Meet Dexter!

With all the bad news scattered about recently, I decided to share some good news. On Saturday, we added a new addition to the family. He's a Yellow Labrador who we named Dexter.

No...the name Dexter doesn't have any religious significance. We didn't choose it because of the popular TV show, although I am a fan. I mentioned the name to my partner as a bit of a joke and she loved it. She also thought it suited him and I have to agree.

Dexter is super smart. He picks up commands and tricks within moments. I kid you not. The day we got him, he learned how to walk on a leash. He already knows to go outside to do his business, how to come, sit and (sometimes) how to stay away from things when we use the command 'wrong'. My partner insists that using the word 'no' isn't helpful because we humans like to use that word a lot.

In short...I love him to pieces. So here's some pictures for your viewing enjoyment!

Christians REALLY get crucified. Happy Easter.

Before watching, know that there are some pretty graphic scenes, where people actually allow themselves to be nailed to a cross.

However, it's a documentary (part of one) and it's well worth the watch, since it lays out how credible the gospels are, where they came from and so forth.

These people want to experience the pain that Jesus supposedly experienced and believe that it helps them wash away their sins.

The Shame that is Columbus Day: A Celebration of Christian Violence and Greed

Most of us have heard the saying, "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue", but very few actually know what sort of horror the man brought to the Natives or the reason for Columbus Day in the first place. If anything, Columbus Day shouldn’t be a day of celebration. It should be a day of shame.

Columbus Day was thought up by the Knights of Columbus, which was a Catholic fraternal service organization. They really needed a hero and Columbus was their guy. They successfully lobbied government and Columbus Day was born.

The problem is that Columbus probably wasn’t the first European to discover America and he wasn’t a hero at all, but a brutal monster who tried to commit genocide to spread his faith.

First off, we know that a European by the name of Leif Ericson probably set up a village in what is now known as Newfoundland, Canada.

But even so, America was already inhabited. How can you ‘discover’ a land inhabited by millions of Natives? He didn’t so much ‘discover’ it as take it and try to kill the people who were already there.

The embarrassing truth (laid out in Columbus’ own diary no less) was that when he landed in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, he found that the island was already inhabited by the Lucayans, Taínos and Arawaks.

From Columbus’ diary:

"As I saw that they were very friendly to us, and perceived that they could be much more easily converted to our holy faith by gentle means than by force, I presented them with some red caps, and strings of beads to wear upon the neck, and many other trifles of small value, wherewith they were much delighted, and became wonderfully attached to us. Afterwards they came swimming to the boats, bringing parrots, balls of cotton thread, javelins, and many other things which they exchanged for articles we gave them, such as glass beads, and hawk's bells; which trade was carried on with the utmost good will. But they seemed on the whole to me, to be a very poor people. They all go completely naked, even the women, though I saw but one girl. All whom I saw were young, not above thirty years of age, well made, with fine shapes and faces; their hair short, and coarse like that of a horse's tail, combed toward the forehead, except a small portion which they suffer to hang down behind, and never cut. Some paint themselves with black, which makes them appear like those of the Canaries, neither black nor white; others with white, others with red, and others with such colors as they can find. Some paint the face, and some the whole body; others only the eyes, and others the nose. Weapons they have none, nor are acquainted with them, for I showed them swords which they grasped by the blades, and cut themselves through ignorance. They have no iron, their javelins being without it, and nothing more than sticks, though some have fish-bones or other things at the ends. They are all of a good size and stature, and handsomely formed. I saw some with scars of wounds upon their bodies, and demanded by signs the of them; they answered me in the same way, that there came people from the other islands in the neighborhood who endeavored to make prisoners of them, and they defended themselves. I thought then, and still believe, that these were from the continent. It appears to me, that the people are ingenious, and would be good servants and I am of opinion that they would very readily become Christians, as they appear to have no religion. They very quickly learn such words as are spoken to them. If it please our Lord, I intend at my return to carry home six of them to your Highnesses, that they may learn our language. I saw no beasts in the island, nor any sort of animals except parrots." These are the words of the Admiral.

So in other words, the Natives were friendly and had no weapons. The first thoughts to hit Columbus were to enslave them, take their gold and convert them to Christianity.

This is the person people celebrate?

Columbus ended up enslaving the Natives and forcing them to work in his gold mines. He sold the native girls into sexual slavery:

"A hundred castellanoes are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and it is very general and there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten are now in demand."

He forced these peaceful natives work in his gold mines until they died of exhaustion. If an "Indian" worker did not deliver his full quota of gold dust by Columbus' deadline, soldiers would cut off the man's hands and tie them around his neck to send a message. Slavery was so intolerable for these sweet, gentle island people that at one point, 100 of them committed mass suicide. Catholic law forbade the enslavement of Christians, but Columbus solved this problem. He simply refused to baptize the native people of Hispaniola.

On his second trip to the New World, Columbus brought cannons and attack dogs. If a native resisted slavery, he would cut off a nose or an ear. If slaves tried to escape, Columbus had them burned alive. Other times, he sent attack dogs to hunt them down, and the dogs would tear off the arms and legs of the screaming natives while they were still alive. If the Spaniards ran short of meat to feed the dogs, Arawak babies were killed for dog food.

Columbus' acts of cruelty were so unspeakable and so legendary - even in his own day - that Governor Francisco De Bobadilla arrested Columbus and his two brothers, slapped them into chains, and shipped them off to Spain to answer for their crimes against the Arawaks. But the King and Queen of Spain, their treasury filling up with gold, pardoned Columbus and let him go free.

There were estimated to be approximately 3 million natives on the island of Hispaniola before the butcher Columbus arrived. In just 50 years, he managed to wipe them all out. Not one single native could be found on the island.

Once the natives were killed off, he began to trade in other slaves, primarily black slaves.

Columbus wasn’t a nice man. He is in no way a hero. Celebrating Columbus Day is a slap in the face to every native in North America. It’s also a slap in the face to Africans, who were later enslaved by Columbus.

But Americans don’t really learn these hard truths in history class. Maybe if they did, they wouldn’t be so quick to celebrate his dark accomplishments that were bought and paid for in native blood.

The Intellectual and Emotional Emptiness at the Heart of Atheism

I read a very interesting article today that bore the same sub-title as the title of this article. You can read the full article here: The Atheist Response to Sandy Hook.

The author was offering his opinion on another piece called, The Blessing of Atheism, which was written in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy.

Anyhow, the author basically said that atheism offered nothing of comfort to the families left behind. Here’s what he said:

It is meant as no disrespect to this well-regarded writer that her piece provides one of the finest illustrations of the intellectual and emotional emptiness at the heart of atheism.

And:

“The dead do not suffer” is atheism’s consolation to the parents of murdered children? This sentiment can provide some consolation — though still nothing comparable to the affirmation of an afterlife — to those who lose a loved one who had been suffering from a debilitating disease. But it not only offers the parents of Sandy Hook no consolation, it actually (unintentionally) insults them: Were these children suffering before their lives were taken? Would they have suffered if they had lived on? Moreover, it is the parents who are suffering, so the fact that their child isn’t suffering while decomposing in the grave is of no relevance. And, most germane to our subject, this atheist message offers no consolation at all when compared with the religious message that we humans are not just matter, but possess eternal souls.

He then goes on to say that he understands atheism.

I’m not really sure that he does. For example, he’s basically saying that atheism means that atheists can’t believe in some sort of soul, which isn’t true. It might be true for a great many of them, but atheism is just an absence of belief in a deity. That doesn’t mean they can’t believe in other supernatural phenomenon, such as ghosts etc.

The second thing I’d like to point out about his statement is that even if the atheist position doesn’t offer consolation like an afterlife, is that really the point of atheism?

I remember when I was a child, I had a goldfish. One day I came home from school and my goldfish was dead. I began to cry and my parents came in to see what was wrong. They gave me a big hug and explained that my goldfish went to heaven and one day, I’d get to see him again.

The thought that ran through my brain was something like: well good then. It’s okay because he’s not really dead, just in heaven. I'll miss him, but it's no big deal.

Sure it was consolation but now that I think about it, it was consolation that minimized my loss and allowed me to dismiss the death of my goldfish.

Furthermore, lots of things might make me feel better but that doesn’t make them any truer. The thought of a supernatural jolly man named Santa bringing me gifts was a wonderful thought. It was a bit of a letdown to learn it was really my parents who put those presents under the tree. I loved the thought that when I felt a wiggly tooth, that I would have some extra cash delivered to me by a fairy. It certainly alleviated my fear and pain of losing a tooth. Was it true though?

Nope. It was my parents again.

Should I have refused to realize that there was no fairy that delivered cash because it makes me feel better? Could I make the argument that fairy-atheism offers me no consolation so I should keep on believing in it?

I couldn’t make those arguments with a straight face. The truth is that sometimes reality isn’t fuzzy and consoling. Sometimes reality sucks.

The author is also missing out on some of the philosophies that are compatible with atheism. For example, Humanism and Buddhism are both compatible philosophies with atheism and they both offer their own consolations to grieving family members.

In my own opinion, I find the idea that there is a mansion, angels and dead family members surrounded with a nimbus of light waiting for me in a supernatural realm called heaven insulting. It’s insulting my intelligence. I find it every bit as insulting as being told that I would be rewarded with 72 virgins if I only believed in Islam or that Muhammad flew to heaven on a winged horse or that there is a being named Zeus who can hurl lightning bolts.

I also find it insulting that someone should suggest that the only reason I should believe such things is because I’m too emotionally weak to look at the reality of death, and too immature to let go of the consolation offered by what I regard to be, a myth. If there were some evidence to believe such things, then I would take another look at it.

And I also find it insulting when people suggest that family members who believe will go to heaven but those who don’t will either go to hell or suffer in some way. I find it insulting to think that they think I could enjoy this place called heaven, knowing that my loved ones are supposedly suffering at the hands of a malevolent God.

While an afterlife of some kind might bring consolation, to some it brings the exact opposite. I don’t think that 'it makes me feel fuzzy inside’ is a good argument for belief any more than it is when applied to the other childhood beliefs I mentioned above.

I Love This Idea!

We’ve all heard the news stories of religious groups trying to insert their religion into the public school system.

Apparently, there is a legal way that they can do this – by simply leaving the Bible on tables.

We just over a month away from our 2013 high school Bible distribution. We are excited to again be able to distribute Bibles in Collier and Orange county high schools. Our members and volunteers from many local churches will place Bibles on tables during the lunch periods for students to pick up. We have given out thousands of Bibles over the last few years and we are working to expand the program to many other school districts.

So as long as they’re not speaking with students or forcing their materials on them, they can legally have their Bibles distributed this way:

The court order states that anyone must be allowed to distribute materials in a school, with certain exceptions, such as no promotion of drugs, alcohol, pornography and advertisements for products.

I guess the American Atheists and The Freedom from Religion Foundation found out about the Bible distribution and decided to hand out their own paraphernalia:

David Silverman, President of American Atheists said, “Orange County is showing favoritism by allowing the distribution of Bibles in the county high schools. This is an issue of preserving the rights of all students, regardless of their beliefs. “Silverman continues, “We will be moving forward to distribute books written by Madalyn Murray O’Hair on atheism in the same manner. Our request will be presented to the school board asking for a specific date when we can place our books in the schools. We expect equal treatment for us; as well as any and all other religions that want to distribute their literature in the same manner.”

So far there has been no response from the school board.

But I freaking love this idea.

It will probably cut down on the need for a costly court battle and clearly makes the point that favoritism won’t be tolerated. Hopefully other religious groups will hop on board. I would love to see some Wiccan reading material or even the Koran made available.

I wonder how long it will take the World Changers of Florida, Inc. to change their mind. I’m not even sure why they need to hand out their bibles, since you can obtain a free copy in many different places, including online. You can probably even obtain one at the local library and there are churches that will gladly hand you a bible if you request one.

However, if they refuse, they will be breaking the court order they fought to obtain in the first place. They’ll also be admitting that equality means nothing to them.

Welcome to the marketplace of ideas, where Christianity isn't automatically given the privileged position.

God With Us

This is a rebuttal piece to another blog, which can be found here: Immanuel: God With Us.

The blogger starts off by quoting the birth of Jesus and all the magical happenings that go along with it. He then asks the very good question; ‘Miracle of miracles … how can we even comprehend this story to be true?’

Indeed. I’d like to hear an explanation for that myself.

Here’s the explanation he gives:

A recently engaged virgin woman; from a very religious family; impregnated by the Holy Spirit; the child in her womb is God, the Creator of the universe coming to earth in the form of a man; for what purpose … to die on the cross for the sins of mankind; the prospective husband who had not touched his future bride gets a visit from an angel that tells him, “don’t worry about the fact that your fiancé is pregnant … God is inside of her.” Jesus is born and lives a perfect sinless life, performs many miracles, walks on water, raises the dead, and teaches a gospel of peace, love, forgiveness, and repentance; the Messiah will be killed by His own people, whose prophets clearly foretold His coming, but they did not recognize Him; He freely delivers Himself up to suffer the worst of deaths imaginable; buried under guard for three days only to be resurrected from the dead; victoriously ascends into the clouds; and this Savior now waits at the right hand of the Father interceding for His followers who do not deserve forgiveness … but are forgiven, justified, and redeemed and receive eternal life in heaven because He … Jesus Christ , Immanuel, the Messiah, God with us, the Savior of the world paid the penalty for all of the sins of man … once for all.

Wow. It reads like a fantasy novel for children. Ghosts impregnating virgins, a Creator powerless to forgive without a blood sacrifice, Angels talking to husbands after the Holy Ghost supposedly rapes his wife, perfect Jesus and tons of miracles to go around.

Many Christians say that there is a 50-50 chance between atheists being right and Christians. That isn’t true. What are the chances of even one of these claims being true? What are the chances, when we look at reality, that someone can raise the dead or a ghost that impregnates virgins?

But the blogger explains this by saying:

Can you see how those unbelievers see all of this as fiction? The source of the problem is clear to me: "Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."

So…take one supernatural entity to explain another supernatural entity. Atheists or people who doubt are having their minds clouded by a demon.

Very convincing.

He compounds this by then claiming that no ‘transitional organism fossils’ exist, which is clearly not true. Evolution is based on a mountain of evidence, where religion is based on a book of stories told my several different people, at a time when the wheelbarrow was considered emerging technology.

Anyone with the power of Google at their fingertips can easily find out about evolution. For example:

Also, scientists have found many transitional fossils. For example, there are fossils of transitional organisms between modern birds and their theropod dinosaur ancestors, and between whales and their terrestrial mammal ancestors.

Or:

One frequently cited "hole" in the theory: Creationists claim there are no transitional fossils, aka missing links. Biologists and paleontologists, among others, know this claim is false.

So here is the root of his problem:

I am a Biblical fundamentalist in the original sense, and I am proud of it. I believe in the fundamental Truths of the Bible. All of God’s Word is Truth. Everything else is false when it conflicts with this Truth. It doesn't matter what the universities or the scientists say ... when they are contrary to God's truth, it is just so much more babble. To believe in God's Truth is to believe in Jesus Christ … To not believe in this Truth is to not believe in Jesus Christ.

It allows people to ignore all the other evidence and stick to their myths. Sure, that’s their choice and I support that choice, but it’s not fact. It’s not truth.

And finally:

Whether it is the teachings of men or the teachings of God, the belief you receive is always, in the end, accepted by faith. It is not about evidence. This is a faith decision. Place your faith in Jesus Christ totally and completely, this Christmas and always ... and then peace, joy, and blessings beyond comprehension will be yours always throughout eternity.

The blogger admits that there is no evidence to support his wild magical claims - it must be taken on faith alone.

This post is rife with the double-talk that I hear every day when I visit religious blogs or articles. They talk about evidence (evidence of evolution) and basically say there is none (which is false)  and imply that people shouldn’t believe it because it isn’t supported by evidence, yet have no problem asking you to believe their magical religious talk on faith alone.

In other words - without evidence. 

Mocking Jesus Should be Outlawed

According to a Christian preacher, mocking Jesus should be outlawed.

Here’s what he said:

In the Times Square area of New York City, there is a gigantic billboard. Here’s what’s on this billboard. It’s being sponsored by a big atheist group. There’s a picture of Santa Claus at the top of the billboard, and it says something like this: “Keep the Merry.” M-e-r-r-y. Then, if you look at the bottom part of the billboard that’s right underneath of “Keep the Merry,” there’s a picture of our Savior depicted on the cross, and it says “but do away with the fable.” [Note: It actually says "Dump the Myth"]

Now stop and think about that for a few moments. I’m just gonna say it. I’m not gonna beat around the bush… I think that is the stupidest sign I’ve ever heard of in my life! I think that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Well, preacher, haven’t you heard atheists today, and those not of the Christian faith today, don’t want us to mention Jesus and it offends ‘em?… Honey, let me tell you something. I’m gonna say this and not bat an eye! I’m offended by that garbage! I’m sick and tired of that garbage! And I believe it needs to be outlawed across the land to make fun of our savior! Say “amen” right there, glory to God! [Applause]… I’ve gotten so tired of seeing God’s people walk around and tremble and say, “Well, we don’t wanna mention the name of the Savior” or “We don’t wanna mention the name of the Lord because someone might be offended”…

… I will tell you something: God’s people had better be standing up and saying, “Enough is enough!” We wonder why our nation’s in the shape she’s in… You wanna know why we’re in the shape that we’re in? I’m gonna make some uncomfortable. It’s not because of a gun. We’re not in the shape that we’re in because of this or that or that group or this group. We’re in the shape that we’re in as a nation because we’ve expelled almighty God!

Whoa there, preacher. You have that little respect for free speech? You want to go back to the dark ages, where Inquisitors could burn people for blasphemy? Or perhaps you admire some of the Middle Eastern countries that still put atheists to death?

And if it’s okay to (in his mind) outlaw mocking his savior, how about we make it fair across the board and outlaw badmouthing atheists or people of other faith groups. That’s right. Every time a Christian says someone of no faith (or of a different faith) is going to hell; whenever someone says homosexuals are abominations, are comparable to people who practice bestiality or says they’re going to a place of burning torment, we throw them in jail. I mean, if we’re going to outlaw saying bad things about Jesus, we might as well make it fair all the way around.

Second of all, I’m sick and tired of this fear mongering bullshit. I’m tired of hearing that America is in bad shape because they deserted God. Come on people! If you think America is in bad shape, take a look around at the other countries on the planet, many of which are far more religious than America. Blaming shit on God just distracts from the very real problems that exist. It’s easy to blame a supernatural entity for the problems that American society as a whole has produced. Grow up and take some blasted responsibility for the state of your own country.

Third, Christians can talk about their Jesus all the time. Hell, take a gander at the news and you’ll see it in abundance. The freaking President mentioned God several times after the Sandy Hook tragedy, when he addressed the nation. Does that seriously look like America stifling religious talk?

The thing is, you can talk about Jesus all you want, but you can’t force other people to do the same. That means no mandatory school prayers. That means not putting in religious laws based strictly on religion. You can put up religious billboards all you want, just like the atheists did in this case. You can talk about God in your opulent churches. You can stand outside and talk about God. You can write about God. You can pray to God.

What you can’t do is force others to do the same.

These delusional pastors need to give their heads a shake. If nothing else, they’re driving people away from their religion with their crazy talk. I get that Christians might not be happy with the billboards. If I were a Christian, I probably wouldn’t like them much either. I also don’t like billboards insinuating that I’m going to hell unless I join their religion. BUT (and this is a big but) I support their ability to be able to put up those billboards if they want. That goes for Christian and non-Christian alike.

It’s called free speech. Neither religion nor atheism should have their free speech stifled. It’s called a marketplace of ideas. Live with it and enjoy the fact that you live in a country that allows you to speak your mind.

Many countries don’t.