9 Years Gospel Free

I never realized as a believer how insignificant my beliefs were until I lost them.

I’ve been sober now 9 years. My first 15 years of life included a heavy dose of gospel indoctrination. that took me another 35 to sort out—a gospel that never ended and never produced the promised outcomes. These last 9 years have been my own. Religious sobriety has been an eye opener—no proclivity to sin (as promised) or hate god, but not much the opposite either. As I celebrate my 60th birthday I now contemplate my final 30 years.

I’m not often right, but in a world where feelings are a virtue, I must be on the right track. I feel better, healthier, more optimistic, and less bothered by beliefs than ever. One thing has remained consistent —that feeling I had when I realized, “I got this, I always have”, has never dissipated.

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Jesus Camp

“I can go into a playground of kids that don’t know anything about Christianity, lead them to the lord in…in a matter of just no time at all—and moments later they can be seeing visions and hearing the voice of god”.

“Because they are so open—they are so usable for Christianity. 1/3 of all people are children under the age of 15. Where should we be putting our efforts? I’ll tell you where are enemies are putting their efforts—they’re putting it on the kids”—Becky Fischer, Jesus Camp Pentecostal Children’s Minister

I wonder if the children realize they’re are being targeted for mass manipulation? Or is this a good thing? What is the benefit to these children?

Faith in Atheism

I took some flack a while back linking those two words together. I don’t always ask questions because I already know the answer, but is there a point in unbelief that requires faith, in this case, of a young, lifelong casual believer (thanks grandma) who recently decided he’s an atheist, based on a few arguments from a well known celebrity?

He didn’t come to this conclusion based on inadequate religion, gnawing contradictions or of unanswered prayer, etc, but by believing a cleverly worded argument of a well known person. Is this not a show of faith?

Granted, as Rapar stated, “Atheism is the lack of faith like cold is simply the lack of heat, not a natural state of its own“.

And Tildeb; “WTF? What is that bit all about? Creating a false dichotomy here doesn’t create a more ‘balanced’ opinion; it creates another ‘I’m an atheist, but…’ apologist with a drive by smear at those who have every reason to grant experts higher degrees of confidence in their informed opinions. That’s not ‘faith’ of the religious kind at all Jim, and you should know this by now”

Do I need identify what kind of faith I don’t have? How can you not believe something you haven’t investigated? Have you ever had faith? Have you ever been a believer because of indoctrinating parents?His atheism certainly is faith of a religious kind.

Our culture puts onus our way, a weird position to consider belief as a positive and unbelief as its opposite. But we are unnaturally forced to consider belief and make a decision. I would think an informed decision would make a stronger position. This young man is ripe to fall into a Ray Comfort-style trap, just as he did a Joe Rogan.

So, after this I might rephrase, that his faith is not in atheism, but his atheism is faith in the opinion of the celebrity. Because I guarantee in this case, he knows not enough of either, belief or unbelief to really be a believer or a non.

Belief Analysis—

So, you’ve decided to join (insert worthy cause or religion here) but your not sure if you really understand everything just the right way. A friend finally tips the scale with some wise words—”what the hell, just give it a try and see what’s up—you’ve got nothing to lose”. So you employ the time tested wisdom of the ages, deciding on hormones and a hunch.

This is the very scientific technique most humans use to abandon using the scientific method of inquiry. This is how my parents joined the John Birch society back in the 60’s. It was a perfect fit as all their fears were realized by highlighting everything the group opposed, as central to the doctrine.

“Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all the unifying agents. Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without a belief in a devil.”—Eric Hoffer, 

It is important now and then to scrutinize your own beliefs to make sure you are fearing the right things, but how to be objective in this process requires two things. First, find out what the opposition says and vehemently disagree with it. Second, convince yourself these are your beliefs that simply mirror the group—or is it the other way around? Now you forget (a pinch of doubt stirred, can go a long way, trust it)

Can anyone for one moment be the Buddha, unbelieve for a time and be the observer? Hardly likely, but the key to clarity is unbelief, so what to do? Employing the scientific method to belief (the problem) is a difficult task. For one, you have already decided the outcome by belief, skewing the interpretation of data. No, if you want to know what you believe, we must ask someone who doesn’t believe it.

“To continuously evaluate whether a being is good requires moral judgment, which requires moral autonomy, therefore it is not possible to continuously evaluate if a being is good while also worshipping it. Therefore, worshipping necessarily requires abandoning one’s moral responsibility, which is immoral“—James Rachel

Surpassing belief, which is simply withholding judgement until the outcomes of those beliefs are scrutinized by a third party (falsification) is the first step to liberation. Unless you’ve scrutinized your beliefs with the scientific method, an opposing view and an outcome based analysis, your beliefs are merely cans of hot air—in fact they are not even yours, or you, but the views of the group that through osmosis has hijacked your mind by a meme you’d swear was your own—until it isn’t.

To identify the real you, we must step away from belief mode—and like magic you will see the things you believed and fought for were not you at all. So distance a moment and relax—letting hormones make your decisions in haste adds a whole extra layer of insanity to conformity.

Surpassing belief mode and it’s limitations is likely the greatest challenge ever facing humanity. The appeal to belief in faith as a virtue appears to be the root problem of all problems.

On Doctrine

“In order to be effective, a doctrine must not be understood, but has rather to be believed in. A doctrine that is understood is shorn of its strength“—Eric Hoffer

A doctrine to be effective must be viewed from the heart, not from the brain, to maintain staying power.

“The devout are always urged to seek truth with their hearts and not their minds”

Rudolph Hess, when swearing in the entire Nazi party in 1934, exhorted the hearers: “Do not seek Adolf Hitler with your brains—all of you will find him with the strength of your hearts”.

It is obvious today more than ever that the true believer is just that—a believer that doesn’t understand the doctrine. Everyone else is doing it wrong sounds familiar, and many Christians are now despising Christianity—the outcome of the doctrine.

When we fully understand the doctrine (like we do the nazi party) we can no longer believe in it based on its historical and current condition—we capitulate to self doubt, ride it out, or leave.

“Atheism is proof that the doctrine can eventually be understood”. That is evidenced in the current exodus.

Spending a lifetime ironing the contradiction of abrahamic religion is imperative from the beginning that conundrums existed to sustain the longevity of the movement.

“If a doctrine is not unintelligible, it has to be vague. If neither unintelligible nor vague, it has to be unverifiable”—Eric Hoffer

To secure a lasting movement, Christianity incorporated all three—and the proof is in its longevity.

It’s hard to imagine that this trifecta was accidental, since every single point of doctrine is Alpha and Omega of contradiction.

License plate Jesus home near me

Where All the Bad People Are

“Americans grapple with evil amid the decline of religious faith”—The Heritage Foundation

Roaming through some end-time prophecy (the doom and gloom stemming from Christian belief) when it struck me that I don’t really know any bad people. End-times are actually better times than ever before.

Even this mild “prophecy” is at odds with observations.

“Even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased“—Daniel 12:4

“I Just love this sign, because it is clearly pointing to our day today, and it cannot be refuted by anyone”—End-Times Website. We actually have an information explosion, while the depth of individual knowledge is likely at an all-time low.

I also disagree on other points. Prior civilizations have also had varied types of advanced knowledge compared to what we currently have today. Certainly we have a different type of knowledge than at other times, but is there actually more knowledge? And the explosion? What we have is “A handful of real innovators and a planet full of end users”.

“The world is going to hell in a handbag”—yet life expectancy is up, infant mortality down, and extreme poverty is down, (way down by billions over the past 50 years) Your chances of living out your natural life (and even beyond that) is greater now that ever before. Seems that god is punishing us with long and prosperous lives in this “wicked and perverse” generation.

I suppose the real fate of the world the rests on the transgendered and homosexuals refusing therapy or celibacy. The True Christian© morality doesn’t seem to be accurate here either, as we embrace the lives of every human life gets better.

I have traveled around this great county to all but one of the fifty states. Good people outnumber bad 100 to 1—no, I dare say 1000 to 1. Rarely ever have I crossed paths with a human that wasn’t just awesome in one way or another. It’s the best of times, but you’ll never hear that from the pulpits or the news selling fear. The Bible prophecies and the preachers are at complete odds with the way the world is trending.

Where on earth are all the evil people?

Extended Phenotypes

Genetically predisposed to do something useful, the beaver naturally builds a dam with no training from its specie. Some of the ingenuity is quite amazing, being copied in principle by human engineers and hydrologists.

Birds also build nests operating automática with no training required, it’s hardwired and as natural as eating.

Humans build shelters too, and take notice when it is lacking. “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Luke 9:58

So what is it that humans naturally do, or even usefully tend to with no training? What are we programmed to do?

Through the course of religion we have been trained to wait, to believe empty promises that have yet to come to fruition. To ignore what we see, in favor of words. To propagate wishes as truth, and most importantly, place more importance on what we don’t know than what we do. Maybe we don’t know anything, and that’s the problem.

In a recent study interviewing patients in palliative care, the number one regret was what they worried about when life was good. Humans like to worry—though we all know the uselessness of it so we nobly call it concern, then live a life fighting back nature vs accepting things as they are, infighting our lives away over two false premises—out of worry panted by another.

Left or right, or which religion most closely aligns with what I’ve been conditioned to believe—then fight for it, all distractions from being you, which when we finally learn to do it, is pretty awesome all in itself.

“Man, sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself”—Miles Davis

How to Dismiss the Wrong Beliefs

With Islam overtaking Christianity through fertility rates, it must soon be the one True Faith© How can so many people have gotten it wrong, but in the process now of getting it right? The guard is changing because gods will is in control. The pendulum is finally swinging towards Mecca and there is no other explanation—except one.

Trading one wrong for another. It is belief itself that is the culprit—thought convictions so strong one would strike their own children because of them (or go to war with a neighbor) The way to know if your thought convictions are true is to apply the same criteria to your own faith as you do to others—and that they do to yours. Islam makes perfect sense…to a Muslim, while they shake their heads at the ridiculous Christians that have been duped beyond reason.

The truth is…there is no Abrahamic truth—there is only settlements of faith based on geographically bred familiarity.

Faith—dividing nations from within one believer at a time through the pulpits of propaganda and fear. It’s so obvious an atheist can see it. And that’s exactly the point.

Promises Promises

His covenant was to be everlasting, and they should possess forever the country he should give them. Now it is plain these promises never were realized.

They have never been fulfilled concerning the great blessings with which they were to be favored. For although they won a few small victories over some poor nations whom they plundered, this did not prevent them from being conquered and reduced to servitude, their kingdom destroyed as well as their nation.

And now the remainder of this unfortunate nation is looked upon as the vilest and most contemptible of all the earth, having no country, no dominion, no superiority. Finally these promises have not been fulfilled in respect to this everlasting covenant which God want to have for filled to them because we do not see now nor have we ever seen any evidence this covenant has been fulfilled. On the contrary they have been for many centuries excluded from the possession of the small country they pretended God had promised that they should enjoy forever—Voltaire

Now it is propped up by the United States. Like all of Christianity is propped and joined with governments, for it cannot stand on its own merits. The one foreign domain ignorant enough to believe the imposters who feigned to be prophets and who, in order to more easily deceive the ignorant and simple minded, boasted of acting and speaking by the Spirit of God. The saddest part about believing in a god as the head of your nation—living conceited while vastly overestimating your greatness. Boasting the power of a god who requires the wealth and missile systems of another country to enforce its scripture.

The ritual heritage that we are so fond of it in detail descends from animal sacrifice, colored clothing, blood, livers, bird crops, and kidneys. Animal skins, dung, smoke, foreskins and certain measures of oil with wine—the whole being offered and infected by dirty ceremonies as filthy and contemptible as the most extravagant performances of magic.

What is Spiritual and Why it’s Not

Why do humans treat things they can’t see with more reverence than things they can? Spirituality is the act of making holy the voids in human perception through imagination.

Faith is the act of assigning honor to things you wish were real as if believing them actually meant something. Unsatisfied with Providence and what minimums it provides, we fail to live in the moment through supplemental prayer, always looking ahead and hoping because we have settled for mediocrity—belief someone or something else can make it better. Proving really, that humans can see a much better solution than the framework “god” has provided his pinnacle of creation through religion.

After careful scrutiny we find anything that persuades belief before thinking, is doctrinally sound. Anything doctrinally sound will never be settled without faith.

Who would do that but a manipulative genius who preyed on the weaknesses of human psychology? Religion is basically reverse psychology for grownups, inflicted on our youth to prevent them from becoming grownups—to lead a dependent life.

There is a difference however, between the regular, know-nothing Christian who is trying to make his way through life with tools that have been forced upon him by persuasion and fear, and the apologist who is an apologist because he knows better, but won’t face the failures of religion with integrity.

There is one good reason no man has ever seen god. Anyone want to take a shot at why?

Indian painted rocks, Spokane WA 7/20/19

How to know there is no God

“Just out of curiosity do you believe there is no God?” Lander

That is not a valid question. Unbelief is not a belief. Your statement is a misnomer. The evidence that has been attributed for god have other valid explanations (including forgery) In fact, most of what was once attributed to the gods are now fields of study these days. I’m not so gullible to assume these last few pieces to the puzzle won’t be explained in the near future. I’ll wait so I don’t have to backtrack to keep finding cracks to shoehorn in an underwhelming, divisive belief into pseudo-reality.

Out of curiosity, do you believe there are no other explanations for unreliable human perceptions? There are dozens of one cares to look.

THIS 4 minute bird video will brighten your day!

Sounds of A Raindrop—Evidence or Imagination

My blanket lay at the edge of the edge of the beach, right where the sand turns to sparse grass—and the clouds, a high and milky white mess on a hazy blue background.

The forecast called 40% chance of rain today, but nothing looked imminent. I closed my eyes and the world around me started to dissolve. My senses heightened in their fading and hearing beyond the crowd to the surf, the waves blended into a monologue of eternal, blissful siesta.

A distant dog-bark echoed my direction long away through a gentle breeze. A pre-dreamy, drowsy calm invaded my physical being and time seemed a stand still—then it happened—I heard it. Like a bullet parsing through time-frozen air molecules, a shwooshing sound with the grace of a high-speed zipper in slow motion. Then, it hit me—a single rain drop on the inside of my forearm.

Wetting my stratum corneum, somatic receptors fire a signal through a thousand miles of road-map nerves at light speed, landing in my well mapped sensory cortex, eliciting a preconditioned response from an altogether, other part of my brain, the frontal cortex (which is unique to humans) Aah, god is good (from the memory banks of indoctrination—our belief)

“Beliefs originate from what we hear – and keep on hearing from others, ever since we were children“—Indian Journal of Medicine

I have no evidence it rained that day, but I felt it, I know it. The news said there was no precipitation, but I know—I even heard it gently censure me from near slumber.

This is exactly the evidence for god—because it was trained and ingrained. Did it rain and did I hear the drop coming, or in my hypnogogic, near-sleep state, did I dream it? My first response is proof something is off—I don’t even believe what still lingers from all those years, but like habits are—in the neurons like a ping-back from a children’s blog you quit enabling many years ago.

Springtime Oregon Grape. Mahonia aquifolium in juvenile yellow.

Improvements I’d Like to See

1. Faith insurance. As part of a nationwide tithing settlement, a portion of every donation would fund mental health counseling and current believer vertigo
2. Graduation from church. Mandatory time limits for your church to meet its objectives. A good church would cut you loose but they depend on your tuition to ruin you
3. Get out of religion free cards. More or less a monthly hall pass to get your bearings
4. Tithing refunds—For those of us that saw it for what it is—and isn’t. We want our money back!
5. Reparations to deconverts funded by a tax on religion
6. Post traumatic religious syndrome: federal recognition that the duping you received caused you trauma.
7. 4D vision-proof glasses. For looking beyond the veil to see there isn’t one.
8. Religious Life-lock for identity reconstruction. Find yourself again on the church’s dime.
9. Prophet sharing [sic] on religious revenue. Every good investment gives revenue sharing and dividends. Religion isn’t one of them.
10. Warning signs on chapels and a two verse limit. Religion served on the premises, no children allowed.
11. Minimum age limit (21) for baptism or any contractual membership.
12. Embarrassment—that goes with the territory when the charade is over—sorry, only time will heal your chagrin

Finding your life groove outside of the myopia of belief.

Maturing in Faith

America’s True-Christian submits to lasting faith, line upon crooked, twisted line. Precepts that turn, juke and spin until acclimation settles in to accepting his eastern religion merry go round as the one true faith. He is now a foreigner in his own mind estranged from reality, celebrating human sacrifice over the unblemished ram. It all makes perfect sense.

The trouble spots he noticed along the path burrow deep in the back of his mind, ignoring to recall. Like a smoldering trash fire he saw on the news years ago, occasional flames are fanned but retreat to smolder under the help of reason (ah, the explanations) the same reason surrendered at the door of faith.

Like eyes blindfolded at night—unable to see the light of day, he hopefully presses on to find the meaning of it all. At daybreak the blindfold tightens under a mask beguiling self. Light tries, creaks in, but now it is only a disciplined annoyance distracting briefly from the human needs to be herd—and find meaning he never knew he lost until it was so astutely pointed out.

Has he ever the courage to risk all his effort and walk away? Rarely, although he wants to. But he has found solace pretending to believe. Pretending to get it. Pretending this faith matters—then do and behave however he wants? That is the true Christian—following the example of the Bible god.

The reality is there are no true believers. Each has his own market cornered on his own brand of delusion. Reasoning their own judgement away one must construct just the right wording to find any possible way it could make perfect sense. Acquiescence

Atheism is the manifestation of integrity. Or should I say, accepting your atheism is the foundation integrity. Saying out loud what everyone already knows.

Having enough courage to say what is rightfully so, we have now matured in the faith. The red words of the Bible have trained us up to be men of honor in all areas but one. And we are now supposed to dishonor truth by pretending. I don’t believe there is a god, but we can do it for the kids.

Truth about God—Yes, Even That One

It doesn’t take a lifetime to figure this out. I got into this quest about two years ago and part-time have easily disproved any semblance of god, backed by the best reproducible research and study—then easily answered the hardest questions by mere observance. From all the available research and laboratories around the world—and from mere reason, there is no god or gods.

We have a problem with perception—purely bias, easily indoctrinated, deceived from the time we can breath, then required by command by people who lie to us to trust, have faith, just hang in there. For what? What has it produced but deeper conjecture and division? How long does religion deserve to prove its objectives?

Mans search to solve what are actually the quirks of neurology and perception has spent over 100 generations seeking truth since the Jesus myth, and who-knows how long before that. Impressions, dopaminergic rewards and other hormonal responses have been neatly illusive to comprehend. The fact is we are easily fooled, easily persuaded, easily gathered, and by belief in another plane of omnipotent existence we have divided humanity into groups.

The red writing in the Bible is right about one thing—faith has power. The power to overlook obvious contradiction, lies, truths, and through belief the “men of words” of the world have controlled nations—and we’ve paid them to do it.

The reality is that ever-changing neurologies and circumstance is hard to pin down. Everyone sees something different, even in the physical sense, let alone from the corner of their eye in a darkened environment—or a church hall. Humanity is unstable. Faith is too easily rewarded as shown by mans desires to believe in anything at all. Believing gets you the good-boy award for doing what can’t be helped by our physiology. If there is a god he’s laughing his ass off at his fuck-up. Life is to be lived people. There are no secrets. There are no mysteries of heaven or god. 10,000 years of the best minds have found nothing—not a damn thing! And who thinks that finally now we will find what we’ve been taught to search for, that no one else has ever found?

In the end everyone decides what kind of god they are willing to accept. Fundamentalism is pure whack job—the smug call that orthodoxy while the rest (even the normal believer) see real religion as a cancer. Water it down and at least it’s tolerable—barely.

New Ways of Seeing

Back in the day I had every explanation there was to show how god did it. I could mend and coerce any thought into a bible verse and show the connection to gods love. I’m quite puxxled and alarmed by the process now, but what religioso today is interested in research when it counters his presupposed, indoctrinated upbringing—opening that mind to legitimate answers doesn’t really go hand in hand. The answers come through unbelief, not the other way around.

Abraham had it easy. He was tested to see if he would kill his only son in a time of brutality. A violent sociality that was already laden with superstition. He heard voices, and followed the (accepted by the day) promptings, and at the last second had woken from his trancelike state and withheld his hand. So what? In a time where little was understood about disease or science, the gods accounted for everything from illness, rain, floods, lightening, and drought and movements in the earth. Gods were interwoven into the psyche and dreams of everyone for every thing. His perceived command to kill his son was difficult, but acceptable to him as a means to appease a god. We know enough now to get help, or offer it when things like this manifest.

I would say emphatically, no! Get someone else to do your evil, but mental illness has no limits when left untreated. Can one truly be tested, not knowing it’s just a test? Of course. That’s what makes Abraham all the more worrisome. The father of many nations, revered by all abrahamic faiths, was willing to kill his son by a hallucinatorial perceived command. How is this heroic?

Ah…it’s a type and shadow of the Christ. A metaphor of the sacrifice to come— shinbexamoke alutarristaskas—which is tongues for spectral evidence, spiked with ergot poisoning, famine, draught, superstition and temporal lobe seizures. Noitanicullah is tongues for hallucination spelled backwards, but no matter how you spell slice it (foreskin and all) today Abraham would’ve been committed, not celebrated.

“To continuously evaluate whether a being is good requires moral judgment, which requires moral autonomy
8. Therefore it is not possible to continuously evaluate if a being is good while also worshipping it
9. Therefore, worshipping necessarily requires abandoning one’s moral responsibility, which is immoral
10. Therefore, no being is worthy of worship”—James Rachel “God and Moral Autonomy”—Quote mining officially through the offices of TheCommonAtheist™️ and its subscribers, with special thanks to JZ (2018)

Brainwashing or Conversion?

I recently read a blog where a woman was asking the audience if she should join Islam, the religion of her boyfriend of six years—his family didn’t know she was an infidel, and they were scheduled to meet the parents in a few weeks. Should she join with the Muslim faith to appease her boyfriend? I reviewed these steps to religious conversion after posting my reply.

In no precise order, and often overlapping:

1. New Identity—Although not always mandatory, a name change is required if her given name was an affront to Islam (Christina) It is common in many religions to assume a new name after conversion. Catholics, muslims, mormon, Hindus, and more. If no new name is officially or ritually given, aligning with the group is done voluntarily. Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Mormon, etc. Giving up your old identity and assuming a new, is just part of the program.

2. Guilt—You are bad. You are born a fallen sinner. Your sin is so grievous in fact, is as though your sin is driving the nails in Jesus’ hands and feet. As a sinner you are eternally separated from the presence of god. Your body is a temple that you have defiled with the ways of the world. You continue to make the lord suffer by your disobedience. He loves you.

3. Self-betrayal—Agree with me that you are bad. Once the prospect agrees that they are worthless without god, they can begin to see their own dilemma before the lord—not a highly evolved organism, but a child of god. Don’t you know what you are? You want to come from monkeys?

4. Breaking point—I am a sinner. I am not a good person nor could I possibly live a peaceful life knowing I am worthless. I need to be saved.

5. Leniency—You can be forgiven of all your sins if you simply believe, confess your sins, repent and be baptized. You want to be forgiven, don’t you? You want to return to god.

6. Compulsion to confess—Confess your sins, often to a clergy member, or authority. I am a sinner lord.

7. Channeling of guilt—the investigators guilt has lost all meaning—he’s not sure what he has done wrong, he just knows he is wrong. Things he didn’t know were wrong, are now wrong. This confusion creates something of a blank slate that lets the teacher fill in the blanks.

8. Releasing of guilt—It’s not me; it’s my beliefs. The embattled soul is relieved to learn there is an external cause of his wrongness, that it is not he himself that is inescapably bad—he was born this way because of the act of another. This means he can escape his wrongness by escaping the wrong belief system, or lack of one. All he has to do is denounce the people and institutions associated with that belief system, and he won’t suffer guilt anymore. The investigator has the power to release himself from wrongness by abandoning his old belief system. With his full confessions, the convert has completed his psychological rejection of his former identity. It is now up to the teacher to offer the prospect a new one. Scapgoating…placing your burdens on another to make you whole. Relief and salvation. I am saved, and I will now be a faithful follower.

9. Progress and harmony—Friendships and alliances form. New family, friends, phrases, I belong here. This is good. Backslapping, hugs and joy. You’re in!

10. Final confession and rebirth—I choose good. Contrasting the agony of the old with the peacefulness of the new, the convert chooses the new identity, clinging to it like a life preserver. He rejects his old or non-belief system and pledges allegiance to the new one that is going to make his life better. At this final stage, there are often rituals or ceremonies to induct the converted target into his new community. This stage has been described by some brainwashing victims as a feeling of “rebirth.”

You may have guessed by now, but these are not conversion tactics listed in the numbered headings, but brainwashing techniques discovered by Robert J Lifton used on POWs in N Korean and Chinese camps. Conversion merely follows the same steps.

Here is one version of the sinners prayer. Don’t worry, I’m not fooling you into salvation…but it contains the elements.

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures. Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

—Why Religion Fails

Positive changes in religion are slow but happening. This improved faith bolsters an all-time low attendance with a lagging morality resistive to catch up to what decent people already know. They are inching their way towards the ultimate truth—all the while holding the book of books that for centuries has held all the answers to life’s important questions—that never came to conclusion. How long shall we give it to prove it’s efficacy? 2000 more years? 3000? “Just have faith”—then, just have more faith is is approaching eons of prophetic adjustments and obvious ostriching.

Thanks to the Bible, Quran, Bhagavad Gita (and some really nifty commentary) we know how the universe was made, how man was created, how to create a self-serving excuse for a system of morality, what happens when you die, and most importantly, why—why the gods created this artificial world and subjects to worship itself with all vainglorious self-admiration—in his glory, of course.

When starting any endeavor, is it wise to start with the worst possible, violent, ambiguous, contradictory vision statement and SOP? Especially how to treat your slaves and concubines (bonus material). Today we have workers rights posted at every business. Thanks to the Bible and 2000 years of tries, we got a new morality based on the demands of mere people and unions.

Religion fails because it is designed that way. Where it succeeds is convincing you of its own importance then inspires perpetual tail-chasing, thereby stalling equality and true freedom, crippling the minds of men from doing what any three-person committee, or mom and pop could do on their own—only better.

Religion is failing because it is false. It fails because it is based on dreams, spectral evidence, pseudo-facto temporal lobe seizures and superstition. If fails because it is inceptualized by control freaks, dreams, guesses, men of words and power. It is an imagination that no longer can be rationalized as reality.

It is evidenced by vast numbers wanting to break away to try their own versions. Every single person can do it better with their own ideas of right and wrong—and that’s the way it should be.

We alone hold the power. Whatever the initial intentions were, religion is now a self perpetuating fraud. No one knows who’s started it, no one knows how to shut it down. That, is up to us too. And it will happen—bit by bit.

Born Again—Again

Faith and belief as a temporary, trial-state to work towards a fact may be a useful tool in the short term. But as a endgame achievement…not so fast.

Trying the words of faith are essential to proving all things, as taught in the Bible, but who actually does that? Atheists? And how much time should you allow for such proofs? 80 years? 1000? Will you pray with me to know if there is a god? Will you pray with me to see there isn’t?

Mormon missionaries ask you to pray to believe “if these things are not true according to the desires of your heart”. How does that work inciting a negative counter to ones desire to believe?

Psychology of praying for what you want to believe is a well known phenomenon in the mathematics of mindfulness. Odds are in your favor that sometimes you’ll get what you ask for—even if you mumble some crap under your breath. Especially if you pray like everything depends on god, then work like everything depends on you. What essentially prayer comes down to is arrogance. Is god willing to override physics in your special case, often to the detriment of another individual—like commanding tornadoes in the name of Jesus, into another neighborhood, or denying someone a dignified and speedy death to suit your own insecurities?

When you realize there is no god and no prayer is answered, there is no loneliness or despair that settles in. To the contrary. You’ve been doing this on your own your entire life anyway—with a little help from people. The self empowerment of this reality is astonishing clarity. The key to understanding the mysteries is unbelief.

Conversion—Submitting yourself to belief in what you can’t prove or know in hope of reward or answers, effectively separating your rational mind for fantasy. Relying on someone else to give your life meaning.

Deconversion—The aha moment followed by the haha moment. You already held the answers you sought. There is no mystery.

Happy New Year everybody. We won’t get fooled again.

View From a Horse—

Sometimes you miss the best scenery watchin’ where you’re going—Frank

Riding a horse on the trail is near like bein’ a truck driver on the road—a bird’s eye view down into places most folks think ought to be private. I told LT this piece when I dropped by his place—I think he actually peed himself. I won’t do that again. Bein’ careful who you talk to is important, and he may just remind me about this the rest of my life—plus everyone else. He knows how I was raised in the strict confines of religion—and so do I—most of the time.

I’ve hiked nearly the entire Pacific Crest Trail within the Washington border and a thousand other miles between, and never saw what I’ve seen riding half that time on a horse. Walkin’ you spend a lot of time checkin’ the trail and watchin’ your footing to keep you upright—like one time I was on an eight day backpack from Darrington to Stevens Pass. I’d been into it about sixty miles or so when I stepped off the edge and rolled down about fifty feet. I crawled out of it ok, but one second of distraction at the wrong time can be a catastrophe in the back county. Riding a horse alleviates a lot of that—it also makes me about nine feet tall which allows me to see, and seein’ too much in the pejorative sense can make you go blind, according to my mother.

A lifetime of parental warnings does not necessarily protect you from anything, sometimes goin’ blind can be a real eye opener—Frank

My first time seein’ nature happenin’ in the human sense was from the trail, and it looked like more of a scuffle than I had imagined it would. A hiker would’ve never seen it bein’ too short, and that particular part of the trail was a little bit technical, so watchin’ your footing was important—I caught a glimpse of a red blanket down my the stream, so I backed up my horse just a touch to see what was going on, peering over the brush I aimed to solve this curious eye catching red amidst the greenery. Nature was taking its’ course in the wild—two buck naked souls in a passionate tussle. I sat back in my saddle for a spell and watched. I decided I’d better move along…but then I watched some more. I thought for a minute there something was wrong ’cause she was hittin’ him on the back and makin’ a lot of painful noise, but after they were done doin’ what they were doin’ she gave him a big hug.

It wasn’t at all what I expected, but I did find myself pressing my toes hard into the stirrups. Maybe I was gettin’ my footing there a little bit too. The year before I was in Jamaica and we went to a nude beach—optional, but the only people that had no clothes on were the ones that should’ve. This wasn’t like that at all. I thought about it quite a bit over the next few days, then I thought about it again…and then some more—hell I was seventeen, what was I supposed to do?

Some people aren’t so subtle or sneaky about their nudity. I was headed down to Deroux from Gallagher Head Lake and there was a female hiker coming alone up the trail—topless. She stepped up on the high side to let me pass, said hello, and I said hello back—but what I was thinkin’ was a whole lot different. Keepin’ eye contact is not as easy as they say it is, and back to nature was takin’ on a whole new view for my wanderin’ ways—and eyes.

Changing your thinkin’ is hard…especially when you don’t want to—Frank

I reminded myself of Saint Augustines prayer when he was a young man. “Lead us not into temptation Lord, give me chastity,” he prayed, “but not yet”. I did a lot of thinkin’—and even more thinkin’ after this happened.

Bein’ on my way to base camp one day I came up to Lake Ann and stumbled into another situation once again, but things aren’t always the way I’d been raised. I was heading up from Van Epps, and from that direction the lake is just appears in front of you with no warning—a bit of a nice surprise. Coming in from the top you get a bird’s eye view and you can see what’s ahead of you, but not this way.

It doesn’t matter where you are, only the direction your headed—Frank

I wasn’t payin’ close attention and rode right up to the lake to see two guys standing there on the boulder naked, holding hands looking at the water. They heard me, and when they saw me they just looked over their shoulders and said hello, then the taller one jumped down and walked over to me to ask a couple questions. We talked a little about the area, then I let them know that the ridge on the trail to the west had the best view of Mount Rainier anywhere—it’s amazingly close as the crow flies, and breathtaking to see, to say the least. My household growing up was a modest bunch, so after contact of this nature I had some thinking to do, and somehow nudity didn’t equal shame anymore. When I told the story to LT he said I looked like I’d seen a ghost. And that ain’ all I’d seen, that’s for sure, but un-seein’ is a whole other story. That makes two things I know.

If you look around and cut through all the deception, things are rarely what you’ve been told—Frank

I guess if you spend enough time anywhere you’ll find oddities and different ways of life. Funny it was the open wilderness where I slowly started to see life from another point of view, although a bit of it was a little too “up close” at the time.

Things aren’t always what they seem, even after they seem like it—Frank

Bill Reynolds

Bill has written a marvelous true story about the “man in the room”. Five minutes you’ll never regret reading.

Find it HERE

Nice work Bill!

They Should Be Thanking Me

Wally Fry made a comment on Mel’s site between him, Mel, and IB (the dream team) that it was nice not to have haters on the blog today. That he actually prayed for it. My comment kinda ruined the mood—”Prayer unanswered…again for the trillionth time“. The efficacy of prayer was proven once again—ineffective.

Hey, without us they would not get to increase in faith by overlooking fact. The plan of salvation would be thwarted, and the churches would collapse due to disobedience. No opposition, no faith, disobedience, wrath of god comes in a kills us off. I’m saving humanity!HERES a link if you want to take a stab at it…or not. Wally is pretty far gone mad.

My apologies to Doug for breaking the code of silence, but this was just too much temptation for a mere mortal such as me.

—How Old is Too Young?

My wife teaches at a supplemental home school program sponsored by the public school. Some of the kids have trouble in a regular class settings, while most are out of public school for religious reasons while dabbling in the fringe of structured education.

Monday in her science class they were covering the circulatory system, covering the basics of arteries, veins, and the heart. She showed the direction of blood flow into the atrium and the ventricles when a six your old student blurted out, “the only true blood is the blood of Jesus. I’m covered in the blood of Jesus!”

Human sacrifice is a messy game. So messy in fact, that visual would not be allowed in any PG movie in the secular rating system. It’s really not for kids.

Next week they cover the human reproductive system. Notes are already coming in to exempt certain kids from class, and guess who turned in the first letter?

Surprised? Why would a six year old need this in his memory banks? Jeezus! Once again man’s self governed morality trumps biblical influence. It always does!

Horrible Ideas Inspire The Most Philosophy—Faith

The simplicity of the gospel has publishers rolling in cash generated from Christian publications.

Before self publishing access boomed in the early 2000’s, about 7500 new Christian titles every year crowded book stores shelves in USA English with cluttered explanations on every jot and tittle. This is when publishers could filter out the weak from the sellable versions. Now the numbers are around 786,935 English language books published are assigned a catalog number per year in the U.S. on Christianity alone. Finding new and improved ways to exonerate the confusion and simplicity of the gospel is a competitive cash-cow of cleverly worded conjecture.

One publisher stated, “Most of our (traditional) publishers are trying to figure out how to get more out of fewer books“. It’s the same story over and over—good luck with that.

We often turn to the Greeks for their wisdom and eloquence in presenting wordsmithing sense into religion using philosophy. Remember, it is a cleverly worded failure from a collapsed society that mixed religion and politics with the grandest, most beautiful of explanations. We still look to anything scribbled in Greek to conjure up validation. They were so eloquent in their words that even fiction has spawned archaeology hunts.

If shear volume of religious commentary are any indication of another society in the brink, Christianity today is ripe for collapse. And someday, hopefully, we’ll all write about surviving that blessing. The most declinitive words to ever influence the numbing of human thought, leading whole civilizations to their celebrated stagnation—Do you believe in god?

Sell it by Zealot—The Analysis

Perusing last night I came across this comment. It is amazingly simple to the observer, then why so complex to the user? This one is overripe with easy explanations.

Yes, I believe in God with all of my heart! When I was 13, my Dad got a new job in Illinois. We moved from Colorado and the house we moved in to was possessed by a demon! We lived with that evil all through my high school years. It was terrifying and yes, heaven and hell are very real. We were delivered from that demon when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior! I rebuked it out of our home and our lives in the Name of Jesus and we never had any more problems after that!

I accepted Christ in 1996. In 1998, I had two angel encounters in the city of Denver, Colorado (USA), and in 2012 I stopped breathing due to anaphylactic shock, but God saved me by the power of the Holy Spirit and put me back in my body! I wrote a book about all of this, which is published on Amazon, called “One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life.” I email free copies of my eBook to anyone who wants one!

I just wrote about the day I stopped breathing and came back to life in a post titled “My Lazarus Moment.”

I used to hate Christians and I did not want anything to do with God. I used to party and drink heavily, but the Lord Jesus rescued me from all of that!

Grace and peace to you! May God bless you and reveal Himself to you in new and mighty ways!

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Brief Analysis?

• Trauma of a move at 13 and moving into a strange house and willing to try anything to fit in
• Do Demons live in Illinois ?
• Neurological compromise, astral projection, asphyxiation,
• Mixing youth and adulthood experiences, near death, drinking, god to the rescue (appears more than once) and I have received none? I thought god was everywhere… This person is unstable
• There are no angels in Colorado
• Existential death anxiety
• Others?

Prosperity Gospel

The founders and the missionaries of the old world set a precedent by flaunting their prosperity. “Paganism was a faith that was largely geared to gaining material prosperity. There were gods for the crops because they wanted their crops to grow. They had gods for cattle so that they would produce more milk. When these pagans looked at the wealth and power of Christian Europe, they were impressed: the Christian God was obviously one who could deliver the goods. Christians built bigger buildings, made more beautiful jewelry, possessed better ships, and so on. Many pagans were not adverse to converting to Christianity because they believed it would, in fact, give them more material prosperity than had their gods”. (1)

To appreciate this point, note how Christian missionaries fared in sixteenth-century China. Here was a non-Christian culture that was in many ways superior to the West. In that context, Christianity makes practically no headway.

In Europe, we see evidence that this wasn’t a by-product but a deliberate tactic of missionaries. When the bishop of Winchester sent his pupil Boniface to evangelize Germany, he stressed that Boniface should remind the pagans just how rich and powerful the Christians were.

Prosperity gospel is the cartucho that sets the poor on a course to prosperity in jesus. Now, popular in the poverty culture of Christianity is to give their mite to the wealthy ministers in hope for wealth through faith—

Professional audio, sound, and lighting guaranteed to bolster the spiritual experience with calculated speech patterns to ultimately deceive its audience my manufacturing emotions—with of course phone apps to request prayers and donate money. Copeland’s net worth is now $760 Million on the backs of the poor. So much for living like Jesus?

I couldn’t donate to anything with this face attached to it.

Young Life– What the Hell?

Zoe posted a young life story and link that struck a nerve with me. I have family affected by this cult.

Her comment–—As for (kids) shutting you down, it’s common. Cultish teachings alienate followers from their families, talents and community. They teach that anyone outside the group (you) doesn’t understand, can’t understand and won’t understand. They see themselves as the highest ideal and others as non-enlightened.

Then it becomes all about getting everyone else in the group. In other words, the cause of Christ. They martyr their own identity and authenticity believing they will be rewarded here and in the after-life. It’s insidious and over-whelming and it becomes the focus

my comment—It got my nephew. It’s sickening. He’s oozing with Jesus all day long and life is passing him by. It hard to be around him any more. Everything is young life, young life this, young life that. My brother, an atheist of forty years let him go to camp with some friends. Bam! I don’t care what kind of belief you have, this type of zealousy is the product of a cult. My neuronal compassion goes out to them.

Sunk-Cost Fallacy—Moving Beyond Faith

Coming to the crossroads of unbelief eventually moved to ask the lord for help to believe based on the idea that maybe I had missed something. Show me the way, inspire me, hear my prayers—just one. His answer came as complete silence. No still, small voice. No thunder, enlightenment, or verse popped into my head. Nothing but quiet reflection. Literally every point of the gospel needed ad nauseum excuses and mental gymnastics. I couldn’t do it anymore. Turning to the house I looked back and knew I was alone. I had always been alone. Realizing that changed nothing for me. I found I was capable enough and needed no one to chart my path. So what was I to do?

Up till then I had thrown my hat in the ring of Christianity so many times I can’t remember them all. Acquiescing to “what if I’m wrong”, I never believed I could leave faith. I kept that premise as I no longer had faith in the religion that preoccupied so much of my time and more or less, I dissolved my relationship without a whimper. If there was a god, it certainly wasn’t interested in me.

There are ministers, priests, pastors, and other clergy all around the world who have invested a significant portion of their lives in theology, who can no longer manage to hold supernatural beliefs — who have moved beyond faith.  Hundreds of them recognize those sunk costs and are searching for the best way to move on, whereas many others cannot accept the loss of their religious investment, and continue to practice a profession inconsistent with their belief

When living contrary to your knowledge or disbelief, you are living the sunk-cost fallacy. Not willing to give up the time and energy invested in a failure, throwing in the towel on your life to live your status quo, biding in the atheistic closet for fear of losing friends, business, or family because the cost is too high to formally buck the system. Moving beyond faith—the facts are not for everyone. Hypocrisy is easy. What would one do without a god? That’s easy. You’ve already been doing it.

Sexual Morality- Who is in Charge?

Moralty comes from regions of the brain based on positive and negative input and our ability to process information. That being said, what is the governing force behind sexual morality?

An interesting study showed that societies where women were economically dependent in their relationships, frowned heavily upon promiscuity, while those that had less or no economic dependence on a male partner were less concerned with promiscuity. While religion tends to flourish in societies steeped in female economic dependence.

“Our results do imply a hypothesis for why religious and conservative ideologies themselves tend to be anti-promiscuity: because they emerged in environments characterized by high female economic dependence.

When abrahamic religion talks of the origins of morality, the rarely mentioned but main concern of morality is sexual purity in women. It’s origins are primal, and male dominant religious cultures genealogy is a keypoint. Same as the apes, it was all about maintaining control of food, territory, and sex. Keep the harem closely guarded.

ARTICLE HERE

The Answer

So much of life is searching for answers, prying back the layers to find meaning or substance, years of true devotion and commitment and in the end, the answer was an easy or obvious solution hidden in plain sight. John, over at Nowhere Tribune posted a concise and worthwhile book review about a missionary who came to the realization that people around the world were happy without the gospel and Jesus. He also notes that the higher your level of devotion and study of the Bible and Christianity, the more likely one is to leave it. We are going about this atheism all wrong! All we need to do is promote in-depth bible study. Spread the word! And give John a quick read if you have a moment.

The Next Einstein

Oops. The lottery on child birthing foreordained spirits has just placed the next Einstein in a Christian home. His room, all ready for next months due date, is blue. Above the crib sits a mobile with jesus and twinkles with children’s hymns. The walls are adorned with bible verses and pictures of Moses parting the Red Sea, Jesus praying in the garden of gethsememe, and Abraham praying up to a cloud. The boys name will be Daniel, after the prophet.

—fast forward 12 years. After showing excellent aptitude for math and science, his parents question his devotion to god and distract his convictions with innuendos and smugness. They correct him with comments about pseudoscience and how faith is the answer to all of life’s questions. They openly criticize climate science, and other ungodly, intrusive left wing conspiracies. Those who believe in science have more faith than Christians. They continue to read select bible verses and tell the creation story, and that we all know that truth comes from the Bible and from god—the answers to life’s questions are in scripture. Bible camps and Sunday worship, youth choir and is now president of his Sunday school class. He can quote 50 scriptures. He is a good boy. His neurons are off the chart smart. He memorizes the King James Bible. He is a prodigy.

At graduation he leads the school in an unsanctioned prayer, even catching his parents by surprise. They are so proud. He is a leader. Perfect GPA and smart as they come—he will do just fine in life and be a good husband and a godly man. On the side he is applying the sciences—quantum mechanics—his true love. He’s been accepted to Liberty University and plans to major in divinity. His parents are so proud.

At 21 his love for science remains, but the pace of college life and an early graduation, student debt and a baby on the way, he takes a job at a church in Tulsa. Moving expenses paid and a little house on the property, he begins the rest of his life. His ideas of quantum mechanics are never published or reviewed. His math is getting rusty, and the equations he had memorized he can no longer decipher. They sit in a “get to it later” moving box as his life begins. He now does a local Christian radio show Saturday nights. Q and A and a memorized bible. He’s fantastic!

Religious side-tracking is delaying progress in the world. Statistically, 80% of the greatest scientific minds we’ll never hear of. Distracted with faith, belief, and fable, the windows of opportunity close and what could be, would be great, becomes mere baggage to the few that are pulling us along toward greatness. Fill the mind with something great, but anything will do if you’re starving it.

And if you think christians are indoctrinated, what do you think of their cousins?

“Is it true that Muslim children can RECITE the whole Quran? How?

Yes! It is true. Our children can recite the Quran by age 5–12 years. Around 90% children in Muslim households memorize more than 6000 verses and can recite Quran from memory”. Literally millions from each Muslim country have done this. And the cultural pressure for these “Hafiz” is great. They must maintain the memorization through there life leaving little time for advanced learning.

Although an impressive feat, it is also a discouraging look into the future of practical knowledge from the former breadbasket of higher learning.

When that’s all you know, it must be true. There is no time for anything else when culture dictates a life filled with one topic that designs your every thought.

Plug and Play Religion

Forget about your natural instincts and curiosities. You don’t need to work anything out in regards to your own spirituality, someone has already figured that out for you, but the choices are limited.

Each person is born unique and curious. Flowers, trees, rocks and streams are all natural wonders to be learned anew to each generation—just watch a toddler play in the dirt, interact with wildlife, pick flowers or gather pinecones. They are fascinated with the newness of life and the natural world, but the first thing everyone religiosos want to do is rush them into a belief system with christenings, baptisms, circumcisions, and blessings before they even know what the hell is going on. Heaven forbid if they would bring their own fresh perspective and possibly add their own inspiring vision of life. Only when they are older can they be loosened and encouraged to think outside the box—the box that has already been closed and tied with a neat bow—a box called conformity, unconsciously hamstringing potential for the rest of their life. The best of the best will continue to forgo their greatest chance for opportunity and learning, not of any choice of their own, but by cunning ignorance of parents and preachers.

In a world where the importance of bloody manners and cultural etiquette are the standard of moral behavior, they continue chipping away at potential breakthroughs because it may be different, or as if those things are morally important, trapping our children in their formative years into becoming believers. Not only in religion, but in society’s systemic conditioning that what lies on the surface is merely to camouflage the real you, and you must wear it at all times in the name of morality. This is the crime of religious influence.

Christian culture is a facade. On the surface is where we are pressed to live, openly displaying who we are not, our lives are spent hiding who we really want to be. Out of constant fear of judgement and prejudice we perjure ourselves and whither inside as the life in us passes by like a dream. Only after learning to conform are we allowed to further education, where the same schools of thought are taught all over the world. Religious diplomas to the ministry keep hammering away with slight variations of the same worn out inscrutability. And the university, the last, great bastion of free thought where 90% of the students and faculty all vote the same way, where in reality there is a third way—a better way. A new system yet to be discovered and embraced because of unwittingly conditioning our children to conform. Only then comes the tried and true standard of learning which continues to elude greatness at every turn. Religion is the pillar of tried and true failure. Our societies are laced tighter than a Victorian corset with religion. After thousands of years of failure I’d say it’s time to move on. But alas, we get plugged into a system the minute we are born and learn through predetermined fear how to live our lives like everyone else.

Contracting Minors

When your individuality is determined by a set of pre-made choices and established dogma decided by committee or a single authoritarian you will never be your true self. You are achieving the ideals of another. Drinking age here is 21. Age of consent for baptism should be no less. How can one determine who they want to be as a baby, child, or even a young adult. Minors are not legally allowed to enter into contract, and aligning yourself before you can read the fine print should be discouraged by wise parenting. Joining anything that requires a process to withdrawal is forbidden everywhere—but religion. Joining the stamp club, having a bank account, or having your own gym membership where you can easily cancel and move on is illegal. Your name is always in the Catholic Church, regardless of your desire to disassociate. Saying the Shahada makes you a Muslim, but declaring disbelief is punishablelol by death in many countries, and eternal torment awaits your death “If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter, he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (their selves in the Hellfire).” (Quran 3:85) Hardly a contract for a minor to enter. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. How can even one person make one rational decision about religion before they are an adult? Impossible!

Born Atheist, Raised Google Scholar

Wouldn’t that be an interesting way to start life? Resisting the herd is still a bit unnatural as a human. Our species is evolving away from the herds, but for now the majority stay in the current and follow the flow. Most of us (not all) were raised in religion and had to paddle our way upstream to take rest in a secluded inlet, shaded in the trees and out of view. Courage mounded alone in thought and after a little respite from religion we found clarity. Now, sitting in the comfort of our own spaces we watch the current carry the masses in a never ending flow that ends adrift in oceans of contradictions. But that’s all you knew so you defend it. After years and more of aimless bobs and sways, going nowhere, you realize that the bandwagon argument is the best case for religion. Everyone else can’t be wrong, can they? Alone as it should be, you are able to take courage—Alone. Outside the never ending wheel of explanations is where you find yourself. Alone is where you come to realize that yes, everyone else can be wrong, and for the first time in your life you become yourself. The walls that divide crumble down and we finally become us. The religion that promised everything delivered nothing. “Studies have shown that we’re prone to copying the body language of a person we’re speaking with, and some studies have concluded we experience the same emotions as the people around us”. Resist the herd! Here are some good and simple tips.

Find yourself, by yourself

Islam, Moses, and Myth

So much of Judaism and Islam hinge on the story of Moses, and in Islam, Moses is mentioned more than any other prophet. Recent run-ins with Muslim proselytizers on WP have forced me to take a little look at the history and the doctrine of the Muslim faith. I have stuck to positive web sites and the Quran. Here’s a small bit of what I know.

Muslims hold Moses in very high regard. They have many stories of Moses’ life outside of the Old Testament and in the Quran he is mentioned a mere 115 times. I realize these stories are translations, but in general they read like Aesop’s Fables. Here is one;

According to Isra’iliyat hadith, during his childhood when Moses was playing on Pharaoh’s lap. He grabbed the Pharaoh’s beard, and also slapped him in his face. This action prompted the Pharaoh, to consider Moses as the Israelite who would overthrow him. In turn the Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses. The Pharaoh’s wife persuaded him not to, because he was an infant. Instead he decided to test Moses. Two plates were set before young Moses, one contained rubies and the other held glowing coals. Moses reached out for the rubies, but the angel Gabriel directed his hand to the coals. Moses grabbed a glowing coal and put it in his mouth, burning his tongue. After the incident Moses suffered from a speech defect, but was spared by the Pharaoh. (1)Go to historical narrative-

With so much riding on the story of Moses, I don’t think they got the memo that there is zero evidence that one word of it is true. They also teach the exodus (which didn’t happen) and the splitting of the sea. But from what they tell me, the Quran is infallible and ahead of its time. Here is a rebuttal persuasion from a Muslim on Mel’s site.

This is proof Muhammad was a prophet; 1- Creation of the universe: “Do the disbelievers not see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then I split them apart?” (Quran 21:30) (is this allegorical, physical, or humanity?)

2- Mountains: “have we not made the earth an expanse and the mountains stakes” (Quran 78:6-7) (pure ambiguous evidence)

3- Aquatic origin: “And I created every living thing out of water” (Quran 21:30) (we are mostly water. Is this prophetic?)

Evidently number 1 is the Big Bang, 2 is geologic formation presented ahead of scientific knowledge of such things, and 3 is evolution. All based on the vision of a sheepherder according to the caller. But I suspect he was duped into believing the revelation about Moses and revelation didn’t cue him in that the story would be debunked. Also, as a casual observation it appears much of The Ten Commandments movie script is borrowed from the Quran more than the Bible.

One last note; The Quran is supposed to be read with the help of commentary and experts—sound familiar? It requires a lot of explaining.

Archeological studies have shifted from where and if, to when it happened. And the size and scope might just be a tad off. The best and closest event may be that Moses was an Egyptian priest that led a leper colony out of Egypt during the time of Akhenaten.

Why Islam? Is an Islamic site with Moses stories from the Quran if your curious.

Modern Religion

To sum up what we’ve inherited—we have a machine we never asked for and have no idea who made it. We’ve never seen it actually do anything productive but curiously have no courage to turn it off. We see no actual usefulness for it, but are convinced forced to live with it at every turn in our life using up precious energy and thoughts. Attempts to disengage the machine are met with raised eyebrows, skepticism, and accusations of evil while those dependent on its psychological hold can’t seem to live without the constant hum of what they won’t believe they can’t live without. The machine has no actual usefulness. Its constant whir numbs the beauty of life with useless tinnitus and distraction, blocking human potential as waves of tv white-noise and cooling fans of the purposeless motor soothe the soul like a dripping faucet they are just to lazy to turn off.

Under careful examination decisions are made. Do I clip the red wire, or the white wire, or just live on hearing it do nothing but interfere with ones clarity. The best I can do is distance myself from the blast zone and hope it runs out of fuel.

Raised by Deception

If you observe even just a little and split through all the talk, things are rarely what you’ve been told. Most of our children begin their lives being deceived at every turn, hidden from realities while imaginations of santa, tooth fairies, Easter bunnies, birds and bees, and religious superstition are ingrained from birth. At what age are they supposed to think for themselves? But no, they carry it forward to their own children who are extremely trusting creatures and raise them in deception—Why?

Tom–”Yes, just about all of us were raised by deception, through deception. It is so very tragic, really. I had, in high school, one wonderful teacher who had us study Walt Whitman’s poems in depth. That one teacher was the exception. I am so very glad for it!

Toms Nature Up Close

Tom had one teacher he remembers that cut through the crap and helped him see things for what they were. Exposure to a great author that thought for himself changed his life from superstition to reality and fulfillment.

Religious Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide has a 250 times higher affinity to hemoglobin than Oxygen. CO poisoning can be fatal, and when poisoning is survived it takes about 6 hours to remove half the CO from your blood stream, then gradually over the course of days you release the rest. It bonds in the same place as an oxygen molecule, therefore limiting the bloods ability to carry enough oxygen to organs and tissue.

We are born as a blank slate, but during our youth we are susceptible creatures with a high affinity to believe what we are told. As superstitious as we are, a sudden realization eventually unfolds that we have been tricked along the way. From the birds and the bees to Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the tooth fairy, we are tricked as children at nearly every turn—especially when it comes to gods. Religious indoctrination has a high affinity to human thought, and even after calling BS on the whole game, it can take years to purge all the nonsensical belief from our systems. Religion is every bit as dangerous to our mental health as CO is to our physical. Although they both effect our lives in similar ways with irrational confusion, dizziness, nausea, and making you perpetually weak. I am confident you can hold your own just fine without believing in something phony that says you need it, but in reality is a curse to your development.

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.

God Works Through Doctors/Scientists

I’m sure god has already thought of everything, then at the right time to keep up with the needs of his children, he puts the thought “out there” for some laboring scientist heathen to have an “aha moment” of discovery, thus benefiting all mankind and saving the day—But, as always, too late.

So far 25million people have died from aids, and even amidst the prayers of Christian opposition we are making progress towards a cure. But I guess god knows best when to end a life here to spend the rest of the eons in hell. God is compassionate.

Roughly 8million cancer deaths per year, and WHO is anticipating 84million more deaths over the next 10 years. God has revealed the cure bit by bit, but research scientist are just to caught up foray of equations and just don’t get it. More prayer is needed for scientific clarity and also to justify the rise of childhood cancers. But, he knows best—He is kind.

In the 14th century god decided to take a half day off. The plague killed half the worlds population, and the discoveries by Yersin and the Simond led to eventual vaccinations and things stabilized—500 years later—Gods timing is perfect.

“If” there was a god, drip fed scientific advance and drip fed morality based on the demands of secularism is the ultimate in immorality. THE All knowing, all caring, always loving, and always dead last when it comes to human advances, especially in morality—God is just…Just what?

Ask Mel….god is obvious— He’s everywhere!! Yes I say. I see him for what he is, if he were real. Remember, faith NEVER adds up to what it’s propped up to be when you look past the whitewashing

Looking Gift Horses or Licking

Mom used to always say, “Never lick a gift horse in the mouth”. She was from Mississippi, so there was a little bit lost in translation. I didn’t know “lick”, was “look” until I was about 20. But is it good to take a gift horse without looking it over first? Usually gift horses have something wrong, and often expensively so.

Looking in the mouth can help you approximate the age and feeding ability. Do the teeth need floating or other care you may not be able to afford? If the horse is 35 and not 25, it’s going to die soon and that’s a whole series of problems when you have to deal with a thousand pound carcass. If your gift horse is a cow-hocked, ring-boned, spavined and foundered, maybe it best you don’t accept the gift after checking it out. Enter Religion.

It too is a “free” gift of salvation from sin. Sin you didn’t even know you had. Pointing out faults is a great way to make friends. Free to attend meetings and they’ll even throw in a free bible if you ask. But maybe first you should look under the hood? It is a money trick, and if you don’t “look”, be ready to take your “licks” when you find what’s below the surface. Just remember what free actually means to them, when to be in good standing you eventually have to pay. And you have to check your thinking cap in at the door. They’ll even tell you what to say, and everything else to believe. Don’t take my word for it, but do your own checking and remember if it’s a good deal, it will still be a good deal after you check it out. Missionaries will never tell you what the internet can.

Simplicity of Non Belief

I am curious to know how it all happened, I’m just not convinced in any way it was a who that made it happen. Therefore, there is no why it all happened. Once you realize there is no god, the simplicity of life brings peace, and how it all happened loses its urgency, although I am still curious and will someday have more answers. I’ll wait rather than believe in a god to simply satisfy the impatience to want answers with no effort, then act like they’ve found something special in a plug-n-play religion. “I believe” is a foolish notion lacking quality of character.

Chess Club vs Religious Faith

According to Chess.com, there are an estimated 600,000,000 active chess players in the world. There are various club styles and sizes, but through the modern ages, chess has maintained a relatively stable membership size. The tactics can be aggressive, and teach skills in strategy, memory, reasoning, and trickery. In the past 1500 years, there have been no chess related mass suicides, even though popular figures have been emulated and copied to achieve the highest understanding of the game. Thanks to the internet and the availability of high level competition, there are currently almost 1600 grand masters; The most in history. Differing opening styles of play like the Ruy Lopez, Sicilian Defense, and the Queens Gambit are copied and transformed by players into a sophisticated middle game the world over. Enter Religion.

Each sect begins with the same opening, but over time develop their own styles and middle game. The board becomes confusing, incoherent, incongruous with normal play or known styles of happy living, but the purveyors of the game insist that they know what they are doing. It is obvious going into the end game, that each of the 45,000 denominations are floundering in a checkers game, but insist they are still playing chess. They are using scrabble terminology to play spiritual ouija, and as confusion is their friend, they keep you at bay with guessing and grand terminology the normal person cannot keep up with and keep a regular job at the same time. Thank you Mel.

While the Koolaid is flat with inert, non beneficial ingredients and the the flavor confusing, the end game is still the same as a Jonestown child. Only now they are sipping their way to intellectual confusion and the death of reason using faith in nothing but religious wordiness and sophistry. Here’s to a quick end game.

Paddling Restraints

If Christian educators would have their way, paddles would be rehung behind every teachers desk in America. Once again, man’s morals have surpassed gods morals and archaic scripture condoning bad parenting. “Spare the rod or spoil the child” is a ridiculous force of wills, but is still a mainstay around the country and memes surface daily wishing back the practice to force kids to conform or else, to respecting without questioning. At what age do you want your kids to start thinking for themselves and becoming themselves, instead of kowtowing to religious based authority? 15? That’s the number where you can be yourself. Or is it 18? All of the sudden you can question and claim independence, while all along it should have been a process. Cultural norms frequently have no moral ground, and many traditions in manners are often rooted in religious belief and reverent servitude. Get rid of that, and there is a near total relief from corporal punishment. Hitting and bullying your kids to live up to your ideals of faith, is not only wrong headed, but principally unsound. Granted we all make mistakes, but those mistakes should not become routines.

Data also shows that spanking is ineffective as statistics show lower SAT scores in every state that allows paddling and physical threats.

Just because you were raised that way, doesn’t mean there is not a better way. Be humble. You might be wrong. Why do they tout free will then take it away by force? What many are doing is taking away the creativity and natural instinct of the creature, and trying to pigeonhole him to conformity, when what we really need is more individual creativity of thought. Kids will surprise the hell out of you given the chance to expand in their best ways.

Beating children is a sure sign of bad teaching or parenting. There is a better way if you look. And while demanding respect through force may seem necessary, the reality is force is a divisive tool that promulgates resentment and frequently lifetime scarring.

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

Bonzippa and the Religious Model

When I was a kid my neighbor and I got into dirt biking. I started out buying a minibike with money I had saved from a paper route. It was a 1970 honda 50 trail bike that I would like to have back about now. Later I got a TM100, and at 15 I got a CR 125. Screaming machine!

My neighbors dad Mr-T, is an old blues guitarist, friends with the late BB King, and I learned to play on his wine red Gibson ES330, the most beautiful guitar on planet earth. Anyway, when I rode my moto to his house he would call me Bonzippa. “Who’s Bonzippa” I asked. He explained who this character was, and it described something like this photo below.

This “Bonzippa” would ride wheelies and speed around the country like a mad man. Mr-T would always tell stories about crazy things this moto nut would do on his bike, and I would try to imitate it the best I could. Later, I told my kids about Bonzippa, and referred to them in the same adoring, storytelling manner until Bonzippa was as real to them as he was to me. -Enter the internet.

Turns out there are no google hits that I can find anywhere for Bonzippa. He didn’t exist. Mr-T made it up, and I passed it on, all the while telling my kids about the heroic riding of the great Bonzippa. It would be a great story, but nothing more. -Enter Religion

How far can story telling can go in my little world? Imagine if Mr-T had a pulpit and ten minutes of fame? Religion is expert and storytelling lies to induce positive feelings with fables. “Go te into the world, and preach my gospel”. Say whatever you want, just link it to Jesus and it will be so.

Blood Oaths

When I was twenty I went to the LDS temple for what is called an endowment. In Mormon lingo, the endowment is where you receive your “spiritual gifts”, that enable you to pass the sentinels and enter the presence of god. Washed and anointed with oil, pronounced clean and blessed to be a “king and a priest unto the most high god, to rule and reign in the house of Israel forever” The endowment ceremony is about an hour and a half where you rehash the creation!story and make various covenants that are sworn to secrecy with signs, special handshakes, and followed by an oath to never reveal the signs and tokens or suffer your life to be taken. As you made the oath, you symbolically slit your own throat in one phase, and disembowel yourself in the other. All the while wearing the robes of the priesthood and a fig leaf apron to cover your nakedness.

Besides having to agree to all the covenants by acting out a blood oath it happens BEFORE YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY ARE. It was shockingly strange, but you move along to the veil and use those key words, signs, and tokens to pass through and enter the presence of god in the “celestial ” room. Hushed tones and reverence rule, and discussing these things is vague and symbolic in nature. Everyone around you congratulating you and telling you how wonderful it is. It wasn’t. But, trusting those that have gone on before, convinced that you just lack understanding, and being reassured that the more times you go (the next times in behalf of the deceased that missed this opportunity) the more you understand the wonderful significance of it all.

To anyone who thinks this is even remotely normal, you have a problem. The ceremony now, some 35 years later, has been dumbed down to be less offensive, but the one I went through had already been lightened several times before. The initial ceremony was vastly more ghastly, but as times changed, so did people’s ability to tolerate it. While some fought the changes, apparently god is changing how important this is to have it exactly right.

Mormon culture is a persuasive closed system, where open criticism is the road to apostasy, and questions about anything inside the approved doctrines are unwelcome.

In most cases (mine being extremely rare where my wife left with me) the mere mention of unbelief deems you an outcast, failing your priesthood and your family. Tell your wife and extended family you don’t believe, and you are told to pray, study, do not doubt, trust me, trust us, and the fear of hell from denying your testimony, losing every friend, spouse, kids, and practically every sense of your life is on the chopping block. I have one friend left after 50 years of church. But it was worth it.

Agenda Driven Earth Day

As a Christian earth day was touted as another oppressive tactic by the left to raise taxes and submit personal freedoms. The right wing propagandize it as a ‘hippie-dancing-around-the-may-pole’ pagan earth worship day. My church stayed neutral officially, but the overtones were obvious enough to cause discussion amongst the members. Wow! How wrong they were! Earth day has been a tremendous success! I was in first grade on the very first earth day I can remember. We planted a tree in the courtyard of our new school, all as a group we surrounded the event and it was a fun moment. I cannot really tell you anything else that happened in first grade. Go plant a tree! Create a memory. Love your home and show it. I have planted numerous trees since that first day. Happy Earth Day!!

Much more on earth day origins here with Eileen Thanks for the idea.

K-Y Jelly – A Christian Model

K-Y Jelly, a product of Johnson and Johnson, developed in 1904 as a surgical lubricant, quickly found its way as a multi use product. Hollywood makeup artist use the jelly in the horror-movie industry. Special effects technicians like Stan Winston and Rob Bottin use the jelly to create a “slimy” appearance for monster puppet effects.

K-Y Jelly is also used clinically to perform prostate examinations in men and gynecological examinations in women. For prostate exams, physicians use K-Y Jelly to lubricate a finger to ease insertion into the rectum for prostate assessment. A similar process is used in the pelvic and recto-pelvic exams in women.

The product is also widely used as a sexual lubricant. It does not react with condoms or rubber-based sex toys. While K-Y has a thick consistency and a tendency to dry out during use, it can be “reactivated” by the addition of saliva or more water.

Christianity also was invented with a single purpose, but quickly induced other untoward effects and diminished cognitive abilities. Initially, faith was thought only to cause warm and fuzzy feelings, but quickly was used to penetrate six continents. Also, 80% of infected parties developed SORTS, (stupor of rational thought syndrome), where they would blindly go along with fairy tales, as well as follow their leaders to inflict misery on unsuspecting indigenous genotypes. Also noted in double blind case study 3-16, gullibility increased ten fold. Absorption ratios to PBS* increased to alarming level, where christian faithful were seventy times more likely to believe anything they were told of a supernatural, or conspiratorial nature. The Faithful tend to accept whatever they are told from specially designed pulpits, to the point where K-Y has been essential for parishioners to just bend over and take it. And while the speaker reaps his eternal reward in cash, the congregates will still have to wait postmortem to see any benefits.

* Pulpit Bull Shit

God Is Love.. What is Love?

My wife is super cool. She goes out of her way to do things for me, is a hard worker and manages the family like a pro. Every day she tells me she loves me, and every day she is there, doing things that ease my life and make it better.

If she told me she loved me, did nothing to show it, laid around for years on end telling me how inadequate I am and worthless without her, all the while doing nothing herself, I would not believe that she actually loved me. Saying it is not enough. Love is an action verb. It is nice to say, but without any effort or action, it is null.

God is love. Spoken from every pulpit in Christianity like a broken record. What this means, is you need to love others for god to get any credit. If you do nothing, like God personally, then gods love is absent. Why doesn’t he do any of the loving himself? Why doesn’t he feed the poor, but counts on us to do it for him? He is all powerful, yet nothing. But, if you go out of your way to help someone, he gets the glory, even if your an atheist.

The words are great, that god is love, but history has shown since the beginning, that god does not love, that god is absent, and that the preachers are counting on you, from the beginning, because he has refused countless times to do it himself. Or he simply is not real, and never has been.

Don’t forget to look around. Things in religion rarely show themselves as they say, and requires continual words to prop it up.

Faith

The best meme I’ve seen for a long time. “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

And civilizations, and witches, and mentally ill, and children, and women, and indigenous tribes and adulterers, and….

Dogs and Cats Work for Food

Obviously the title can be used in a dual sense, but I have a confession. Through no fault of my own, I have eaten dog and cat, and a lot of it too. I had no idea at the time, but back in the 80’s on Monday nights for a few years, my family would meet at a Chinese restaurant and have a little get together. The food was always good, and Monday’s were usually quiet for our gathering. One day I was watching the news, and there was our restaurant on the receiving end animal cruelty charges, with a dumpster full of dog and cat carcasses at the rear of the store. Apparently this had been going on for quite some time. It was too late to throw up, but I wished I could. Becoming aware of the situation changed everything. I was sickened by it and was obligated to never return.

Now imagine for a moment the church is a beautiful cake. One adorned with lavish decorations and frosting so smooth it looks polished. You hear many in the room talking about how perfect and wonderful it is, but as you cut into it, you find foreskins from murdered people, an eye, a tooth, some throwing stones surrounding a cross, and some parrot heads still beckoning you to eat. From a distance, the crowd still praising the baker, and inviting more into the room to experience the magical moment and witness this once in a lifetime masterpiece. From a distance, all you can see is the people surrounding, blocking from your view the disgusting display. Protecting you from seeing what lays just below the surface.

I dare every religious loyal to share the gospel from the inside out without explanation or excuse, and then see how many converts you have. I want you to indoctrinate your children with the murderous genocide, rape and oppression, instead of protecting their minds from these events with fakebelieve [sic] bible cartoons until they are old enough, and buried so far in it that they have no idea how to climb out. I know those topics don’t surface, because you know it’s wrong. Point out the obvious contradictions the churches display, instead of all is well during the divisive indoctrination. That would be the honest approach. When your favorite church is exposed as a cesspool, will you walk away, or keep eating because you keep hearing how wonderful it is? You are not obligated to return, but do what is right.

Disappearing Hate

How many deconverts of religion have turned to divisive, discriminatory speech and hate groups? How many are condemning alternate lifestyles and supporting religious laws to ban women’s rights? How many choose to impose their lack of belief on others by going door to door, or casting stones at immorality, while practicing immoralities. None. That’s because when people leave religion, and think on their own accord, sometimes for the first time in their life, they speak in support of freedom and fairness and equality to all. That is who I believe people really are. It is the churches and their stiff indoctrinations that separates, setting themselves above others with “inspired” lines drawn in the sand of divisiveness. I know some of us struggle to make all the changes at once, but by and by, love is found. Fairness is found. Equality and acceptance are found. And for many, it is the first time in their lives they have thought their own thought, said their own words, speak what they have learned, and not what they have been told. And it is good. Very good.

Belief and faith are strange ills. They are contrary to open dialog and contrary to real problem solving. They are driven by fear and supported by groups such as ADF and others. The propaganda from the pulpits is a powerful sermon from gods anointed, but the thoughts people have and the words they speak are not theirs. They are the churches.

I am very optimistic about the future, as I know that the hearts of the people are good. Their minds have been sealed off by faith, but the real person inside is good, and when they finally leave religion behind, like waking from a long stuporous dream, 100% of them return to true love and equality. That’s a pretty impressive number to have hope in.

“Early Storm Sky”

Solving Problems – A Christian Model

George Dantzig recalls his story “It happened because during my first year at Berkeley I arrived late one day at one of [Jerzy] Neyman’s classes. On the blackboard there were two (math) problems that I assumed had been assigned for homework. I copied them down. A few days later I apologized to Neyman for taking so long to do the homework — the problems seemed to be a little harder than usual. I asked him if he still wanted it. He told me to throw it on his desk. I did so reluctantly because his desk was covered with such a heap of papers that I feared my homework would be lost there forever. About six weeks later, one Sunday morning about eight o’clock, [my wife] Anne and I were awakened by someone banging on our front door. It was Neyman. He rushed in with papers in hand, all excited: “I’ve just written an introduction to one of your papers. Read it so I can send it out right away for publication.” For a minute I had no idea what he was talking about. To make a long story short, the problems on the blackboard that I had solved thinking they were homework were in fact two famous unsolved problems in statistics.

A year later, when I began to worry about a thesis topic, Neyman just shrugged and told me to wrap the two problems in a binder and he would accept them as my thesis.

Suppose Dantzig had been on time for class, and heard the news that the problems were unsolvable?

Christianity is an expert at pigeonholing it’s members that the problems can’t be solved. Waiting for the messiah to solve them, or being trained from birth that without god you are nothing. Prayer and hope are nothing but disabling crutches for the masses to restrict human potential by waiting. It needs to stop.

Years later George was told by a friend that he heard his story from the preacher at church. It was so embellished that it was hardly recognizable. Weird huh?

Here’s the whole story from Snopes

Pretty Cool

photo credit TheCommonAtheist “Sunset from my house” 2018

Nothing’s Changed. All is Well. Well?

The manifesto of the LDS church, says “The Lord will never permit any Prophet of this Church to lead you astray”. I guess not allowing children of gay couples to be members of the church slips in behind this prophecy. It is hurtful, and one of many missteps of the church leadership. Spending most of my life in the church, hearing is believing when it comes to the faith, and only approved sources will suffice. I have been out a few years now, but yesterday I ran across this thread on FB, and the sheep are alive and well. These comments are in response to a book recently published about problems with Mormon culture.

“Read the conference talks and follow church leaders first”

“Honestly, I think you’re getting a bit big for your britches. I am looking for messengers from my father. I’ll be passing on this one and sticking to authorized church publications”

“None of you seem to understand anything about the problem with this … these writings are identifying a perceived issue with LDS society / culture and pronouncing a fix … This is exactly squarely in the realm of why we have a prophet and apostles … it is their key job … Do any of you ever wonder why a man not called to the position would choose to do the exact job our church leaders are called to do … To espouse this mans work is a full on admission that our leaders and by extension Jesus Christ failed to give us “ enough “ information or the “ whole “ story … Were I to write a book or dissertation the last place on earth I would seek a subject is in the realm squarely where our church leaders operate … like I would have some “ additional “ information to add … but this is where this man feels he needs to operate”

Heaven forbid if your narrow bubble of belief should be challenged, scrutinized, or improved upon. If and when you decide to take a real and honest look at what your doing, leave me a note so I can help with your new atheist blog.

Deconversion Science- A New Element

The periodic table has a new element. Chemist at International Labs London (ILL), have discovered a new compound derived from basic, inert, random samples of ambiguous contradictory neurologic impasses. Failed synapse syndrome, (FSS) has been baffling neuroscience for decades, and removal of this newly discovered element is as easy as flipping a switch in the affected religious parties. Element “B” has an atomic mass and weight of zero, carries no electrons, but has a high affinity to synaptic dead space. Early studies show removal of element B causes instant cognitive restoration, and eliminates test subjects ability to rationalize obvious contradiction.

Test subject volunteers from the Four Square Church and the United States Bible Belt have seen instant results using a osmotic reverse cerebral cleanse, applied in a suppository pill form. Atomizers are currently being developed for nasal administration.

Evangelical chemists at Godwins institute dispute the veracity of the claims, and have directed the institutes science department to consult with Hindu Vedas and Puranas experts to counter the findings. “We know god is in there somewhere”, said one researcher. And, “this Biblio element makes no sense at all” said another. The plea for help dealing with these scientific issues has been ignored.

Basic Botany-The Christian Model

Each plant, no matter how simple, requires several elements to maintain health to grow to maturity and become useful. See the chart below, as each part plays a role in getting good health to the table.

Mental health is the same way, but one large segment of our society seems to think the one ingredient approach will lead to happiness, so one element it is. Bible. It has no mental nutrition. It is filled with fabled hear say and less net caloric benefit to the brain then chewing gum. It keeps your mind and thought separate from reality, and poses contradictions that drain the mind of creativity and rationale. It does polish your ability to make excuses though, which is why the Bible Belt leads the nation in obesity. Spiritually fattened cells store noxious, venomous rhetoric that is useless to society when dormant, and a drag on society when it’s not. Here below is the problem.

The Christian literary diet contains 66 books, all with the same ingredients, and videos about the books. It’s the equivalent of trying to live on cotton candy. It looks good, has flavor, but has no nutrition and is never filling. For desired mental health and balance, one ingredient is a disaster, growing pretentious brains unable to see clear or decipher fallacy and deception, and live in fear. But it certainly makes one “think”, they know it all. The cure? That’s easy, but it’s hard, as the medicine requires one to broaden their mind, while having a small mind. Very challenging. Realizing your potential requires one to reach out and yearn to learn about the world around us. It’s ok to try it. There’s a lot of brain food available, you just have to take it in.

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.

Rude Mofos

Apologetics budding superstar Sheldon Agonson, has taken my statements and converted to mainstream apologetics. I am not angry with his twisting and lying and misplacing my words to analyze them out of context. I am sorry for his soul, as he, like so many before him have proven that lying and twisting is the only convincing argument for Jesus. An update was added to Websterss in line 2. I know, I was warned to stay away, and you were all correct in your advisories. But I’m happy to have another brother in hell to look over to Lazarus and Abraham, across that gulf of misery and lament eternity with me. Hell is for the heathen, but the servants in hell will be the liars. The only reason he would lie the way he has, is he knows there is no hell, and his need for dominating validation has trumped his senses. He continues to play from apologetics 101, and baiting accusations to attract endless replies to pad the stats bar for his two readers. This is either intentional, his reading comprehension is elementary, or English is his second language. I’m willing to give a pass if needed. Sheldon, in one post you have done what most apologist do in three. You have tagged atheism in your post, gleefully stating you were happy to have someone argumentative to call you out on your babbling accusations about atheist laziness to argue with you. Cherry picked points and ignored convincing arguments on morality. Sheldon, you keep saying you want an answer. The answers were given in the first paragraph. You may not like my writing style, but the answer you seek was given plainly. And lastly, you keep directing the comments to your site. Control is key for apologists. Editing and keeping control of the argument on your turf isn’t smart. It’s weak. You know damn well your comments would get eaten alive by our readers, and you hid in the confines of control. Hope you’re better than that with your family, but alas… that is the Christian male working in you. Once again, humanist morality outshines the god of the Bible and his followers. You have repeatedly accused me of attacking the church. Fact checking and quoting scripture is damning to the church on its own merits. I don’t need to attack. A careful reading of scripture shows your roots. And your bias can only be confirmed when you agree with its morality.

Anybody want some crazy?

Here is my final comment to a post here This is a little like Mel, but narrower. Here’s my final reply. We’ll see if it moderates.

Difficult for you to see the humor,

Once I was in your shoes,

Everything so serious,

So much of you to lose,

So much time invested,

In the fable you call god,

That good sense out the window,

Won’t call a fraud a fraud,

For if I may I’ll be so bold,

And try to do with tact,

But everything your selling off,

Has everything but fact,

It has the how’s with maybe’s,

Conjectured ambiguity,

Guesses based on hopes and dreams,

Fails you in realities,

Your quick to point a finger,

But observations firm,

Don’t forget to look around you,

There is so much more to learn,

The books you read are narrow points,

Funnels dropped of religious care,

But faith requires no good sense,

As lone disciplines can attest,

A skewed vision of life and love,

You think you have it all,

Your good book’s made your messy mind,

And you want me to take the fall,

I may not have all the answers yet,

With that I’m not concerned,

With your head shoved so far up your ass,

You’ll fail where others learned.

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

“Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good” 1Thess 5:21

It’s not the churches. I can tell you Christianity is a calculated, money making machine that will say Anything to keep you on the rolls. Scientifically calculated music and lighting, voice roll speeches and lies from the pulpit to induce trance-like positive feelings and call it the spirit.

Most of you know my story, and I put this scripture to the rest. Not one thing works as it’s presented. Ambiguous beliefs and morality coupled with endless attempts to validate faith, and bogus prayer that is a waste of time. It was even in the dogma. “Pray like everything depends on god, work like everything depends on you”. Do yourself a favor….just skip the first part and go to work. The entire church experience is a propped up shell game of non answers and conflicting “beliefs” from every denomination. Nothing can be verified, and nothing works as it is supposed to. So go ahead. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”Don’t feel guilty for looking.

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Power of Reason

Reason can answer-

Designed deceptivities-

Opulent excuse-

“Early night sky”

TheCommonAtheist 2018

“Wild Turkey”

TheCommonAtheist 2018

More Wild Turkey (not Mel) A Religious Model

15 second video

It’s pretty fascinating to watch the similarities between religion and a Rooster like Mel here. He shows up and throws his weight around, disrupting what is peaceful and trying to force others to comply to his way. This Tom turkey here, appears to have also studied the Quran. He is abusive and carries an air of dominance. Side note: Hens lay eggs even without him, and some (40%) are asexual and don’t need a rooster (religion). The numbers even match up to what we see in humanities need for a higher power. “Almost all vertebrates reproduce sexually, i.e. the sperm and egg join to form an embryo. Vertebrates that reproduce asexually are exceptionally rare, however turkeys are one such species that can do so. Many explanations are given as to why turkeys reproduce asexually on occasion (as high as 40% of offspring are products of parthenogenesis): low sperm count, male unavailability etc. I’ll offer one of my own. Female turkeys see males (photo above) and think, “No way in hell am I having sex with that!” Their heads are blue during breeding. It appears to have a lack of oxygen to the brain. They are very vulnerable during mating season.

dedicated to Ron

The Perfect God (and tom turkey)

Why, if god exists, does he have to be perfect and omnipotent? What would be the problem of a “not all powerful god”, but one that had a skill for creating things? The insistence on a perfect and kind, loving god is contradictory to scripture and the natural world.

Aaannd, the first tom turkey showed up in the yard this morning. Very cool. He reminds me of god a little. He’s all puffed up for a big show, but up close he’s an ugly dude. Struts around bossing everyone when they were doing just fine before he showed up.

Courtesy of Professor Taboo-

Sound Effects

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?

Mau Goddess Bastet

I believe the Egyptians were on to something when they acknowledged the cat (Felis silvestris catusas) as a god. Bastet, a half human and half cat, is the closest representation in Egyptology to the Christian god YHWY. Cats toy with their victims who never know why, and the mouse, inferior physically, has to submit and quietly wonder what it all means. Never having to explain “why” and inflicting and allowing misery on those that don’t understand, is the YHWY way. The warring nature of Bastet is a shoe-in that would fit nicely into Christian history.

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.

Reducing Religion Dream Act 2018

The IRS, the FDA, and the APA, are taking what it calls a “historic first step” toward eliminating religions’ addictive properties and concerns of mental health longevity by seeking comments on the impact of lowering non provable belief levels, how lowering of these levels might be accomplished, and whether doing so might have unintended consequences. Non-Profit status of churches and the ongoing mental health threats have forced the IRS and the FDA to combine efforts with the APA in combatting addictive, propagandized religious benefits.

The agencies said that they would eventually propose faith reduction as part of a comprehensive overhaul regulating religions’ unfounded claims. Today’s announcement came in the form of an advance notice of proposed rule making — essentially, a document designed to elicit comments and show what direction the agencies might take if it were to require higher provability levels, and setting a “burden of proof” standard of passed-on and written information. Given the combination of toxicity, divisiveness, addictiveness, prevalence, and the effects on nonusers, religions are in the category of damaging belief that causes the greatest of public health harm,” said James Zell, Director of the APA.

“Religion is the only legal entity that when used as intended will reduce the intelligence and mental wellness of the lives of all long-term members prematurely,” he said, adding, “We’ve known for decades that religion is highly engineered and designed to get users addicted, and euphoria at these levels are regulated in every other industry”. The FDA said it envisions “the potential circumstance where piety levels in faith do not spur or sustain addiction for potential converts. This could give addicted believers the choice and ability to quit faith more easily, and it could help to prevent experimenters (mainly youth) from initiating regular attendance and becoming regular attendees.”

Agenda as follows:

1. Harmful short and long term effects of early indoctrination.

2. Mental illness stemming from guilt, peer pressures, and counter-intuitive learning.

3. Contradictory learning. How giving the obviousness of credulity stunts academic reasoning.

4. How resources and time could be focused on actual fact-based scholarship.

5. Recommendations on faith based non factual learning materials. Fiction/Nonfiction advisory labels and age restriction guidelines.

6. Possible taxes or fines to be levied against churches for compensation to deconverts to assist in recovery efforts and long term psychological therapy.

in a joint meeting next Friday, leaders from all three camps will implement an emergency discussion called “cessation session” to create formal documents to present to Congress. (Hey I can dream, Right?)

TCA Newsflash 3-16-2018

Washington State

TheCommonAtheist

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.

God for a Day

My old medic partner won “CEO for the day” contest of a billion dollar company. It got me thinking, what if I could be god? What would I be, and what would I do? Well, I only have one day here every few thousand years. I can’t be everywhere and I’ve got a hundred million galaxies to take care of. I care about my creation and it would be nice to take the best care of it, so I would leave good instructions. Hiding out for no good reason would get pretty old.

The first thing to do, is have my tech guys fix the transmitter. Clear communication to everyone free with online support and a top notch customer service team. I would have a worldwide live news conference and spell out line by line without ambiguity of what was to be expected for civility and fairness and love to all people. This would take about 10 minutes. It would also eliminate the middle man (preachers) but I have something else for them. 🔥 I would not monitor everyone’s sex lives, but warning, the earth is only so big. Easy now. There’s still cause and effect and consequence. Nothing I can do about that. You know who I’m talking to!

Hour number two, food distribution to the hungry. Here goes, “Let there be food to all the hungry”. And it was good. I would end the waiting and answer the prayers that the other guy has been ignoring. I’m not a big fan of prayer anyway, so we’ll add extra support staff that you can actually see and count on, and just have a good life. No more games.

Childhood cancer, and all other cancer and disease…Gone. Poof. I am all powerful, and I don’t see a need to inflict misery on people to prove a point they don’t understand.

I would end animal cruelty and using animals for food. Then I would teach you alternative options to provide safe, heathy and delicious food without having to slaughter everything that moves. They should be able to enjoy their lives too.

I would end pollutive technologies and show you safe alternatives to even cooler stuff.

I would eliminate all taxes and healthcare would be free. I have ways to show you this is totally possible, and actually quite enjoyable. I have ways to look at things you haven’t thought of, so I’d get you up to speed.

Lastly, I would tell the catholic guys they misspelled a word. The word was “CelebRate”. With an R.

It is hard to talk about being god, without using the word “I” a lot. Is this a display of his narcissism, or is it just me?

And as for that question why do all this trouble? It’s just always been this way. I’m no different than you. “If” there was a god, why the game of hide and seek and misery? Why not just be really cool?

Apologist Answer Ratings Chart

Dedicated to those who keep trying, even though they’re wrong.

Loosely interpreted scripture, tightly bound comments, and microfibrical folicular linguistic divisions (hairsplitting) has caused gastro-apologist scientists to develop a groundbreaking new ratings system to analize [sic] the words of apologetics budding superstars.

Macroscopic analysis of answered questions leads scientist to believe only comfort points are ever addressed, while the truly damming portions of obvious facts are left underserved or proctacally [sic] ignored, resembling answers given in diagram seven, where only bits and pieces of even philosophical arguments are allowed to enter the discussion.

While the acclaimed apologists feel like the image type 4, the disparity between feelings and fact are a unique christian problem, where truth rarely comes into play in their belief system, as this Box of bible facts illustrates.

Frequency and regularity have been consistent in the pastors blogging, allowing for continued observation of the stall tactics mentioned. And, as electronic data is easily tracked and difficult to wipe clean, the pastors words are readily available for examination.

Health department officials have recommended the above “full” facility be pumped and renovated into a two-seater to accompany fellow blogger and church spokesman Juan BrainYawn for prolonged verbal consultations.

How are they doing? Your feedback is important to us. Please rate apologists Mel and John using the Wong-Baker pain scale above, 10 being a bad job, and 0 being a good job, and include any helpful tips or comments.

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.

Political Science Experiment 1980 Who Can You Trust?

Exactly who, and what can you trust? I was a senior in high school in Issaquah, Wa in 1980. My teacher had us take a test to decide if we were liberal or conservative, democratic or republican. He told us to be very observant of his behavior during the semester, and at the end we would take a short survey. At the end of term, he asked us each to write what we thought his political views were. We each cast our votes and Mr Johnson revealed that he was a lifelong democrat and was politically active. Here’s where it got interesting. Every student in the class thought he was the same party as them and their family. Virtually split down the middle. Students of republican families thought he was a conservative, while the others thought he was a democrat. We have to be very careful to see life without strict confirmation bias. While nearly impossible to separate yourself from your upbringing, self awareness and acceptance of other viewpoints, and seeing past stereotypes is a good start to finding balance. Only then can we maybe see the world as it really is, or how it could be.

Seeing the good in religion is easy when you been raised in it and told your whole life what a blessing it all is. Identifying the harm it does requires you to step outside of yourself and consider other views are possibly more valid than your own indoctrinations. Facts can be uncomfortable, but the facts of religion are disastrous and incompetent. It would be nice to move past the superstitions and wasted, time consuming debate over “which god” and how great he is, and move on to solving some teal problems. Religions have promised a multitude of blessings, but in the end you make your own way in the world anyway. There’s nobody there. Religion only makes you think someone is watching. Differing religious views are two sides of the same coin. Heads I win, tails you lose is a very old trick. Trust your own observations of real evidence. Faith is a cop-out of reality and it takes no discipline or achievement to obtain it. And that’s the way they want it.

DeConversion Hotline

Tired of your old, worn, outdated and mean god? If you’ve seen through the the double talk and the contradictions, if you’ve prayed to no avail, if your tired of defending the invisible god that’s just not there, and your sick of trying to rationalize everything you believe, call Atheist International. Our deconversion experts are standing-by to take your call. 01-884-NOMORE-BS. For an atheist specialist press 1. To get help to be a real Humanist, press 2, and for Agnosticism press 3. Learn quick tips on how to talk ambiguity Free for the next 30 years. Rid yourself of guilt and mental baggage today. Call now!! Operators are standing by.

Ubi sent this to me. I guess there is a real hotline too. Here is the link

Christian Incoherence

At least 5 times we were accused yesterday of making incoherent statements regarding the origins of morality. Incoherent? They keep using that word. I don’t think it means what they think it means.

You want incoherent? Try delving into the world of a blood cult. Explain religious genocide, rape, plagues, slavery, war, animal sacrifice and burnt offerings, causing that sweet smell that dissipates into the nostrils of the loving but jealous warlord in the sky, and call it scripture. Then ultimately worshipping a cross symbolizing human sacrifice. They essentially are paying homage to an old book while chanting in unison that conjures up images of the Temple of Doom. Christian incoherence begins by deifying atrocity, and then trying to justify it and make it look pretty. Incoherent? Celebrate a man that sent his wife and son into the desert to die, then goes back to his other son to sacrifice him to an invisible god and then mutilating his penis. If you want to here incoherence, listen to religion try to explain how this was all good…Very Good. And perfectly infallible.

“IF”

Why are atheists so mad at god? I have heard this several million times, and apologists even posing that statement at famous atheists. The answer as always, is quite simple. Often leaving out one key point, allows apologists a foothold to say “see, they believe in god, they’re just angry with him”. That key point, when discussing atrocities and misery on the world is the word “if”. If there was a god, he is not the kind and loving father religion claims. He is all the things scripture and preachers teach against and more. God kills, tortures, exterminates, shames, oppresses, mutilates, enslaves, and decimates. Those that preach the loudest are usually the most guilty. “God is love” is a ploy to distract the evidence and cover the truth. Giving him credit for a saving one person from a tsunami that kills 300,000 people is just so spiritual, Isn’t it? If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. If it kills like a genocidal maniac, starves out populations, causes death plagues on a fifth of the worlds populations, it is an evil god, not a good god. “If” there was one.

Interpreting Scripture or Rationalizing

It was pointed out to me that our interpretation of scripture is uneducated and misguided. I made a comment,”his interpretation sounds like all he’s doing is rationalizing for god”. The answer:

“Absolutely not. It would be called rightly interpreting the Bible, Jim. Ignoring the cultural context, genre, analogical language, or explanatory scope would be superficially treating the text, thus, reading it wrongly.” More rationalizing, or no?

I need an excuse for this “scripture” please. Or is it the interpretation of the original I’m struggling with?

“Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light. And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭19:22-29‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Correct interpretation? It is only a religious zealot that would not defend his daughters life to his own death.

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.

Bible Facts

The typical bible has an average of 1,189 chapters. These are made up of 31,173 verses and using a rough word count, this amounts to 807,370 words, although the King James Authorized Bible has 780,137 words. Using a standard font, the average bible has around 1200 pages depending on the version. I scoured the Bible for other facts to no avail. And studies outside the Bible regarding evidence is nearly non existent. However, the evidence that it claims itself to be true apparently is good enough.

Moral Argument; The Answer in a Nutshell

You want to see this absolutely brilliant crop dusting of the Christian argument for morality see this post and read the comments. They spent the next several hours trying to address only selected verbiage and imho without question lost, and resorted to cherry picking points with Branyanistic name calling and Mel moving the topic goal posts. It was masterful ! Here’s the first comment-

“I’ve always found the morality argument for a god to be the absolute weakest for the simple reason that we have hard evidence that this thing we call “morality,” which is really nothing but a formative sense of good (positive) and bad (negative) behaviour, is a product of neurological processing power. The more neurons, the more accute an organisms understanding of it. Countless studies, across numerous species, prove this beyond any rational doubt. It is not a human phenomena, and its anything but complicated- John Zande

Common Sense

The term “common sense” is used frequently, mostly due to the the “lack of it” in other people. The majority of people think they have it and others don’t. While common sense has been studied as far back as Aristotle, and various definitions or applications can be noted, here is my definition. “Common sense is the ability to solve problems by applying a wide variety of experiences or learning to accomplish or complete a new task, or the ability to integrate or adapt by applying prior knowledge from a variety of experience or disciplines.

This being said, most people do get along fine in the world. Each finds their niche and have their own way of doing things. But here’s where the problem lies; In religion and other superstitions the “common sense” passed down from generation to generation stunts human potential. The Common knowledge that is part of the molding of common sense is off the mark and makes rational decision making impossible. I once had an eleven year old foster daughter whose mother was a mentally ill and superstitious religious woman. The girl could not make a rational decision of any kind, and often quoted her mother about various topics. It was a real life waterboy situation. Her baseline was skewed with certified confusion, only not to her. In her mind we were wrong, mom was right.

Raising children in superstition and religion can be an awkward awakening when actually faced with reality, where what you know conflicts with the real world. It can be a psychological mindbend, and for many the only way to swim out is complete reversal and abandonment of the old ways. One foot in and, one foot out is a forever unbalanced act of will.

Here is a pretty good wiki page about the history and concepts of common sense.

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?

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.

Careful Grabbing a Man by the Secrets

“When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:

Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭25:11-12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

So if any of you ladies have a husband in a fight, let him lose. A hand to the privies will cost you yours. Check this 30 second video on the related topic.

This advisory is brought to you by Grabbies. Grabbies is a registered trademark (R) Rated M for mature

Healing Notes

By solely being born to a family of religious tendencies, I oft said things that made the greatest of past bigots roll over and groan. They weren’t my words but fathers. By sheer luck I was born to a fundamental Christian home that prospered according to strict obedience to biblical law as they had the most perfect sense about it. “Every jot and tittle” as they say, was of supreme importance and likely right as father whip would convince even the finest heathens of its truth.

Father partied and played the girls when he was young

Father came to Jesus and his freewill took our freewill away

Now we all obey god or else father whips us with a belt

I can quote scripture I learned as a young child that keeps me close to Jesus

When I am older my children will never see a bible because I don’t think people like being preached or slapped

Mother caught me playing with myself and I am going to hell with all the other filthy people

Jesus died because of me.

When I am older maybe my children will find god on their own. I hope not.

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

Trichoglyphs, Behavioral Traits, and a Russian Fox

Who would think the common hair whorl could spawn such genetic and behavioral implications?Trichoglyphs, or hair whorls in horses and cows and the direction of the whorl can predict certain behaviors such as left and right handedness and temperament. The higher the hair whorl in a horse, the more flighty and unpredictable the horses behavior. Dressage and jumping horses tend to be highly athletic and ambidextrous and double hair whorls are common in the sport. The clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the whorl can also determine handedness in horses, and in K9’s making dog selection for guide and service dogs an important predictor in success. Right eye dominant dogs are less distractible when being led, and choosing the correct dog for such purposes can save time and training costs. “Dogs are both left- and right-handed, he explained, and this has an influence on their selection as guide dogs for the blind because the dogs are trained to work on a person’s left side. He cited a 2012 study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research that showed that success was higher for right-preferent and ambidextrous dogs, and that the presence of a whorl on the dog’s left side of the head and thorax was associated with a right visual bias.

Abnormal and multiple trichoglyphs are common in birth defects in humans. Most notable in correlation with brain function abnormality. Hair follicle develops at the same time and from the same material as brain development in embryos.

Russian Fox Experiment

Dmitri K. Belyaev, a Russian scientist, may be the man most responsible for our understanding of the process by which wolves were domesticated into our canine companions. Article Here

Belyaev domesticated 40 generations of silver fox, retaining only foxes with mild temeperment towards human interaction. Not only did the foxes eventually behave like domestic dogs, but their physical characteristics changed as well. Drooping ears, changes in fur and odors were significant as well as cranial and jaw structures.

“Even Darwin noted, in On the Origin of Species, that “not a single domestic animal can be named which has not, in some country, drooping ears.” Drooping ears is a feature that does not ever occur in the wild, except for in elephants. And domesticated animals possess characteristic changes in behavior compared with their wild brethren, such as a willingness or even an eagerness to hang out with humans. If you don’t think evolution is possible, look at how one simple seemingly harmless invisible trait can virtually change the whole animal in a relatively short time frame.

What about us?

As we began our own “domestication” process 12,500 years ago, what were we like? Who were we? What changes in physical features and thought have happened to us? What caused us to collaborate our superstitions into groups defending and promoting a god? Has “civilizing” turned us superstitious and neurotic, or were we always that way?

Why Does The Word Worship Bother Me so Much?

Images of myself sitting at someone’s feet in continuous homage while they express their love to me as I obey their every desire. Prostrating routinely as they enter my presence so I can give sips of wine and hand feed grapes placing one at a time in the mouth of a superior being while softly singing songs of praise and greatness. Blessed be thy name oh holy god. All the while being very conscious not to mention any of the other gods, for my sweet everlasting is a jealous god and vengeance is looming. Eternal reverence and adoration. How heavenly as we look down at all the suffering fools that didn’t believe while coddling the majesty. Anyone want to join me in worship? 6:00 Tuesday PST. BYOB.

What is it They Want?

“I shall speak forth my sentiments freely, and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The question before the house I consider as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfil the great responsibility which we have. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense?” –Patrick Henry-

How long must we bow to the untestable, ambiguous, immoral, misinterpreted, oft quoted pseudo knowledge of divisive fable of a god that is created to control minds of the superstitious and believed by the gullible masses? How many prayers must be offered into the vacuum of space without a hint of reciprocity before we can open the minds of those masses and reach meaningful human potential?

If sensible people don’t have a sensible discussion, stupid people will have a stupid one.

Believers and Make-Believers – Is there a difference?

Believers in Make-Believe were congratulating themselves after two hours of debating and attempted grandeur. Is it possible to “win” a debate when all if your evidence is complete horse shit and smug showmanship? I read where John Lennox “wiped the floor ” with Dawkins. With what? Make-believe? The pluralistic ignorance of religion is strong. has some sweet history of success in other arenasNorth Korea is the current leader several Muslim countries all tied for 2nd place. Keep moving and agree. It’s safe there. But nowhere on earth can beat the USA in pluralistic ignorance about biblical histories that have been debunked years ago. Accepting fraudulence is a way of life for make-believers. Remember the story that broke about gold plated chariot wheels found in the Red Sea. “What they found strewn across the bottom of the reed sea has shaken the religious and scientific community,” says Rood. “Cameras mounted on remote-controlled submarines revealed coral-encrusted chariot parts, horse and human remains strewn like battlefield wreckage on the bottom of the reed sea.” Years later they are still working the story which was fake news. Snopes. But there are new stories still on the web pushing this. Is it only here you can “be all that you can be” by hanging on to the disproved and claim a cover up is hiding the truth. Only in Christianity can you quote gospel commandments as gods law given to a prophet that didn’t exist. If you’re wondering “am I the only one?” No. You’re not!

The Gospel Behind Apparitions

TCA News Podcast Script 1a

2-2-2018

Apparitions caused quite a stir in out last segment, so let’s follow up with some explanations. Our first caller stated “The only reason I converted to Christianity in my teens was because I saw the face of Jesus in a tortilla”.

I wasn’t sure if the caller was being sarcastic or not, so we’ll address this on a serious note. “Your welcome. Was it a corn tortilla or flour? Tortilla de maíz or “corn tortilla” would signify Christ as a Latin American figure, while flour has a broader range of ethnicities and we could justify a white Jesus using that logic. Was the tortilla already cooked? Post resurrection apparitions are demonstrably more prevalent in cooked tortillas, whereas uncooked could have a range of 33 years to work with and could be a juvenile apparition ranging up to the bearded version we see the most. I’m happy you had such a spiritual encounter.It is remarkably as justifiable as any other I’ve heard”.

Other factors come into play here, but as the caller took the answer off the line, I’ll have to assume a few follow up questions here. Was the tortilla an authentic variety or store bought? Store bought tortillas are uncommon for verifiable apparitions second to a strict assembly line structure. Authentic hand-made are more common as the transfers of belief systems can spiritually influence the potential outcomes. For the atheist homes, use a hot iron type press to maintain apparition free tortillas.

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!

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!

Panama Apocalypse

It happened again. A 5.7 quake in Los Santos Province of Panama near my home there. The world is ending and god is coming to wipe out the sinners and wrap the believers in his arms for eternal hugs and stuff like that. My evangelical neighbors down there are hoping to be alive to see it all play out. And they hope its soon and they will be lifted up in rapture to god while massive bloodshed and revenge and vengeance for all those wicked homosexuals and atheists unfolds. Not sure why they want to be around to see all the carnage other than the mind of a blood-cult, pious, holier-than-thou baptist saint shouting out SEE, SEE. We told you so!

I think if god existed he would judge Christians for the way they treat gays and unbelievers and other faiths. One of their core tenets is that in the end god is coming to destroy all of us. They pray for it. They welcome it. It’s in the doctrine. Meanwhile nothing gets solved while they sit and wait behind a line of piety drawn in the sand of self righteous racism and bigotry. They fight every social advancement and scientific progression. That’s who they are. That’s why I write!

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

Howler Monkeys

I took these shots from five feet away with a banana in one hand. Normally very difficult getting a dark body against the sky. These were just above eye level. 

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!

Desperation

raging ragged desperation keep the charade alive, stoke it fan it stay in overdrive, never sleep oft repeat the same words that you heard, soon you must prove but your proof is absurd, and waning thoughts need fresh blood to pump energy to the veins of the craft, when all else fails turn out gullible youth to prove your tales-the best remedy not always true and tried, but new with lies that have felt the heat of a perfectly staged revival without real knowledge can keep the flame alive.

Sell it by zealot!

Personality of a True Believer

True believers as defined by Eric Hoffer have personality types that need something or someone to latch onto. About 35% or more of the population craves someone else make decisions and rules for them to live by. We spot religion 35 points before tipoff! Here below is a telling statement about religion, and this quote is not even about religion, but personality types.

“True believers are not intent on bolstering and advancing a cherished self, but are those craving to be rid of an unwanted self. They are followers, not because of a desire for self-advancement, but because it can satisfy their passion for self-true believers “are eternally incomplete and eternally insecure.”(1) Well if that doesn’t just about nail it.

He continues with this-

Before ending this section, I want to talk about the people who are most susceptible to conversion and joining mass movements. I am convinced that at least a third of the population are what Eric Hoffer calls true believers. They are joiners and followers … people who want to give away their power. They look for answers, meaning and enlightenment outside themselves.

This personality type will always be with us. They look for some sort of spiritual leader, whether it’s religion, multilevel marketing groups, or the Jidda. Some place they can shed their burdens or gain acceptance in a group. Even a mythical one.

“In my years of conducting seminar trainings, I have constantly run into true believers. All I can do is advise them to seek the True Self within, where meaningful personal answers will be found. I teach that the basics of spirituality are self-responsibility and the attainment of self-actualization (being compassionate, while also accepting others without judgment, expectations, blame or attempting to control.) But most of the true believers just tell me that I’m not spiritual and go looking for someone who will give them the dogma and structure they desire”.

So maybe Atheism should be a belief system. Do we need a mantra and some chants and promised salvation to tap into this untapped resource? Nah.

Believers sq + need x acceptance is congruent to Religion. I love math!

Benevolent Force

Forged pointed lessons-

Insecurely forced love weighs-

Heavy on young minds-

Haiku Under Control

Tight Confined boxes-

When lighted seen as darkness-

Embracing bondage-

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