Feed on Posts or Comments 09 February 2010

Christianity by Thomas on 09 Feb 2010

Why doesn’t Anne Hathaway take it just one step further?

Anne Hathaway Left Catholicism Because it’s Anti-Gay

The whole family converted to Episcopalianism after my elder brother came out. Why should I support an organisation that has a limited view of my beloved brother?

All she has to do is read the Bible and she would be a rational person.

Catholicism’s hatred of gays comes straight out of the Bible. All Christian religions are derived from the Bible. Simply by reading the Bible, she will realize that the “god” of Christianity hates her beloved brother. As soon as she realizes the idiocy of a “god of love” who hates, she would be able to abandon Episcopalianism and become rational.

This is true of all Christians. If they would simply read the Bible and understand its utter stupidity, they would become rational. The following video explains the situation:

Christianity by Thomas on 05 Feb 2010

The Republican Party and Religion

There is an excellent thread in the forums on a recent poll of Republicans:

Poll Suggests Republicans are Becoming a Fundie Religious Movement

QUESTION: Should public school students be taught that the book of Genesis in the Bible explains how God created the world? YES 77%; NO 15%; NOT SURE 8%.

QUESTION: Do you believe that the only way for an individual to go to heaven is though Jesus Christ, or can one make it to heaven through another faith? CHRIST 67%; OTHER 15%; NOT SURE 18%.

Now imagine that these theocrats win the Presidential election. What happens next?

Christianity by Thomas on 04 Feb 2010

When the media panders to religion

A perfect example of the media pandering to religion:

NPR: Searching for Spirituality in Prison

“Spiritual Autobiography” - autobiographies “rooted in lessons of faith”.

One of the professors who speaks is Lauren Winter, assistant professor of Christian Spirituality at Duke Divinity School and author of the book “Girl meets God”.

The show could be better called “Searching for Delusion in Prison”. Why would the Raleigh Correctional Center for Women, funded by tax dollars, be spreading delusion to inmates? And why would NPR be reporting on the spread of delusion?

If you visit the Duke Divinity School’s Web Site, you find this ridiculous contradiction:

Duke Divinity School’s mission is to engage in spiritually disciplined and academically rigorous education in service and witness to the Triune God in the midst of the church, the academy, and the world.

Any “academically rigorous” program would state unequivocally that religion is delusion.

This video is helpful for understanding the delusion:

Christianity & Rationals by Thomas on 02 Feb 2010

You will want to avoid St. Anthony hospital in Oklahoma City

Visit their Web site: St. Anthony. The opening screen right now says, “Do you believe in the power of prayer?” Clicking on that page takes you to sharetheprayer.tv where it says, “We believe in the power of prayer”, and that is a registered trademark. Also: “See how the Power of Prayer is making a difference every day. Click the images to see their stories.”

This is shocking because, as scientifically trained doctors, any physician practicing under the notion that “prayer works” is completely delusional and probably violating the Hippocratic Oath. The simple fact is that Prayer is rank superstition, nothing more. These two videos will help you to understand the reality of the situation:

Christianity by Thomas on 01 Feb 2010

Christians have turned America into a laughingstock in other parts of the world

Watch this video to see how ridiculous American Christians look to foreigners:

The problem is that there are so many Christians in America that they taint the entire country’s reputation.

Christianity by Thomas on 29 Jan 2010

The age of sexual consent at the Vatican is 12

The Vatican is its own tiny nation. Check out the age of consent for sex in this nation:

Worldwide ages of consent

You read that right - it is 12 years old for male-female sex.

Completely in line with the insanity described here.

Islam by Thomas on 29 Jan 2010

More Islamic Insanity

Breathe deeply of the insanity, as reported by Reuters:

Leader slaughters goats to ward off evil?

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has a black goat slaughtered at his house almost every day to ward off “evil eyes” and protect him from “black magic,” a newspaper reported Wednesday.

A spokesman for the president told the Dawn newspaper the goats were slaughtered as an act of Sadaqah — meaning “voluntary charity” in Islam whereby one gives out money or the meat of a slaughtered animal to the poor to win Allah’s blessing and stave off misfortune.

“It has been an old practice of Mr Zardari to offer Sadaqah. He has been doing this for a long time,” the spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, told the paper.

Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country where many of the well-off offer Sadaqah.

The logic: “If I kill this animal, I will win Allah’s blessing and stave off misfortune.” Makes perfect sense, if you are insane.

Christianity & Islam by Thomas on 28 Jan 2010

An apology from a Christian

Actually she is now an ex-Christian, looking back at her days as a Christian and apologizing to humanity for her words and deeds as a Christian:

Ex-Christian, now Atheist blogger apologizes for being a “Huge shithead for all those years.”

This apology should be read by every Christian and Muslim. It perfectly summarizes the vast problems with Christianity, and the reasons why Christianity (as well as all flavors of the Islamic faith) must die.

Christianity by Thomas on 28 Jan 2010

More religious insanity - the pope whips himself

If any “normal” person did this, it would be considered insanity, but when a religious person does it, it is considered normal:

Pope John Paul II ‘whipped himself to feel closer to God’

The late Pope John Paul II, who has been put on the fast track to sainthood by the Vatican, regularly whipped himself as an act of penance to feel closer to God…

“In his wardrobe, among his vestments, there hung on a clothes hanger a special belt for trousers which he used as a whip,” Monsignor Oder says. He said self flagellation was “an instrument of Christian perfection” emulating the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

Imagine a corporate CEO admitting to this. He would be immediately dismissed. But the pope can get away with insanity like this because religion is already a form of insanity. Whipping yourself is just an extra cherry of insanity on top of a giant insanity sundae.

Another example of papal insanity:

Christianity & Rationals by Thomas on 26 Jan 2010

How the delusion of Christianity affects everyday thinking

As the video points out, Christians are delusional. How does the delusion affect Christians in their everyday lives? Here is one example:

New Bank Rules Sink Stocks

If accepted by Congress, the Obama proposals could force significant changes in how the nation’s biggest banks do business. The specter of new profit-crimping regulation battered bank stocks Thursday, dragging down the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 213.27 points, or 2%, to 10389.88. Some financial stocks sank by more than 5%, though they recovered slightly after Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said the new rules would take effect over three to five years, not immediately. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.’s stock was the hardest hit, sinking 6.6%.

The concept that the Wall Street Journal is espousing in the article is simple: What Obama says and does has immediate, dramatic impacts on the market; there is a direct cause-effect relationship between Obama and the stock market.

The problem is that, as soon as you accept that concept, then you have to explain this graph showing the dramatic rise in the stock market in 2009:

If Obama is to blame for the drop in the stock market last week, then he is also to blame for the 10-month rise, is he not?

When questioned about this, the WSJ would surely say, “There are other explanations for the rise in the stock market over the last year - Obama had nothing to do with those stock market increases.” In other words, Obama is the direct cause of all stock market drops, but none of its increases.

What does this remind you of? It is just like the Christian belief that God causes all blessings, but none of the disasters. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”, and all that.

Both of these beliefs - 1) that God causes all (and only) blessings, and 2) that Obama causes all (and only) stock market drops - are completely delusional. No rational person would tolerate such cognitive dissonance in his or her thinking. But for Christians, because they are delusional to begin with, such dissonance is easy to accept. They embrace massive dissonance every single day in order to be Christians.

Daniel Dennett puts it this way in Problem of evil and religion’s double standard:

The idea that God is a worthy recipient of our gratitude for the blessings of life but should not be held accountable for the disasters is a transparently disingenuous innovation of the theologians.

Religion is delusion. That delusion has a negative impact on the thinking of all religious adherents because it encourages them to be delusional in other parts of their lives as well.

Christianity & Islam & Rationals by Thomas on 26 Jan 2010

Waking Up in the Universe, by Richard Dawkins

One of the questions answered: What is the meaning of life?

Oxford professor Richard Dawkins presents a series of lectures on life, the universe, and our place in it. With brilliance and clarity, Dawkins unravels an educational gem that will mesmerize young and old alike. Illuminating demonstrations, wildlife, virtual reality, and special guests (including Douglas Adams) all combine to make this collection a timeless classic.

Christianity by Thomas on 25 Jan 2010

A perfect example of “Christian love”

Jesus taught his followers to love one another and give to the poor. You can see how modern-day Christians - for example, a Republican candidate for governor in South Carolina - interpret these Christian ideals in this article:

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer has compared giving people government assistance to “feeding stray animals.”

The hypocrisy of Christians is stunning. More details:

Christianity & Islam & Science by Thomas on 24 Jan 2010

The “miracles” of Jesus and other God-men explained

In many parts of the world today there are people performing “miracles” for money. Here’s how they do it, and the effect they can have on ignorant villagers:

Christianity & Islam & Rationals by Thomas on 22 Jan 2010

Weekend reading on Atheism

Two documents that help you understand atheism:

1) Atheism Packet.pdf

2) The Philosophy of Atheism

Plus an audio introduction to ethics:

Ethics and Morality, without Religion

The humanist chaplain at Harvard preaches on living an ethical life without belief in God as the underpinning. His new book explores why people manage to do good without belief in a deity. Guests * Greg Epstein: Author of “Good Without God.” He’s the humanist chaplain for Harvard University.

Christianity by Thomas on 20 Jan 2010

Bible verses imprinted on U.S. military equipment

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