Having the Need to Believe—Breaking the Faith Trap

Religion—only valid for those with emotional/physical needs and of course, those who desire status and dispense it. But for people normally adjusted and naturally content—the confident, it holds no truth at all. Need itself makes religion real, then, obligation perpetuates it long after confidence is restored by the group and belief refrains its senses. Those who need it cannot understand how a meaningful life can exist without it. Them that seek out religion due to overwhelming cultural pressure but don’t need it, continue to search from church to church, finally finding their way in the fringes of belief in their own, underwhelming way. It can be uncomfortable for a species expected to believe in something—to not believe in anything at all. Humans generally will believe nearly anything, so belief of any kind is more culturally acceptable than non-belief.

Christianity is now adamant is has the answers to life’s questions—questions they readily admit they have no answer for. Now relegated to god-opting scientific claims and ultimatums with no proof—but convinced we must join with them to have wisdom from a god they cannot know nor comprehend.

Christianity’s use of the endocrine system to manipulate feelings along with the subtle nuances of human neurology, perception, and need—into an almighty god whose opiums for the masses conjures naivety. The organizations that offer you hope dispenses the drug. Addiction is now propagated by a meaningless entity, no longer relevant to the whole.

How much time do we honor belief—the mere agreeance to an unfounded idea? How long shall faith be revered and cultivated as a quality, celebrating ignorance by claiming mere belief as sacred?

You are the meaning. Holding on to purpose through religion only leaves you conceited with a surety that shortchanges discovery. Your true escape from the doldrum of life naturally comes by way of accomplishment. Accomplishment that is thwarted in reliving the ills of perpetual worthlessness week after week, year after year. We have the ability to create a more meaningful existence than anyone can do for us. But those confronted with poor conditions of existence look for anything transcendent to make lives worthwhile.

Now the religion that gave people hope in their once hopeless situation has become a generational crutch, self serving its own existence in spite of the fact that it’s people have moved on.

The unproven idea of a savior is truly relegated to a set of neurons and thought. No physical change has been made, but thought is the key—and the proof that the power is generated—then manifest in and by you.

An honest religion would counsel you to leave it behind when it’s objective is met, empowering you to live your own meaningful existence on your terms. Religion is only true until you’ve found your worth and no longer need it, but they would never admit that.

The Many Denominations of Unbelief

Understanding evolution is one way to atheism, and by far the most popular Christian finger-pointing bullet point I come across. But, as deconverts, this reason which we eventually come to understand is very low on the list. In fact many believers accept both evolution and creation can co-mingle (if that is your reconciliation) Personally, I shied away from evolution and only knew the basics of that faith by drawing from a poisoned well.

Comparing the goodness, mercy, love, and outcomes of Gods word, to what we read in scripture and what we see objectively certainly raises an eyebrow. Not just on a few cherry picked points either, but in a systemic, parenterally obvious display of contradiction. It’s widespread virtually on every point.

Prayer certainly did some of us in. Match up a couple of unseen miracles in a generation and you can sell enough tickets to support entire cities. It’s that rare. The pilgrimage sites are living proof that miracles are so rare, people will travel the entire globe to get a glimpse of the mere location—or speculation. Miracles are merely events unexplained in the mean-time. But, dig a little deeper and every one has an explanation, unless one is afraid to look. Prayer works the way mindfulness works. Pretty simple concept to achieve what you focus on. The miracle is you!

Scientific understanding of how the brain functions in a group, or in a crisis is another stopper. While faith thrives in non-evidentiary vacuums, it falls apart quite nicely for some when the evidence is presented. Neurology is a quirky business, that’s why the controlled testing. We now have a pretty decent understanding of how we are fooled, even by our own doing at times, out of sheer desperation.

Then, like my brother, he never even believed a word of it. The entire scam is a bullshit point some personality types just see it from the onset. Lucky them.

There are more, but only one can begin the journey to learn them all, which I consciously avoided for many years. Prayer was the beginning and the end for me. The contradictory nature of the gospel and scripture took a close second. The other points are just the cherry on top.

Titius-Bode Law- A Religious Type

Titius-Bode Law is a formula that suggests, extending outward, each planet would be approximately twice as far from the Sun as the one before. While the theory sounds intriguing, the six known planets at the time out to Saturn, only loosely followed the law (the theory was presented when there were only 6 known planets).

As more plantes were discovered, it was also discovered that the law didn’t accurately depict correct spacing. Neptune and Pluto, and the discovery of the asteroid belt removed Ceres from the list of planets as well, and the distant planets were way off the mark. It was time to abandoned the old premise and regroup. Turns out some of the planetary spacing is just coincidence and no real pattern is predictable. However, that doesn’t stop some circles from trying to prove its validity.

What was theorized to be true was changed and the journals are no longer accepting papers trying to prove Titius-Bode. I appreciate that about the scientific community. The ability to discover and rediscover in the quest for accuracy is more important than clinging to a false premise.

Religion too, has been superseded by knowledge. What was maybe the best explanation of its day in the life of an ancient sheep-herder, is not the best explanation today. Religion must employ faith and belief and promises they are unable to keep to hold any ground at all. We are at a crossroad, and as every belief in ancient gods has been met and eventually defeated, so too will the current models. Here’s to hoping it’s sooner than later. Just because something sounds good, and you wish it were true, doesn’t make it a reality.

Self Awareness

You may not be what you think you are. You may not be as clever or adept as you think you are either. According to this study done at Cornell, people with the worst skills in the different areas of the study thought they performed the best, while those with the highest skill levels were also more accurate at estimating their ability. The mere fact that you are seeking and evaluating yourself as an individual, is a good sign that you may be a little more savvy than the average joe.

As an atheist, as well as most atheists I am aware of, we have gone through critical phases of self evaluation. We all wondered if we were crazy for doubting, crazy for believing, and sought answers to difficult dilemmas in contradictions of the gospel, then sought information outside of our indoctrinated upbringing.

Breaking away from the numbing effects of acquiescence when so many are rolling along in a near stupor of acceptance of a thousand things that add up to zero. Zero evidence that god is good, god is love, god is merciful, or god is in control. When compared to what is seen in the real world the opposite is true, “if” there was a god. Microanalysis of prayer to seek a smidgen of answers adds up to pure rationalization for its ineffectiveness, then we accept a non answer as gods will. What is gods will? Well, nobody really knows, but a lifetime of indoctrination leads us down the path of excuses.

The study concludes that all hope is not lost if you are one of the trouble spots. With education the numbers changed to a noticeable improvement, but how do you get someone stuck in the trap to look outside of what they already know, which apparently isn’t much when it comes to knowledge outside what they want to believe.

“It didn’t even help the poor performers to be given a benchmark. In a later study, the most incompetent participants still failed to realise they were bottom of the pack even when given feedback on the performance of others”.

Most of us have lived the religion side and learned enough to walk away. Maybe it’s time they walked in our shoes to determine if our views have merits, instead of hand waving and discrediting the reality that there is no god.

The Sting

The success of a good con is greatly dependent on the “mark” or marks being unaware that they have been duped. If you remember the movie, they faked their own death in the end to seal the deal on the con, and shift the blame to another – The police. In this case they used guns, but it is an ageless tale, and if done right it can work every time. The surviving victims of the scam then tell the story in their own way to create an urban legend, and its corroborated by the fake police that were in on the deal. I saw this movie. (3min) at a drive-in when I was a kid. I wonder where they got the idea?

Newman and Redford are making me feel my age. Recently I turned 55. This movie came out in 1973 when I was ten. Jeez

Behold My Hands and My Feet, Jesus We Have a Problem

“But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:37-39‬ ‭KJV‬‬

37 billion acres of land and an estimated 108 billion modern humans have populated the earth.

That about 10 resurrected zombies per habitable hectare after the return of the jesus. Here’s the problem though.

According to scripture, the mainstream views, and along with our example of Jesus having scars in his hands and feet, the consensus is one of trouble. It is truly zombi-ish in all accounts. “An hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth”

We will have the same bodies.

There are many Scriptural reasons for believing that we will be raised with the same body that died. First, Christ was raised in the same body He had before He died. We know this because the tomb was empty (Luke 24:1-6) and because His resurrected body retained scars from the crucifixion (John 20:25, 27). Since Christ’s resurrection is the pattern that our resurrection will follow (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:49), then we will also be raised with the same body.

But what about Cremated or exploded wartime bodies. This is going to be interesting.

“If” any of it were true, his followers are looking for another season of walking dead, where the maimed, and the halt, and the disfigured roam around for 8 octillion years, loving each other and carrying gunnysacks full of the totally dismembered and cremated living.

And since the pope says all animals will be in heaven too, look like it will be standing room only.

Synesthesia -The Religious Model

Synesthesia is a real condition of crossing senses. Someone may see a color that hurts their ears, while another may see numbers in different colors. It is an interesting phenomenon where senses cross neurons in visual/cerebral perception, and may attribute smells to pain, or shapes such as a triangle may physically perceptually be seen in yellow. Below is one example. A “normal” acuity would see all black, but a synesthesia patient may see green or red. .

And if a subject sees W’s as a color, this test takes less than a second.

Synesthesia is not only seen and present in religion, it is promoted. Seeing a cross can cause tears of pain or joy, hearing a lie can cause belief, and talking out loud followed by an amen, can fondle hope in religious subjects. But this type of behavior is learned, and once believed, it is tolerated.

While most synesthesics feel what they are seeing as normal , 98% of the population sees it as an enigma. To someone that believes in the supernatural god, it may seem natural or necessary, but it is not. But to the theist or the synesthesiac, it requires an outside observer to recognize the flaw.

Thousands of gods have dissipated into near oblivion. Where are they now? They are parked in the annuls and history books, but those from the time thought them to be immortal. While red may be a color, it also may have a smell. Whatever your eyesight tells your mind, deconversion has a sweet ring to it.

Raised in Religion, Born a Heathen

This theme has popped up a few times this week, so I thought it worth a look. Apparently all the apologetics and convincing in all the world is another contradiction. God chooses you to be his servant, you cannot choose him. He will appear to you in some form or another and make you his believer. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (MT 22.14) and you were chosen and anointed even before you were even born. (Jer 1:5)When I hear Christians tell me that I was never truly converted or I would have never left, I just had to laugh. I was a “by the book” obedient servant, and called upon god daily, read the Bible and kept the commandments. Repented often, and he never came. I was a heathen, born to a religious family. I wasn’t called. Two of my brothers are heathens too, for they never felt god call them. They were smarter than me, and bailed young, but my parents were so proud of “the good son”, I couldn’t let them down. But I never felt it either. I had convinced myself, but no light came on. “Big day for a chosen servant of God comes when God reveals Himself to His servant for the first time and sends her/him. God comes Himself; He does not send anyone” Article Here. This is just one of countless Christian articles on this topic. So, until god shows up, you are all off the religious hooks, so to say, and I commend you for your goodness without god. And apologetics is pointless, proverbial bs, with the end game a predictable neurotheological response. In your head. This is another point to set one above the other with a smugness and a wink, “that you know”, and people do lie, and say they have felt it too because of peer pressure and personal inadequacy. A psychological card is played at this point. “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” The natural man is the unbeliever. So the word of God is telling us, unbelievers cannot receive in and believe in the spiritual truths that lead to salvation. The spiritual truths include such things as Jesus dying for sin, Jesus being God in flesh, Jesus physically resurrected from the dead, etc. An unbeliever can understand the concept, but an unbeliever does not accept them and received them. So, if a person who claims to be Christian acknowledges these types of spiritual things, that is a sign of his regeneration. Only regenerated people are saved”. Anyone in the church care to admit they are not a saved one? Tell me I can’t understand until I believe, is a mind game to pad the rolls of the churches. Now that I have left, how can it possibly matter since I was never selected in the first place? “He may appear in His countenance or you hear His voice call and speak to you”. So until that happens… Adieu.

Technology Updates

TCA Science Update 3-31-2018

Mental health experts in co-dependency and Nano-3D printing technology has inadvertently discovered through reverse engineering models of human brains, an isolated cerebral diencephalic, mini-cortex tissue they are calling “the gullible region”. Under intense magnification, scientists have found what appears to be a pointless bridge denoting a cross-configured, double conjectured loop where archaic information is stored and transferred, restricting adrenal output and limiting “fight or flight” capabilities during religious indoctrination. Using accelerated computer models to view time-lapse evolutionary advancement, it was noted in 35% of test subjects that, “thought processes contrary to adhered beliefs actually atrophies the bridge”, allowing the subject to think for himself and gain immediate discernment. As 3D nano printers advance, coupled with microwave synthesis, researchers are certain a co-dependency cure will be forthcoming, and will soon be as routine as a lasix procedure. “Crossing the blood- brain barrier is the next step in nano research”, as for now a small incision is required. “Think of it as an uncircumcision incision, that is much less invasive than the purported benefits”.

This article is sponsored in part, by Poe’s Law, reminding everybody to wink wink for Easter Fools

If Jesus Was Truly a Carpenter

Many if you may know I am also a carpenter. My dad was a carpenter too, and since those days have built six of my own homes. I am pretty proud of having designed all of them, and also did most of the work. The house we are in now was done by myself. Plans, foundation, framing, wiring, plumbing, everything. Here is the first house I designed and built in 1996 when I was 33. Still a favorite.

When Jesus was 33 he was just finishing a teaching gig. He gave up carpentry work to preach full time. Preaching full time makes most people a little batty, and historically is a dangerous profession because your always in other people’s business or trying to prove them wrong in their own house.

Jesus was supposedly a carpenter, and as a god he must have been a doozy. Can you imagine the potential craftsmanship of a god? You could cut any angle just by guessing it. Gold inlays…done! If you had any gap or twisted lumber, just use the spiritual force, or whatever it’s called, to fix it.

In reading the Bible, I’m trying to imagine what a house of his work would look like, based the scriptures he “revealed” to men. This house would be forever incomplete and in a case of constant remodel. Plans would be out of focus and not meeting code using unknown measurements in a foreign language. Each generation of visitors has seen fit to change the layabout at their whims, so much so that the beginnings and the ends are an unrecognizable, incoherent, with vapid, circular architecture of embarrassingly out of square walls that don’t line up and even contradict each other. All opposed by a set of stairways that lead nowhere. I’ve been on jobs where the owner keeps making changes. It comes from bad planning and impractical ideas. There is a reason everyone keeps changing religion. It was a bad idea to begin with.

Faith Trap

Born into a certain lair, depending on to who from where, was raised into a strict belief, that if well followed would cause relief. A way of life so grand it’s said, to have raised up living from the dead, and if believed with all my heart, life would light the often dark.

Applied my self into the way, paid my tithes and learned to pray, read the book and proved all things, and stayed high in religions rings, then somehow many years had past, and things weren’t adding up so fast.

Some doubts were hushed and hard to say, was I the lone who felt this way? When I would list but a concern, read more scripture you will learn, apply your faith and don’t surrender, hope is where the life will render.

And so It was, I began again.

Doubling down I did my best, and to the lord I took a test, to verify most carefully, his book of words and then I’d see, but by and by the search from me, had eyes that crossed with dotted tees, and woeful were the histories. I read and pondered every verse, the lord it seemed he was a curse, to opened eyes on every verse, things are not what they seemed.

And so I prayed

In earnest gave I the lord my plea, invested years in him you see, certain that a faithful soul, could hear his word if truth be told. Wanting to believe the words, that marked the pages so absurd, to say I needed little reason, but just one would do.

Retiring to a quiet thicket, the lords voice came by sound of crickets.

It all unraveled very fast, not a thing or two would come to pass, as soon as opened eyes could see, deceived by friends and trusted creeds, that one who thought as smart as me, could fall into a trap so deep, set by ones who cared for me. If only just one part was right, I could continue in the fight, but no god hears the words you say, but alas its hope that traps with faith.

New Portable EEG

Edinburgh University, Scotland has developed a prototype EEG and has tested it on 95 volunteers over the age of 65. The study is recording brain activity in everyday situations in different urban settings from busy streets to parks.

I am imagining the implications here, and as an irreligious writer I am eager to get this device into the hands of neurotheologist researchers. Can we strap this baby on to some Pentecostal regulars and mega church parishioners? Can we get Mel to volunteer to wear this during a blog fight? This image shows average brain regions for 22 subjects during testing. Blue areas represent brain regions more active when telling the truth, red areas, when lying. How much red inside the head? Can we get some prayer? Can somebody please record the conversion process and confirm what part of the brain started this mess? Oh the implications are grand, and to get this everywhere to corroborate the overwhelming evidence that brain function creates spiritual experience? The floodgates are about to open. The field is ripe, and ready to harvest. Maybe we can end this debate once and for all. Here is a great 2 min video of right brain left brain with separated corpus callosum.

Making One God From Three

The Bible is quite clear that more than on god is depicted in the text. Years of explaining and funneling pinpoints has convinced the Christian world that three is really one. Fourth century philosophers and emperors agreed the final say in a confusing creed to say once and for all, that three gods is one god is “The God”. Why?

Most of you know the power of observation. Untrue knowledge is a chisel in the stone of common sense, and weak individuals without true knowledge, are easily controlled and manipulated. On the ruling side, three gods are less influential than one all powerful and frightening god with no one to reason or ration his ultimate power.

Nature can prove the point better than I, as you see the three maelstroms are seemingly insignificant. But combined they are a force to be feared, and grow to dangerous self serving entity that suck down everything in its wake.

Above is three finding their footing, and then they combine into this one below.

Left unchecked, or avoided all together, it sucks away everything in its path. That’s the importance of having one versus three. Monotheism is a danger to mankind. Here below two ships fight the whirlpool while fighting each other. Sound familiar?

The Botfly Larvae- A Christian Model

Lessons from nature cover the scope of the human experience. Using the tried and trued model of expansion in the botfly population, Christianity has honed its craft using unsuspecting children and the unprepared masses to deal its bidding.

If you are not familiar, the human botfly proliferates by capturing a mosquito, laying its eggs on the mosquito, then turns it loose. This little messenger then takes the eggs, and finds an unsuspecting human to suck blood from. As the vampirical transaction is taking place, the botfly eggs are injected into the skin. The mosquito isn’t even aware of the damage she is causing, but is carrying a painful and disturbing parasite that will change your very life.

The first clue to the new convert that religion is a bogus and unproven tool, is your prayers offered to remove the botfly will be lost in the space-time continuum, and medical treatment will be required. Prayers to the Doctor! Amen. Trust your instinct.

Have You Heard the New Testament is Better?

You ever find that your thinking has been all wrong, and had an epiphany that Christianity is all what it is purported to be? Yeah, me neither. A reoccurring theme, that after the Old Testament Jesus fulfilled the law and all the bad god parts were done away with. So we look to the words of Jesus, to “right the ship” of all that had gone wrong wth Abrahamic religion. The New Testament is a kinder, more loving, and gentler version; a higher law, if you will, wiping away slavery, racism, bigotry, oppression, and more. The mean god of the old testament had a change of heart….or did he?

A handful from of a full basket of NT scripture is enough to show that this is complete BS. Modern Christians are banking on you never reading the full text, and if you do they have the tools to whitewash it. A select sampling of scripture is just enough to give you the warm and fuzzies of faith to conversion. Dig a little deeper and find the origins are less than godlike.

Slaves are instructed to obey their masters, (Eph 6:5) and societal decline is greeted with anticipation in Revelation and the gospels, “the end is nigh”, and any day now believers are to hope for the return of Jesus to wipe out all the wrongs of the world, leading Christians to apathy about the health of our planet. Jesus is coming, only after things have gotten terribly wrong, so wrongs are praised as an ushering in to redemption.

Women are still to be silent, men are socially superior to women, demons take the blame for medical problems, owning humans as property is still endorsed, eternal punishment for thoughts of lust or feeling anger is equal to murder and sends you to hell. Now even your thoughts can get you sentenced. Death penalty for children reaffirms OT way of thinking. “He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.” Matthew‬ ‭15:1, 4‬ ‭KJV

And finally, the central point of the New Testaments, is that human sacrifice is a great way to solve your problems.

An old saying that I still love today; You know that little white speck that is on top of the chicken shit? Well, that little white speck is chicken shit too

Slight of hand rewording of bad doctrine is the core of Christianity.

Comatized by Belief

Finding the right words to describe what you don’t believe, can sometimes be a little tricky. I was commenting on Dr Seggy’s site and I just had to make up a word, since nothing has adequately described how the religious have blindly defended a factless hypothesis of a god to explain our existence. Vehemently defending that belief that took no effort to get, and requires no effort to maintain, yet act like they are gut shot if you question the validity of their faith or their story. Comatized by belief, and blinded by faith in supernatural, abrahamic religion is anything but righteous, provable, or even sensible. And we have to explain why we don’t believe what apologetics, archeologists, science, or believers have failed to show evidence of. Go figure.

God’s Disguises or NeoPolytheism

With all of the different gods that have ever ruled the minds of men, never has the same god appeared twice to us. Or has he? Since the conversion to monotheistic belief, god has had to do some wardrobe work. It’s as though he’s incognito to blend into each part of the world, and between costume changes and polymorphing into different entities behind the curtain, lies a loving father that just doesn’t know the difference between confusing doctrine and cross dressing.

Our latest version is depicted as a hippie sage in a robe and sandals and he has been seen primarily in the western countries. Long hair and a beard and robe is cool, but hardly inconspicuous these days.

His wardrobe changes as often as his wisdom and is as consistent as his cruelty. In India he dresses the part of his mood for the day. I can’t explain it, and pictures are worth the saved text.

In the Middle East and Africa, Allah is not depicted in photos, but as Abraham, then Muhammad are central figures; more robes. And knives.

In China we get four of the “top ten” Chinese folk religion motifs

And then there’s the Buddha.

So, depending on where you are from, god plays the part and blends to local culture and custom. And since we know there is only one god, he obviously has a quite a wardrobe team behind the scenes.

Are We Getting Any Better at All?

In 1918 world population was 1.8 Billion people. The world record 100 meter dash of 10.6 seconds was set by Donald Lippincott from the United States. 100 years later with 7.6 Billion people we have managed to shave off one second, bowing to Usain Bolt from Jamaica. With all the advances in science and nutrition and training. 1 second! With 6 Billion more people to choose from!

Maybe, we’re more intelligent? Have we learned to discard the notions of childhood fable and superstitions? With almost all available knowledge at our fingertips, not much has changed.

In 1910 approximately 34.8% of the world population was Christian. In 2010 that number was about 32%. A 2-3% decrease. Islam is up 10% but with a population growth of six billion people worldwide, number went from the 225,000 range to 1.5 billion Muslims, with Christians coming in at 2,260,440,000. Muslim fertility rates are much higher, and projections show a dead heat by the year 2050 Muslims and Christians will be near parody [sic] with equal percentages at about 30% each of the world population. CHARTWhy is it so hard to abandon the superstitious god worship? I know that conversions are down, and most of the growth comes from fertility rates as islam has reached a self perpetuating critical mass, just as Christianity did in the past. It’s going to be up to our kids to get us past this stunt in our growth. Press on, but be patient. I think we’re close to big changes in the next few generations.

“I contend that we are [all] atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours”. Stephen Roberts

Ancient Desalination Discovery

TCA Newsflash 3-9-2018

Eastern Turkey

Hikers near the cradle of Mount Ararat, Turkey have found what appears to be a massive prehistoric pontoon style desalination plant. The incredible discovery happened while evangelical researchers were trying to locate Noah’s Ark, which was spotted by another group of evangelical Christian explorers in 2010.

With modest estimates, the ark would have contained a range of 8000 to 14,000 animals requiring approximately 20,000 to 35,000 gallons of water per day during the over year-long drift at sea. (378days) Evangelical scientists have been working out the details for centuries; just how did Noah provide enough water to all those animals? The find answers a boatload of questions, that until today just seemed like a fairy tale.

While the eight survivors would have had their hands full, each feeding a thousand or more animals per day, calculations estimate each person would have had to feed 70 to 120 animals per hour round the clock, 7 days a week for a year. Feed them what? Just the two elephants alone would require approximately 150,000 pounds of food for the journey. Two lions would consume 40,000 pounds of meat for the trip, as well as the tigers and bears. Polar bears could be sent out on reconnaissance to hunt seals and other aquatic life, so that is no problem. But food for the other 7,996 pairs might have proved problematic. Even if every animal only averaged eating one pound per day, that would be over 3,000,000 pounds of food for animals. Not including the eight survivors.

Mathematicians have calculated about 14 years for the sloth to arrive at the ark from Central America. Kangaroos, while excellent swimmers, must have built their own boat to make the trip from Oz, or to Oz after the landing on Ararat.

Evangelical scientists are confident the discoveries will come. Real scientists have been criticized for demanding photos and physical evidence, but none to date are forthcoming.

Listening for the Spirit

When I was a boy I was told this quote as part of a larger story. “The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer.” Paraphrasing now, The devil has influenced this culture of noise and hustle and loud music that blocks out the still small voice of the spirit, and in order to receive the spirit and personal revelation, we were instructed to find places of quiet in our lives to listen to the promptings of god. Careful study and thoughtful prayer and meditation to hear the prompting of god yielded nothing. I went out in the woods and found solitude, humbly prayed as best as I could, and never heard a damn thing. Nobody does! They give it their best to find answers, and finally realize if you want answers, we would have to make our own way in the world, not dependent on proven time wasting techniques as prayer.

Keep trying they say, and it will come. The truth is , you can convince yourself of anything if that is your focus. I remember a couple of years ago, Victoria (neuronotes) had a piece on praying for what answers you want. It was compelling evidence that finding truth with this premise in mind gave you the answer you desired, not an answer in reality. Prayer does not work.

Bully Sticks and Converts

My son in law has a beauty of a German shepherd pup. He’s 8 months old and just untrained, goofy, and overly friendly. They have been giving him bully sticks for chew treats and he just loves them. I’m happy the dog is happy, but does he know he’s eating dehydrated bull penis? I don’t have the heart to tell him, but would he understand anyhow?

Christian newbies can also be full of zeal and eager to share their recent conversion in praise to their lord. But do they know what the ingredients are? When one finds out the inner fallacies of the church and the discrepancies and excuses, what kind of taste is that going to leave in his pallet? One can try to spruce it up with seasonings or cut it up and add it to a stew, but deep down he knows he’s still digesting a line of BS. If he tells his friends the bowl is full of bull penis first, do you think there would be any takers. The facts of religion must be disguised to be palatable for human consumption. And once you know what’s in it, you won’t want to try it no matter how you slice it.

Thrib Nigriv

Thrib Nigriv is the opposite of virgin birth. This is commonly known as copular denial. “I don’t know how this happened, kind of denial. Ketamine induce sexual activity brain altered denial. Denial is a clever way one maintains innocence through excuses and unlikely tales. But it also causes problems. If you give up your virginity before it’s time, remember, your cover story may change the course of history. We don’t need any more of that.

The Second Oldest Profession Is Lying About It

No Wrong, No Doubt

Honesty and Christian apologetics is the fifty first shade of grey. Advancing the lords work requires the utmost skill and knowledge, and serious fudging of the truth from time to time. “I don’t know” is an ok answer, but confirming any personal doubt or lack of knowledge is not the apologist way. No chink in the armor of god can be displayed.

As I can only speak for myself, here is why I immersed myself in apologetics–Doubt, Doubt, Doubt! Doubt is what puts you into apologetics. After many years of innocent faith you investigate below the surface and come to the crossroads of doubt. Next, spend the rest of your life trying to prove you’re not naive and gullible. I spent 20 years reading Qumran, Nag Hammadi, Dead Sea scrolls, and miles of Bible commentary and scripture trying to find proof and validation. I never did. But in Christianity the conversion process is to “believe” before you know the details, then apologetics takes the rest of your life wading through cleverly worded arguments trying to prove yourself right. Faith, them knowledge, then doubt, is the fuel that keeps Christian apologetics alive. And doubt is inevitable when there is no substance but supernatural hearsay.

Archeologists Discover Massive Water Valve

TCA Newsflash 2-17-2018

Happy World Flood Day!!

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Northcoast Oil And Hydrocarbon (NOAH) geologists coupled with geophysicists and a Johannesburg based archeological team unearthed a massive water valve south of Addis Ababa during an open pit oil investigation. Dubbed immediately ” The fountain of the deep”, the valve measures 30 meters in diameter and is made of an unknown metal component. The valve is free of rust and appears operational.

“This is no coincidence ” says team leader Jorge Medirás. The discovery occurred on world flood day, commemorating 4365 years since the great flood. A memorial service is planned to honor the 8 survivors.

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep were opened up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭7:11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Archaeologists are currently deciphering curious markings indicating at least 12 additional pre Babylonian valves are in existence at various global locations. No windows have been discovered. More to follow.

Science is a Matter of Trust, Not Faith

I may have cracked the code on this one.

Trust – reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

Faith- “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I do not have an iota of faith in science, but I do place some trust and confidence in science and scientists because of the prior and continued successes all around us. It has a track record of measurable performance. Religion still has none. The paradox of religious faith is also found in scripture. Let this next part soak in a second.

“If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” John‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Was Jesus a scientist, or better yet, astrophysicist? The Greek word for heavenly is Ouranos, pronounced (oo-ran-os) meaning – heaven, the visible heavens: the atmosphere, the sky, the starry heavens. I digress.

Monotheistic premise today does not believe the earthly obvious, but holds to faith to explain what is otherwise clearly known.

Fundamental knee jerk resistance to science is holding the religious hostage to faith. If they won’t even admit to proven basics, how will they understand more complex disciplines like physics and evolution?

MLK was Right for the Wrong Reasons (maybe)

Martin Luther King said “our scientific power has surpassed our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men”. I was using that as a rally cry to abandon faith, recognizing that faith has been passed for good reason. Faith is a go nowhere stagnation that requires all your devotion for a lifetime of wishing. But King had some noteworthy insights in this short article that are thought provoking and unifying to humanity.

Dr Seggy and I were chatting on a previous post and he had some positive insights about this topic. His sister is literally terrified of the science. He said “I think it is slow (the change) because it’s that important. We can’t undo thousands of years of indoctrination with a few decades of scientific discovery that easily. So we need to work hard at promoting more critical, more logical and scientific thinking and yet be patient still”.

So it’s full speed ahead but with patience. Remember it took nearly 900 years to relinquish the beliefs in the Greek Gods at sometime in the 9th century. Most likely the last of them were converted to monotheism at the Mani Peninsula near Greece. So we have a lot of work to do to transition the religious to science. About 700 more years. We’re still in the pioneering phase. I would even venture a guess that this is just the evolution of the process.

1820 Apostate Memoir

Unknowingly an innocence of my own doing struck calamity to my congregation a fortnight ago. To me it was a most natural of decisions that caused all of the fuss, but to them it was tears of the grandest sobbing heartache. When I no longer believed, it was the only logical conclusion to leave faith behind and make my own way in the world.

Reasons for my departure were no less than two small things that glared an ominous stare into my logic for two score and two years. The first being the inefficacy of prayer, and the other being the ambiguity of the book and the conjecture of the preachers.

How many offered prayers have disappeared into the vastness of space in behalf of me and my kin? How many silent mumblings have I uttered, calling upon god to walk with me and enlighten with his counsel? Hundreds of days I dare say (with a hint of current embarrassment) have distracted me from focusing on other tasks laid before me. Waiting as I did for the almighty to give me a clear hint of inspiration, I’m sure a year or two of days was spent on such matters. And not one time in all my efforts did he make himself known to me. I addressed the issue with my current and former ministers and each encouraged me to continue on, that god’s ways were at best difficult to know, and nearly impossible to understand. I relented. Acquiescence is a terribly wasted life in my opinion as of now, although being the faithful type I did “give in and let God”, as they say. Let god do what, dare you ask? That is a good question and presume at this point you will hear my answer.

At ten minutes per day of prayer and a brief study over 40 years equals 2433 hours. Just a hundred days of my life. But if that were all I would be content. I attended faithful mind you, and also kept the building at times and performed various duties on the lords errand.

Classes to be taught and monies to count and meetings and conferences to attend to. On average I would venture a modest guess at about 7-10 hours per week. Even as a boy there was labor and classes and seminaries to attend. On the low side of 7 hours per week I could safely render an accurate guess of about 806 full days including my morning and evening rituals and not including travel.

And at what point might you expect the lord to show himself in some subtle, fantastic way? Day 807? No. That is the day I had a moment of clarity, skipped meeting and went to the river. It was over. Not one thing had worked as promised, though faithful I had continued all those years. In my mathematical studies I can most frequently determine answers of the most perplexing kind. In religion, no answer given is sufficient to cross the void of truth or evidence. Faith is a manipulative ploy with no end to measure. I will let god proceed and continue what he always favored. Nothing at all. Good day! Jim-TCA

Science Basics, Religion Basics

I could tell you how many times we’ve heard this week that atheists have faith too, but I’d have to re-sift through a mile of apologetic comments to make a count. Contrary to what continues to be parroted, most of science is based on reproducible fact that is no longer theory. Although some of the more advanced ideas are currently in developing phases, most science is provable on a daily basis. Water boils at 212f or 100c at sea level. Every time. Objects fall at 9.8 m/s squared. Every time with wind resistance calculated for mass. If I jump off the 325 foot bridge by my house I will fall 4.49 seconds and travel 81.4 MPH at impact releasing 77,616 joules, since I weigh 75 kilos. Every time. If I want to have my buddy in Norway cast a bronze statue, I can send the alloy formula to him based on a variety of aluminium bronzes of differing compositions and he will make the exact alloy I could make here in Washington. All lab testable for density and purity. Human life requires a tightly controlled pH level in the blood of about 7.4 and during illnesses we can regulate it pretty well with interventions. We also know how the body maintains this homeostasis in great detail. I could go on, but the point is almost everything in our lives today is explainable by science. Pretty good odds someone is getting it mostly right. Except one point. So now it’s your turn. Let’s show some proof on prayer and some proof it works. Ready…..go! If that’s too hard pick another topic. Revelation, faith healing, authenticate your creation story, find some evidence of the Exodus. Ok …go again. Just one. Why is it so hard for religiosos to admit prayer doesn’t work? They all know it doesn’t work! (Except when casting tornados into adjacent neighborhoods) Also, as a side note, religion is also testable for density

Here is a great article researching the efficacy of prayer in a medical setting. Be sure to read to page 2 as it really sums up some of the psychology which prayer may actually be harmful in clinical settings.

Better off Without the Law

Adding burdens to an already busy life is the Christian way. They can’t help but share, but are we better off not knowing? Without the law we cannot come under condemnation from their god?. “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“So, according to Bible, if you don’t tell me, I am not accountable. So why are you telling me? I have a guess…but please,…

I feel compelled by the sprit to make a word correction to a popular verse. What is promised versus what is real are most often two different things.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you stress”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28 KJV‬‬

Adding a new form of tactical manipulation filled with ambiguous writings and hidden meaning is not peace. Nor is sifting through endless interpretations excusing archaic morality and promoting divisions a form of rest. Quite possibly at the end of the verse it should say “the rest”. “The rest”of the story is adapting to a new way of life making excuses for unanswered prayer, or excuses for immoral scripture, or belief in 6 day creations, or unicorns and talking snakes, what day is the sabbath, and constant threat of hell and apocalypse. Rest? How about anxiety and non-answers to an already difficult life. Adding a new discipline takes time and effort. Living with Abrahamic religion always ever-present hell threat and manipulation promising relief if you can just “do it right” (if you figure out what that is in 30 years) is not rest. It is psychological tail chasing. And don’t get me started about prayer!! And don’t forget to shake the dust off your feet when you leave.

The Way it Was

I, Having been indoctrinated and guided carefully into belief and faith most of my life, and having studies most lengthy and focused in one particular area of religion I have come to the point where the things I believe, even though preposterous, I believe are true. They will stand the test of time and scrutiny, for my knowledge of these beliefs is vast and as solid as the very foundation of reason and right. I cannot be swayed in my faith, for god has shown me through revelation and feelings and the persuasion of his servants the truth, and now it is my obligation to share that truth with you. To push and persuade you to believe as I believe because I am right! My singular disciplinary approach has not given me the “well rounded” preposterous man made knowledge base to blend experience of the world and science causing a man made “common sense”, but my knowledge is directly linked to god through his prophets by his holy word. How can you doubt the truth when it is the most useful thing in the world to maintain order and peace? Through fantastic miracle, god has used regular men to convey his word in a most uncanny and unlikely fashion. He has used deplorable sinners, forgery, and money grubbing lying preachers to pass his truths and to preserve his words for all the world. Who could do this but a god? Who could circumvent the physical world and the learning of men in such a way as to bind their very tongues with his absolute truth and authority and perfection? My presuppositional truth will dare to challenge your very existence with an ambiguous, morally elastic, fraudulent piece of imperfect, infallible literature that causes the entire world to endless conjecture and debate. You will believe this “one” all perfect god has revealed himself, not to all his subjects, but to only those few that believe in him without any proof of existence. Neither spiritual nor physical evidence is needed. You will believe based on my word and the confusion the words create. You will believe in spite of doubt because of fear and persuasion of the most loving kind. This is the blindness of faith in gods. This is where a person stays without careful scrutiny of the facts and an ounce of self awareness. This is the prison of fear to peek outside the lens if faith and see the world is not as they said, and the courage to see inside the faith is not what they said either. This is the nonsense of being raised in faith. Professing wisdom they remain fools.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” -Aristotle

“You have the right to defend the belief that you are right, but in the end belief is not truth. Why is appearing to be right and self validation more important than truth?” You have nothing to offer to the discussion when all you have is belief. Jim

American Atheist Converted at Medjugorje, Bosnia

One of my very best friends went to the pilgrimage at Medjugorje, Bosnia while vacationing about five years ago to see Our Lady of MedjugorjeHe went as a skeptic. I want to give you just a short history of one of the smartest people I know. He has the best memory recall of anyone I have ever met, loves to study the sciences and religion and many other disciplines, and he is currently active in coaching and teaching at a collegiate level.

He went up to Medjugore completely convinced it was nonsense and looking to see what all the talk was about. He came down as a believer. He saw the apparitions and the images dancing in the sun. He could look directly at the sun and suffered nothing. He felt something special he can’t explain. Raised catholic but operated as an atheist since late teens. Now he is an active catholic and a 100% believer. He can’t explain it. Can you? I can’t help but believe there is a logical or psychological explanation. One thing I do know, the Catholic Church regards the first visit to the children a miracle. They are remaining skeptical about the continued messages delivered by Mary.

Phil also stated that “not everyone that goes sees it. Only those meant to see it I guess” Another question I would pose, do people that have no prior knowledge of the site see the miracles? It’s not obvious what your mind is going to do with the stored knowledge and expectations or reservations of any specific event. Here is some good read and video if you haven’t seen it, and this is an email answer I got from Professor Taboo. “Bottom-line? Neurological and endocrinological explanations are quite plausible in all cases of ‘paranormal’ activity and visions/hallucinations. The pilgrimmage/hike in Medjugorje, Bosnia contributes to those physiological conditions…. as they do in other parts of the world. When large groups/crowds all participate/perform the “worship” together, it makes it all even MORE intense — the Placebo-effect.”

Further reading and Other Insights

Branyan Apologist

TCA Newsflash

2-1-2018

Christian apologist and ego-fed blogger John Branyan made the pages of the world renown Urban Dictionary today from his Indiana home. Branyan, famous among locals as the “little apologist that could”, had few words for reporters, which is rare for the “eager pleaser of the man from Nazareth”. Fame and notoriety are nothing new for the man known as “Brain Yawn”, in certain blogging circles. Branyan Apologist! It’s official! Congratulations John. Although not accustomed to having anything approved, Urban Dictionary set a new approval speed record of 28 seconds. Seems they knew you were coming, lurking, watching, waiting to pounce and mine out any potential opportunity for conjecture. Congratulations!

Family Farm

I know some of you are animal lovers. For 3507 years now my family has been keeping a pretty big flock of a mixture of special animals. We saved them as kind of a hobby. When the book of Job came out, Behemoths became the rage. My dad bought one at an auction and he’s had it ever since. He said it may be a collectible some day. Man he got that right. I don’t think it will ever die. The thing is cursed or something. Our hay bill is outrageous, but since we feed it instead of tithing it’s probably cheaper in the long run. I did some sketches since they don’t like being photoed. Ever since dads daguerreotype caught on fire they hide from the camera.

He also bought a Leviathan as a baby. We kept it in a small pool so it didn’t get big. They’re like goldfish and stay small if you hold back the food and keep the pool small. It’s a nasty little thing but dad likes it since it talks a lot. I’m pretty sure this would be the beast from revelation, so keeping it small is probably the best thing.

When dad was just a kid he picked up a serpent looking thing in the garden. He says it used to talk to him, but sometimes I just think dad talked to it a lot when he was little. It’s about as smooth as a used car salesman though.

His pet dragon is the coolest of them all. Frickin thing is ancient and still lays eggs. I was raised on them. We never need matches or anything. I tried to get dad to convert its stall to a thermal breathing heater but he never did. All that energy wasted all these years. He says he bought it from a guy on Patmos Island? Where is that any way?

Well, there’s more but I have to go out and feed. I lost a finger last week to that fuckin cockatrice so I feed it last just to piss it off. Little bastard!

Masterpiece!

This here piece from my Ugandan connection to the atheist world. Dr. Seggy just gave a perfect glimpse to religious devotion. Well worth your time! Bravo Doc! Sometimes someone else just nails it for you!

Were Abraham and Muhammad Primatologists?

What distinguishes Abrahamic Religion from the apes? The apes could not write their ideas of territory, food, male dominance, and sex into law. It was all about protecting what they had and staying at the top of the clan.

Mixing Science and Faith

Maybe Christianity could adapt some scientific principles. They could claim it as gospel like they did paganism and mythology. But I don’t believe the two will ever mix because science is unprejudiced. Don’t forget their core! They are waiting and praying for god to come back and slaughter all the rest of us. That little tidbit says a lot about how they really feel. It’s a religion that is divisive and racist and prejudice to its core, and piety sets dividing lines to fight every step of social equality or scientific advance.

Wrought for Change

Sounds like the humanist-pig natives lost this round. Columbus wrote “the natives are so naïve and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone.”

He also wrote,

“I believe that they would easily be made Christians, because it seemed to me that they had no religion.”

“The European settlers took a free society without possessions, property, currency, hierarchy or written religion and replaced it with today’s America – the world’s shining beacon of selfish materialism, where every square inch of land/water/airspace is publicly or privately owned, taxed, and governed through a corrupt hierarchical system of laws and regulations where Mother Nature’s gifts are treated as personal possessions to be bought, sold, owned and defended. Howard Zinn “A people’s history of the United States ”

They also threw religion at their feet and forced them to comply or die.They stripped them of their heritage and language and families, and stole all that was left of their land and resources. It amazes me that there is one Native American or African Native Christian on the entire planet that carries on in this belief system that destroyed their beautiful ways of life. It is beyond me. I’ve had this question on the back burner for several years. Long before I was an atheist it amazed me how enthusiastically the black and native communities embrace Christianity. Why? How was this done?

The Requermiento, a document that offered the Indians a choice between salvation and slavery, helped the Spanish “benevolently” force various Indian groups into the missions. The basic mission plan for Catholic missionaries followed a structure repeated by later groups and based on Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, which outlined a plan for Christian communities. Mission life revolved around and resembled rural European Christianity as much as possible, creating communities of Indians who ate, slept, and worked under the aegis of Christianity. Most missions had compulsory attendance at matins and masses, required all able bodies to work within the mission, and set up systems of governance using the patriarchal family as a model. Every day, Indians went to matins, worked in the fields, went back to church, worked in the fields, and then went home to a system where fathers and men ruled and met as councils, mimicking European societies more than biblical ones.

Essentially by eliminating the non compliant, it turned into generational compliance by remaining natives. Why are they still in it? And particularly, why are African Americans still in it so strongly? We all know their history here.

Richard Dawkins on The Cosmos

“Even if we don’t understand how it came into existence, it’s not helpful to postulate a creator because a creator is the very kind of thing that needs its own explanation. It’s a hell of a lot harder the explain how a god came into existence than to explain how a simplicity came into existence”.

Oxford Museum of Natural History Dawkins vs Lennox

Fascinating Deconvert of Islam

I read this tonight, and knowing very little about Islam it was fascinating to read some of his posts to see an inside view of a different than Christianity twist from an Iranian Atheist. Very interesting read. http://decentatheist.com/2018/01/24/why-is-god-so-angry/

Religious Feel Right

William James says “conversion indicates the process by which a consciously wrong, unhappy and previously divided self becomes consciously right”.

A study in the psychology of conversion

Why do Hard When Simple is Hard Enough?

I used to write a lot of songs and they just kept getting more and more complex, when finally my buddy said, “why do hard when simple is hard enough”? Musicians have made great music with two and three chord songs. Simple is beautiful. Perfecting simple is outstanding.

It is easy to get mired down in the weight of all the information trying to sway you this way and that. Try this: Go someplace quiet. Throw all your preconceptions and indoctrinations in a big pile and burn it. Think what it would be like to face everything you ever learned about religion was a lie. It’s a pill that needs to be swallowed. Think how easy this is without someone trying to influence you in order to validate themselves. Try to show a little self awareness and open your mind. You don’t need convincing circular conjecture and apologetics to know the truth. The truth rarely needs a footnote, or, an explanation to an explanation. You can’t justify one iota of doctrine, or one miracle or prayer unanswered without rationalizing the deficiency of god or being outright deceived. The cliches don’t solve your problem. They are these; “You pray in your time, and god answers in his time”. “We can’t imagine the wisdom of god”, or “He is testing your faithfulness. We just can’t comprehend god”, or “he wasn’t meant to be healed because god is testing his faith”. Why would god need to do that? These are some of the most common excuses for god, passed on from generation to generation. When you look at the objectives there is nothing here but excuses and ambiguous text of archaic language allowing for multiple interpretation and confusion. By design.

I know. I was in it for 50 years and nothing added up. I had several “spiritual” experiences that were based on lies. Positive emotion is not the holy spirit testifying to you. Feeling good by passing off your responsibilities to another entity is psychological feel good. Nothing more. Nothing has changed but the feeling someone is watching over you. They aren’t.

You don’t have to know the science behind it. I didn’t. All you have to do is face the reality that you might be wrong, and look at the failures of religion openly and honestly. It’s about three things. Power, control, and money. Every institution is corrupt. You think religion has escaped unscathed? Hell, they’re the ones that initiated all the corruption. Pointing fingers, deflecting and distracting. The devil has no horns. That is the trick. The devil wears a suit and tie and holds a microphone. Quit making excuses for gods and failed preachers and let’s start working towards something productive instead of wasting millennia of time running in circles chasing hidden meaning of ancient writing that doesn’t come true.

Why do hard when simple is hard enough? Life is pretty peaceful since dumping the hope of an invisible being that instills guilt and racism and has a history of mass destruction and murder. Why do hard when simple is where you find true peace. That is a motto to live by.

The Gods are Doin Their Thing

I’m a little upset with Boreas today. Snow is too wet and trees are down all over the property. Hoping all of my Dryads are safe and sound. I checked my Yggdrasil and it is doing ok. Yggdrasil is my immense mythical tree that connects the nine worlds in Norse cosmology.

And the turkeys came for a visit while I was cutting two trees off the road to the house. They love dinner rolls.

Thank Artemis they are good. Today I am a god. The god of snow shoveling.

2 James 6-9 found! New scripture Predicts Trump

I came across these while rummaging through some old papyrus I found in the basement.

6 Thus saith the LORD, Verily verily I say unto you in the last days one shall rise up in a choice land across the great waters and perform secret works of darkness upon all nations of the earth. And in those days all men shall use one voice to be heard every man in his own tongue like a river to every dwelling upon the face of the earth.

7 And secret works of darkness, and lascivious defilers of their own selves at war with many nations. And no man shall know the truth as all things are confusion and strife with knowledge abounding and fleeting truth as a slippery serpent.

8 Many shall cry lo here, and lo there, as the death of all nations creeps inward, the groaning earth will rock to and fro like a ship tossed on the waves of the deep. And the rulers of men work secret combinations to ensnare all the inhabitants of the earth with gold and with silver and with precious stones while blackness pours from all the deep places filling the earth with smoke and dust in all the waste places where no man shall hide.

9. Hear ye, hear ye children of the most high god. Repent for the hour is nigh that all the valleys will be raised up, and all the mountains shall be swallowed to the great depths, and all those that slumber shall open the earth wielding the sword of justice to all those that cast their lots for the son of evil masking as righteousness as the dawn trump sounds, boasting in the wisdom of a fool.

10 If any man adds or takes away from these sayings, blessed be his name for creativity sake. Hell why not? The scribes did it all the time. Interpretation is the key to good scripture. On an interesting note, neither America or the internet are in the Bible. How did they miss that? It’s ok. I fixed it.

Sex – vs – Violence

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone talk about a movie and say “there are no sex scenes, only violence”. Viewing killing has just become a way of life I guess, and what comes natural to all species is sinful to lay eyes on. Studies show most people have to be trained to kill. The military uses simulations and repetitive virtual killing of humans to condition soldiers to “hit” enemy combatants. In WWI and WWII trigger pulls per soldier were quite low, along with soldiers not aiming at the enemy. Essentially having to be trained to kill. “S.L.A Marshall did a study on the firing rates of soldiers in World War II. He found that the ratio of rounds fired vs. hits was low; he also noted that the majority of soldiers were not aiming to hit their targets. This was a problem for the US military and its allies during World War II. Soldiers were reluctant to kill another human even while under attack. New training implements were developed and hit rates improved. The changes were small, but effective. First, instead of shooting at bulls-eye type targets, the U.S. Army switched to silhouette targets that mimic an average human and killing increased dramatically. After implementing virtual reality simulation, and research shows that the more virtual people you kill, the easier it is to devalue other human life. A high percentage of soldiers today have killed thousands of people before ever enlisting in the military. Kids today are a shoe-in for high trigger pull ratios as they are desensitized to the reality of how horrific killing naturally is. They’ve already done it. Is war like a video game? Prince Harry of Wales thinks so. The Telegraph reported that Prince Harry compared piloting an Apache to playing a video game. He said,

“It’s a joy for me because I’m one of those people who loves playing PlayStation and Xbox, so with my thumbs I like to think I’m probably quite useful,” prince Harry stated. As a downtown medic I was on the front lines of urban death far too long. I remember my first, and I remember the last and every single one in between. The violence leaves a wake of panic and hysteria to the family left behind tying to make sense of it. It is ugly and senseless.

So, sex is labeled throughout the pious world as the great sin, while violence gets a pass. Hell, it even makes you a star!

Celebration Occasion

After 88 years my old high school friend’s dad finally accepted Christ in his life. They are ecstatic and praising god. Although cumbered with terminal illness and a morphing pain pump, the hospice nurses at the facility were gracious enough to let the family sing to him and pray for him and read scriptures to him. He was reborn!! He accepted Jesus. Praise god! Finally at the end of his life he saw the light. Can one be saved in this altered condition? The poor guy finally caved in. They posted pics of kids and grandkids reading verses and singing to their bedridden captive audience. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. But I did see it plastered on FB 2 days. Thoughts? Am I a sacrilegious bastard?

Here’s just one of the comments “He didn’t believe until now. We have had MANY conversations over the last 37 years, talking about the validity of the Bible, the statistical evidence. Once you understand those things, it almost takes more faith NOT to believe. ❤️ He finally was able to reconcile his science background with faith in Jesus, understanding they didn’t conflict”.<

All I can say is sarcasms sanctity surely swirls swiftly since Saturday’s savorous save. Jim

Ten Commandments

Which of the ten commandments has been most effective at preventing crime? Which one has stopped the most carnage, adultery, lying, and so forth? Do you have a personal experience where in a heat of passion and you were just about to kill someone, and you thought, wait! That’s against the rules?

Where is the Insane Asylum??

This must be the new go to argument against atheism. Twice in two days. I just learned from A bit of Orange that because I don’t eat my young I have already rejected atheism and I’m ready to be saved. Don’t bother checking his site as he blocks any comments he can’t answer. Here ya go.

“I don’t doubt that you and your family love each other. I merely point out that atheism offers no basis to give value to love or priority to your duties as a parent or spouse. On atheism, there is no good and evil, so the difference between loving your children or killing and eating them differs only in the normative evolutionary path our species has taken thus far, and the moral code AGAINST killing one’s children forced on western culture by the Biblical worldview. Other animals eat their young, why should YOU not do so if we are merely animals as Atheism claims?

Also, your love for each other is merely chemical brain states, such as being hungry. When you tell your children you love them, then if they were REALLY atheists, they ought to respond, “Oh, you are?”

Here’s my point- if you love your family and know that loving them is BETTER than killing and eating them, then you have already rejected Atheism. I believe you do love your family. I just want you to see that you are already rejecting atheism. After that, you may see that you have a heavenly father who loves you, and is waiting for you to come home”.

#JesusLovesYou

And JB poses this beauty only in order to sidetrack the conversation as he does. “Where do you get the idea that Christians shouldn’t kill natives”? Because of evolution and atheism we we would actually justify the stronger spaniards in killing pacifist natives that don’t comprehend killing. It wasn’t natural for them, and he can’t see that it is unnatural to use a law/bible to justify slaughter.

He doesn’t really know that it is mostly natural to not kill. Only a law splitting Christian can master that.

Why would anyone reject a humanist view that protects life and promotes freedom better than religion?

i would like to explore a solid answer to these thoughts though.

H.G. Wells

“Investigations into the beginnings of religion have accumulated steadily throughout the past half century. It is only by great efforts of censorship, by sectarian education of an elaborately protected sort, and the like, that ignorance about them is maintained.”

H. G. Wells

Might is not Right

Bartolome De Las Casas sailed to the “New World” in 1502 and recorded many of the things he saw in his book, “The Devastation of the Indies”: Quote – “With my own eyes I saw Spaniards cut off the nose, hands and ears of Indians, male and female, without provocation, merely because it pleased them to do it … Likewise, I saw how they summoned the caciques and the chief rulers to come, assuring them safety, and when they peacefully came, they were taken captive and burned … (The Spaniards) took babies from their mothers’ breasts, grabbing them by the feet and smashing their heads against rocks … They built a long gibbet, low enough for the toes to touch the ground and prevent strangling, and hanged thirteen at a time in honor of Christ Our Savior and the twelve Apostles …

Then, straw was wrapped around their torn bodies and they were burned alive … When the Spaniards had collected a great deal of gold from the Indians, they shut them up in three big houses, crowding in as many as they could, then set fire to the houses, burning alive all that were in them, yet those Indians had given no cause nor made any resistance …They would cut off an Indian’s hands and leave them dangling by a shred of skin … they would test their swords and their manly strength on captured Indians and place bets on the slicing off of heads or cutting of bodies in half with one blow.”

On every island Columbus ‘discovered’ he planted a cross, claiming ownership for his Spanish Catholic patrons.

I do think the spaniards were doing there religious duty here according to Ezekiel. “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭KJV‬

The Finite Human Mind Cannot Comprehend

I’ve heard this one before, but I just want to know who gets to determine what I can comprehend? I think we’re ready now. Go ahead. Explain it.

Now I know how few people depend on Answers dot com for their religious questions, but this did get 7200 confidence votes from a guy named fowl1. Good job. Thanks for the material Christians.

Wednesday Affirmation

Hubble Captures Distant Images of Temples on Other Planets

According to an anonymous insider, The Vatican along with NASA’s HST division are withholding critical images proving that Mormonism is indeed more than a world religion. God has created “worlds without number” and recent Hubble images have captured LDS temples in other distant solar systems. LDS temple alignment and curious symbolism is literally a “modern day Mormon stargate “. Below are some codings in alignment from specific LDS temple architecture.

LDS officials routinely open these gates using a stellar map and detailed compass aligned with a curious sword that was deposited in the Hill Cumorah in upstate New York and retrieved by the prophet Joseph Smith.

Officials state ” we’ve had the answers for quite some time”, although common members are not currently participating in intergalactic travel because of “unbelief”, Church officials do commonly visit other planets to coordinate the various second coming scenarios soon to unfold.

“There’s only one Jesus, so these things take a little planning “. LDS doctrine teach “Christ’s atonement was for all of gods children, and in the big picture, that is a lot of worlds and a lot of people that need saving”.

Current leadership is also in pursuit of the Erdapfel globe. “We want it back”, for as rumored the globe is not a 15th century creation, but a much older relic of precolombian mesoamerican mormonism.

Why Fasting is Important

The first Sunday of each month the LDS have fast and testimony meeting. Members fast 24 hours as a general rule. Typically you would have dinner the night before, skip two full meals, than have dinner again the following evening. Somewhere between the 15-20 hour mark you’d have your testimony meeting. Mormons tout the health benefits and spiritual awareness of fasting, but rarely is the caveat considered. Fasting alters brain chemistry and sugar uptake Opening brain fazes to a more programmable state. During this drowsy state of weakened physiology you listen to 20 or so people tell you they know the church is true, and other anecdotal Mormon doctrine and testimony. The science of Physiology works! So does monthly brainwashing.

Half Is Not Enough! Game of Acquiesce

Staring at me every day is a couple of glaring missteps in the religious model. Hearsay and opinion are the driving force of modern faith, and you only need to know the key points. But the devil is in the details. The text is incomplete and the revelations too vague. The origins are muddied with folklore and fable, and mythology is mixed with faith and canonized doctrine overrun with philosophy. The TV preacher will say, “see how god has done this”. No, sir, you have done this! The world has rejected reasonable good sense to pursue charlatan promises about a half read book with a large comment section, while most of the text is kept hidden away from public knowledge

Imagine any philosopher, or physicist or anything deciding they had learned all they needed to know halfway through freshman year quitting before fully comprehending anything! Religion is a kid that just got his yellow belt and wants to show off his karate. He doesn’t know enough to know he doesn’t know enough. But like most faithfuls he will quit the lessons and go on doing roundhouses in front of his buddies. Theist have a bible. An incomplete book of fragments and copies mixed with myth and folklore and a little paganism just to make it friendly. You read through it with a few friends, hear their testimonies and Boom! That’s all you need to know to start preaching. And usually a lot less. This is the wisdom that creates a klan. That is a dangerous juncture to start wielding the sword of righteousness judgement. That is zeal without knowledge. The other side of the coin is the “rather be safe than sorry approach” of Pascal, which is actually a game of acquiesce. You lose your fight and thirst for knowledge when you accept something reluctantly without protest and just give in to it. Just because. They make it too easy. All you have to do accept the free gift. Have you ever gotten a free gift with no forms, no obligation, no strings? No brainer, right? Click here and give your life away along with thinking for yourself. But that’s the way it is. I guess anything worth doing is usually just too hard. And learning takes time.

The LDS system turns kids out to proselytize before they can say boo. But they’ve memorized the key points. They get you into the temple to make lifelong covenants, without even telling you what you will be promising. Then as a large reverent group full of family and friends all raise your hand and make the oaths. If you won’t do it, you stand to be dismissed in front of the group. Who does that? They have to agree before they know what they are agreeing too. Total bullshit. Should be illegal honestly. But that’s the way christianity works. Get everybody to buy into it before they have the knowledge.

These columns are approx 4 light years tall from the vantage point of the Hubble. Awesome!

The Sunday Meme

What to buy next?

When I commented the other day on a blog comparing the fallacy of atheism compared to Christianity, the guy fired back that I sound like a disciple of Dawkins and Ehrman, and then he blocked me. But the truth is, I have never read either of them. If the reasons I left faith are the same as they’ve written about, I guess you can figure it out on your own using you good old fashioned brain, minus what’s lacking in religion with sugarcoated faith. Prayers don’t get answered. Ever! But you all know the excuses. “God knows best”, or “he’s just testing your faith” or ” you pray in our time, but god answers in his time”. B frickin S! Then the scripture is an elastically moral fraud that demands ones full attention and years of endless debate and conjecture. The unsolvable religious Rubiks’s cube. I gave it my full attention. The reason I left is simple. Things never added up the way they were supposed to. Nothing made sense unless it was explained over and over. Then someone would explain the explanation so the explanation made sense. But in the end it is a charade that people believe only because they want to. They feel the need to. If you have a quiet few days you can figure this out. Looks like I need to buy some Dawkins and Ehrman? I really got a lot from John Zande’s 2 books and am science and physics fan. What should I read next as a relative newbie?

Closet Arsonists

Mom died a few years back, and at 80 years old my dad remarried. His new wife is a very devout Mormon and her testimony is so powerful. She said, “I just know what I know. I don’t know why, but I just know this church is the true church, and when I know something I just know it”. Let me tell you something else this big, bright, child of god knows because she learned it at church. She knows that “gay men are closet arsonists”. That’s right. Arsonists! “They may not always start fires, but they want to, and that’s why they’re called “flamers”. LDS Relief Society teaching manuals may not carry the message, but it may even be worse that the faithful can have these ideas and beliefs on their own! Big problem with belief vs fact and reason. So, what do you call a fat pompous know-it-all bigot? Well, sometimes you call her mom. Everyone has someone in their life don’t they?

Selling What We Already Have

I have laid low these past few years since my deconversion. My mind works like a good stew, and then it’s ready to go. I generally take my time with things, especially after being controlled by those I thought I could trust for so long. Essentially duped by the duped. Funny now, but wow! Having just finished a couple of good books by John Zande these past few weeks, my mind has been working out a concise summary of what struck me profoundly. So without giving too much away, here is one point I have milled in my mind to a chiseled point. Every element from hydrogen to uranium, every molecule and atom, every cell and creature is in a naturally constant state of anxiety. Each one is desperately trying to stay together, to hang on for another day. It is this drive and desire that pushes to new boundaries. Defenses continue to mount and stretch the elements ability to cope and survive. To grow. To evolve. Every bit if matter has this inherent drive to hang on. Hope is the card that religion plays. And they play it well. Hope for eternal life after death. Hope to continue on. Hope things get better. But hope is something we already have. It is in us already. So why do we need to buy it? Fear. Abrahamic religions attach fear to something that is natural and unavoidable. Then they offer the solution. Meanwhile everything in this state of panic is dying and death, struggle and change, and anxiety. Pure, perfect evil if you would. And when you are done with this struggle for existence you die. Miserably decomposing and holding on till another day, but the final outcome is without question. When we observe this creation it is fair to assume the mind and disposition of this perfect creator. If there is a god and this is his doing, then he is enjoying the suffering and delights himself in the misery of all of the elements. Including man. I choose not to believe in deities. The evidence is compelling that no good god would have done this. He is either incompetent or he is malicious. There is much, much more to be taken from Mr. Zande in these two books, and I highly recommend these for every avid learner that wants to challenge what he thinks he knows. It is a fresh look that flies in the face of “god is good”, and has compelling evidence and good supportive reasoning and science. But the conclusions will be left to you.

Inside Out

Usually you all know nothing about how your efforts here in presenting Atheism and Humanism can affect just one person once in a while. But you all have stuck with it. I see many familiar names from when I was posting religious spew on your blogs a few years back. I was pretty nice about it but was curious too. Having my own belief questions I wanted to see how my arguments stood up outside of the faith. I tried to have an open mind and really see things from another vantage point.

One day I was asking some questions and interjecting my beliefs, and I mentioned I was really just trying to understand but would never leave religion. Violet (I think was the name) jumped in and said “you will”. “That if I really was serious about learning about life outside of faith that I would eventually leave it”. That really stuck with me and I stewed on it for quite a while. She knew if I saw what was real outside of that lens that I would at least know a decision had to be made. Believe it or don’t believe it. It was a choice! How right she was! That moment was pivotal in my deconversion.

I have always sought truth the best I know how. I don’t care to be right, I just want the truth wherever that may be. If I’m wrong I’ll admit it. I won’t defend a position I know in my head is wrong. That moment started a long search outside of the church and its approved doctrines and materials. Actually took about three weeks of full time searching and trying to justify staying in the faith. Once I peeked at the reality and reasoning there was no going back. After 50 years of church and Jesus I walked away. My wife and kids were in Panama City on vacation during that time. When they came back to the jungle I told them what I wanted to do and why. My wife had done her own looking and promptly agreed. We gathered up all of our church crap, the manuals and home school religious items and scriptures and burned it all. I burned books! Never regretted it for one moment. Free baby!

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for your insights and mentoring me in your blood soaked heathenistic pagan smart ass ways. Sometimes good sense does rule the day. Life without church is life indeed! Glad somebody told me! Is an excellent example of how I felt. Thanks Shiarrael!

Where is Violet anyway? Haven’t seen her in quite a while. Give her my regards if any of you know her.

Born Theists Lite Version

Bill the Bad Atheist has a short follow up over at his site if you want to take a peek. Be curious to see what some of you have to say. My overall feeling on the topic is we are comparing something with nothing, and wind up with a riddle as an answer.

Who are We Really?

Misconceptions about atheism are so common I sometimes feel like a minnow in a piranha pool. Mention you’re an atheist or humanist, and immediate visions of the horned immoral boogeyman appear in people’s heads. Who are we really? In your own words maybe give a line or two about what you think people should imagine when they hear the word “Atheist”.

Photo by jim-thecommonatheist

Cambutal, Panama 🇵🇦

Radical Atheistology

Four things or five you need to start deconverting from any invisible mythical sky god religion.

1. Read. Read more than just the official versions your church allows. You’ll be surprised what they hide from you. If you all ready know? Shame on you and skip to step 2. Stop apologizing for them. Read something contrary. You’ll be surprised at the common sense kindness of the atheist community. Smart, accepting, and reasonable. Not for power, not for money, not for control. For a free mind and acceptance. For peace. Really!

2. Observe. Even the simplest observation on your own time can easily overturn the miles of apologetic writing your church has split hairs to write. Don’t forget to look around you. Take a hike in the canyons. The earth is older than that. Cmon man! And there’s more!

3. Critical thinking. For instance, the jesus story has been told almost verbatim by several ancient civilizations long before Christianity. Virgin birth, half man, half god, dies to save everyone, celebrated at Christmas time and they were gods. But hey! This time it’s for real. Right! Think about it. Look it up. It’s all out there. Just peek outside the box. You’ve been duped! And there’s more!! Way more.

4. Whiskey. Relax. The world is not coming to an end. No one is coming out of the sky to save or rapture you. It’s up to us to fix our situation. So let’s put away the waiting for Jesus and praying for the end to come soon and get to work. We’re wasting time. A lot of time. Enjoy life and be brothers and sisters. Religion divides what otherwise would be whole. Try it. What is there to lose. What you’ve been doing is not working. Give it a chance! Peek!

If you’re still here this might be for you. I have a secret surprise I’ve waited for the end, and this is very typical of the folks I’ve met. They are liberated from guilt and they are happy. They have a high moral standard based on natural laws and consequences and we love the earth. A true deep desire to preserve the world. Our way of life

Follow some atheist books and blogs. The basics will get you by, but there is a world of good reading and real knowledge out there.

I was a follower for 50 years I’m sorry to say. I’m actually a little embarrassed by it. I walked away a few years ago from the mind games, guilt, ambiguous doctrine, cover ups, brainwashing, poorly translated mythology I was supposed to analyze and work out my salvation. If I guess wrong? Oops. Sorry jim. You’re going to hell. It was all a trap to keep me payin and prayin and obeyin. Believing a stifling dogma has consequences that restrict growth of the mind and well being. And I defended it!

respectfully–jim, the common atheist

Did I miss anything?

Evidence Evolving in Space

NASA has released some interesting data about Scott Kelly and his year-long stint at the ISS. Although more data will be forthcoming, early statements seem to chalk one up for the good guys. A drastic change of environment seems to accelerate some evolutionary processes. Here is a quote from NASA

“the chemical modifications that were seen in Scott’s DNA during the trip in space returned to normal once he came back to Earth. The same thing happened around the midpoint of the study for Mark’s end, which led scientists to believe that genes are actually sensitive to changing environments.

NASA found that there are hundreds of unique genetic mutations for both Scott and Mark”.

Also stated were changes in sizes and shapes of red and white blood cells.

Imagining the implications here I thought this was pretty big.

Are we Born Theists?

Bill the Bad Atheist has suggested here that we are all born theists and need to be taught to be atheists. I commented my feeling on his blog, I would love to see what you more experienced non believers have to say about his hypothesis. I think this is worthy of a discussion.

Acronyms and DSRD

I was training a newly hired EMT to enter his reports in the computer, and shortly after writing a practice report we got a call to go out for an MVC. We transported a minor injury patient to the hospital and since the new guy tech’d the call, he wrote the notes. Medical people use a ton of acronyms, and as I was reviewing his report I noticed some strange ones I’d never seen before. He stated ” PT found in FPS, A/O X4 PWD, airway intact. Pt with MLLUA and ALSOF. I thought “huh”? I called him back to the office for a minute to explain. “Oh, FPS is front passenger seat”. And MLLUA is mild laceration left upper arm”, and ALSOF is “abrasion left side of face”. I said “Aaron you can’t just make shit up on these reports. No one knows what these mean except you”. There is a long list of accepted acronyms and I gave him a copy to work from. Heres a small sample.

Aaron appears to be mixing religion and work here, since “make it up as you go” is a common tool for building credible rapport in the churches.

I’ve heard some faith promoting whoppers during my time in the church. I felt the spirit (emotion) over outright lies and fabrications. I’ve seen the faithful tie silly things together that show god is with them every step of the way. From found car keys to successful surgeries, god gets the credit. When things don’t go your way he gets a free pass. If uncle Eddy survives the heart attack,”praise god”! If he dies, god took him home to heaven. He knows what’s best for you. Right?

WARNING– What you about to read might cause you to think.

Preachers tell lies and twist stories to convince you that god is real and their religions are right. They desperately want you to believe what they believe. They will tell you things to drive your emotions. That feeling is not the spirit. It is a manipulation tactic to get devotion and keep you in faith to give themselves power and money. Do not believe it. You have been tricked by professionals that prey on people during vulnerable times in their lives. Do not buy it. You already possess everything they have to offer. It’s already in you. You can do this without the bs of a religious dogma. Waiting for god to answer your prayers is a waste of time. Time that could be spent working out your own future, free of charge and free of mental bondage.

DSRD = dumb stuff religions do

Faith + Fiction = Miracles. Here have a bible

Sometimes a Stranger is Fiction

I got a flat tire last year on a remote gravel road, and as I was changing my tire an old blue sedan came barreling up the road. I called to my dog but he was so engrossed in a hunt for field mice he wouldn’t hear me. Right as the car approached my dog bolted my way across the road and bam! The car never slowed down or stopped. My dog laid in the ditch. He was dead. I sat there. I think most of you have lost a pet before. No explanation can tell you how devastated I was. I cried. I prayed. God help me. After a little while had passed I collected myself enough to finish my tire, and just as I was about done my dog licked the back of my neck. I was in shock. In complete joy. How? No way! As I held Roger I saw a man hurry across the road and down a steep embankment. I shouted “hey”! I ran to the edge where I last saw him and he was gone. Nothing. I knew what I had seen. I knew my dog was now alive and not a scratch on him. God had sent his holy angel to help me. Thank you Jesus thank you Jesus. God hears our prayers, and in our most desperate times he is here for us. To comfort. To heal. To help.

Should I post this story on Facebook and ask for likes, amens, or shares. I could strengthen testimonies with a story like this. The problem is … it is just a story. Total fabrication. While most church stories contain a wee bit of truth, I’ve seen first hand how they grow bigger and better with time.

The churchers and their preachers embellish nearly everything they say to tug at your emotions then attribute it to god. And I’m not even close to exaggerating here. Just last week god the father and the son and the Holy Spirit visited a friend of mine in the form of three hummingbirds! What the hell do you say to that? If people are looking for miracles, they’ll get them. Or see birds. (Below is the area where none of this occurred)

Dammit Jim

Finally they named a beer after me. They must have talked to an old station manager of mine. I used to hear this 10 times a day when I would go off script and ruin his reputation. But he and I used to have some long talks about religion before he fired me. He was an atheist and I was a (cough cough) Latter Day Saint. My favorite one liner to his comment that “you can’t know this stuff. You can believe it, but you can’t know it”. I told him, the reason you can’t know it is because you don’t believe you can. He’d say “Dammit Jim”. Then he’d go on to tell me what an idiot I was. Bob, you were right. I was an idiot. Rest In Peace old friend.

Now when I see this ridiculous circular reasoning as an outsider of the faith, I remember not so long ago how I was that way. Faith is an unreasonable guide. It commands that you believe a lot of nonsense. Just wish my beer had a better rating.

Why the “What have you done for me lately Church” is hard to leave

As soon as I was old enough to safely go to church my parents brought me before the congregation and I was given an official name and a blessing. A name which would be recorded in the records and make me an official unbaptized member of the LDS. I was about a month old! Hey, thanks for that. Of course I don’t remember this, but those blessings take place the first Sunday of each month just before Fast and Testimony Meeting, where the members share their beliefs with the audience. This was the beginning of the indoctrination of Jim, as for the next hour I would listen to many testimonies that day about how true the church was, and how god played a role in various members lives that week. “I know this church is true” was proclaimed from the pulpit and into every rooms intercom. Even while I was in the mothers lounge, i could hear the testimonies of those who would soon be raising me in the church. Hey! No second opinions allowed either. Whenever a stray Mormon would stand up to bear his soul, and offer how he really felt about the church he would be escorted out. No second opinions needed! This is the true church!

At home it would continue. Exposed to everything mormon. Pictures of jesus and prophets and primary songs. Family home evenings every Monday for twice weekly indoctrination. Family prayer morning and night along with personal prayer. They even taught me what to say. How thoughtful.

Progression of church member Jim

Baby blessing –check

Baptism at 8. -check

Priesthood at 12 -check

Early morning Seminary 4 years. Check

Higher priesthood at 19-check

Temple endowments -check

Mission -check

Marry in the temple- check

Children -check

Memorize countless scriptures and songs – check

Endure to the end– hmm. Not so fast.

Pay Pray and Obey

Keep paying

Questions. Not allowed

Endure to the end, endure to the end

Learn the things you weren’t supposed to learn.

Be bold enough to question

Church court and discipline

Attend in shame.

Fade away. Resign the church. Lose all your friends. All!

In the Mormon faith you are taught if you don’t endure to the end, keep the commandments and keep paying your tithes til the day you die you won’t be saved. You can lose your salvation. Everything done to the children is focused on member retention. Keep you engaged. Don’t give you time to think. Here is how they did it to me

Scoutmaster 15 years. That’s an extra day at the church every week

Early morning Seminary teacher entire school year 8 years total

Home teacher to multiple families each month 30 years

Young men’s presidency 6 years

Adult Sunday school teacher 4 years

Ward missionary 4 years

Finance clerk 2 years

Membership clerk 2 years

Elders quorum presidency 8 years

Multiple tours in some of these callings. Oh!, and work a full time job to support my family.

I was also a pretty good speaker so I would give talks frequently on Sunday.

Frequent temple attendance

Temple initiatory worker 4 years

Veil worker 4 years

By the time I was 50, I had done about 75 years of service callings in the church. This is fairly typical, but not good enough. Pray pay and obey til you die if it will account as nothing.

It’s no wonder it is so hard to see the fallacy of your ways when it is all you know. Variety makes things right.

Don’t forget to look around you. Be humble. You might be wrong

Believers and Bernoulli’s Principle

Misapplied evidence of god. An old friend from school was in an accident a couple of days ago. I have to share this thread and comments.

“With everything I’ve endured the past 3 yrs. I was beginning to wonder “WHY” oh Lord is ALL this happening to me!!!!!! Questioning where is God in all of this. For those who know me, my faith has never wavered in these trying times, until this accident. I’m at my breaking point!!! Asking “why me Lord” what the hell have I done to deserve ALL of this shit!!!!!! Until this morning…..I was sitting on our front patio looking@our water feature,which has 3 staggered height rocks and there sat 3 hummingbirds, yes 3😲 3 male hummingbirds, for 1 they are extremely territorial and always chase each other off, but there they all sat drinking the water for what seemed like an eternity!!!!! My mouth was wide open@this amazingly beautiful, spectacular reminder that the Lord is ALWAYS with me through EVERYTHING❤️For me, the 3 hummingbirds was such an obvious sign of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, right there in plain sight, just for me!!!!!! It was the most spiritual experience that I will forever hold onto💞 Here’s some comments– I commented in Latin “SanctaeTrinitatus ad Avem“. (The Bird Trinity). She replies “oh Jim, that’s beautiful”. Hehe.

Asimov shares an example of misapplied. This from The Ratliff Notepad is part of the old Asimov speech. We are the stagecoach people. We can show the obvious, but the tales are memorized from childhood, and they should have never left it. Why does this matter? This codependent behavior with god hamstrings the faithful and stunts their progress. She has the power to take control of her life. Her situation has not changed, but her attitude has. How much time wasted, waiting, hoping, that god will come fix this mess, when we have the power to do it ourselves?

Suicidal and Mormon

I guess appearing to be perfect is taking its toll in Utah. Mormons are prescribed antidepressants at twice the national rate, and teen suicide is on another record pace this year and 5th highest in the country, climbing each year. Why so sad when you have all this truth and worthiness? I can tell you the pressure in the community is always in the judgment seat. There is a conflict in the mind about reality and what you’re told you believe, and sexuality is governed to a very unhealthy level using guilt and shame as a tool to exact clean living. Also they apply high expectations that are infrequently met regarding teen love and masterbation, declaring those as sins next to murder in severity. Grow up with that guilt trip! I’m surprised any of those kids make it into their 20’s.

I grew up in this culture and the pressures to go on a mission, marry early and in the temple and start pumping out kids is huge. If you fail? Families and congregations are disappointed and judgmental. Whenever I’d move to a new ward, the bishop would call you in for an interview to see what kind of Mormon he was dealing with. One of the first questions was “did you serve a full time mission”? From there they can judge the depth of your commitment and what kind of callings you could perform. I’ll tell you, the day I walked away was a collective sigh of relief to me and my wife and kids. It is no wonder to me what’s wrong in Utah, although health official are stumped as to what’s going on because no one discusses the elephant in the room. You want to know what’s going on? Ask anyone that was courageous enough to get out.

Jesús Viene

(Jesus is Coming) According to a coworker of mine, almost every local, national, or world event is opening another seal, or relates to 1 of 4 horseman or a prophetic fulfillment. I believe him a lot because of the TBN podcasts he listens to all the time. And I mean all the time. So he really knows. He’s actually super smart, and he wrote a letter to president Obama, and now Trump. Still waiting to hear back but his warning about the coming apocalypse needs to be heard by the higher ups. Why does he do this? Two reasons. God spoke to him. The train blared its horn right when he said amen to a prayer he was offering. That was a sign. And 2, he’s worried about us. He’s not worried for himself because he is going to he taken up. Miss the whole thing. But really, what a nice guy.

Christians Unaware

Evidently I have the light and don’t even know it. Jesus is working through me, and I don’t even know it. Twice this week I had brief discussions about my non belief, and twice my mere countenance was attributed to Jesus working through me. And I would be a Christian if I understood the message. I am a “Christian unaware”. (Billy the kid 2nd left in a rare photo with Pat Garret on right)

But see the reason I’m not Christian is that I do understand the doctrine. I also understand the control mechanisms at work. I also understand that if I pray, nothing ever happens unless you look really hard for subtle non existent hints that your prayer was answered in some way other than what you wanted. For your own good. I also know I can get spiritual followers by telling big emotional lies that mimic the spirit. I also understand that to make sense of it takes a lot of hairsplitting explanations and then you have to just decide to believe it because that is the only way it makes sense.

Off The Wall Here

I went through this as a kid. Finally some awareness to a horrible practice in the Mormon church. Please take a minute to read some of these testimonials highlighted at the bottom of the article. Sign the petition if you feel inclined. Although I no longer am affiliated with the mormons, I think it’s important to protect these innocent kids until they have the ability to get out of this mess. https://invisiblescubit.wordpress.com/2017/12/07/petition-already-protecting-children/ This is an embarrassing part of my childhood and important to get this out there. Thanks everyone. I think you’d be surprised how long this has been going on. Happened to me in the 70’s.

On The Problem of Good

Once in a while you stumble across something so contrary to the main views of the world that is so compelling, so convincing, that you really have to evaluate what you think you believe. As a fairly new deconvert, I found this a compelling and contrary view of good and evil, and it presented itself very plausible and convincing. A work that is very hard to counter without interjecting words like “belief” and “faith”. Another reviewer on Amazon put it well–“The research and supporting argumentation is frighteningly persuasive and would pass any Doctorate board of review.” Thank you John for the excellent work. Much appreciated! You can find the book here. On the Problem of Good (The Owner of All Infernal Names) https://www.amazon.com/dp/154247793X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_t4wkAbD9VC5W1

I’ve been Proselytized!

A nurse at work told me yesterday I seem like a believer. Are you? I said no, I don’t believe in any gods at all. Nothing. She got a puzzled eyebrows raised look on her face for just a second and told me “wow I’m surprised. You just seem so nice and have that way about you”. I guess you were all supposed to look like monsters. (not sure who to credit here. Got it from Bill’s site at badatheist)

We had a nice conversation though and she offered me the best book she ever read that convinced her to Jesus. She was so sure I just hadn’t had it explained to me proper. (Just what I want to read. More apologetics). Let me be honest I said. I won’t read it. I’ve read a ton of them and I just don’t believe any of it. Not a lot of atheist in my neck of the woods(at least that will admit it). I’m pretty sure I was her first based on her stutter. I gave her my top three reasons and she bore me her conversion story. It was all pleasant enough, but she couldn’t really grasp the fact that I’m just not interested at all. Nunca

The Antithesis of Answers

In Christian apologetics the most complex answer is the best one, because it is the only one that will wear out the investigator to the point where they just look at the overwhelming picture and say, “well, 2 billion people can’t all be wrong. Can they”? I was embroiled in it for years explaining the defense of the Mormon faith until I got too tired. It went against my simple solution brain. Even the best thought out answer requires additional explaining and hair splitting. You really have to choose to believe or not. It’s that simple. Then if you believe it you’ll know it’s true. Got it!