omnipotence, omnipotent, god, bible, christianity, christian, atheism, atheist, pagan,
Makarios explores what he essentially describes as a glitch in human design, a glitch that I would call a feature.
I stated in my last post, "Jesus didn't come to earth to establish a new religion. He came to bring healing to a broken relationship. The relationship was broken by disobedience BUT the disobedience was the result of a lack of, or perhaps even an inability to love our Creator as He is worthy to be loved. As with any relationship, when we love ourselves the most, we serve ourselves over and before those who we claim to love. That's too bad because one of our primary goals in life is to love God and to enjoy Him forever.
here's my problem with that. supposedly, our creator created us. if his entire goal is to be worshipped, and he made us for that purpose, why did he make us lacking or unable to worship him properly?
this just doesn't make any sense. god is omnipotent and omniscient. therefore, he knows how to make humans capable of worshipping him properly, and is capable of doing so. the fact that god did not make us capable of worshipping him properly means one of three things: (a) he is incapable of doing so, (b) he is unwilling to do so, (c) god did not create us.
(a) is an impossibility if god is omnipotent. if god is omnipotent, god as christians imagine him does not exist. this does not prove the nonexistence of any deity, simply the deity as imagined by christians. i don't really know if jews and muslims picture an omnipotent god or not. this leaves the field open for pagan gods, so win for you, my pagan friends!
(b) this isn't really worth spending much time on, because it automatically falls into the category of "ineffable", which is just another way of saying "shut up, that's why!"
(c) this option gets really weird really fast, and could possibly be a subheading of (a). Yhwh, the god of the christians, does exist, but did not create us. Either some other god created us, or abiogenesis did its thing, and Yhwh merely found us here. The purpose Yhwh put us to has nothing to do with the purpose we were created for (or the purpose we just don't have), hence all the troubles between humans and Yhwh. It's not our fault, it's not Yhwh's fault, humans are just a bad fit for Yhwh's needs. This option also requires that Yhwh is not omnipotent. Pagans win again!
It's the omnipotence, really. If christianity had not declared god omnipotent, we wouldn't have these issues. You don't have to explain the failures and limitations of a limited god, but with Yhwh, there's just no way around the logical gaps.
Showing posts with label pagan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pagan. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Functional Atheists Are Not Atheists
atheism, atheist, makarios, muslim, hindu, shinto, pagan, agnostic, deism, fail, christianity, bible, god,
I may have figured out why there are so many current and former atheists in a country where less than 5% of people are atheists.
Makarios' latest is on the evil of Oprah, which I just don't have time for, but the following is illuminative:
while there are relatively few professing atheists in the world (those who declare there is no God), there may be a billion or more what I call Functional Atheists - those who live as though God, as He is described in the Bible, does not exist.
Functional atheists, or practical atheists as they're called by some, believe that God’s desires for us are no more relevant for our lives than those of the guy next door.
First of all, these are not atheists. Atheists lack a belief in any and all gods, just the same way Makarios lacks a belief in Thor or Zeus or the tiny pink unicorns in my basement. (They're lovely.) What he is describing is agnostics, deists or unaffiliateds. They represent about 10% of the US. Makarios can call them atheists, but they're not atheists. I can call my dog a cat, it's still a dog.
Secondly, Muslims, Hindus, Shintoists, pagans, etc. could be described as living as though the god of the bible does not exist, by which I think Makarios means "not being the exact same sort of christians as me." Muslims, Hindus, Shintoists, pagans, etc. are demonstrably not atheists: they all believe in god(s).
So, Makarios can redefine agnostics, deists, unaffiliateds, Muslims, Hindus, Shintoists, pagans and my couch as atheists, until he arrives at the billions and billions number, but that does not change the fact that none of these people are atheists.
Redefinition fail.
I may have figured out why there are so many current and former atheists in a country where less than 5% of people are atheists.
Makarios' latest is on the evil of Oprah, which I just don't have time for, but the following is illuminative:
while there are relatively few professing atheists in the world (those who declare there is no God), there may be a billion or more what I call Functional Atheists - those who live as though God, as He is described in the Bible, does not exist.
Functional atheists, or practical atheists as they're called by some, believe that God’s desires for us are no more relevant for our lives than those of the guy next door.
First of all, these are not atheists. Atheists lack a belief in any and all gods, just the same way Makarios lacks a belief in Thor or Zeus or the tiny pink unicorns in my basement. (They're lovely.) What he is describing is agnostics, deists or unaffiliateds. They represent about 10% of the US. Makarios can call them atheists, but they're not atheists. I can call my dog a cat, it's still a dog.
Secondly, Muslims, Hindus, Shintoists, pagans, etc. could be described as living as though the god of the bible does not exist, by which I think Makarios means "not being the exact same sort of christians as me." Muslims, Hindus, Shintoists, pagans, etc. are demonstrably not atheists: they all believe in god(s).
So, Makarios can redefine agnostics, deists, unaffiliateds, Muslims, Hindus, Shintoists, pagans and my couch as atheists, until he arrives at the billions and billions number, but that does not change the fact that none of these people are atheists.
Redefinition fail.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Omnipotence- The Pros and Cons
god, omnipotence, omnipotent, religion, christian, covenant, unbeliever, pagan, atheism, atheist,
One of the things that has always bothered me about the christian god is the supposed quality of omnipotence: almighty or infinite in power, as God.
What bothers me about Yhwh's supposed omnipotence is that every time you turn around you see an example of something that really needs to be fixed. People dying in floods or fires, children being raped, people being tortured, people starving to death, people dying slowly of terrible illnesses. Any reasonable person looking at that is going to experience some serious cognitive dissonance trying to reconcile an omnipotent, loving god with what actually happens here on earth. Some people resolve their cognitive dissonance by retreating into "god is ineffable", some people become atheists. However you do it, eventually you have to reconcile yourself to the inevitable conclusion that either Yhwh doesn't care or Yhwh isn't omnipotent, but he certainly isn't loving and omnipotent.
In my opinion, pagans have the best solution to this problem (without resorting to the "oh, fuck it, I can't believe this shit anymore" of the atheist): specialization rather than omnipotence. Pagan gods and goddesses are like modern day medical professionals. If I have a brain tumor, I want a neurosurgeon, but if I need my hip replaced, that's not the doctor I want in the room. Pagans have different gods and goddesses for every occasion, and they are clearly not omnipotent. Thus, if I ask a pagan why didn't Thor or Zeus or whoever save those people from drowning, I'm not going to create any cognitive dissonance. The answer is simple: it wasn't in their power.
Writers tend to deal with this problem in the same way: they remove the element of omnipotence. Either god is space aliens/humans from the future, vastly more powerful than our bronze age forebears, but not omnipotent, or god is limited in some way. For instance, Stephen R. Donaldson creates a god limited by his own creation in the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. This of course brings up the issue of how does god create a rock so big he can't lift it, but at least we know why we're counting on an antihero to fix things.
Feel free to chime in with your favorite explanation of why god is the way god is. Book recommendations always welcome.
One of the things that has always bothered me about the christian god is the supposed quality of omnipotence: almighty or infinite in power, as God.
What bothers me about Yhwh's supposed omnipotence is that every time you turn around you see an example of something that really needs to be fixed. People dying in floods or fires, children being raped, people being tortured, people starving to death, people dying slowly of terrible illnesses. Any reasonable person looking at that is going to experience some serious cognitive dissonance trying to reconcile an omnipotent, loving god with what actually happens here on earth. Some people resolve their cognitive dissonance by retreating into "god is ineffable", some people become atheists. However you do it, eventually you have to reconcile yourself to the inevitable conclusion that either Yhwh doesn't care or Yhwh isn't omnipotent, but he certainly isn't loving and omnipotent.
In my opinion, pagans have the best solution to this problem (without resorting to the "oh, fuck it, I can't believe this shit anymore" of the atheist): specialization rather than omnipotence. Pagan gods and goddesses are like modern day medical professionals. If I have a brain tumor, I want a neurosurgeon, but if I need my hip replaced, that's not the doctor I want in the room. Pagans have different gods and goddesses for every occasion, and they are clearly not omnipotent. Thus, if I ask a pagan why didn't Thor or Zeus or whoever save those people from drowning, I'm not going to create any cognitive dissonance. The answer is simple: it wasn't in their power.
Writers tend to deal with this problem in the same way: they remove the element of omnipotence. Either god is space aliens/humans from the future, vastly more powerful than our bronze age forebears, but not omnipotent, or god is limited in some way. For instance, Stephen R. Donaldson creates a god limited by his own creation in the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. This of course brings up the issue of how does god create a rock so big he can't lift it, but at least we know why we're counting on an antihero to fix things.
Feel free to chime in with your favorite explanation of why god is the way god is. Book recommendations always welcome.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
What Is Evangelism Not?
conversion, religion, christian, god, christianity, atheism, atheist, pagan, evangelism, evangelist, witness, proselytizing, bible
9 marks (I don't get the reference) explains what evangelism is- by defining what evangelism is not. (Go ahead, explain to an alien what a cupcake is by telling the alien what it is not. I'm sure the alien will get a really clear picture of cupcakes from that.)
The Impossibility of Imposition. Many people equate evangelism with imposition - someone imposing their religious views on another person as a ploy for power or control. But this idea is mistaken. keep going . . .
To equate evangelism with imposition implies that Christianity is only subjectively true - true and binding for me, but not for others. so it's totally okay for me to beat you over the head with The Origin of the Species? i can't even deal with this "objectively true" nonsense. clearly not, or we'd all be christians . . . oh, wait, these are the same people that don't accept evolution . . . and now i'm reduced to cogito ergo sum. Christianity is not man's subjective opinion. no, it's your subjective opinion. It is God's objective truth, regardless of our subjective opinions. oh, dear.
To equate evangelism with imposition implies that Christians are able to convert people themselves, which is entirely false. this is a "planting the seeds" argument. essentially, evangelists excuse their overwhelming failure to convert most people they try to convert by saying that only god can convert people, christians are only responsible for introducing people to the idea. as if anyone in the US has not heard of jesus. (I think I'm going to say to the next evangelist I meet "Jesus? Never heard of him." just to see what they do.) In fact, of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the one least amenable to such imposition because of its theology of conversion. uh, yeah.
Humanity is so entrenched in sin worthless! you're all worthless without god! that unless God's Spirit does the converting work Himself, none of us would ever repent and believe. it's not my fault these stupid heathens won't believe!
Therefore, Christianity is actually unique among world religions for the impossibility of imposing its belief structure on others. has he studied any other religions? buddhism, maybe? any pagan sect? Only God convinces people to repent and believe. well, cool, then, just leave us all alone then. we've all heard of your god, apparently he hasn't gotten around to converting us, so go get a hobby.
9 marks (I don't get the reference) explains what evangelism is- by defining what evangelism is not. (Go ahead, explain to an alien what a cupcake is by telling the alien what it is not. I'm sure the alien will get a really clear picture of cupcakes from that.)
The Impossibility of Imposition. Many people equate evangelism with imposition - someone imposing their religious views on another person as a ploy for power or control. But this idea is mistaken. keep going . . .
To equate evangelism with imposition implies that Christianity is only subjectively true - true and binding for me, but not for others. so it's totally okay for me to beat you over the head with The Origin of the Species? i can't even deal with this "objectively true" nonsense. clearly not, or we'd all be christians . . . oh, wait, these are the same people that don't accept evolution . . . and now i'm reduced to cogito ergo sum. Christianity is not man's subjective opinion. no, it's your subjective opinion. It is God's objective truth, regardless of our subjective opinions. oh, dear.
To equate evangelism with imposition implies that Christians are able to convert people themselves, which is entirely false. this is a "planting the seeds" argument. essentially, evangelists excuse their overwhelming failure to convert most people they try to convert by saying that only god can convert people, christians are only responsible for introducing people to the idea. as if anyone in the US has not heard of jesus. (I think I'm going to say to the next evangelist I meet "Jesus? Never heard of him." just to see what they do.) In fact, of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the one least amenable to such imposition because of its theology of conversion. uh, yeah.
Humanity is so entrenched in sin worthless! you're all worthless without god! that unless God's Spirit does the converting work Himself, none of us would ever repent and believe. it's not my fault these stupid heathens won't believe!
Therefore, Christianity is actually unique among world religions for the impossibility of imposing its belief structure on others. has he studied any other religions? buddhism, maybe? any pagan sect? Only God convinces people to repent and believe. well, cool, then, just leave us all alone then. we've all heard of your god, apparently he hasn't gotten around to converting us, so go get a hobby.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sin is an alien that has no true rights.
religion, christian, christianity, atheism, atheist, democracy, theocracy, bible, god, jesus, judaism, muslim, pagan, heathen, crazy,
Sorry, Robert Lee at the Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the TEN COMMANDMENTS has raised the bar for crazy with Things you should know*.
It sounds absolutely absurd for supreme court judges to vote on an issue. Either they are judges or voters. True judges judge, not vote. that is so awesome, it might be a Poe.
Never think you have the wrong book even if you pick up the Bible by mistake! well, if i want to find a phone number, i most certainly do have the wrong book.
What good is the poem,
What good is the rhythm and rhyme?
As long as they do not convey God's truths,
They are not worth a dime.
The industrial revolution in America helped greatly to destroy moral values in America. The factory system was developed not as a result of need, but from greed. Home employment employed everyone. But the factory, having destroyed home employment, cannot employ everyone. Thus unemployment was created by the industrial revolution. that's right, there was never, ever unemployment ever, in the world, prior to factories. because every single person was a farmer at all times. and soldiers never came home from war to find that there wasn't a job for them.
Who are heathens to comment on whether God exists or not; they don't know whether their own selves exist or not, or whether the life they live is truly real. um, yeah.
Every citizen of America has found cause to argue against democracy one way or the other, because it is not right for anyone. that would just be you. i'm fine with democracy.
I don't attend funerals. I've never attended one during my adult life. Whenever I am convinced that a person truly went to heaven, then you will see me at his funeral. that's right, nobody Mr. Lee has ever known, not a family member, nor a friend, has ever gone to heaven. heaven must be a very lonely place indeed.
One cannot have thoughts of a true GOD without actually thinking of the true God, because there is no true God other than the true God. In other words, one cannot imagine a true God without actually thinking of the true God. There are no imaginations of the true God apart from actually thinking of the true God. The true God is not a God of the imagination. and the award for circular reasoning par excelence goes to . . .
Those who would endeavor to properly straighten out the american society will have to forget about attending college or seminary and forget about a "degree", because once you have obtained a "degree," you will have become thoroughly incompetent and impotent to do anything truly worthwhile for america. ignorance isn't bliss, it's competance and erections!
Solomon quite obviously is not the one making judicial decisions in america. for quite a variety of reasons.
Middle-class blacks are foolishly frustrated that they still are, to some degree, prevented from serving satan as do whites. They will not be satisfied until they have the freedom to serve him equally. did i mention Mr. Lee is a racist?
Blacks have never understood how blessed it is to be outcasts in the american society. a really big racist.
It's LEGAL for boxers to break one anothers' noses, blacken one anothers' eyes, knock out teeth and try to give one another a final concussion which may result in death; but it's ILLEGAL to cock or dog fight. because humans have the mental capacity to choose this action, but birds and dogs do not.
Better is a dictator who rules every aspect of the lives of the people with true justice and righteousness, than a democracy wherein the people indulge in the evil and idolatrous freedom they desire. i wonder who Mr. Lee has in mind for the dictatorship?
All major news media in America is the main medium by which satan and his demons speak to the American public. The senators and congressmen are also the medium by which the people make their desires known unto satan, and one means by which satan answers their prayers. demons, demons, everywhere . . .
Demons cause more than one type of expression on the faces of the people whom they possess: There is the glassy-eyed look and stare of the epileptic; the feminine look in the male homosexual; the masculine look in the lesbian; the look of education and sophistication; the look of innocence and truth in the liar, etc... did I also mention Mr. Lee hates gays, epileptics and liberal elites?
Reading the Atlanta Journal and Constitution is seeing the world through the eyes of homosexuals.
America is the leading anti-Christian, anti-God, anti-Jesus Christ nation on earth. right ahead of Iran, well known for their love of jesus.
The musical "Beauty and the Beast" made by atheist homosexual heathens at Walt Disney is designed to subtly create tolerance in the foolish american society for BESTIALITY ! Mr. Lee isn't fond of Disney, either.
Has a person ever made you so angry you wished he was dead? Then why can't you feel and express that same fervency of anger towards true criminals such as atheists, pedophiles, homosexuals, murders, rapists and etc? It is likely that the people who made you so angry did not commit death worthy crimes in the society; but the people we have name have. What you should wish for these people is that the government put them to death. atheist=gay=pedophile=murder=rapist.
There is a time and season for every purpose under heaven. There was a time for blacks to fight for civil rights, but now it is time for them to fight against it as it pertains to gays. Mr. Lee isn't quite as racist as he is homophobic.
The corporeal Jews are looking for a "messiah" but they don't know where he will come from (John 7:27). Since the true Messiah, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came from heaven, but the Jews did not and do not believe in Him, and since Jesus is the only true Messiah, meaning that no other Messiah will come from heaven, then the messiah the heathen corporeal "jews" are looking for can only originate on cursed earth or descend out of hell. It is therefore plain to see who their messiah is. He is none other than the old serpent. is there a bigotry Mr. Lee does not embrace?
Every society will have groups that can be identified with prevailing social patterns and institutions. In america, such are the atheists and other pagans. But there are others who oppose and defy america's atheistic and pagan establishment. Yes, america has its critics and enemies. But the ever enduring group and most important are the few who are true Christians - rightly so. True Christians understand the heathenism of the american establishment and thus is unconvinced it is the best of all possible worlds. True Christians have serious reservations about america's morality and political philosophy. Don't worry my pagan readers, Mr. Lee didn't forget about you!
Americ! America! Please listen! Please do not let the likes of Ozzie Osburn get the victory and capitolize off you! Apparently, we were fighting Ozzy and I missed it!
I'm just going to stop here:
demo cracy ----- demo N cracy ----- DEMONCRACY. Now you know the origin of democracy. It is none other than SATANOCRACY
*found under the heading "Supporting Documents"!!1!!
Sorry, Robert Lee at the Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the TEN COMMANDMENTS has raised the bar for crazy with Things you should know*.
It sounds absolutely absurd for supreme court judges to vote on an issue. Either they are judges or voters. True judges judge, not vote. that is so awesome, it might be a Poe.
Never think you have the wrong book even if you pick up the Bible by mistake! well, if i want to find a phone number, i most certainly do have the wrong book.
What good is the poem,
What good is the rhythm and rhyme?
As long as they do not convey God's truths,
They are not worth a dime.
The industrial revolution in America helped greatly to destroy moral values in America. The factory system was developed not as a result of need, but from greed. Home employment employed everyone. But the factory, having destroyed home employment, cannot employ everyone. Thus unemployment was created by the industrial revolution. that's right, there was never, ever unemployment ever, in the world, prior to factories. because every single person was a farmer at all times. and soldiers never came home from war to find that there wasn't a job for them.
Who are heathens to comment on whether God exists or not; they don't know whether their own selves exist or not, or whether the life they live is truly real. um, yeah.
Every citizen of America has found cause to argue against democracy one way or the other, because it is not right for anyone. that would just be you. i'm fine with democracy.
I don't attend funerals. I've never attended one during my adult life. Whenever I am convinced that a person truly went to heaven, then you will see me at his funeral. that's right, nobody Mr. Lee has ever known, not a family member, nor a friend, has ever gone to heaven. heaven must be a very lonely place indeed.
One cannot have thoughts of a true GOD without actually thinking of the true God, because there is no true God other than the true God. In other words, one cannot imagine a true God without actually thinking of the true God. There are no imaginations of the true God apart from actually thinking of the true God. The true God is not a God of the imagination. and the award for circular reasoning par excelence goes to . . .
Those who would endeavor to properly straighten out the american society will have to forget about attending college or seminary and forget about a "degree", because once you have obtained a "degree," you will have become thoroughly incompetent and impotent to do anything truly worthwhile for america. ignorance isn't bliss, it's competance and erections!
Solomon quite obviously is not the one making judicial decisions in america. for quite a variety of reasons.
Middle-class blacks are foolishly frustrated that they still are, to some degree, prevented from serving satan as do whites. They will not be satisfied until they have the freedom to serve him equally. did i mention Mr. Lee is a racist?
Blacks have never understood how blessed it is to be outcasts in the american society. a really big racist.
It's LEGAL for boxers to break one anothers' noses, blacken one anothers' eyes, knock out teeth and try to give one another a final concussion which may result in death; but it's ILLEGAL to cock or dog fight. because humans have the mental capacity to choose this action, but birds and dogs do not.
Better is a dictator who rules every aspect of the lives of the people with true justice and righteousness, than a democracy wherein the people indulge in the evil and idolatrous freedom they desire. i wonder who Mr. Lee has in mind for the dictatorship?
All major news media in America is the main medium by which satan and his demons speak to the American public. The senators and congressmen are also the medium by which the people make their desires known unto satan, and one means by which satan answers their prayers. demons, demons, everywhere . . .
Demons cause more than one type of expression on the faces of the people whom they possess: There is the glassy-eyed look and stare of the epileptic; the feminine look in the male homosexual; the masculine look in the lesbian; the look of education and sophistication; the look of innocence and truth in the liar, etc... did I also mention Mr. Lee hates gays, epileptics and liberal elites?
Reading the Atlanta Journal and Constitution is seeing the world through the eyes of homosexuals.
America is the leading anti-Christian, anti-God, anti-Jesus Christ nation on earth. right ahead of Iran, well known for their love of jesus.
The musical "Beauty and the Beast" made by atheist homosexual heathens at Walt Disney is designed to subtly create tolerance in the foolish american society for BESTIALITY ! Mr. Lee isn't fond of Disney, either.
Has a person ever made you so angry you wished he was dead? Then why can't you feel and express that same fervency of anger towards true criminals such as atheists, pedophiles, homosexuals, murders, rapists and etc? It is likely that the people who made you so angry did not commit death worthy crimes in the society; but the people we have name have. What you should wish for these people is that the government put them to death. atheist=gay=pedophile=murder=rapist.
There is a time and season for every purpose under heaven. There was a time for blacks to fight for civil rights, but now it is time for them to fight against it as it pertains to gays. Mr. Lee isn't quite as racist as he is homophobic.
The corporeal Jews are looking for a "messiah" but they don't know where he will come from (John 7:27). Since the true Messiah, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came from heaven, but the Jews did not and do not believe in Him, and since Jesus is the only true Messiah, meaning that no other Messiah will come from heaven, then the messiah the heathen corporeal "jews" are looking for can only originate on cursed earth or descend out of hell. It is therefore plain to see who their messiah is. He is none other than the old serpent. is there a bigotry Mr. Lee does not embrace?
Every society will have groups that can be identified with prevailing social patterns and institutions. In america, such are the atheists and other pagans. But there are others who oppose and defy america's atheistic and pagan establishment. Yes, america has its critics and enemies. But the ever enduring group and most important are the few who are true Christians - rightly so. True Christians understand the heathenism of the american establishment and thus is unconvinced it is the best of all possible worlds. True Christians have serious reservations about america's morality and political philosophy. Don't worry my pagan readers, Mr. Lee didn't forget about you!
Americ! America! Please listen! Please do not let the likes of Ozzie Osburn get the victory and capitolize off you! Apparently, we were fighting Ozzy and I missed it!
I'm just going to stop here:
demo cracy ----- demo N cracy ----- DEMONCRACY. Now you know the origin of democracy. It is none other than SATANOCRACY
*found under the heading "Supporting Documents"!!1!!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
In Which I Do Not Commit Suicide
suicide, atheism, atheist, pagan, paganism, neo-paganism, neopaganism, religion, christian, christianity, god, bible, fundamentalism, fundamentalist, fundamentalism, darrow, miller
Becoming an atheist does not inevitably lead one to suicide. (Unless every atheist blogger is posting from beyond the grave, that is.) What many theists consider to be the most terrifying thoughts possible- there is no god, there is no afterlife, it's all up to us- the atheist considers to be the most hopeful of thoughts. (Simply put, just because you don't like something, doesn't mean other people don't like it.)
Why do I mention this? Well, Disciples Nations Alliance is at it again. (Oh my blog, it's another DNA!)
This was written as a response to numerous comments that Darrow received on his last post.
Becoming an atheist does not inevitably lead one to suicide. (Unless every atheist blogger is posting from beyond the grave, that is.) What many theists consider to be the most terrifying thoughts possible- there is no god, there is no afterlife, it's all up to us- the atheist considers to be the most hopeful of thoughts. (Simply put, just because you don't like something, doesn't mean other people don't like it.)
Why do I mention this? Well, Disciples Nations Alliance is at it again. (Oh my blog, it's another DNA!)
This was written as a response to numerous comments that Darrow received on his last post.
Basically, Darrow stated that atheism is dying. A number of commenters, including yours truly, pointed out that not only is atheism not dying, it's gaining a greater percentage of the population. Apparently, Darrow is one of those fellows who just can't bear to be proven wrong.
It seems that this blog struck a chord with some people who are Atheists in their belief/faith system no, we're just atheists. and, atheists don't have a belief/faith system. we just don't believe in god. that's more of a lack-of-belief system. A number have called me on my assertion that Atheism is dying me! and they have stated that it is growing true. Let me respond with a few points:
1) When I say that Atheism is dying, I mean that the systems that were founded upon the Atheistic (and materialistic) set of assumptions - Communism, Fascism and Hedonistic-Capitalism have died or are dying. These system have fallen (or are falling as we witness
I was wrong about what I said, so I really meant to say something else. Yeah. He just can't admit that a bunch of atheists proved him wrong. We couldn't possibly know more about atheism than him.
I also enjoy being blamed for communism, facism and hedonistic-capitalism- whatever that is. (I assume that he means that unfettered capitalism is the highest good, and if it screwed up the freakin' world (see: current economic crisis), it's not that regulations are necessary, it's that we were practicing the wrong kind of capitalism. yeah.
Nazis and Atheism, a quick review. In the belt buckles of elite Nazis SS troops was inscription "Gott mitt uns" of "God with us", which is not an atheist slogan.
On taking power, Hitler banned freethought organizations like the German Freethinkers League and launched an "anti-godless" movement.In a 1933 speech Hitler declared: "We have… undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that not merely with a few theoretical declarations: we have stamped it out."
Hitler hated atheists. Hitler hated practically everyone, and he certainly didn't hate atheists like he hated jews, but atheists were on the menu.
2) While Atheism is in its death-throws, Atheists are not. ummm . . . how can the number of atheists be increasing, while atheism decreases? atheism and atheists are indistinguishable in this context. Modern Atheists have become militant i want my damn jackboots! or dogmatic in their assumptions. hehehehehehe. this from a fundy. who doesn't love a good dose of irony? In the past, Atheists were happy to engage with reason with Agnostics, Christians, Hindus, or anyone from another school of thought. The militant Atheists of today no longer want a level playing field and discussion provided by the Judeo-Christian concept of the freedom OF religion. They are fighting for the freedom FROM religion. judeo-christian concept of . . . what? why don't i just call abortion a judeo-christian ideal and call it a day, if we're just saying anything we want. They want to move any discussion of religion from the public square.
Oh, I see. The War on Religion. (For those of you who lost your atheist calendar, the War on Religion falls between the War on Nurses and the War on Christmas.) You see, I pay for public land. Therefore, putting religious displays on public land has me paying to support a religious display for a religion I am not a member of and don't support. There has got to be a better use for my money. I also pay for the printing of money, therefore, I would like "In God We Trust" removed. (Until then, I will continue to cross out the "God" and replace it with "Gay".)
However, you are perfectly welcome to believe in whatever you wish. I don't wish to close down churches, private people/groups are welcome to display whatever they want, and anyone who wants to can keep right on trusting in god. Please feel free to pipe in, my pagan friends: have I ever tried to defaith you?
I think this is another sign of the desperation of the modern Atheist. The fact that I don't like being forced to pay for religious displays is "desperation"? I love redefining words for no good reason. The militant Atheists jackboots!, unlike more honest Existentialists of an earlier generation lying jackboots!, do not want to look at or be confronted by the logic of their assumptions. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! from a christian, no less! After all, if there is no God, then everything that has its basis in his existence is gone. wait for it. Love, beauty, morals, truth, and the significance of human life all disappear.
That's right: you can't love, see beauty, have morals, tell or recognize the truth or value life without god. The fact that I do all of those things, as does every other atheist on the planet, is irrelevant. We're all liars. Psychopathic, murdering, lying liars. In jackboots.
The logical consequences of Atheism is suicide. no, it's not. after all, i believe there is no afterlife. therefore, the logical consequence of atheism is to cling to life for as long as possible, because when it's over, it's over. the christian, on the other hand, believes that the afterlife will be infinitely better than this life. therefore, the logical consequence of christianity is not getting out of the way of a speeding train. Or, if one does not have the courage for suicide wait, suicide is courage now? somehow not the tack I expected this asshat to take., then there is a step away from reason. stop abusing logic. that doesn't even make sense. If I escape from reason, I no longer need to live faced with the reality of my Atheistic assumptions. oh, so we're delusional, psychopathic, murdering, lying liars. in jackboots.
3) As some have indicated, many people in the West are fleeing from a Christianity that no longer seems relevant. i'm not running away from, i'm running towards. towards logic, reason and the end to hatred in belief's name. Tragically happily, this is true. Europe is certainly post-Christian i'd move to england, but there's the food. oh, and i can barely understand the average briton. i know, it's your language, which makes it my problem, but what are you saying? and the USA has reached a tipping point. everybody, one step to the left! But people who are fleeing Christianity are not becoming Atheists. ummmmm . . . is this an exercise in verbal ADD? They are moving towards alternative forms of spirituality. Whoo, pagans! They cannot stand the emptiness and spiritual vacuum of Atheism. we are neither empty nor spiritually vacuous. stop that. At the same time, they do not want the costly faith is that supposed to be a selling point? it's expensive- buy some! of a God who is Lord of their life or not and a faith that has a solid meta-physic wtf is a "solid meta-physic"? and a set of moral absolutes. sorry, pagans, you're morally bankrupt. want some jackboots? Those who are leaving “traditional faith” are, with few exceptions, wanting a spirituality without content and morals. ouch. well, you can't be surprised. people who hate atheists don't like pagans, either. They want a feel-good faith insert your own masturbation/sex joke here that lets them live life on their own terms. Perhaps this is a new form of Atheism. I prefer to call it post-modern, neo-paganism. repeat after me: paganism is not atheism.
-Darrow L. Miller you know, for an attempt to fix his first post, this was a complete failure.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Yes, We are in the 21st Century- and Yes, She Was Suspended for Being a Witch
persecution, wicca, religion, christian, aclu, civil rights, stupid, pagan, atheism, atheist, theocracy, bible, god, jesus,
A 15 year old Wiccan in Oklahoma was suspended from school for 15 days for casting a hex on a teacher and making him ill. Yes, this happened in the US. No, it did not happen during the Salem witch trials. Unfuckingbelievable.
From the ACLU's website: In its legal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, the ACLU said that school officials not only suspended Blackbear for 15 days in December 1999 for allegedly casting spells, but also violated her religious freedom when they told her that she could not wear or draw in school any symbols related to the Wicca religion.
The ACLU lawsuit also accuses school officials of violating the young woman's due process rights when, in the spring of 1999, they suspended her for 19 days over the content of private writings taken from her book bag. Officials had searched her possessions based on a rumor that Blackbear was carrying a gun, although no weapon of any sort was ever found. To date, school officials have not returned Blackbear's writings to her.
Hey, why doesn't some oh-so-earnest christian tell me all about how the world hates you and how persecuted you are?
A 15 year old Wiccan in Oklahoma was suspended from school for 15 days for casting a hex on a teacher and making him ill. Yes, this happened in the US. No, it did not happen during the Salem witch trials. Unfuckingbelievable.
From the ACLU's website: In its legal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, the ACLU said that school officials not only suspended Blackbear for 15 days in December 1999 for allegedly casting spells, but also violated her religious freedom when they told her that she could not wear or draw in school any symbols related to the Wicca religion.
The ACLU lawsuit also accuses school officials of violating the young woman's due process rights when, in the spring of 1999, they suspended her for 19 days over the content of private writings taken from her book bag. Officials had searched her possessions based on a rumor that Blackbear was carrying a gun, although no weapon of any sort was ever found. To date, school officials have not returned Blackbear's writings to her.
Hey, why doesn't some oh-so-earnest christian tell me all about how the world hates you and how persecuted you are?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Wondering
Do you ever wonder if the purpose of evangelism is something other than converting people to Jesus? I'm not talking about the slacktivist "hey, I've got a really nice religion here and I thought you might like it" form of evangelism, I'm talking about the Asshole for Christ(tm) form of evangelism, as demonstrated thusly:
Deuteronomy 16:19 Just for fun, I looked up Deu 16:19. This is it: Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. What the hell does that have to do with pagans, or the hateful diatribe that follows?
Pagans are blind, eyeless, sightless, unseeing, dark, purblind, stone-blind, dim-sighted, undiscerning, okay, i get it, you own a thesaurus. will you stop now? oh, and "dark" is not a synonym for "blind". i think you just called black people ignorant savages. nice. ignorant savages savages? really? do they where loincloths? do they hunt with spears? do they [fill in your own condescending stereotype]? who spit at not in? not enough distance? God's face everyday without contention, remorse or contrition, ummm . . . "contention"? these words, i do not think they mean what you think they mean no matter how 'good' they think they are. It is sad really. like this post? What pagans do not know will hurt them most dearly. They are just like a multitude of blind ignorant savages heading for a cliff. they're not just blind, they're not just ignorant, they're savages! Even though they are profane savages, what is your obsession with a word that is loaded at best, and more likely racist? for way too long, native americans were referred to as "savages", you probably want to abandon this Christians still should love them enough to warn them, with fear, about the cliff to come.
so, picture this with me. "Hey, you, yeah you! You, the ignorant, blind, savage! You, darkie! There's a cliff over there! Stop it you remorseless, purblind savage!"
Christians need to make them tremble a bit. oh, i am indeed trembling before your vast command of synonyms. Pagans must tremble before Mount Sinai before they fling themselves on the cross at Mount Calvary. huh? you need to work on your imagery. Some Christians would say it is rather harsh to call non-Christians blind ignorant pagan savages. so would some atheists. and doubtless all pagans, but why ask them? But it is biblical. so is rape, murder, incest, slavery and genocide. are you suggesting we enact those biblicals as well? These verses are from the New International Version okay, if you're not going to cut and paste the entire verse, you don't need to tell me which version it is. it's the language that changes, not the verse numbers. and i'm the atheist.
Isaiah 2:6 - refers to Jews who palled around with pagans, not pagans
You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and clasp hands with pagans.
Isaiah 2:5-7(in Context) adds nothing to the discussion Isaiah 2 (Whole Chapter)
Matthew 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. not sure how that helps.
Matthew 18:16-17 adds nothing to the discussion
Leviticus 26:6 'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. what the hell does that have to do with pagans? was he picking verses at random in the hopes no one would look them up?
Leviticus 26:5-7 (in Context), still not seeing it. could someone loan me the secret decoder ring? Leviticus 26 (Whole Chapter)
Acts 20:29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. i dunno, maybe. probably not.
Isaiah 45:20 Gather together and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save. well, we finally found the word "ignorant", though that's more ignorant about yhwh than ignorant in general
Isaiah 45:19-21(in Context), Isaiah 45(Whole Chapter)
The term non-christian is a word for those who do not want to possibly sound like they are condemning pagans. or an accurate description of people who are not, wait for it, christian. jews are not pagans. muslims are not pagans. atheists are not pagans.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. yeah, most religions do set up some sort of us/them dichotomy with rewards for us and punishments for them. what else is new?
says that pagans are condemned already. i will grant you that. Christians do not have the power to condemn the rebellious, even if they tried. oh, but you wish you had it, don't you? But they can show the unrepentant that they are condemned. by calling them as many names as their thesaurus can spew out. The Ten Commandments are what they need to hear. because somewhere in the US is someone who has never heard the ten commandments, and if you just show it to them, they will get on their knees to jesus. Some say if Christians show the Ten Commandments to sinners, it is unnecessary because they are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. i couldn't even follow this thought. They would be right, that is why they need Jesus' blood to wash away their iniquity, transgressions, and sins forever, ew! not merely to cover them up like the Jewish people still do today through animal sacrifices. really. Jews perform animal sacrifices? today. uh-huh. yeah. right. oh, dear, it's an antiSemite. nice. Christians have enormous liberty. to call people names?
Yeah, it just ends there. I suppose once you've gone for the antiSemitism, you may as well call it a day.
Deuteronomy 16:19 Just for fun, I looked up Deu 16:19. This is it: Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. What the hell does that have to do with pagans, or the hateful diatribe that follows?
Pagans are blind, eyeless, sightless, unseeing, dark, purblind, stone-blind, dim-sighted, undiscerning, okay, i get it, you own a thesaurus. will you stop now? oh, and "dark" is not a synonym for "blind". i think you just called black people ignorant savages. nice. ignorant savages savages? really? do they where loincloths? do they hunt with spears? do they [fill in your own condescending stereotype]? who spit at not in? not enough distance? God's face everyday without contention, remorse or contrition, ummm . . . "contention"? these words, i do not think they mean what you think they mean no matter how 'good' they think they are. It is sad really. like this post? What pagans do not know will hurt them most dearly. They are just like a multitude of blind ignorant savages heading for a cliff. they're not just blind, they're not just ignorant, they're savages! Even though they are profane savages, what is your obsession with a word that is loaded at best, and more likely racist? for way too long, native americans were referred to as "savages", you probably want to abandon this Christians still should love them enough to warn them, with fear, about the cliff to come.
so, picture this with me. "Hey, you, yeah you! You, the ignorant, blind, savage! You, darkie! There's a cliff over there! Stop it you remorseless, purblind savage!"
Christians need to make them tremble a bit. oh, i am indeed trembling before your vast command of synonyms. Pagans must tremble before Mount Sinai before they fling themselves on the cross at Mount Calvary. huh? you need to work on your imagery. Some Christians would say it is rather harsh to call non-Christians blind ignorant pagan savages. so would some atheists. and doubtless all pagans, but why ask them? But it is biblical. so is rape, murder, incest, slavery and genocide. are you suggesting we enact those biblicals as well? These verses are from the New International Version okay, if you're not going to cut and paste the entire verse, you don't need to tell me which version it is. it's the language that changes, not the verse numbers. and i'm the atheist.
Isaiah 2:6 - refers to Jews who palled around with pagans, not pagans
You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and clasp hands with pagans.
Isaiah 2:5-7(in Context) adds nothing to the discussion Isaiah 2 (Whole Chapter)
Matthew 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. not sure how that helps.
Matthew 18:16-17 adds nothing to the discussion
Leviticus 26:6 'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. what the hell does that have to do with pagans? was he picking verses at random in the hopes no one would look them up?
Leviticus 26:5-7 (in Context), still not seeing it. could someone loan me the secret decoder ring? Leviticus 26 (Whole Chapter)
Acts 20:29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. i dunno, maybe. probably not.
Isaiah 45:20 Gather together and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save. well, we finally found the word "ignorant", though that's more ignorant about yhwh than ignorant in general
Isaiah 45:19-21(in Context), Isaiah 45(Whole Chapter)
The term non-christian is a word for those who do not want to possibly sound like they are condemning pagans. or an accurate description of people who are not, wait for it, christian. jews are not pagans. muslims are not pagans. atheists are not pagans.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. yeah, most religions do set up some sort of us/them dichotomy with rewards for us and punishments for them. what else is new?
says that pagans are condemned already. i will grant you that. Christians do not have the power to condemn the rebellious, even if they tried. oh, but you wish you had it, don't you? But they can show the unrepentant that they are condemned. by calling them as many names as their thesaurus can spew out. The Ten Commandments are what they need to hear. because somewhere in the US is someone who has never heard the ten commandments, and if you just show it to them, they will get on their knees to jesus. Some say if Christians show the Ten Commandments to sinners, it is unnecessary because they are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. i couldn't even follow this thought. They would be right, that is why they need Jesus' blood to wash away their iniquity, transgressions, and sins forever, ew! not merely to cover them up like the Jewish people still do today through animal sacrifices. really. Jews perform animal sacrifices? today. uh-huh. yeah. right. oh, dear, it's an antiSemite. nice. Christians have enormous liberty. to call people names?
Yeah, it just ends there. I suppose once you've gone for the antiSemitism, you may as well call it a day.
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