that if you are not an Atheist, you are involved in some belief (wishy washy agnostics excluded). Most belief systems include the concept of punishing those who do not follow it’s guidance. So therefore, by extension, a non-atheist is highly likely to be living in fear of punishment if they do not comply to the moral rules set out in their religion. So, it appears that by applying this logic, the only people on earth who are currently bound by their own moral values are atheists. The only people no living in fear. To me, this solves a whole bunch of problems. We’ve already seen that religious writings can be interpreted in multiple ways, and because of this it’s very easy to end up with fundamentalists. Those who apply the religious rules literally, or those who are filled with so much fear that they become overzealous in enforcing the rules they are bound by.
Personally, I’d rather be bound by my own moral compass, not one written hundreds of years ago that may not even be relevant or applicable today. Any teaching that tries to portray moral ambiguities as straight forward, and black and white, is far off the mark. People need to ability to adapt themselves based on the current position, environment and climate. And they need to do this without fear hanging over their head.
Tags: Arguments, Morality
I’ve mentioned previously that one of the major problems I have with Christians is this growing trend of only “believing” certain aspects of The Bible. Yes, I’m talking about those who have recently shunned away from creationist theory, seeing the scientific evidence as overwhelming, yet still abiding by the rest of the Bible. This is one of those “let me get this straight…” issues. So, even though the Bible says God, the invisible all powerful entity exists ,and created everything, they are choosing to believe God exists but not that he created everything? So what did the “creator” actually create?
As someone who likes to apply logic to much of what I do, I find this genuinely hard to understand. If I was reading a book, lets say an encyclopedia, and it stated that fire is wet, I’d question the validity and accuracy of the rest of the book. For some reason, Christians don’t do this. This fits in with my long held view that people are pre-determined by personality type to be religious. It may very well be that one of the personality traits that leads people to religion is the inability to question something you are told. This is the equivalent of repeatedly voting for a politician because they tell you your life is better, even though your life isn’t better at all.
For fundamentalist Christians, an even more worrying trend is emerging. While creationism can be disproved through science, there are Christians out there choosing not to follow parts of the Bible because they don’t agree with it. The latest “evidence” (I never truly believe surveys, so I use the word “evidence” advisedly) that supports this is a survey performed with young (under 30) Christians and non-Christians. A couple of striking facts came out of the survey. Firstly, both Christians and non-Christians feel that the image of Christianity is waning. The other striking fact is that both believers and non-believers feel that Christianity is too homophobic. And this is putting people off it as a religion. Once again, this came from Christians.
So, we have God creating everything, which is fairly clearly set out in the Bible, and Homosexuality, also fairly clearly dealt with in the Bible, being questioned by both believers and non-believers. So what else is up for the chop? My money is on Jesus.
It just seems that as atheists address the fundamental points of religion, and raise sufficient doubt in the minds of a religion’s followers, believers are going to have less and less to hang on to. You almost get the impression that everyone knows the game is up, followers of religion know they are wrong, but they have so much invested in this little game they won’t give up without a fight. So the way to do it is clearly to chip away at their most strongly held beliefs. Twenty years ago, it would have seemed absurd to have a Christian who wasn’t also a creationist, not so now.
I’ve written two posts which have some Bible Quotes that many Christians choose to ignore. The first one is here, and here’s the second one.
Tags: , Christianity, God, Hypocrisy
The Richard Dawkins website today published a post that contains an email sent out to members of a Church. This particular email was regarding the Church’s new drive to combat so called “militant atheists”, although they weren’t educated enough to call them such. It’s all fairly standard stuff really, and I’m sure many of you would have seen things like this before, albeit as flyers in local shops and suchlike. Thankfully, they include a free copy of “Skeptics Answered” by “Dr” James Kennedy, a book that’s already been wildly discredited.
However, this email did flabbergast me. In it lies the following:
Jesus said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42 NKJV).
Now, I’ve posted ridiculous bible quotes here before, but I missed this one. It begs three questions. Firstly, if I was a Christian, would this justify me drowning somebody who tried to teach my children an alternative way of thinking? It sounds like it. Secondly, how can Christians “love” a “person” who shows such contempt for those who do not share his point of view? Could you see President Bush telling his supporters to drown and kill anyone who was going to vote for the other guy? Ok, bad example. But can you imagine the uproar? Yet in the Bible, it’s fine. Par for the course.
The third question, and this really tells me allot about the proponents of Christianity, why wouldn’t you question someone who tells you not to question them? If a scientist came to me and said “I’ve discovered how to travel through time, but I can’t prove it, and anyone who questions me should be punished” I would be immediately suspicious. In fact, I would challenge them as hard as possible. Yet, the Bible makes claims, amazing claims that can’t be proved, and then threatens those who don’t believe those claims. Why are people not challenging it? It ASTOUNDS me.
Tags: Christianity, Quotes, The Bible
Want to catch up on religions progress through the world, and the wars that shaped the current religious map, but don’t have hours to spend reading about it? Well this short film is the one for you. Essentially it plots the major points in history which created areas of religion and drew the borders. It’s worth 90 seconds of your site, if only because it will remind you of Risk.
Timeline Map of Religion
Tags: , History
Just because the Bible is so entertaining, and pointing out what the Bible actually says to Christians can be enlightening, I’ve quoted some passages from the Bible below. Ask and ye shall receive.
But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Deuteronomy 22:20-1
If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Leviticus 20:10
Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 20:25-26
And following three which really should be read together. If you are going to believe the Bible, which bits?
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Genesis 32:30
And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
Exodus 33:11
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 1:18
So as long as you’re clear, no one has seen God, apart from the people who have. Got that?
Tags: Christianity, Quotes, The Bible
Satire is difficult. Just ask the people who are bad at it. So we really should be grateful for the truly funny satirists out there. They have a “gift”, and we should embrace it. So, without further ado, I give you what is quite possibly the best satirical site on the interwebs today, Objective Ministries.
The image you can see to the right (click to enlarge) is taken from the “4 kidz” section, the “z” is for zealousness. For me, the best section of the site. This site is so good that it actually takes a while to figure out for sure whether it’s genuine or not.
Tags: Humor
The God Delusion has really caused a stir in the world of religion. I’m a huge fan of the book and wholeheartedly recommend it. Fortunately, you don’t have to pay for it if you try one of the following tricks.
Firstly, the first chapter is available on www.RichardDawkins.net. So have a read, and see if you like the tone and style of writing (very important when it comes to how much you enjoy the book). Secondly, you can download the entire Audio version of the book, read by Richard Dawkins himself, for free, and legally. All you have to do is follow one of the links below and sign up for Audible.com. The UK link even gives you two free books, so you can pick something else up to compliment it, may I suggest Battlefield Earth?
Sign up forAudible UK and get TWO free audio books.
Sign up for Audible.com and get ONE free audio book.
Of course, you don’t have to use these links to get The God Delusion, you can get whatever you like. Just stay away from The Bible, ok?
Enjoy.
The links I’ve posted above are affiliate links, but not related to me, or this site.
Tags: Books, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion
After posting some Bible quotes, I thought it only fair to give the Atheists a chance of a rebuttal. So I’ve gathered together some of my favorite quotes on religion from some of the great thinkers of the recent, and not so recent past.
What I like about these quotes is that they are mostly logical, from logical thinkers. While logical thinking, and a total commitment to logical thinking, may not be entirely ideal, it’s certainly better than blind faith.
The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has killed a great many philosophers.
Denis Diderot
A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
Albert Einstein
Insanity in individuals is something rare; but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule.
Nietzsche
If you talk to God, you are praying. If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.
Thomas Szasz
We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes.
Gene Roddenberry
Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.
Napoleon
Are there any quotes you would add to this list? If you had to give a one sentence sound bite on religion, what would it be?
Source: Vagabox Picture of Einstein: Oren Turner 1947
Tags: Philosophy, Quotes
I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone in this post. Firstly, I thought I’d introduce the Atheist Blogroll, which I’ve added to the sidebar. It contains over 400 blogs, all of which are written from the Atheist Standpoint. I’ve had a browse through some of the sites, and there’s some real quality, thought provoking content produced by members. By displaying this blog roll, as well as the Out Campaign logo, I am clearly stating that I am an Atheist. Something that Sam Harris is against. This raises the question, is being labeled an atheist problematic? Obviously, I have no problem with it, the clue is in the name of the blog, but obviously some do.
To summarize, Sam Harris gave a speech pointing out the problems he perceives with the labelling of atheists as atheists. One of the cornerstones of his argument is that many people who are actually atheists, don’t admit to it in public because of the negative connotations associated with the word. The idea that Atheists are seen as a “Cranky Subculture”. The net result is that people who are rightfully atheists, in that they do not believe in a god, are reluctant to be labeled as such. The other cornerstone of his argument is that atheism does not exist, in the same way as there is no word for people who do not believe in astrology. I think, in particular, the second argument is worth exploring. To concentrate on the first aspect of the argument, the perceived view of atheists, would be to do what the religious do, believe something with no empirical evidence to back it up.
So let’s look the other aspect of the argument, the fact that atheism doesn’t exist. In a way, this follows Richard Dawkins’ argument regarding the proof of the non-existence of God. If someone suggests that there is an invisible unicorn in the room, it is not the naysayers responsibility to prove it isn’t there. Or to put it another way, when something is suggested that may or may not be true, it is not the responsibility to the non-believers to prove the non-existence, nor is it their responsibility to label themselves. There is a follow up, a response to the critical atheist community, already up.
I’d recommend you read the posts by Sam linked to throughout this post. However, I think the argument has been diluted by the response. In it, referring to the perception of atheism, he presents two quotes and asks which you would rather see asked of the President on the six o’clock news. As examples go, it’s a pretty bad one. I think the difference between being an atheist, and being overtly atheist is lost. This is a very good example of a certain way of forming an argument. You give people two options, the one you want them to pick and one which is so far in the other direction no one could pick it. To demonstrate this, I’ve written two sentences below. Given they are the only options available, which would you choose?
I want to send troops to Iraq.
-or-
I want my friends and family to be murdered by terrorists.
It’s an argument style used by politicians all over the world.
So, with that out of the way, where do I stand on the labeling of atheists? I’m firmly in the camp that believes such labeling is a necessary evil. I can see the point of view put forward, and in an ideal world people who don’t believe would be the norm and not require a label. However, this isn’t a perfect world and I thoroughly believe we need something to rally around. I also think that if we don’t have a label, accept the label and embrace it, we will be labeled anyway. And if it is a label we don’t choose, we lose all control.
Tags: Arguments, Atheism, Out Campaign, Sam Harris
There’s a widely held, but completely untrue assumption going around that America is a “Christian Nation”. Well, it’s not, and whats more, the founding fathers went to great lengths to ensure it wasn’t eschewed towards any particular religion. Unfortunately, those who wish to further their own agenda are constantly pushing this idea of a “Christian Nation”.
