The Ultimate Answer Is...I Dunno Know

Who has the "answer" to the ultimate question(s). What happens after death, real death not near death (and I still haven't written about my NDE here, yet, but I will, I promise) and even before that, what happens at birth, or the infamous how can something come from nothing?" I'll tell you who...no one.

First a little side trackin'. Much ado has been made about Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins in his recent debate with, I believe it was Rowan, when he claimed the true. Papa Bear said he is not 100% atheist and there is a little tiny part of him that is open to the evidence, that is the evidence of something more than this material world and evolution thru natural selection, better and easily known as "God did it."

In the religious magazines and newspapers that I go to (daily) the believers see Papa Bear's admitting the truth, as a point for their side, a victory. "See that, militant atheists, even your very own prophet said so." Not so fast arrogant believers, not so fast.

First of all can the ultimate question ever, and I mean ever, be answered in it's entirety. I believed the most honest answer to that is a definite...no way Jose. Lemmie explain. You got your Joe average priest (molester or not) sayin' that "fo sho there is a God (now gimmie your money...and your boys...young ones)." End of argument. Hell, I dunno fo sho, but does William Lane Craig believe without a doubt that his particular and specific Christian evangelical God exists. Again I dunno fo sho, but my guess is yes. Is that honest or not (not). Ask lil' old me, Team Atheist member, and I'll say," I'm not 100% sure but history tells me that (blank blank) is true.

OK, now some God in the Gaps theory. At one time religion had all the answers: how are people born, why are there erff quakes, what happens after we die and how did the universe we live in come to be (after all it is highly improbable-and that is a truth). Well, then here comes beautiful, critical, honest and scientific...err, science. The common human birth at one time was explained with "God did it." Then scientific/medical knowledge about how reproduction really happens explained those  birds and bees that peeps keep talking about. No one doubts that now. Why do people get sick with colds and flues. Before it was an imbalance of chi, or you angered the god(s). Now...you caught a virus and simple thingies like washing your hands and not touching you face can help in the preventing of catching a virus.

Where "God did it" was the ultimate answer at one time for everything, now we have scientific knowledge that is peer reviewed and independently tested, over and over again. Each time science answers a question, the God of the Gaps gets smaller and smaller (1). One side claims to have all the answers all the time, while the better looking and sexier side claims that Gawd honest truth can change when new and better evidence appears. That is honesty.


OK back to something from nothing and Papa Bear. In his super awesome book The God Delusion, Papa Bear made a 7 point scale of atheism. If your are a 7, then you are undoubtedly, unquestionably, and infallibly, atheist. If you are a one, then the opposite. Papa Bear declared him self a 6 point something (I forgot). He left the door open for evidence (cause he is honest). What believer journalists want you/me/us to believe is that by being honest, Papa Bear is showing weakness. No, it is the exact opposite. 


The smart believers, the ones that have participated in the conversation and know the basic in's and out's of the debate, un-smartly claim that because we (Team Atheist) do not know how something can come from nothing/how the universe began, then we must be totally wrong about everything else and guess what...God did it (create the universe) so shove him in the gap. Forget that history shows that science in its very short existence has answered great question after great question, making the God in the Gaps smaller and smaller. Forget that believers full of faith at one time arrogantly proclaimed that "God did it" when attempting to explain how earthquakes happen, or how babies are born.

An honest person regardless of which side they fall on can only conclude that they/we/us do not know the answers in totality.  How did something come from nothing, or how did the universe begin. Well science said the Big Bang and after that evolution thru natural selection, but what about before the Big Bang-how did something come from nothing. Them=God, Us=I dunno...yet.

Not only do I dunno, no one knows. The difference between the two sides is that one side, the side of belief, arrogantly claims "God did it," while the better looking, sexier and smarter side claims "we do not know as of yet, but we are looking."

Who do you believe? There is one side that says they know without a doubt, but time and time again, their explanation of "God did it" makes less and less sense as peer reviewed and materialistic knowledge becomes available. Simultaneously the other side, the side of science and critical thinking skills says, "we do not know as of yet, but thru cosmology, astronomy and physics, it is our hope to find out."

Here's the breakdown. One side says fo sho they know all the answers all the time and even forever, while the other side says, honestly, we dunno, but let's find out together (and we have been correct time and time again, so trust us).

Who do you believe?


(1) When science is wrong, it corrects itself. That is the beauty of science and that is the arrogance of belief in God did it. God did it never changes, it is the answer for everything everytime throughout the three existences of time (arrogance). The non-arrogance (beauty) of science is that it corrects itself (i.e. ulcers). This honesty is perceived as a weakness to the average believer, but in reality, the ability to change and admit one was wrong at that time...is awesome sauce; while claiming to be correct all the time, but coming up short time and time again is arrogant...and wrong-ville.


* Buddhism, Cosmology and Evolution

* Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins 


* God of the Gaps Theory

Happy IBR's Day

 So every Sept 30th for the rest of the existence of time, today will be know as International Blasphemy Rights Day. IBRD came to be because of that Draw Muhammad controversy a couple 'o years back.

"Blasphemy Rights Day came about as a result of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.  On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 political cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.

The cartoons led to Islamic protests across the Muslim world, some of which escalated into violence. Damage included more than 100 reported deaths, the bombing of the Danish embassy in Pakistan, setting fire to the Danish Embassies in Syria, Lebanon and Iran, and the storming of several European buildings (Atheist Examiner)."

 Today is not about making fun of peoples silly beliefs, it is about free speech. Pre-New Atheists religion got a free pass. They were exempt from criticism, but free to criticize. No longer. Some believers want to inject their belief into the science and history classroom when their mythology is neither scientific or historical. If believers want Genesis to be taught as an equal to evolution thru natural selection, then Genesis must endure and pass the same scrutiny that that discipline requires. Because they are unwilling to do that, no soup for you.

People died because a dude made a cartoon. WTF is that. This is the harm that religion causes and that is why today is sooooo important. Really, it is not about making fun of beliefs, it is about free speech. And in general, it is about....freedom. I'm gonna use my freedom to go to a BBQ and drink me some godless beer (with hotties, I hope). The free pass has expired and we have The New Atheists to thank for that.

Thanks New Atheists  
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List 'o countries where they have anti blasphemy laws.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan.

Cats and Dogs, Science and Religion

Why are we still debating this. Ugh and WTF with a head shake. Maybe this is why I don't go to Huff Po Religion and Huff Po in general anymore. Usually this writer has really really good articles, but today I have to disagree with dude. In the article Can Religion and Science Coexist dude concludes (thru a survey) that most scientist have no problem with religion. I forgot what that logical fallacy that is when you say "most people..." but I know one when I see one.

 Here's the short of it...no. Science and religion are not compatible. Science deals with the material, the observable and the measurable. If there is no matter, then it doesn't matter to science (I couldn't resist that one). Science comes to conclusion through super rigorous testing, the scientific method, and more peer review testing. Science changes when the best information becomes available (and that is a good thing). Science is the truth as best as we can know it at the moment.

Religion is none of those things. Religion works because of faith (which, if you had faith in anything, the evolved powerful human brain will make those thingies come true). You cannot measure God or the afterlife. You cannot give your God data to a peer for them to independently test it's validity-it is based on belief and faith. Religion never changes, they are always correct (not). Where the scientific method can predict an outcome, religion is after the fact and fudges the truth to comply with scripture. Science and religion are cats and dogs.

The article claims that the scientists that have the most problem with religion are the scientists that see religion in very narrow terms (often associated with evangelical Christianity). The scientists that have a wider view of religion to include meditation-n-stuffs, the survey concludes, are coolio with religion. I get the feeling that the author is poo poo-ing the scientists for having a narrow view of religion. Well poo poo on him.

They often call us (Team Atheist) out on this one, but they are wrong for doing that. To say, that is not my religion, or we don't do that, is, well...dookie. I guess the simple answer is "then I guess we are not talking about you, so shut up." The reason why scientists and the New Atheist call out believers for having a narrow view of religion is because they practice a narrow religion. What is that great saying, "If you want us to stop making fun of your silly beliefs, then stop having silly beliefs." So what that some Christianities accept evolution, good, they should. But to say that we cannot call out Christians that believe in Genesis over evolution, well, once again...that is dookie.

One good thing in the article that was concluded in the survey is that the majority of scientists, whether they were cool with religion or not, are totally against teaching creationism in the science classroom. Well, I'm glad that we can at least agree on that.

* Article Huff Po Religion.

* Update Sept 25th. the last paragraph is the same logical fallacy that I mentioned earlier (but it's cool when I do it. I didn't create the double standard, I just acknowledge it...now...) Awesomeness.

Religion News Roundup For...Today

Wow what a kick arse day for religious news. Team Atheist if you do not go to Religion News Service, Religion Dispatches and CNN Belief Blog you are missing out. Check out all the good fun reading I've done so far this morning.

I never really thought that the Foo Fighters were all that (nothing against them, just not one of my favorites), but I sure do like them a lot more now. Apparently they counter protested everyone's least favorite protesters, Westboro Baptist Church. Appropriately, they played a song called "Hot Buns."

After a million gazillion years the super stupid DADT is fin. As of midnite the armed forces just got a lot cuter, cleaner, patriotic and flamboyant at the same time. I would never join the armed forces (to kill brown people for economic interests), but I sure do appreciate those who do. It takes a special kinda person to answer the call of duty. Congrats to all GLBT in the military and...let's see if change really happens.

Rowan says that atheist are the "new cool thing" and I agree with him. Thanks Rowan.

Team Atheist has know this for years, but now we have scientific evidence that Pat "Leave your wife is she has Alzheimer's" Robertson is mentally ill. Robertson's theological counterparts, that do not agree with him, say that he is an embarrassment." We knew that also.

Here is some blatant self promotion and here are real journalists commenting on the same thing (but really, who's better looking. thanks). Those survey's that Team Goober Nerd Geek Atheist and Skeptic like so much have concluded that many Americans believe that God has a special plan for them, God believes in small government and God controls the economy. Oh God.

On that note...awesome sauce, peeps.

God's Love And Christian Doublespeak

Former Bishop John Shelby "I always give this guy credit" Spong kills it in his short piece in the Washington Post's On Faith. In The Contradictions Of Religious People Spong touches on the very unChristian behavior of Christians. What is that Gandhi quote, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians (ouch bro, say what you really wanna say)." We saw this kinda behavior the other nite during the GOP Teabagger debate when the crowd whole heartily clapped when Rick Perry bragged about all the people Texas execute during his reign. WTF. That's God's love(?).

The term pro-life seems like it's straightforward, but it's really a great example of Christian doublespeak and double-do. Say one thing, but mean the other. Say one thing, but do the other. Gov. Rick Perry is pro-life, but what does that mean: they want to save a cell (not a human) from being aborted, but they will approve of the killing of abortion doctors (a full grown adult). The term pro-life seems to mean the sanctity of life and of humanity, but then why did the small government people applaud Perry's 234 executions the other nite, why did they say that an uninsured person in a coma "has the right to die," and that they should die. What's pro-life about that. Seems like a pro death philosophy that does not have any regard for human life.

Everyone's least favorite and original doninionist, Pat "God causes erff-quakes because he's mad at the gays" Robertson said a Pat Robertson the other nite when he said that it is OK to divorce your spouse if they have...da da daaa...Alzheimers. Forget the sanctity of marriage and the vows "in sickness and in heath." Nooooo, fuck that shit. Loyalty means nothing to Gods party and, I guess, when it comes down to being there for the person you made that commitment with, you can just go Newt Gingrich and leave your sick/dying spouse because...because you are lonely and have needs (I don't even know why a person would do that. Can't even imagine being that selfish). So much for Family Values among conservative heteros (and to them, it is the gays that are destroying traditional marriage.sheez).

My last example of Christian doublespeak and double-do is from up North in Oregon. Yes, and by yes I really mean N000000000, that crazy splinter cell of Christianity called Followers Of Christ are on trial again for killing their babies. I reported on different instances earlier this year and for the fourth time a couple from the same church is on trial for praying for their obviously sick baby instead of, I dunno, calling 911. Because of these cases, all from the same church mind you, legislation has been passed that makes it a criminal offense to kill your baby thru prayer, err, not seek medical attention for your children. If this is part of God's plan, then the plan is fucked up I tell ya.

All god's creatures are created equal...except women, GLBT, atheists, other religions and animals. If that is not a good example of Christian doublespeak and Christian double-do, then I don't know what is. On one hand the term pro-life seems really life affirming, that is unless you are a doctor that has dedicated your life to helping people at a place where abortions are, like, less than 10% of the services provided (then they will kill you). Christian hetero marriage shows god's glory, you are doing God right by hetero marriage and having hella kids (God's work), but don't randomly get sick, or get a disease, otherwise your spouse will leave you (when you need them the most). It's OK, Pat Robertson said Alzheimer's is "like death."

Gandhi was right. Please kill me now. Sheez.

* Something to Quack About in Oregon

* Update On Abusive Faith Healing Parents

Snubgate

Read in your best imitation of the President voice, "Gee, everyone, where are the evangelicals."

I think that to put the word "gate" at the end of a word for journalists, is like the words "tour de force" for someone that reviews movies for a living, in that you probably don't want to use it all the time, but...if the shoe fits.

This is so awesome...Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims all got the invite to the 9/11 thingy but evangelicals/southern baptists got the shaft; and they are butt hurt about it (and I am that German word that I don't know how to spell or say). It must be Gawds way of punishing them for hating on the GLBT community, feminists and science in general (or not). Or it could be a very human and reasonable response, based here on erffs mind you, to all the hatey hate that they spew (can I sway 'spew' here) as well as all their other nonsense (controlling women, anti science, rewrite history etc...)

So I'll go out on a limb and I'll say that all the cool liberal religions that do not take their holy books literally (ie age of the erffs is 6-10 thousand for Christians called young Erffs Creationists), the ones that do not subscribe to world domination and the ones that are so comfortable in and with their beliefs that they could actually be able to go to an event like this and not make it all about them. Sheez, why didn't anyone invite evangelicals to this. Is it...

...they are adamant about their Jesus coming back and being the only road to salvation . The only way.
...they are not tolerant of other monotheistic Gods. One true God. One...and it's theirs, not yours.
...even in 2011, with the Michele Bachmann's and Palin's...women must still submit to the men folk. "That's just the wayyyyyy."
...their holy book is called bronze age by the New Atheist in a derogatory way because, it was plagiarized, interpolated, copied and miscopied over and over again, by anonymous  authors in the 100's of 1,000's, at a time when (perhaps) 90% of the population was illiterate, most people believed in miracles, there was no scientific method, or germ theory, the people didn't know what caused weather, they thought 'sacrifices' could make rain, or a girl prego...and that is just off the top of my head.

American has a world wide identity problem...the world identifies us as ass hole-e-'o's'. The world see's Team USA as fat, loud and super Christian religious to the extreme, and if you don't believe us, we will shoot you because, of course, we have guns-we're American after all.

To me it looks like Mikey Bloomberg made the correct decision on such an important day.

* Good Faith and Reason today. It's not my favorite.

* How American Evangelicals Are Killing Gays In Africa

The title of the article that goes w/this photo is  "How American Evangelicals Are Killing Gay People In Africa.

This Is What We Are Up Against

OK awesome atheists, Team Atheist and the Mighty New Atheist Summer/Fall Edition 2011...this is what we are up against. Outreach Magazine, ya know that magazine that y'all subscribe to, has come out with a list of the top 100 mega churches. Yippie.

O.M. lists the largest 100 mega churches (and the top 100 fastest growing churches) and Lakewood church came in first place with a whopping weekend attendance of 43,5000. Folks that is a lot of saved souls.

This is a reminder of what a major minority The New Atheists are (did that make sense). Howz about, we are totally in the minority. That's better. Sure we have Skeptics in the Pub (with whopping attendance of some or a little bit), a convention here and there with attendance in the one or two thousand (if that), the Secular Student Alliance in colleges, organizations like American Atheists and FFRF and our local skeptics meeting in scattered towns. But really, we do not have a weekend attendance in the tens of thousands every weekend, much less a top 100 list of mega atheist events (and that is just the top 100. What if it was a list of the top 200 mega something somethings).

I have never been to a church like Lakewood, but I can only imagine what they teach (or do not teach) there.  Off the top of my head, do they teach that women must be submissive to the men folk, that the founding fathers absolutely intended for this to be a Christian nation, that climate change is just a theory (thanks Rick Perry) and that more and more scientists are speaking up against it, that creationism/Intelligent Design is equal to evolution thru natural selection and finally, that Christian peeps have the mission to dominate the world and that their particular Gawd said so.

What do we have? We have those pesky facts that skeptics keep talking about, some would call it the truth. We have passion and the desire to make the world a better and more peaceful place, for everyone regardless of belief or lack of. We have the scientific method and rational thought.

Ya know what I have, kind gentle and very good looking readers, I have the ability to predict and see the future. I see that we are on the correct side of history and that if we keep the nose to the grindstone...we will emerge victorious in our mission for a secular society. Extremist religion(s) will be put in their proper place (which is away) and one day, one day I tell ya...

There will be world peace.

* Faith and Reason USA Today

Updated List Of Female Atheist Bloggers Aug 14th, 2011

I Googled 'female atheist bloggers' and this is the first pic to come up. WTF.

I just updated my Twitter list of female atheist bloggers and you should follow it. The atheist blogesphere is mighty and awesome, in fact it is a mighty awesome place. The thingy about it is...it is male dominated just like any other endeavor in the wide wide world. That is why you should follow my list, or create your own. Let's get right down to it.

OK, I forgot who EmptyIdentiy is, but you should check her out. Really good digital art. And of course, she is on Team Atheist. Awesome.

GodlessNurse is awesome and she is close to my age (what can I say, I'm single). Nursing is a tuff job:underpaid and under appreciated, and she is an atheist.

BlondNonbeliever is my favorite new grrl on the block and I'm jealous...She lives on the beach (Dammmmm grrl, can I come over). Also, I have recently achieved aprox 74,000 hits on my blog and she recently achieved 250,000. Me, no I'm not jealous (congrats buddy).

Apparently, Heather Henderson is made of awesome because she has two cool sites to go to. Heather Henderson is awesome and Dissident Radio.com ask's "Are you an ardent atheist?" Check it out, yo.

@religionbites is an awesome atheist mommy and on her site it says "You can be happy with out religion: peace, love, serenity and happiness." Religionbittes.org.

@DCdebbie is my prob-lib Tweep. She totally kills it on twitter everyday and it is so awesome. Tales of a 7th Street Geisha is her place. Awesomeness.

Currently, I am drinking my precious beer and I lost my notes (I do not want to look fer them) so I forgot what is the up with Momma Heathen...Just check her out (sorry buddy).

Hello, Dr. Leslie Cannold, it's me Kriss. Yes, I have this problem with my heart and the hearting can you help me with it. No. It doesn't hurt to ask.

OK, howz about one honorable mention. Fo sho I must have mentioned Dr. Kikki before, right....right. I just tweeted to her...."Gentlemen prefer blonds, but we remember redheads."

Sowz there it is tweeps and peeps, an updated list of female atheist bloggers, fer now. The thingy about it is that....the atheist blogesphere, just like any and all endeavors, is all male dominate-y. When we get a chance to promote the ladies, we should take it. There has been much ado, lately, about everyone's roles in the movement and stuffs like that and I agree...What about the ladies.?

We need to push sexism to the side and fergitabbutit. The ladies are on our team and that is Team Atheist. They are our sisters and our cousins, mothers and aunts. The rest of society is all oppress-y on them and dagnabit...I will not be like that.

We have this job. We have this battle for secular society and I am very serious about it. I believe that we are on the correct side o' history and all that shit and that we will and must emerge victorious, but....

We need our sisters fighting on our side to make that shit happen...for all of us.

Join me.

I Still Love You After All These Years...

Us previously. Different and yet in love.

I still love you after all these years, but I want you to know the last couple of months has been so hard, ya know with the depression and anxiety (plus that excessive worry that leads to anger, frustration, then me kicking things). The 'zac' has helped, but not enuff and not fast enuff. It was my hope that after a month on the meds that I would return to you and return to the way I used to feel; both felling good, loose and carefree like the Kriss I/you/us knows, and positive feelings for you. Just like with me sitting on the fence as whether to become a full fledged angry atheist v. being an accommodationalist atheist, I'm sitting on the fence on whether to return to you.

I'd probably cry right now, but the tear shipment doesn't come till Tuesday.

 You hurt me so much. It is cliche to say but you crushed my world. When Eva and I broke up that rocked my world (being that she was the first g-friend of my life and all) and when Cleo died, I was devastated (I still think of her to this day.). When you hurt me it was those things multiplied and squared to infinity. If a prophet told me how much I would suffer because of you, I would have laughed in dudes face (and then told him about the New Atheism). There is no way I would have ever thought a tuff guy like me could suffer this much. I'm still in denial and shake my head "this can't be happening, this can't be happening," as I cry in public places and people stop and stare.

I'm an expert at having nervous breakdowns right now and I do not want to be. I can be hanging out with friends and then I feel it coming on. I go down my list of good and positive things: I'm healthy, happy, I have lot's of friends and people that love me. Why, then why am I falling apart right now. Why do I start crying, at any moment, on anyday, for seemingly no reason. I'm so hurt by you.

I keep talking about Nu Kriss and how a change or transformation is going to happen. I dunno about that shit. I think I'm just trying to keep myself occupied, get my mind off of things and kill time while I wait for the prozac to kick in. I keep saying that I'm going to cut my hair (and my new thing is to shave my entire body. Why? I dunno. It doesn't make sense. I do not make sense), and the hair is certainly on the chopping block, but seriously, I don't think I can do that. I'm just sayin'. I'm just killin' time. I'm just waiting.

We don't have to kiss. That would be weird. I would like to be happy, tho.

The past couple of months has been torture. To say that I have suffered is just the beginning of it. I don't know a better word than 'suffering' to describe what I have gone thru. I do not think that a word exists that can describe how torturous it has been for me. Irrational is pretty good. I've never been violent or even been in a fight, but I had to give my gun away because I started have crazy irrational thoughts.  I have never thought about the 'S' word (and, actually I can say it...suicide, suicide, suicide.), but honestly, before I got the meds, there was a moment where I thought that if I went to sleep and I never woke up...then that would be cool (that's not suicide, that is sleeping and never waking up (1).). At that time, I had given up hope.

What am I trying to say....The past couple of months (and actually the depression started in December-ish) has been the tuffest period that I have had to go thru in my life. Suffering and torture begin to describe what I have felt and experienced. I've had many crazy and random thoughts go thru my head because of the excessive worry, the anxiety and depression and finally, now, it is starting to get manageable (I'd say I'm around 85% back to normal, whatever normal is.). What am I trying to say...I'm ready to move forward.

I'm ready to leave the irrational-ness behind. I have never had this much hate in my heart (and frustration and pain etc etc etc...) and it kills me to feel this way. History tells me that this is not what I am like (am I wrong?). Even when I left my biological family I did not feel as (negatively) intensely as I have the past couple of months (and ya know how much I hate them). You hurt me. OK.  I would like to move forward now. I can't live like this. No...no longer will I live like this. I want to be happy. I don't want to suffer anymore. No one should suffer like this, not even an enemy.

I'm babbling now. What is it I'm trying to say...Whether I'm ready or not, and I don't care if the Prozac is working or not (it is working, but not as strongly or as fast as I want it to), I want...no, I need to change this. This is no way to live. Ready or not...I'm moving forward.

Cleo, I still think about you, but missing you doesn't compare to the suffering of the past couple of months. I so badly wish that you were still here, esp. now. I really need your company. I'll make it, but I'm just sayin'. 

(1). Really, look at how honest I have been. I let it all hang out and I don't care about what's or why's. I've never lied and I am always honest even if it means I will look bad. On this blog I've been honest about my love(s) and about my drinking and my drug usage (as well as in life). When I do not know something, then I say it. When peeps call me out about some of the information I write about...I admit when I'm wrong. So that suicide thingy. I've never contemplated that.

I believe that there is a difference between planing on taking ones own life and feeling that (because of intense suffering) if I went to sleep and died of natural causes, and then I never woke up-that would be OK. Is it a loophole and for the first time I'm not being honest? There's a first time for everything, but I don't think that that is the case.

I plan on living and I plan on being happy.

The Historical Adam and Eve on NPR

"Hey was' up baby. Is that the, err, spring/summer fig leaf collection.

 Ya know, kind gentle and very goodlooking readers...we are smarter than other people (believers). So I get really happy when the rest of the world catches up to us. This morning on NPR there was an article about the historical Adam and Eve. I'm not shitting you. As everyone on Team Atheist knows the bible is not a historical document. The stories like Exodus are just that, stories. Years ago when I was taking a biology class we figured that it would be impossible for all the genetic diversity in the world to come from just two peeps (there just isn't enuff time).

In Genesis 2:7 The Lord (if that is your real name) made Adam and then Eve (and by being second all her ancestors are doomed to second class status) and from those two crazy kids in that sic arse garden comes: original sin, all of humanity, the reason why JC had to be crucified, the explanation of evil and suffering etc etc etc...Or not.

Dennis Venema, biologist believer guy, "That would be against all the genomic evidence that we've assembled over the last 20 years. He said that, if we work backwards, there is not enuff time to account for the genomic diversity. Mutation rates just don't happen fast enuff. If you go from Adam and Eve to the present two peeps cannot produce the genetic/genomic variation that is present today and visa versa.

What Venema and other conservative Christian scholars want is for their religion to evolve. He, and others, does not want a literal reading of the bible (nor do I). He wants people to approach it not with history in mind, but poetry, prose and storytelling and metaphor and allegory. I can actually go for those things.

Still, there are the really stubborn ones that do not want to change or accept the evidence in front of them (cognitive dissonance much). If Adam and Eve are not historical characters, then why was Jesus crucified. He needed to be crucified to absolve us of our sins.

Little by little society is catching up to the New Atheists/Team Atheist. The Great Flood never happened, the dying rising God is a myth borrowed from cultures predating Christianity and, now the historicy of Adam and Eve is being questioned....and that is what is called progress.

Awesomeness.

*NPR

Conversion Therapy, NPR and Tight Shirts

I'm thinking I should change the name of this blog to the Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann Report since I write about her so much; but I don't have a photo of her six pack (which is mandatory avatar action). On NPR Morning Edition this morning the very controversial Conversion Therapy was a topic. It has been in the news a lot lately because Bachmann's husband (I'm not going to give him his own identity) has a clinic where, yes you guessed it, they claim to be able to pray away the gay.

The NPR report interviews two peeps, one that was cured of his gayness (he no longer listens to techno music) and one that, correctly, says that the techniques are harmful. Me I'm-a-gonna take the side of the American Psychological Ass. that states in their official report...

"The longstanding consensus of the behavioral and social sciences and the health and mental health professions is that homosexuality per se is a normal and positive variation of human sexual orientation (Bell, Weinberg & Hammersmith, 1981; Bullough, 1976; Ford & Beach 1951 ; Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin, 1948; Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, & Gebhard, 1953 ). Homosexuality per se is not a mental disorder (APA, 1975). Since 1974, the American Psychological Association (APA) has opposed stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and violence on the basis of sexual orientation and has taken a leadership role in supporting the equal rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals (APA, 2005)."

You see, I'm not a conservative Christian evangelical right winger. When credible science comes out I accept it. After all just look at how the right are still debating the scopes monkey trial and Roe v. Wade and stem cell research. Pray away the gay, please. Concerning the gentleman that claims that reparative therapy cured him of his gayness, well, obviously, he was never gay...just curious. To say that homosexuality is a choice is saying that people are choosing to be a persecuted minority where mainstream society, wrongly, is abusive to them. It's genetics, homies.

All things being equal, if you can really pray away the gay, then theoretically you can also pray away the hetero. Imagine that peeps. If we prayed aways the hetero there would be world peace, no sexism and the sale of tight shirts (for our muscular, hairless bodies) would go thru the roof. As it is, you cannot pray away the gay, but you can be accepting of someone because...because we are all human and we are all in this together.

* APA official paper

* The mighty and funded for now, NPR

* Wiki.

The Australian Baby Giveaway

Dam, look how delicious these cuties are. 

I was a gonna write about how myself and the Norway killer are very similar (and yet different) but I think I'll save a piece of myself for myself (I'm too honest many times). Soooooo, howz about a post on babies and that Catholic church everyone of Team Atheist keeps talking about.

Let's file this one under "what the frack were you boy fuckers thinking." Apparently for four decades Catholic run hospitals forced, that is forced not asked or persuaded, unwed mothers to give up their babies for adoption. I'll pause while that sinks in.

"The inquiry had heard harrowing stories of a babies being taken without their mothers' signing adoption papers, of mothers not knowing what they were signing and of a mother having her face covered by a pillow so that she would never see or touch her baby as it was taken, Siewert said. One traumatized mother had suppressed for years the memory of ever having given birth (SF Gate).

Beer and babies...the winning combo meal.

A spokesperson for the hospital said that the practice was "regrettably common" from the 1950's all the way up to the 70's. If the prego women did not want to give up their babies then they would be threatened with imprisonment or drugged or convinced. It is estimated that up to 150,000 babies were purposely separated from their mothers during those decades.

In true Catholic fashion...they apologized (Mmm, OK, we're cool. NOT). Some peeps are trying to establish a nation program that could reunite the families, offer counseling and perhaps, compensation. My question is...Why doesn't the church pay for that stuff, the government didn't do it, the Catholic run hospitals did it. 150, 000 is a hella lot of separated families-those are lives, human lives. I also wonder if they only gave the children to Catholic households.

It is when I hear stories like this it edges me closer to becoming a full fledged angry militant atheist. The accomodationalist position is totally lame in cases like this. What sin did the unwed mothers commit? If this is Gawds plan, then Gawds plan sucks rocks.

* Article

Religion in the News July 22, 2011

Let us pray, err, let's get this thing started...

Gawd is so powerful-n-stuff and so caring and loving-n-stuff and totally cares about things like who you have sex with and how, whether you pick up sticks on Sunday, how you vote and the best one...what you eat. Hindu diners sue a super good Indian restaurant (aren't they all good. I think so) because they had meat in their samosas.

Isn't there a good Jewish joke that goes something like "we don't eat non Kosher...except when it's in Chinese food." The suing Hindu peeps should adopt that...and Gawd should pay less attention to peoples diets and do something about all the starving children in the world, that is of course, unless you don't exist.


Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been called by God to run for president...but he didn't call him...but he did. I'm confused (and I have been for months). Any who...Michelle "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann has also been called which makes me even more confused. Did God call on two peeps to run for president? After all both can't win. Is this one of those mysterious tests? And let's not forget...Sarah "The Barracuda" Palin is waiting for her call. I hope God has a good long distance phone plan.

"Hey while you're down 'there', what, I was gonna say tie my shoe."

Nice article in Huff Post Religion about that hottie Mary Magdalene. Still it doesn't solve that question that we all want answered...did she and Jesus, ya know, hook up? The powers that be back in the day purposely did not include her gospel into the final cut of the 28 books of the bible because 1) they were sexist and jealous idiots (Mary got that special teaching from Jesus. wink wink) and 2) because of their actions Christianity came to be a sexist and misogynist religion. Well that's what I think.

A hella old hand written picture bible has been digitized and returned. Once belonging to Queen Zewdtu of Ethiopia from 1916-1930 the super old bible was digitized by professor Steve Delamarter who specializes in digitizing Ethiopian religious manuscripts. What you didn't know that someone could specialize in that...neither did I. Who wooda thunk?

At a recent event Tim Pawlenty was asked who he admires...guess what, err, guess who...“I’ve got a lot of political heroes too,” he said. “I love Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, Jesus Christ.” He said that he and his wife Mary “are people of faith and believers (On Faith Wa Po)."




What is awesome about that is that the staff of On Faith said that they have never heard of a politician say that Jesus is their favorite politician. These are people whoz job is to cover religion and politics, so for them to say that they have never heard of something, well...that is something (link).

Republican Jesus would totally hook up with ...Chuck Norris. Right.

The media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his tabloid phone hacking scandal is a trend story in the blogosphere. It seems like a separate thingy but, religious peeps are calling on prominent Christian authors to boycott a publishing house that is under the Murdoch media umbrella. The atheist favorite Rick "I'm a danger to secular society" Warren and Rob "There is no hell" Bell have been asked to not publish their best selling books with publishing house Zondervan. Zondervan also publishes bibles, I forget which one-I think Standard Revised Bible, hell I dunno-and because Murdoch has done something wrong, immoral, unethical, then peeps should support his publishing house. To tell you the truth, I don't get it.

I heart the LA Times, there is always good stuffs in it, like atheist content and this...The channel TLC is going to have a Muslim reality show. So awesome. Hows that going to go. The daughter or sister goes out on a date and then the oldest brother kills the guy. Actually, that sounds kinda awesome.

Well that concludes another brutal, tear filled week of anger and frustration, a week of (almost) giving up and admitting that I have no more fight or hope...and, and, of course there is always an "and"...and that also concludes Religion in the News for July 22, 2011.

"Stay away from my sister, yo."

The Church of Vanilla

This photo has noting to do with anything. I just like it.

Wow, I just can't surf the theological web lately without coming across a story about Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann. I want to read and see stories about finding Jesus or (You ain't no) Virgin Mary in bread products. The most recent trend story is how Bachmann did a Palin and switched churches.

Word around the water cooler is that Bachmann's husband is...the gay and other sutffs.

There was a lot of whoop-la in the last election cycle over The One leaving controversial Trinity United Church of Christ just because the pastor said, "Goddamn America (sheez, sensitive much people)." Even back in the day, Dwight D. Eisenhower left his super weirdo Jehovah's Witness religion for the more acceptable Presbyterian variety (1). Both dudes did the switcheroo to woo mainstream and middle of the way voters that may have thought their particular religion(s) were extreme-ish.

Julia, I'm glad you are an atheist and all, but dye your hair. Red is so Old Kriss.

Well, the ladies will not be outdone. A little while back Sarah "The Barracuda" Palin went from Pentecostal (2) to the very vanilla "bible believing Christian in a bible believing church (ugh, specific much)." Aaaaand, the new Sarah Palin, Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann, recently did the switcheroo herself. Crazy Eyes went from the Catholic Pope is the anti Christ Lutheran church to some mainstream vanilla church called Eagle Brook. The reason why all of the above made the move away from their churches is to court those very important votes that they covet.

She looks different in this photo.

Fo sho people, even politicians, have the right to switch churches anytime they want for any reason. What gets this particular New Atheist is that religion is still a requirement to run for the most important office (read in a God like voice) THE WOOOOORRRRRLLLLLDDDD. It is the definition of religious privilege. (Nonexistent) Heaven forbid an atheist tries to run for President of the United States, that would totally be controversial (and that in itself would be a controversy). The unwritten rule is that one must have faith, preferably Christian, to run for office. As far as I know, only Australia has an atheist in the top leadership position.

So the two Evangelical Feminists switched churches so they could run for office, big frackin' deal. They have changed their stripes, and yet they remain the same. It doesn't matter what church Crazy Eyes belongs to she still believes that creationism should be taught in the science classroom and also that one can "pray away the gay (3)." She may have left behind her Lutheran-the Pope is the anti Christ-church, but she is still an end of times-timer. They may be successful in attracting mainstream voters by switching to less controversial churches...and that fellow Team Atheist members, that is the frackin' problem.

(1) Dwight's J.W. church was not into saluting the flag or serving in the military and he thought that might make some voters angry. Ya think.

(2) Pentecostal are the ones (I know its hard to keep track of them all, there are so many) that believe in the healing of the hands, or is it laying of the hands, faith healing stuffs and are the snake handlers.

(3) A couple of thingies here. First there is talk that Bachmann's husband (he doesn't have his own identity) is the gay. It's a joke of course, but it is a funny joke. Second his clinic specializes in praying away the gay, even tho they deny that and they call it Christian conseling. Whatever.

* For those keeping score. I have an appt. today and they may or may not be able to get me the meds that I need. Once again, thanks to all for the support. It may not seem like it (because I'm tortured by all the suffering. It hurts, it really hurts so much every day, every moment that I'm awake peeps), but I appreciate the kind gestures.

* Article RNS

Team Atheist Forever

It's not your grand pappies Crusade anymore. 

I will now attempt to make sense. Wish me luck...

In an attempt to rebrand itself and perhaps seem hip-r to the younger crowd, Campus Crusade for Christ is changing their name to Cru. Wow, isn't that hip. They decided that the word "crusade" was yucky (my word) and that it has negative connotations. But...

"We were not trying to eliminate the word Christ from our name. We were looking for a name that would most effectively serve our mission and help us take the gospel to the world. Our mission has not changed. Cru enables us to have discussions about Christ with people who might initially be turned off by a more overtly Christian name. We believe that our interaction and our communication with the world will be what ultimately honors and glorifies Christ (Faith and Reason)."




And what better way to honor and glorify 'him' than hiding your intentions and then suddenly busting out with "Now, repent sinner...or go to Hellllll." Just kidding. You can follow Cru on Twitter @crunews (or you can just go on a Twitter break and not even look at it for a hella long time) and you can see their epic movie, aptly named The Jesus Film (I dare you to watch it you heathens. Their meticulous and scientific statistics claim that every 8 seconds "somewhere in the world, another person indicates a decision to follow Christ after watching the "JESUS" film (link)."

No little boy, I'm not Catholic. I'm Jewish...look at this.

Any who...I thought two things. 1) We should take a page outta their book with their growth and rebranding and the question that I'm happy to ask a lot lately 2) is this sh* working. Ya know the battle for secular society?

I've said before that 'they' have entire college campuses, TV and radio stations (not just shows on those stations, but the whole station), their books sell in the millions every year and some of their churches attract up to 10,000 on one weekend for one church. That's pretty awesome peeps and don't forget this...we are the minority. I've just saying that one day I hope our numbers are so great that we can have college campuses of our own, or TV station or network. That would be awesome.

Campus Crus...., err, Cru has claimed to have 37,900 "saved souls" since they have started bothering college kids on campus since 1951. They are on 1,029 campuses across the states. That's pretty good (and slightly deceiving, more later) and I can't help but think that would be cool if The Secular Student Alliance had those kinds of numbers. Just sayin'...

And what about the rebranding thingy. There have been many attmpts on our part to make the perception of atheists...softer. There was Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins and his idea to call ourselves Brights, which is pretty good, but it didn't catch on. We can also be Humanist, rationalist, secular humanist, nu humanists etc...but ya know what, I like New Atheist the best (1). I'm proud to call myself a New Atheist and associate myself with the nu atheism and the golden age of atheism. I think what we need to do is embrace it positivity and make it a positive term. We can do the good 'ol turn around and when peeps say "new atheists" while looking down their nose, we can say, "Hell ya I'm a New Atheist." Just a thought...

Has baddass been taken?

The other thingy was...Is this working; that battle for secular society that we keep talking about. Is Christian privilege waning and for that matter, Christianity in general. I might contradict myself right now (and as I've said many times in many weeks lately...I'm not making sense, even to myself), and it says so in the article, but when you crunch the numbers, Crus has only saved 7 souls per campus per year. OK, if we look at it like that, then that is not that much.

Number wise, and we see this in survey after survey, the numbers of believers are going down here in the Western nations and it is only rising in third world countries (read poverty and no education). All denominations have dwindling numbers, the remaining clergy is aging and the youth are leaving the faith of their parents in droves. That is why CCfC changed their name to Cru-to attract the younger generation and leave behind notions of their parents negative and un-hip faith. Sure some churches have epic concert like services that attract thousands, but those churches are few.

One commenter made a funny and a good point. Dude said that the name went from Crusade to Cru. What is next, just a "C" and then after that it gets smaller and smaller until there is nothing. It just disappears.  Well, we can only hope.

(1) Fo Sho I like being referred  to as a New Atheist and I do call myself that. but what I would love would be if everyone started saying Team Atheist. I think it brings a sense of belonging, belonging to something that is bigger than the individual. I can't help but think of all the geeks out there that did not play team sports and spent their time studying (that that is why you became a skeptic and then an atheist). Well, come and be on my team, our team. This is your chance to be on a team. Isn't that attractive? I think so. Team Atheist Forever.

* Dam, I didn't make sense. This is bullshit................

Pirates, I.D.'s and Ramen Oh My

F

I bet this dude drinks beer all the time. That is why he is the Most Awesome Dude in the World.

I was going to take a blog break (without telling anyone), but this story is made of awesome (1). I briefly mentioned this dude a couple of days ago and thought that was that, but, really, it just gets better.

Nico Alm waited three years for the"OK" to wear a pasta strainer on his head for his official ID. Somehow it was a protest about wearing the hijab in Austria, but I don't really understand that part. What I do know is that the super awesome Alm is a Pastafaria and he belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti  Monster.

For those that do not know and are just plain stupid The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster arose outta that stupid Kansas State School Board thingy a couple a few years back where they tried to inject religion in the form of Creationism into the science classroom. So this dude, Bobby Henderson, wrote a letter to the school board saying, like, yea I agree with you, we should teach all creation stories not just that scientific, peer reviewed, rational, big bang, abiogenesis, evolution thru natural selection thingy. So he proposed that they also teach the mythology of his holy noodle-ness, The Flying Spaghetti Monster. If it seems silly, that is the point. Teach the controversy (2).

Satire and pushing the envelope of what religion is has always been fair game (fair to Team Atheist that is). Russell had his Teapot, in the 60's they had that awesome acid church and in recent times stuffs like the Church of Body Modification have come into play and is forcing peeps to rethink what religion and what church is. Does it makes sense that one of the beliefs of a Pastafarian is that a decrease in the number of pirates directly contributes to global warming (when other factors like community support and united belief(s) are in play). Does it makes sense that a one third god/man/ghost that lived 2,000 years ago is going to reanimate, save a certain select portion of the population and his dad will kill all remaining peeps on the erffs...because they love us. No, that sh*t doesn't make sense, it doesn't have to, it's religion. 

If you can turn the critical eye on the super awesome Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, then why not on your own religion...and it is a religion, or is it. Austria authorities are grappling with that very question. If dudes can walk around in robes chanting stuffs and banging tambourines, if peeps believe that snakes talk and a bronze age book told them that those gays, those powerful hurricane, tsunami producing gays are immoral, if peeps are making millions because they believe that the universe will heal you and make you happy, if some people believe that the world rests on two gigantic turtles (guess who?), then why can't the people who brought us Talk Like A Pirate Day and Skepticon believe that every Friday is a holiday.

If it doesn't makes sense, that is because it doesn't.

Ramen.

Pastafarian 101. The eyes evolved from meatballs.

"For functionalists, it is irrelevant whether Pastafarians sincerelybelieve in their noodly deity. This shared body of symbols and practices has spawned an esprit de corps, uniting philosophical atheists and agnostics into a moral community, meaning that Pastafarianism may well be on its way to becoming a religion—in both the substantive and the functional sense (RD)."


"After providing a doctor’s note ensuring that he was mentally fit to drive, his request was granted, but Austrian authorities were careful to point out that he was not granted a religious exception: The pasta strainer did not cover his face, thus making the photo acceptable. Alm’s next step will be to petition the Austrian government to recognize Pastafarianism as a valid religion (RD)."


(1) I just hope that I have the capacity to do this and makes sense. The other day I decided to go out for a pack of cigarettes (that means leave and never come back) as far as this blog is concerned, or at least take a break, but this story is too awesome. Troy, I'm frackin' trying man. Thank you and thanks to everyone. I'm trying y'all.

(2) The only thing controversial about "teach the controversy" is that 'they' really mean teach Christianity along side science as equally valid and likely. On the surface they say teach all sides, but they really only mean their side.  Are they going to teach all the Native American creation myths (which, there are hella), all the creation myths from all the cultures of the world...no. First of all it would not be practical, second myths/folklore are not science and third...it's just plain stupid.

* The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

* Religion Dispatches. This is the article that inspired me to un-hibernate. Unfortunately I feel like I failed and I didn't get my point across. I don't even know what my point was. le sigh.

* For those keeping score...I have an appt. tomorrow and maybe they can get me the meds that I need...maybe.