Make Believe

Ever watch kids play make believe and how the rules evolve and change to suit the alphas in the game? Religion (and especially Catholicism) do the same thing. So the question is, are kids emulating religious leaders, or are religious leaders being childish?

Maybe my "A" is actually Anti-Religion.

Can I sit here and say there is no God, with absolute certainty? No. But what I am absolutely certain of, is that the Gods we know of today, yesterday, and tomorrow are nothing more than fabrications of those who would seek to control us. God, without religion, does not exist. Ironically, religion can exist without a god.

There is most certainly a possibility that our entire universe was created by some sentient being. However, to propose that this being gives two shits about the daily lives of one species on the miniscule speck of that universe known as Earth, is preposterous.

Yummy

That delicious irony when you see Christians say April 1 is the atheists holiday.

Sometimes you're the hydrant.

     The next time you look at the beliefs of religion X and think how crazy they are, just remember that there is a whole alphabet of religions think the same about your beliefs.

Rules are rules.

I think that if we don't let the Christians use the bible to prove their God, we cannot use the bible to refute that deity. Trying to argue the existence of a god by way of quoting the bible is akin to arguing correct poker strategy by quoting Rounders.

Fiction is fiction. No matter how well regarded by some people, it's still made up.

Cornered.

No animal fights so savagely as when it is cornered and fears for its survival. This is Christianity in the face of ever growing reason and critical thinking.

Pay for contraception or child support....Pick one.

To those religious organizations who are adverse to paying for (indirectly) birth control for their female employees:
   Are you willing to pay for the child support for any children born out of wedlock? Are you willing to match the public aid required by those who are not able to otherwise support children who were conceived and born for want of birth control?

  I am sure that if you were equally financially liable as the father or government that is supporting the fetus you find so precious, you might just change your tune

   I should point out that this applies to abortion as well.

Church & State

   To those on the christian conservative right who want to put god back into government, be careful what you wish for. Once christianity is firmly entrenched in our government, then the real power struggle will occur.

   Whose version of christianity will be king of the hill?

   How deeply will the church's influence run? Will we become the christian version of Iran?

Another evolution observation.

   Here's another little challenge for the creationists. Please explain, in six thousand years or less, how we came to have on this earth:

   Caucasians, Hispanics, Asians, Indians, Africans, Aborigines, native Americans, and all the subsets of those groups.

   How did that happen? God works in mysterious ways?

Mini post - Evolution observation.

   Hey Creationists, you do realize that breeders have for centuries (millenia even) been engaged in evolution by design? By selectively breeding animals with certain desirable traits again and again, they create entirely new breeds. They have even created new species!

   What makes you think this cannot happen in response to environmental and survival influences in the wild? More importantly, what makes you think that humans were and are exempt from this process?

Church and State

   I'm all for the separation of church and state, that's a given. This is just a brief comment about what irks me the most.

   It's a one-way street. Christianity takes every opportunity to inject itself to our schools, government, and courts. Yet, if that same government or court system attempts to make religious organizations abide by the same rules as secular entities, they cry foul. Then the theists decide that separation must be maintained.

   So it's OK to display the lord's prayer or ten commandments in the state house, but how dare the government impose rules on religious daycare centers.

What is an Atheist?

I can't really describe the typical atheist, because he or she probably does not exist. Just like any other diverse group of people, there are more differences than similarities. In fact, our atheism is the only thing some of us have in common with each other, just as it would be in any large group that shares a common interest. Unfortunately, atheists are often subject to the same kinds of prejudice and bigotry as other minority groups.

Atheists come from all walks of life. Some were raised as atheists, some have made the transition late in life. Some are aggressive and militant about their atheism, while some are passive to the extent that they rarely give it a thought. Some detest religion and work towards its demise, while other are tolerant and content to take a "Believe what you will" attitude.

Some are very vocal about their views, while others have never told anyone they don't believe in god. Some see religion where it does not belong and are perhaps angered, while others will take action against whatever institution is forcing some religion on us (and these by the way, are the faces of atheism you most often see).

Some of us are organizers, the catalysts behind clubs, groups, rallies, and conventions. Others are the joiners who attend these meetings and events. But even more common are those who are stay at home atheists, perfectly content on their own.

There are doctors, lawyers, engineers, writers, students, accountants, mechanics, chefs, and even priests. They are rich, middle-class, poor, even homeless.

There are some incredibly intelligent and articulate atheists, as well as those who are rather low on the scale of intelligence and comprehension.

In other words, we're a lot like christians, jews, mormans, and muslims. I could re-post this with minor changes to make the same point about any of these groups. Many atheists came from those groups. We are your neighbors, your co-workers, and your fellow citizens. We are part of the diverse fabric of today's society.

With a bit of rational thought, we could even be you.

Debating the Good Book

   I'm with Richard Dawkins on this one. I can't be certain there is no god. Or gods. But as I read more blogs and articles by atheists, I'm struck by how often they attempt to debate the bible. This is a fool's errand in my mind.

   It's no different really than my son attempting to debate the reasoning behind a character's actions on a popular TV show. It's fiction!(1) Not only is it fiction, but in many places it is inconsistent, ambiguous, and contradictory fiction. Combine that with the christian tendency to shun logic and ignore facts, and you have an argument that you can't win.

   Unfortunately, it's fiction that they hold to be true. While they will tell you that the bible is their god's blueprint for the world, the reality is that the bible is the foundation for their religion. The same can be said for non-christian religions and their respective books.

   What I think is that god, if it exists, has never revealed itself to any person or persons. That this god bears no resemblance to those of any religion.

(1) Like many novels, the bible should have a blurb saying "This story is based on actual events." I'm sure that some of the events described in the bible really happened. But like a good historical novel, there is plenty of made-up fantasy mixed in.

Obama haters

   I've spoken to more than a few right leaning friends and acquaintances in the past few months about the upcoming election for POTUS. A couple trends seem to be at work.

   The first is that while it is easy for them to say that they hate (yes, that is the word most of them use) Obama, very few of them can give credible reasons. I mainly get comments like "He wants to turn our country into a socialist state", "He wants to destroy capitalism", "He is the worst president we've ever had", "He is destroying our country".


   The 2nd trend I see is that these people plan to vote republican in November, no matter how poorly suited the GOP candidate may be to lead our country. I suppose this doesn't surprise me, but it saddens me.

Disclosure: I've voted republican at least as many times as I've voted democrat. I even voted for George W Bush once.

Evolution

   Next time I debate a catholic on evolution, I'm going to use an example he can't argue with. The catholic church itself. Although my my kids will tell you I was around when dirt was invented, I'm really not that old. But when I think about the changes since I was a boy, I just have to shake my head.

   Mass used to be said in Latin. Women were required to cover their heads in church. Meat was forbidden every Friday, not just during lent. You were forbidden from touching the communion host with your hands. Lay people did not assist with mass. Priests and nuns did not wear civilian (for want of a better term) clothes.

   The mass itself has changed several times, adding and dropping elements along with changing the wording of prayers and responses. Lay people now  read scriptures and assist with distributing communion.

   There used to be a place called limbo, where unbaptized babies went if they died. I'm not sure if they've closed purgatory though, which is where you went if you were not quite evil enough for hell and not good enough for heaven. A kind of half-way house for souls.

   My point is that the catholic church has changed quite a bit just since I was a boy. The church has evolved for the same reason all creatures do. To adapt to the environment in order to survive and flourish.