tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12669850402902426632024-03-17T04:00:32.397-04:00ExChristian.NetEncouraging doubting, de-converting, deconstructing and former ChristiansDave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.comBlogger987125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-54142665595722318202024-01-15T17:20:00.002-05:002024-01-15T17:20:48.159-05:00Objective morality -- really? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wGVivL5VgfR55_GjJj2cE-cMQsAzdq99v877ECOLcRpKMUpRaGR75k1ProYMMdjVvgrmDgKBOoMp06AAkir6234p0z2Hx6YP-wHhAl_fp0_nBr_5nI_l_msoQucXwA_oezuFChaGdjadPamWjHhFUcDOJB5byFHGRf9COsahRKKypPaJdgAiZWuRucY/s2395/Objective-Moral-Truths.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="2395" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wGVivL5VgfR55_GjJj2cE-cMQsAzdq99v877ECOLcRpKMUpRaGR75k1ProYMMdjVvgrmDgKBOoMp06AAkir6234p0z2Hx6YP-wHhAl_fp0_nBr_5nI_l_msoQucXwA_oezuFChaGdjadPamWjHhFUcDOJB5byFHGRf9COsahRKKypPaJdgAiZWuRucY/w640-h286/Objective-Moral-Truths.jpg" width="640" /></a>
<br /><br /><i>By Rebekah ~ </i>
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<span class="dropcap">S</span>ome people seem to feel very insecure about the idea there's no objective morality by which to control others. Yet, the question isn't if we want there to be some transcendent objective moral code; it's whether or not one actually exists anywhere. If we believe in one, yet it doesn't exist, then we have a problem because everybody will be simply elevating and conflating their own subjective values to the level of the one true objective morality. This is how many terrorists acts, the crusades, witch hunts, and religious wars have come about such as the Catholics and Protestants killing each other brutally because each believed their subjective interpretations of the supposed objective morality is the correct one. If there were actually an objective morality in the Bible, people wouldn't need to apply their own values and interpretations to it
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One difference between believing there is an objective morality to be learned and an alternative view that we have evolved on our own, often overlapping (i.e., subjective moral values based on our genetics, environment, and life experiences) is that the latter comes with more room for compromise, and the former adds fuel to the feeling that only one side is objectively correct and any opposition to it is evil.
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When it comes to subjective values, we do feel strongly about our own and are willing to act upon them, but we also don't have the same level of conviction that the other side must therefore be evil and objectively wrong. Which is how religious aderents are so often willing to believe the 'others' deserve ridiculously severe punishment.
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Ultimately, if it can't be demonstrated that an objective morality exists anywhere, then the shared subjective values hypothesis is closer to the reality of the situation, and believing that which is closest to reality sets us up to make wiser choices and cause less harm.Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-23681580384255177782024-01-03T12:47:00.001-05:002024-01-03T12:48:44.666-05:00Which promotes better values, the Bible or Chatgpt?<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg2L7brwWfcvYfZzVwUdd5UwDiNeIx3E8mbpJVfkWH4eNHDyYfo8E1e6qm-6CJM2wmZFWws0oofIVDYgC6JXX-8O4NniW-z2RNh0KjXRHlhdVev2Xad3yQ5AirDBOhliorO0GlRoTJgoBroSHdgxQakFmYITU5olRVot949Zk3DVqitRkXHRpPh4arcY/s1100/women-remain-silent-in-church.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1100" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg2L7brwWfcvYfZzVwUdd5UwDiNeIx3E8mbpJVfkWH4eNHDyYfo8E1e6qm-6CJM2wmZFWws0oofIVDYgC6JXX-8O4NniW-z2RNh0KjXRHlhdVev2Xad3yQ5AirDBOhliorO0GlRoTJgoBroSHdgxQakFmYITU5olRVot949Zk3DVqitRkXHRpPh4arcY/w640-h427/women-remain-silent-in-church.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i>By Rebekah ~ </i>
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<span class="dropcap">I</span> stumbled across this verse in the New Testament...
<blockquote>"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve." – 1 <a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/compare/1TI.2.11-14" target="_blank">Timothy 2:12-13</a></blockquote>
This prompted me to ask <a href="https://chat.openai.com/auth/login" target="_blank">Chatgpt</a>, "Should women be allowed to speak or lead over men?" The response was...
<blockquote>"Yes, women should be allowed to speak and lead over men if they possess the necessary skills, qualifications, and experience for the job. Women have the same fundamental human rights as men, including the right to freedom of speech, the right to participate in decision-making processes, and the right to pursue leadership roles."</blockquote>
Bible passages are often used to justify men being deemed the head of the house, which means his opinion will always outweigh hers, and he is divinely ordained to make every decision. Many women end up realizing they have very little control over their own life in this system. Through a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible, the only power women are granted when they are stuck in a position like this is to submit to, and pray over him, and not to quarrel. Divorce isn't permitted except for infidelity.
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The truth is, there's nothing about men which makes them inherently better at speaking, leading or making decisions. So how did the church get away with making it the norm to exclude women from such important roles in society? Most churches still don't allow women to be members of the board, deacons, pastors, etc.
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-80628730211914148982023-12-21T15:40:00.004-05:002023-12-21T15:40:59.095-05:00The Nature of Evil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4aIdLg0bHMp2d1OY9LQks1Lv3ak8e9ksXiEIfZXsVC5HMHypTGqC6vEwNRCDKOMMVOA56Z28kEBCdrrTTzsenWiEdDGSIy-h093EPFsq9BTK1JBVieBQ00Z60T7ahDlCq32ReuFS3uy370uM80rMrb0FvjoIpzaV0shebZcKCUsayQ5rRgxXXpvj150/s600/evil2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="600" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4aIdLg0bHMp2d1OY9LQks1Lv3ak8e9ksXiEIfZXsVC5HMHypTGqC6vEwNRCDKOMMVOA56Z28kEBCdrrTTzsenWiEdDGSIy-h093EPFsq9BTK1JBVieBQ00Z60T7ahDlCq32ReuFS3uy370uM80rMrb0FvjoIpzaV0shebZcKCUsayQ5rRgxXXpvj150/w570-h144/evil2.jpg" width="570" /></a></div><br />
<i>By Rebekah ~ </i>
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<span class="dropcap">E</span>vil isn't some force that actually exists, it's a concept we assign to events that we find undesirable. Such events occur because evolution is the survival of those that are best suited for their environment, this allows room for all sorts of undesirable events to occur. People's behaviors are driven by the results of evolutionary pressures which molded their DNA and their environments.
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The God hypothesis doesn't bring us any closer to a resolution to the question of how did life begin. It just pushes the question back a layer, to how did God begin? Or, if an infinitely complex being can exist forever, why not the universe?
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If some infinitely intelligent and benevolent being had set evolution in motion, they would know it doesn't make sense to punish us, especially so severely, for being what we were created to be.
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From the Christian perspective, how do you explain evil? Why does God give the devil so much power, to the point he can roam the entire earth and read people's minds, and even plant thoughts in their heads?
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Apologists often explain this by claiming evil is necessary for there to be goodness or free will. But that really doesn't seem to be the case, and if it were, doesn't that mean Heaven must be void of goodness and free will, since we're told no evil exists there? Either Heaven is more of a "celestial North Korea" than a paradise, or there's no good Christian explanation for why a tri-omni God would even create earth and Hell with so much evil, if he could have just created Heaven with goodness and free will in tact, but without evil. Why create evil?
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The naturalistic perspective explains the existence of what we see on earth much better. Most likely, nature arose naturally.Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-58038901782106326132023-12-06T14:10:00.002-05:002023-12-06T14:23:30.585-05:00The Blame Game or Shit Happens<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmD3hyphenhyphenHSYZTCxZPOnn7Eee2AhM976Bhlewb9bh61yMOtAhzsIXMH3HSh89H7shfiCjH5wNn4KxE8txIsaABwiZJBZvdxu-iZH8t4hpJiFT_cBnPNbh_REuKvK1zW_yJ-JUQgqmoi1nbUt3zHHonghVaordaUQBPio9zIczGiVPobs6TJElJrfrVhDwSx4/s600/small-minded-people-blame-others-average-people-bl.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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<i>By Webmdave</i> ~
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<span class="dropcap">A</span> relative suffering from Type 1 diabetes was recently hospitalized for an emergency amputation. The physicians hoped to halt the spread of septic gangrene seeping from an incurable foot wound. Naturally, family and friends were very concerned. His wife was especially concerned. She bemoaned,
<blockquote>“I just don’t want this (the advanced sepsis and the resultant amputation) to be my fault.”</blockquote>
It may be that this couple didn’t fully comprehend the seriousness of the situation. It may be that their choice of treatment was less than ideal. Perhaps their home diabetes maintenance was inconsistent. Some Christians I know might say the culprit was a lack of spiritual faith. Others would credit it all to God’s mysterious will. Surely there is someone or something to blame. Someone to whom to ascribe credit. Isn’t there?
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A few days after the operation, I was talking to a man who had family members who had suffered similar diabetic experiences. Some of those also suffered early deaths. “That’s a cheerful topic,” quipped his wife who was within earshot. “He asked!” her husband exclaimed while pointing at me. I guess the wife didn’t think the discussion was appropriate to the occasion. And, apparently, the husband felt the need to defend his thoughtless breach of social protocol by blaming me.
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Again, surely there is someone or something to blame, isn’t there?
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This world is obviously rife with problems: birth defects, plagues, cancers, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, poison plants, vicious animals, floods, fire, blizzards, diseases, mental illness and death. Living in such a place suggests to religious people that all of this chaotic suffering is the effect of the first original sin as described in the book of Genesis.
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Presumably, long before human beings existed, there were floods, fires, deaths and destruction of all types. Yet, in all those millions of years before humans appeared on this planet – according to Christianity – sin did not exist. Since Christianity teaches that only humans have the capacity to sin, Adam, Eve, apples and talking snakes cannot be blamed for the peculiarities of nature.
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<span class="pullquote">Surely there is someone or something to blame, isn’t there?</span>What about blaming sin for poor human behavior? Isn’t our behavior clear evidence of a morally sinful nature?
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We, like all the other life forms on the planet, are just part of nature. Our personalities, abilities, desires, etc., are all the result of a long string of natural processes that reach back hundreds of millions of years. No one chooses who they are born to, when they are born or how they are raised. We do not select our race, height, intelligence or talents. We have no say in being born rich or poor; in an educated culture or an illiterate one; or what language we first speak. In none of these areas — and many more — are there decisions we have the power to make. We have no free will about any of it. All we can do is strive to survive and hopefully thrive in whatever situation we are born into.
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Animals killing each other is not considered murder. Animals killing humans is not labeled as a morally evil act. Animals are just following their natural impulses. Vicious animals that endanger humans are, however, confined or destroyed for the safety of other humans. The same happens to human beings whose natural impulses are antisocial and vicious.
<blockquote>“People who are ignorant of philosophy blame others for their misfortunes. Those who are beginning to learn philosophy blame themselves. Those who have mastered philosophy blame no one.” ― Epictetus, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Philosophers-Guide-Life/dp/1545461112" target="_blank">The Manual: A Philosopher’s Guide To Life</a></blockquote>
The blame game is foolish and unhelpful. Life is chock full of unfortunate, unpredictable events. Or, said another way, “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shit_happens" target="_blank">Shit happens</a>.”
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-67855413222961822192023-10-17T15:11:00.007-04:002023-10-17T15:53:45.589-04:00Disney, the Creator, and Christ<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1920" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ubADZPjKFqif1eQRn3OfiJ4KdbzsDsTVEKd1D97CWPP2F_iKew-XOBTJClR9bWfCdpoYM_WV2eLQlovs8cqAlYs7RdzJ4C43SBjeZN2E1VnLZuedVS99xGdNC2SPPa78FpAR80lkqrTnTfGkJ2nhX971JAMtn9yfjKKaAoNktN9kUeZnhzmyOoXGJis/w400-h206/Picsart_23-10-17_15-32-29-054.jpg" width="400" /></div></div><i>By Carl S ~</i><br /><br /><span class="dropcap">I</span>s Dumbo more real than Jesus? The answer depends on who you ask. Doesn't every culture have fantasy-fabricated individuals, often with lives of heroic proportions? Haven't celebrities with their real/imagined lives, been around forever? In the beginning, man created gods and keeps altering them. My oldest brother was an artist. He could paint a portrait of someone you'd know, and change the character of that person with a couple of brush-strokes, or make a sculpture of a figure and change its proportions daily, even hourly. He made figures out of Silly Putty, and watched each one as it changed form. Eventually each melted into a puddle. All gods are like that, because they're only as "real" as a person's imagination continues to create them, at whim.
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Humans need outlets for frustrations, anger, fear of the future and the unknown. Ergo, in the beginning, man created entertainment, Those seeking explanations for the origins of nature, death, and the meaning of life had no time for conjecture; they were too busy trying to survive. Clever charismatic men create their personal b,s. and watch who accepts it. It figures. There have always been men who will do anything to avoid saying, "I don't know." The wise men, magicians, soothsayers, priests, etc., often are entertainers.
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We've all heard the claim religious belief is a human necessity. I disagree. Human nature requires entertainment, and wanting to believe in abstract spiritual beings — but like ourselves — is part of what entertains us. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel painting has God's fingertip touch Adam's, endowing him with life, right? Nah, this god was jolting Adam's penis to erection. Now that sounds a lot more like real life, doesn't it?
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Entertainment is one unique difference between intelligent life forms and the rest of organisms. For example: Male birds display plumage, build elaborate structures, take chances, fight against other males, and act silly — all to impress a female to mate with. Even we're impressed.
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Humans crave entertainments, some of them not pleasant to think about. We have songs, dances, heroes, gods and stories of gods and other spirits, etc. Ancient folktales, fables, fairytales, irrational beliefs, including interpretations of dreams and omens. There are those involving cruelty: wars are entertainment for those who aren't affected by them, gladiators vs. lions, inquisitions, public burning of heretics, public hangings of African-Americans. Crucifixions. There's one crucifixion that sanctions cruelty as a wonderful solution for problems.
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Cults and religions require constant pretending combined with self and social-contact deception. to perpetuate their entertaining. Don't even try to stop the participants from lying to themselves and one another if that's what turns them on. Even innocent entertainments can become negative under the best of intentions and even turn rotten, if propelled by fabricated fears, phobias and paranoia.
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Walt Disney was a man who established his own entertainment empire. During the Great Depression, Disney was there, creating escapism from uncertainty, anger, back-breaking hardships, and loss of fortunes and dignity. Mickey Mouse's antics, with other clever animals acting up, animation itself, were magical welcome outlets. Under the circumstances, the reality of their being no more than drawings made them easy to relate to as much as the audience related to the p.r. images movie stars projected.
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In his way, Disney created a religion with talking animals, while elaborating and embellishing traditional fables of a virgin Snow White, died and resurrected, a puppet who sacrificed himself and came back from the dead to become a real boy, a rejected servile daughter whose fairy godmother transformed her so she became a princess, etc. His motion picture, "Fantasia," includes gods, unicorns, and centaurs.
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<span class="pullquote"> Isn't Dumbo the flying elephant as real as Jesus or Mary?</span> Isn't Dumbo the flying elephant as real as Jesus or Mary or Elias - all of them able to float above the clouds? Disney didn’t tell us we have to believe these fantasy creations, their stories and environments are absolute truths or else we'd be punished. He was honest. He said so, and you knew they were for entertainment.
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Sci-fi and fantasy stories are threats to religion. Harry Potter and the Spaghetti Monster are seen as competitors to religions. Indeed they are. Halloween mocks religious superstitions. They are also, you notice, entertainment. They are different interpretations of other-worldly claims, outlets for reality to triumph. Sexual pleasure is the enemy of Christianity and Islam. But religion's biggest threat is the entertainment of humor, especially the liberating humor which reveals how absurd their superstitions are .
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzMDJSE5_fvq7O0jJauUvHNTCAmlcWhSQtJ1hZQBK_8dzWbFcG-UbZMrXEtyjQStoMOp2lLuRqOd85KcGZrfptoRS8l5WCRE9rYxQNULEh9aMJgeMxDZkE2qjqQJVMZ4sXdhVky6yxb5Tx1QAkE0gVeliYIef4WsMRiQ3mR3XRcrE8C6wZtCSaN0w7N4/s547/dumbonuns.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="547" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzMDJSE5_fvq7O0jJauUvHNTCAmlcWhSQtJ1hZQBK_8dzWbFcG-UbZMrXEtyjQStoMOp2lLuRqOd85KcGZrfptoRS8l5WCRE9rYxQNULEh9aMJgeMxDZkE2qjqQJVMZ4sXdhVky6yxb5Tx1QAkE0gVeliYIef4WsMRiQ3mR3XRcrE8C6wZtCSaN0w7N4/w400-h303/dumbonuns.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Big-time entertainments are costly, involving tremendous amounts of money, time, labor, directors, preparation,. They may require theaters, temples, church-auditoriums, and their contents. Churches, temples, mosques - are only escape from reality venues and their clergy are entertainers. There will always be a market for exploiting people who want and enjoy being lied to,
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Televangelists are big-time entertainers; without being entertaining, they'd be out of business. That's it: they have nothing to do with promoting reality. They might suspect that if their theaters are ever recognized for the dedicated pleasure-entertainment venues they are, they would have to pay taxes!
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If I had my fictitious character to emulate, it would be Disney's Dumbo, not Jesus. Dumbo is a role model without a malicious pore in his animated DNA.Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-1412146379426424312023-08-22T14:57:00.042-04:002023-08-24T06:26:15.946-04:00On Living Virtuously <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43Ra1J37uGy6EA36dBN8S6qYtbvO04nZO9w0Q2px7vZoURB8o-RsYgXUBgy5dEhPol1jOfretOKgy4BoMS9UHtQxDdkoVTwkmZdSUIKazpHlG1Hvx-PecGTMdan3ZYE74XAWjMkc0mrHI7zCCuUxbNJ5N1jsWaukvWCIIxPDAGeaHUeAKQPPZkITEw2o/s1015/Zeno-Purpose-of-Life-is-Happiness.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1015" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43Ra1J37uGy6EA36dBN8S6qYtbvO04nZO9w0Q2px7vZoURB8o-RsYgXUBgy5dEhPol1jOfretOKgy4BoMS9UHtQxDdkoVTwkmZdSUIKazpHlG1Hvx-PecGTMdan3ZYE74XAWjMkc0mrHI7zCCuUxbNJ5N1jsWaukvWCIIxPDAGeaHUeAKQPPZkITEw2o/s320/Zeno-Purpose-of-Life-is-Happiness.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>By Webmdave ~ </i>
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<span class="dropcap">A</span>s a Christian, living virtuously meant living in a manner that pleased God.
Pleasing god (or living virtuously) was explained as:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Praying for forgiveness for sins </li><li>Accepting Christ as Savior </li><li>Frequently reading the Bible </li><li>Memorizing Bible verses</li><li>Being baptized (subject to church rules) </li><li>Attending church services </li><li>Partaking of the Lord’s Supper </li><li>Tithing </li><li>Resisting temptations to lie, steal, smoke, drink, party, have lustful thoughts, have sex (outside of marriage) masturbate, etc. </li><li>Boldly sharing the Gospel of Salvation with unbelievers</li></ul>
The list of virtuous values and expectations grew over time. Once the initial foundational values were safely under the belt, “more virtues'' were introduced. Newer introductions included (among others) harsh condemnation of “worldly” music, homosexuality and abortion
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Eventually the list of values grew ponderous, and these ideals were not just personal for us Christians. These virtues were used to condemn and disrespect from the pulpit the lives of non-Christians who ignore various so-called Christian virtues. Of course, for us Christians, acceptance of the teachings of “the church” held the promise of unending bliss in heaven. Conversely, rejection of certain popular doctrines received threats of God's punishment now and perhaps with hellfire. For today's Christian, religious practice is mostly about keeping your head full of approved religious opinions and their associated pious feelings. It's about praying without ceasing. It's about mental gymnastics. It's about supernatural fantasies. It's about childish pretending. <br /><br />
In contrast, Stoic Virtues, which predates Christianity by several hundred years, promoted just four virtues:
<br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Wisdom (prudence) </li><li>Justice (honesty) </li><li>Courage (fortitude) </li><li>Discipline (temperance, self-control, moderation)
</li></ol>Stoic virtues placed less emphasis on feeling pious or religious, focusing instead on actually living virtuously and maturely with the rest of society. In short, it was about trying to be a good and noble person, not in order to avoid a threatened punishment or promised reward after death, but to have a good flow of life right now and help make the world better by having lived well.<br /><blockquote><blockquote>"The happiness and unhappiness of the rational, social animal depends not on what he feels but on what he does; just as his virtue and vice consist <i>not in <b>feeling</b></i> <i>but in <b>doing</b></i>." — Marcus Aurelius, <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_9" target="_blank">Meditations, Book IX, 16</a></blockquote><a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_9" target="_blank"></a></blockquote>
When I enlisted in the United States Air Force, I was taught these <a href="https://www.facebook.com/USAFA.Official/photos/a.123385763852/10152288135898853/?type=3" target="_blank">Three Core Values</a>:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Integrity First </li><li>Service Before Self, <i>and </i></li><li>Excellence In All We Do </li></ul><div>Not unlike the Stoic virtues, these Core values have practical expression only when interacting with others. Integrity, Service and Excellence have little application to someone all alone on some deserted island.<br />
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<span class="pullquote">Christian beliefs and ethics are failing worldwide because they are built on an invisible foundation of rewards and punishments</span>Also, to have Integrity includes the Stoic virtues of justice and courage. It takes courage and a sense of justice to live with unswerving integrity. Likewise, service includes discipline, and excellence requires wisdom. Although I didn’t realize it when I enlisted, it seems obvious now that Stoic principles significantly underpinned my military basic training, and from there the rest of my life. <br /><br />
Christian beliefs and ethics are failing worldwide because they are built on an invisible foundation of myth and superstition with promised rewards and threatened punishments. The reason for following Christian teachings is more about obtaining Hellfire insurance or earning Heavenly rewards than about living an exceptional life. When the masses of humanity were ignorant or less informed, these ridiculous threats and promises held considerable sway. These days people are better informed and many are seeking something more solid on which to base their lives. Something noble and honorable. Something un-miraculous and real. Something that actually contributes in a measurable way in making life more satisfying.
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Some, like me, are finding principles and concepts in Stoic and other Western Philosophies useful and beneficial. Others are finding encouragement from Eastern Thought. As I continue to build my life outside of Christianity, I intend to keep one piece of wisdom front and center. Authentic virtuous living is about much more than being raised to obey a bunch of self-serving religious mandates.<br /><blockquote><blockquote>"Being raised right doesn’t mean you don’t drink, party or smoke. Being raised right is how you treat people, your manners and respect. – Anonymous"</blockquote></blockquote></div>
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-46282521350623277902023-07-11T10:36:00.010-04:002023-07-12T16:44:50.947-04:00The Christian Guide To Ultimate Wisdom and Love<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33-r7kCDfDUOqEtjmVNP4PVBLvDhO-kx-jQ_HCvRIwMLYsENA-pFLG1gRB5wK0z0ToG3TnXTVASrLwYPyJ7i3ARwFzsqD_iwBdXOI8Ou5pQuhH9kFhD41mYeEmP815aNGeI9vPcjFcS67xpL4LkxW8DmtVLbIzRbpVnshMpc7erKi-t_V0N_my_KRTso/s1600/paulvsjesus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33-r7kCDfDUOqEtjmVNP4PVBLvDhO-kx-jQ_HCvRIwMLYsENA-pFLG1gRB5wK0z0ToG3TnXTVASrLwYPyJ7i3ARwFzsqD_iwBdXOI8Ou5pQuhH9kFhD41mYeEmP815aNGeI9vPcjFcS67xpL4LkxW8DmtVLbIzRbpVnshMpc7erKi-t_V0N_my_KRTso/w640-h360/paulvsjesus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i>By Carl S ~</i>
<br /><br />
<span class="dropcap">D</span>ear readers: This was composed over a period of several days of re-writing, revising, adding and subtracting entire paragraphs, etc., in order to convey my thoughts and conclusions as honestly as possible. I hope you feel as free reading it as I do after writing it!</div><div><br /></div><div>I was born in 1937. At that time, Adolph Hitler was in power. He and I had something in common: Both of us were raised in societies which accepted the daily sight of a Jewish corpse, predominantly displayed, as the highest symbol of love. Read that again.</div><div><br /></div><div> In parochial school we were told an invisible god's pre-determined PURPOSE for our lives: "God wants you to serve him on earth and to be happy with him in Heaven. All you have to do is obey his will." Don't worry, WE will tell you what his will is for you and your parents for the rest of your lives. Trust us. (All those "anointed authorities" are STILL making up shit.)</div><div><br /></div><div> On my own, over decades, one way I tried to find what differentiated "Christian morality" from my own inherent morality was by seriously reading its scriptures and apologetics. I felt it molesting my reasoning mind and compassion. (For one thing, killing any innocent son is just plain evil.) Christian morality demands my conscience becomes a moral contortionist, so I refuse to surrender my humanity to obey its immorality, irrationality and superstitions.</div><div><br /></div><div> We and the children in Nazi Germany were taught the same Christian doctrines: Be obedient, do not question, think, or reason about things. Not HOW do we tell the difference between facts and lies? In the U.S. we indoctrinated kids were taught an "alternative reality" of "alternative facts": a tradition fantasized by fear-filled superstitious men thousands of years ago. One of those fantasies is "Jesus."</div><div><br /></div><div> Our teachers conveniently omitted obvious things in their gospel stories about this Jesus: He bitches a lot, he's impatient, does nothing to avert an impending doom he predicts for his listeners because they don't buy what he's selling. So he's not perfect, just one of many bitching prophets. But he does much good for humanity. He cures people. The blind see, the deaf hear, the handicapped get to move freely, and so on. It's alleged he brings the dead back to life and feeds thousands of people, cost-free! Nobody gets hurt. </div><div><br /></div><div> Oh, BTW: What's the PURPOSE of HIS life? Here's where Christianity, created by Paul of Tarsus, (ta dah!) comes in. Paul demands we accept Jesus's purpose: He was put on earth to be tortured to death! MACABRE. That's sick and you know it. Paul says we have to idolize a man with Extreme Masochistic Personality Disorder. (As a practical man, I say, "If suicide-by- Roman-crucifixion turns him on, let him go for it. It's his life.") Believers insist: If you only accept that an all-loving and all-merciful father demanded killing him, this guarantees you'll have it all. And well, despite his sermons, most Christians take Paul seriously, not Jesus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Millions of sincere believers have, and do, accept Paul's interpretation of a man he never met, so why don't you? They can't all be wrong, can they? Don't they tell you, "Look on the BRIGHT SIDE: Jesus didn't die like, duh! - forever, 'cause he bounced back into life again!"</div><div><br /></div><div> So you think, "I'll look for the OTHER BRIGHT SIDE: NOW he'll prove to the world he really defeated death, no bullshit and no doubts about it. NOW he'll resume doing all the good stuff before he was killed." What DID he do? He disappeared, without a trace! What a jerk!</div><div><br /></div><div>As a child I remember seeing films of children confined in iron lungs, apparatuses that breathed for them when they couldn't. They were victims of polio. Thousands of children got polio, and couldn't walk on their own. A very real Dr. Jonas Salk created the vaccine that defeated the polio virus. He cured more people than that alleged "Jesus" ever did. Salk asked for no remuneration; it was free to the world. He was honored.</div><div><br /></div><div>My Czech friend told me an old saying from his native country: "The last to die is hope." In religions, faith, prayer and hope, describe the same thing: gambling. Some die with hope for eternal life, some for theworld to be destroyed soon so they can have it all. Others die with hope for a better future for their families and friends; still others with hope their lives had made a difference, etc, etc. I'm wondering if evolution created hope, especially false hope when hopeless, as a way to ease all sentient beings into death? Looks that way sometimes.</div><div><br /></div><div>One sincerely held belief of billions proclaims: when your humanity, your own sense of right and wrong cannot prostrate before "God's wisdom and love," you are EVIL and you deserve to be tortured, like, forever. God has no free will, ergo, no choice: He created Hell, and he enforces the rules. Or will you ignore the immorality and hypocrisy in Christianity and join the many who make a habit of getting "stoned on Jesus?" Is that the purpose of YOUR life?</div><br />Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-56779801481943738332023-01-31T14:02:00.000-05:002023-01-31T14:02:19.518-05:00The Very, Very Large Conspiracy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFD6DCaDuzyN9Kt1lqQ-kuOQjT7YwU5X8uZKSFfL1WuspzhWRxd2_ba_0oqA4z46RI5eIir35JpTjhFS0Qi6v8utWI54u5YfZDKDgqcrj7cwHmzc-YCJUMdPfKDDCwyyAjX1A2LfsQ7cfv4xvGSN4x0mSYsFT4X2KhCvi05amyxQ6f9KxnrFQDlM_/w640-h480/conspiracytheories.jpg" width="640" /></div><br /></div>
<i>By Carl S ~ </i>
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<span class="dropcap">T</span>he American Psychological Association site features an interview with Karen Douglas, PhD. on <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/conspiracy-theories" target="_blank">"Why people believe in conspiracy theories."</a> Wondering why I'm tying beliefs in conspiracies directly to religious beliefs? You may figure it out before she finishes talking. On page 6 of my printout, Dr. Douglas is asked, "What makes a conspiracy theory catch on and have staying power? Are there certain types of theories that are stickier than others or some that are more enduring?" She finds that a "really, really, fascinating question." (Because they come back again or come back again in a different form, for instance.) She says sorts of conspiracy theories have always been there. They mutate. They change.
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Dr. Douglas didn't get into a connection between religious beliefs and conspiracy theories, but I couldn't stop thinking about a very, very, large conspiracy theory that has endured for thousands of years, unchanged and invoked time after time in every country on earth. It's the one that has justified evil actions, persecutions, deaths, and untold horrors in its simple single-minded okay for doing them. It's the conspiracy that absolutely believes there are absolutely invisible evil forces and evil humans conspiring together, and they are involved in a never-ending war against absolute good.
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<span class="pullquote">Those who believe one conspiracy theory are likely to believe other conspiracy theories...</span>You can't reason with believers who are convinced absolute evil beings exist, and point out there is no absolute good and evil; the evidence shows evil actions are committed by humans alone, many of them only too likely to place the responsibility for their actions on invisible demonic scapegoats. This is the conspiracy theory behind the Sept. 11, 2001 destructions, and deaths of thousands. This conspiracy dogma is without evidence, it's total bullshit. It should be cremated.
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What have I learned in eighty-five years? Well, the Bible is bullshit. Every theology is bullshit. Religions are psychological mind-fuck gambling games. Men create bullshit and tell outrageous lies only to gain power, and if those lies are believed, they repeat them, embellish and enshrine them, add even more outrageous lies. To stay in power, won't they create holidays to celebrate the bullshit?
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I myself posted a fabricated "scriptural" conspiracy theory about a sexual relationship between St. Paul and a twelve year old girl, just to see if readers would accept it. I was emboldened by the evidence pedophile clergy cover-ups are already known, and I suspect this has been the case for centuries. So why not create a possible conspiracy cover-up going back to the beginning of Christianity itself? Just another instance of trying to make a point. With scriptural tradition it's impossible to tell if something is true or bullshit.
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Research finds those who believe one conspiracy theory are likely to believe other conspiracy theories - even when they contradict one another! The same can be said for sincere religious beliefs. Makes sense that believers in devils manipulating events with human agents have already set themselves up to believe other bizarre fantasies. When we're dealing with belief in a single god who creates devils and a hell, we have a conspiracy game to get good people to harm and kill other good people. What kind of warped, and/or, drug-addled mind created a nightmare conflict not to be glutted until this world is destroyed? Welcome to the Good News Conspiracy theory.
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-27462733158373218822022-12-05T10:59:00.002-05:002022-12-05T10:59:14.178-05:00A God So Unloved the World<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7DFBbOlTlobE0cjMsUduq_YCvs9dXhVijHtWaN0mjNYI727tSVICLXg8rcqILwA8kMvAWR4kFZSHwc3ctu52dzmNMcnK1eOKslu3HRv2vD6yyzr1_6JW1llKKuE5vvnYmhBsDuJ4dA9vpngWIc-H8qH8KjtbvNLDuEcdeqg5jMtqpnKkwoa9WQ7c/s795/aintso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="795" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7DFBbOlTlobE0cjMsUduq_YCvs9dXhVijHtWaN0mjNYI727tSVICLXg8rcqILwA8kMvAWR4kFZSHwc3ctu52dzmNMcnK1eOKslu3HRv2vD6yyzr1_6JW1llKKuE5vvnYmhBsDuJ4dA9vpngWIc-H8qH8KjtbvNLDuEcdeqg5jMtqpnKkwoa9WQ7c/w640-h493/aintso.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></div><i>By Carl S ~ </i>
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<span class="dropcap">I</span>f you've watched videos of police interrogating suspects, you'll understand. Sometimes there's a time of relief for both questioner and suspect. It's when the cop reaches a point where he can safely say, "Quit the bullshit, okay? You and I know you did it." And the perpetrator begins to unburden. That's the kind of relief, of liberation, we need more of.
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Curiously, I revisited a biblical text you won't find discussed in bible teaching classes, ever. There's an interesting site, Bible Gateway, to find texts merely by punching up book, chapter, and verse. So let's approach the texts with the maxim of the British Royal Society: "Take no man's word for it."
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Here we go. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%208%3A21&version=NIV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bible Gateway's "Genesis 8, v. 21,</a> in all English translations." (I counted 54 on the same text, and suggest reading all of them.) Of course, they each say the same things in their own way. Number One: The Lord says, in his mind or verbally, that he will no longer curse the ground and destroy the world, because he concluded "the ideas /inclinations, etc. of human hearts are evil from their youth." Don't know about you, but it's reasonable to ask The Question, "Isn't that an admission he screwed up? Wait a minute; he didn't know before he destroyed the world that doing so wouldn't change human nature? That's some serious misjudgment.
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Number Two: The text continues, "Neither will I ever smite and destroy every living thing as I have done." Question; WTF are you talking about? Every living thing wasn't destroyed. (Oh I have so much fun with the Great Flood fable!)
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At this point, to a reasonable person, it looks like this god has learned his lesson. But the same tradition of these <i>Authors Who Don't Proofread What They Wrote</i> continues. They write in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024%3A37-39&version=NIV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt. ch. 24, v. 37-39</a>, his Jesus, (who should have been in touch with what it means to be human), says people are STILL behaving "as they did in the days of Noah," so they'll be mass-punished again. This time the world will end not by this god drowning it, but in burning it. Will this god again claim he "smited and destroyed every living thing?" Notice that even Revelations doesn't claim complete human destruction; only that the selfish believers are lifted up and the rest of you can go to hell. For this god so loves the world he can't keep from punishig humans for being human. How can you trust someone who never learns?
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Be glad the Flood story isn't true, otherwise I wouldn't be writing/ you wouldn't be reading this. Be relieved that you know and I know it's bullshit. Rejoice realizing this god referred to, you know and I know, doesn't exist.
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-59425188888774274382022-09-29T16:17:00.003-04:002022-09-29T16:19:05.416-04:00Morality is not a Good Argument for Christianity<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienatyHEGz9cc2o0olh-eyJUxwObY-cX80lS5iIkvYuJoPako3WbtXz1Dm9v3bE1dJ-HLTBzLgXjRCcTjkRO7zhImvUFlWzvyJBz1fjS31KN1n0wCLAPa7yKOaXP7KewDItZj7GOkqnsfCePJw3EcBB4uluxz1Z5_j33VZiMEoYIcVTO4nUTekoOiR/s500/Kiekeben,%20There's%20a%20simple%20argument%20that%20shows%20morality%20doesn't%20originate%20in%20religion%20%20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienatyHEGz9cc2o0olh-eyJUxwObY-cX80lS5iIkvYuJoPako3WbtXz1Dm9v3bE1dJ-HLTBzLgXjRCcTjkRO7zhImvUFlWzvyJBz1fjS31KN1n0wCLAPa7yKOaXP7KewDItZj7GOkqnsfCePJw3EcBB4uluxz1Z5_j33VZiMEoYIcVTO4nUTekoOiR/s16000/Kiekeben,%20There's%20a%20simple%20argument%20that%20shows%20morality%20doesn't%20originate%20in%20religion%20%20.jpg" /></a></div>
<i>By austinrohm ~ </i>
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<i><span class="dropcap">I</span> wrote this article as I was deconverting in my own head: I never talked with anyone about it, but it was a letter I wrote as if I was writing to all the Christians in my life who constantly brought up how morality was the best argument for Christianity. No Christian has read this so far, but it is written from the point of view of a frustrated closeted atheist whose only outlet was organizing his thoughts on the keyboard. </i>
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A common phrase used with non-Christians is:
<blockquote>“Well without God, there isn’t a foundation of morality. If God is not real, then you could go around killing and raping.”</blockquote>
There are a few things which must be addressed.
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<b>1. Show me objective morality. Define it and show me an example.</b>
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Different Christians have different moral standards depending on how they interpret the Bible. Often times, they will just find what they believe, then go back into scripture and find a way to validate it. Conversely, many feel a particular action is not wrong, and will go find a reason in the Bible why it is okay to do said action. Many say, “Well, God has a different plan for everyone,” and quote the ‘meat offered unto idols’ verse. If you think about this, Christian moral values are, you could say, largely subjective.
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<b>2. Not only does each Christian have their own special objective morality, but the Muslims, Mormons, Catholics, and Jews all have <b>their</b> objective morality.</b>
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After all, if Allah is real and Islam the truth, flying into the twin towers is a morally good thing to do. So I am not super interested in spending hours discussing the nuances of objective morality because: If Islam is true, then their objective morality is correct; if Mormonism is true, then their objective values are the correct ones. Long story short; if a religion can be proven true, then their god is the maker of the correct morality. Therefore, I am not as interested in discussing morality as I am proving why a certain religion is true. You can tout objective morality all day, but until you can prove your religion to be true, you don’t have an argument. All you have is men claiming to speak for God. This is important because God never comes and speaks directly to man; all we have is men cl aiming to speak for God. Until you can prove that the men claiming to speak for God <b>really are</b> speaking for God, I have no interest abiding strictly by their moral rules.
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<b>3. Christians will always ask: "So if God is not real, then why not go around raping and killing? After all, something is immoral or moral based on Divine command, right?" </b>
<br /><br />My thought would be: Could there possibly be other reasons to be moral than a God? Is God the only thing keeping you from murdering and raping? Challenge for the Christian: Other than God’s rules, can you think of any other reason why you wouldn’t want to rape someone? There could be many reasons such as: not wanting to cause emotional and physical harm. “If atheism is true, then why not go and torture babies for fun?” If God is the only thing keeping you from doing that, then seriously, stay a Christian. But for the rest of us with an ounce of common sense knows that this will cause an innocent baby to experience pain, and the parents will have emotional damage.
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<b>4. Challenge: When you hear when someone was raped and tortured, what is the first thing that comes to mind? </b>
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It is probably <blockquote>“WOW I cannot believe such a sick, twisted person would do that! She must be so traumatized and hurt.”</blockquote> Your first reaction was probably <b>not</b> <blockquote>“WOW I cannot believe this sick and twisted person would disobey God’s law and sin like this! It makes me sad to think that God is disappointed because of this.”</blockquote> See. Problem solved. There are reasons outside of Divine Command for morality and you just proved it to yourself.
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Another thought: Why is the Judeo-Christian tradition considered to be the pinnacle of morality when there are so many repulsive things in their Holy texts? There are things which nearly every Christian would say is absolutely immoral, but commanded and condoned by Yahweh in the Bible.
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Take slavery for example. If a person today would be pro-slavery, we would be repulsed by their ideology; yet as soon as we hear God sanctioned slavery in Leviticus and Exodus, our minds start going into excuse mode. As if this happening “back in the day” makes this all okay. If a Judge today determined that a punishment for a group of people is to smash their infants to pieces and rip open their pregnant woman, we would fervently object to this! Nothing could be more unjust than this sickening punishment. But when we find out that in Hosea, God commanded this, Christians start finding reasons why this is okay for God to do these things. The New Testament is even worse. If you heard that someone was sentenced to be tortured for the rest of their life for the act of not believing a religious claim, you would object to this! However when someone does not believe in Jesus, they get tortured in fire for eternity. Why is it we can see how immoral these kinds of actions are in our eve ryday life, but as soon as we hear about God doing them, a switch gets flipped in our mind, and we start finding reasons why these actions are okay? Long story short: Christianity does not get the moral high ground when it proposes so many immoral things.
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It is remarkable how religion and Christianity are nearly always one step behind the secular society in matters of morals. Take slavery again for an example. I was reading up on the history of slavery and religion, and read of the horrors of over 1500 years of slavery imposed by Christians of <b>all</b> denominations. They all interpreted scripture to validate their position. When some outliers started to realize that slavery was horrible and immoral, a movement swept across different countries at different times to abolish slavery, and what do you know! The churches were one of the last institutions to finally relinquish their stance on slavery. Newer members would embrace the anti-slavery stances due to the shift in society, while older members would begrudgingly bemoan the new progressive movement. Eventually all those who held on to the pro slavery viewpoint died off, and the shift occurred in the church where slavery was considered universally immoral.
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Slavery is not the only issue where the church lags behind. In the 1900s it was a popular to accuse black people that they had a curse because they were descendants of Ham. Lo and Behold! Once the civil rights movement started, the churches were able to reinterpret the scriptures to take an anti-racist stance. You still find some of this racism thought in some older members, but is mostly frowned upon. Yet again, we see Christianity adopting secular morality and placing the “Jesus stamp” on it.
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<span class="pullquote">It is remarkable how religion and Christianity are nearly always one step behind the secular society in matters of morals.
<span class="pullquoteauthor">austinrohm</span></span>We are not done. Throughout most of Christianity, women have been suppressed, belittled, and labeled “inferior.” And as women's suffrage began, it was no surprise to see resistance from Christianity armed to the teeth with their scripture about a woman’s place. They weren’t wrong regarding what the Bible has to say! There are numerous passages that clearly indicate a woman’s inferiority. However, as the societal shift occurred, more and more progressive Christians reinterpreted the Bible to fit equality of the sexes. Many Christians who are born into this Christianity have no problem with sex equality because they were raised to believe that it is a moral norm. However, many Christians still protest this ideology because it goes against their interpretation of the Bible. They perceive that society is hijacking Christianity, and that it is their job to defend that position. Alas, but there will come a day when the idea of women’s inferiority will be just as frowned upon as slaver y is today. Verses that diminish the status of women will be reinterpreted and will need not be taken literally. We must read these verses “in context.”
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There soon will come a day when nearly all churches will accept homosexuality and other things considered “immoral.” Anti-inclusive churches will reduce more and more in number as their ultimate demise will be upon them; going down with fists swinging to no avail. As the number of churches of this kind shrink, the larger the amount of inclusive churches will become until they drown out the moral traditions of their grandparents; then those churches will become extinct. You see this exact phenomenon happening with the shift away from “boring” fundamentalist churches, and moving toward more contemporary, modern churches. The traditional churches that remain will go down fighting; bemoaning that “True Christianity” is dying. Eventually these churches will become extinct.
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This is exactly the way Christian morals evolve.
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In summary: Christianity does not get the moral high ground when a cursory study reveals that Christians were the ones committing the most atrocious of moral atrocities for thousands of years. You don’t get to place the band-aid of “Well we are all sinners saved by grace, and just because SOME Christians were stinkers, it does not prove Christianity false.” on these problems. It goes to the root issue of the Book these Christians were reading: the Bible. If these were the words of and All-Knowing, All-Loving being, there would be no room to excuse and interpret these horrible things as moral. If God really feels that something like slavery is immoral, than there wouldn’t be even the slightest hint in the Bible that it would be okay. Yet we find its approval constantly infused in both new and old testaments.
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However, most Christians committing these atrocities were perfectly justified in the scripture they used. Reading through the Bible will give you good insight into exactly why Christians did all these horrible things. You read of slavery, murder, racism, sexism, discrimination, child abuse, threats of eternal damnation, etc. It is no wonder why they did these things! It appears most Christians are not moral today because of their Bible, they are moral despite the Bible.
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I don’t need a Bible to tell me to love my neighbor. I don’t need the Ten Commandments to tell me not to steal (incidentally, most of these moral commands predate Christianity and Judaism). And I don’t need to adopt Christianity’s morality when they can’t even agree on what the Bible says about it. I don’t need religions morality when it is constantly catching up to the real world. I am constantly told, “Don’t follow religion, or even Christianity. Follow Jesus. Have a personal relationship with him.” However, I have TRIED to have a Relationship with Jesus; but it is fairly obvious that it is just a voice in my head, and there is no one on the other end of the line.
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What about you? If a morally perfect God were to lay out a set of moral laws in a book written TO humans FOR humans; would you expect it to pave the way for moral teachings? Or lag behind? Why would it need to change at all if it is perfect to begin with? Why would it be subject to interpretation? So is a God necessary to have good morals? Or could it possibly be that there is no God dictating morality? Is it more likely that mankind is starting to wake up and realize that religious morality is inadequate, and starting to create morals that align with the betterment of society? It is time we sit down together and develop our morals based on good reasons, rather than primitive superstitions.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-25833610696283113432022-09-13T12:07:00.003-04:002022-09-13T12:07:30.484-04:00 St. Paul and Christian Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxbbowFXUln6gk41w3sWeHTKbHJ9JwSssWuB2TW-7-PXjt5fq5cIDfl1yGvU8psD2qGY2ixP_Av6kILV_UxvDk36NV2nD5hKOULc8Bp-GNatBchfySIjhlpoKY9tVYq8NcC5RXO8M28506Y9JBjwNQYKQ5wwHtUd8SGVD_Swuixo33x0CzsoV6Gn2/s500/PaulandThelca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxbbowFXUln6gk41w3sWeHTKbHJ9JwSssWuB2TW-7-PXjt5fq5cIDfl1yGvU8psD2qGY2ixP_Av6kILV_UxvDk36NV2nD5hKOULc8Bp-GNatBchfySIjhlpoKY9tVYq8NcC5RXO8M28506Y9JBjwNQYKQ5wwHtUd8SGVD_Swuixo33x0CzsoV6Gn2/s16000/PaulandThelca.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>By Carl S. ~ </i>
<br /><br />
<span class="dropcap">O</span>ver the span of my 80+ years on earth, I have read many historical and spiritual accounts of the life of the Apostle, St. Paul. Only recently have I read of discovered ancient writings in regards to his private, as compared to public, missionary life. Two or more writers, including a convert to Christianity himself, mention one particular revelation. Once I discovered their texts, my pre-conceptions of Paul as a noble, spiritual man, also reveal him to be even more like one of us. Paul, after all, did admit to being just another sinner.
<br /><br />
You may or may not change your image of St. Paul even after finding out he had an ongoing sexual relationship with a girl, beginning when she was twelve years of age. Whether she bore him a child, or had a child by him aborted; a common practice in his day, is unknown. This, of course, would have had to be covered up.
<br /><br />
Throughout periods of history, a marriage to a twelve year old girl was acceptable. It may also be said the laws prohibiting under-aged marriages are of recent invention, and therefore his relationship should not be judged by current standards. Nevertheless, this still may come as shocking to those aware of St. Paul's teachings, even though Paul himself hints at it in one of his many epistles. Consider how disadvantageous it would be for his mission if those closest to him revealed this relationship to his followers. We may rightfully suspect they thought it better if both the child and they remain silent about this, as a distraction from God's plans for mankind.
<br /><br />
I wonder if those who preach from the pulpits or on the mega-stages of evangelical television stations are unaware of St. Paul's sexual relationship with a twelve year old girl-child. Or if they are knowingly keeping this information from us, as others did during his lifetime. I wonder.
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-22301347976574702442022-08-22T15:24:00.000-04:002022-08-22T15:24:27.021-04:00So, Where is Jesus Buried?<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVA-lfa5-rAYZAv-u02TZAjlNwTztuHYbRHe9lvA3aR0UAgybT67FJljSp4T94hTOURrjK_BuHsfG_cGAd-uq5llQHY16pdV6wQCTLEubGxgRAEJnVrZv8v_eG4EDt5gF6hg0goX9yp-J8vfDWn2DwR_WRI2hWO2HLbMRQLDEEmxe3sA4jNM3xcTO/s1024/Jup1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1024" height="607" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVA-lfa5-rAYZAv-u02TZAjlNwTztuHYbRHe9lvA3aR0UAgybT67FJljSp4T94hTOURrjK_BuHsfG_cGAd-uq5llQHY16pdV6wQCTLEubGxgRAEJnVrZv8v_eG4EDt5gF6hg0goX9yp-J8vfDWn2DwR_WRI2hWO2HLbMRQLDEEmxe3sA4jNM3xcTO/w640-h607/Jup1.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></div><i>By Carl S ~ </i>
<br /><br />
<span class="dropcap">L</span>ucky you to see what humans have never seen in the entire history of humanity! The James Webb Space Telescope is gushing out a constant stream of pictures from the farthest reaches of Space-Time. Some day, it might find the beginning of this Universe as a "Go boom!" followed by multiple orgasms ever since. No good or evil relativity involved. Absurd? So what's the point of it all? I don't see the "point" of any or all of it, just like my life or that of any other organism.
<br /><br />
While the Webb and Hubble are scanning, analyzing, and photographing, are they looking for signs of "Heaven?" "Since "Heaven" is by tradition, a physical place, with "many mansions," where the hell is it? Billions of people have been told "Heaven is for real," so why can't it be found?
<br /><br />
Millions of people still believe Jesus and others floated up from Earth, unaided by balloons, rockets, etc., through the clouds, to this physical paradise. These happened thousands of years ago! Up to where "God" dwells. Has anyone seen Jesus, Mary, or Elias, anywhere "up," which really is, "out," there? Faith believers may wait for the "God experts" to "explain" where "Heaven" is. But - duh....
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Billions of people have been told when this Earth is ending, their Jesus will return (it’s always in the near future), and then he'll take his thousands of floating chosen followers up to this "Heaven;" so it can't be far away, right? That'll be the "Rapture" they anxiously await; the "We're getting ours, and the rest of you can go to Hell." Can you think of anything more selfish, and more bloated with depraved indifference ever devised? Then, it is written, "the stars will fall from the sky." B.S.
<br /><br />
Satellites are constantly scanning earth. So, where is the "Garden of Eden," large enough to contain all the life forms ever to have lived on Earth, including dinosaurs? You know, the one with a fiery exit and a ten thousand year old angel out front guarding it? The "Garden" should have been immediately spotted when the first rocket filmed this planet! Nope.
<br /><br />
<span class="pullquote">No human can survive in Space without protection from Space [...] They wouldn't survive even if they were filled with hot air, or the hot gas of verbal masturbation called "apologetics," of clerics. </span>So, let's enjoy ourselves and laugh about all the fairy tales told about gods, the meaning of life, the reasons why a "God" created these billions of constellations made up of billions of stars, all those exploding stars, and evolved life forms that never existed when Earth began. Billions of gullible humans still believe an alleged god made this Universe for earthlings alone, and came to Earth to be tortured to death! They don't bother to ask why "he" created psychopaths and Hell. Nor ask why this same deity is so concerned about our sex lives and the sexual choices for our bodies! Why do they say you should worship their scriptural "God:" nasty, petty and depravely indifferent about us? Unworthy of a second of thought, when we see the reality of our situation in the Universe?
<br /><br />
No human can survive in Space without protection from Space. No Heaven, Jesus, Mary, Elias or Mohammed can be found there; they wouldn't survive even if they were filled with hot air, or the hot gas of verbal masturbation called "apologetics," of clerics. If a Jesus existed, then where's his body buried? Instead of the search for Noah's ark, why not the search for his body?! A never-ending series on Discovery Channel? (I never wait for answers.)
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I'm reading about the goddess ISIS. What a wonderful deity. Imagine all the houses of worship built for her. (It is claimed, from Afghanistan to England.) Picture the prayers of supplication she answered, miracles done in her name, and praise for centuries! Now imagine a planet where she is worshiped, and how she would influence the policies upon that planet: respect for women and one's finite life alone, for a start. An advanced world, one not dominated by belief in a male god of a week long span of creation, but a goddess representing continual creativity. She is perfectly compatible with the realities of space-time and evolution. A lot of NASA's missions are named after pagan gods and goddesses. What if we change the name of the International Space Station, ISS, to ISIS, to make people wonder, "Who's this Isis?" When you know her name, look up her number, so to speak.
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Billions of humans seriously believe "explanations," a.k.a., "crap." If billions of people believe a foolish thing, it's still a foolish thing. Billions of people accept living on a religiously-shrunken world: believe many, many, foolish things. And because they do, "living by faith" is a spurious and unstable argument for how to live our lives. The data continually pours in. We'd better get real and prioritize care of each other, refuse to listen to those who urge otherwise, since we're alone on Spaceship Earth.Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-66243833419454530912022-08-04T10:17:00.001-04:002022-08-04T10:17:11.020-04:00Incident With Christian Sister Still Lingers <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fuSllV-L80N0KDRS62wuQz61lLKflrYsmV4I5jtb9bW_DPy-2sLvBUlNbkutEN6onmrysCrsKvauQvi2ns4wjjFGwewHoVFTaZVUN6bbc18ia5MJKdy06NFr-2TWBb1cJlAjdyLbo22TWnGRtgud3_zKnyxpGgSptIDXaQIlwAea6552LC16nm8l/s498/godfirstbro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="97" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fuSllV-L80N0KDRS62wuQz61lLKflrYsmV4I5jtb9bW_DPy-2sLvBUlNbkutEN6onmrysCrsKvauQvi2ns4wjjFGwewHoVFTaZVUN6bbc18ia5MJKdy06NFr-2TWBb1cJlAjdyLbo22TWnGRtgud3_zKnyxpGgSptIDXaQIlwAea6552LC16nm8l/s16000/godfirstbro.png" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></div><i>By MTC ~ </i>
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<span class="dropcap">I</span>n late 2020 I started talking to my sister again after being on non-speaking terms for several months. She had struggled with alcohol and substance addiction (I was on non-speaking terms with her for other reasons though), but then she "found Jesus" at a local church (which I used to attend, ironically).
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In January of 2021 after I moved back to my home state and started talking to her again, I chatted with her about my past traumas, humiliations, etc. I was upfront and blunt about "God," and she snapped at me. "HEY! This is a Christian home; we don't cross that line! God is kinder to you than you realize. You're breathing air and have food to eat and a roof over your head!"<div><br />
First of all, what a kick in the face to the countless people who are starving, homeless, died at younger ages than I am now, etc. Second of all, her little lecture was exactly like defending an abusive parent, because even though an abusive parent may do things to their kid/s like assault, molest, insult, etc., but at least they allow them to sleep under the same roof and eat from the same kitchen. 🙄 My sister just doesn't get it, not that any Christian does.
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She apologized (although probably fake) for yelling at me, but I still needed some time away from her for the rest of the evening. I've spent some time with her since then and it's been better, but that incident of her snapping at me the way she did still lingers in my mind. Granted, I suppose I should've chosen my wording better (LOL), but on the other hand after all these years she should know better than to yell and/or snap at me like that.
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My sister was living with our mom and stepdad at the time. Remembering her quote "This is a Christian home, we don't cross that line!," part of me wants to ask her "But were you the head of your Christian home?"
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Now I'm once again on the verge of having no communication with her, in any form. Which would be a bigger challenge now that I'm back in my home state.
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PS - Does this story remind anyone else of "God" commanding us to love him more than our family, and of Jesus stating he came to turn family members against each other?</div>Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-4422808372759313692022-06-19T17:00:00.005-04:002022-06-19T17:08:58.595-04:00Amens and Litanies for Ex-Believers<i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrZHUgguATRxpkCR8PsOHYpNzKgRZkXNlcFo2zyAmo9BB9oi6U2DvApy82rDPROvHA8Y_aWFZXUc7RHhEIE67jc4tpW3E5x3xyF8yT3SbP29iStexHK6anz37RxnYBgk_PW8Lg4KPpnz66oH5k8xdvVSqq1xa6KO6XZxDBoWmVvq_gf3rj2oLILHh/s600/blind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrZHUgguATRxpkCR8PsOHYpNzKgRZkXNlcFo2zyAmo9BB9oi6U2DvApy82rDPROvHA8Y_aWFZXUc7RHhEIE67jc4tpW3E5x3xyF8yT3SbP29iStexHK6anz37RxnYBgk_PW8Lg4KPpnz66oH5k8xdvVSqq1xa6KO6XZxDBoWmVvq_gf3rj2oLILHh/s16000/blind.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><br /></i></div>By Carl S ~</i><div><i><br /></i>
<span class="dropcap">I</span>'m married to a Christian woman. We've been married for over 26 years now. I'm just now asking myself how she puts up with my outspokenness. Our relationship began when she responded to my description of myself in a "Personals" column she read in the newspaper. She said all the guys mentioned their physiques and/or money, stuff like that, but she liked my frankness. (She forgot I also mentioned, "Tired of Platonic relationships.") The second night we went out together, I told her, "I'm not a Christian," knowing that was important to her. She answered that she didn't consider it a problem. After we were married, I'd attend church services with her, and remembered after one of them, saying, "These people act as if they really believe this." Attendance with her went on for years, and since we moved, this meant two or more congregations, until she settled for one in particular. Even then, after one service, I told her, "They're only telling each other stuff."
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Years later, I had to break the news: I wouldn't go to church anymore. She was disappointed, even when I explained why I attended when I felt that way, and I said it was to be with her, that's all. I added that attending was making me physically ill. After then, I'd drop her off at the church, and go meet up with my freethinking friend. I'm thinking this was 15 years ago. And still, I make biting comments about religious claims when they appear on the news; she says nothing.
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Just this morning, she was watching Fox news. They made a big deal about the coach prayers before football games, and I told her how stupid that is! “Do you think a god who ignores the prayers of children as they are being raped in sacristies cares about helping a team win a football game?"
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Let's face it: Religions depend on constantly repeating and adapting their lies – for centuries. A chief component of tradition- indoctrination consists of merely repeating memories of people, places, and stories that never happened. Experiences as a result of believing some things do not mean they are true at all. (My brother had nightmares after watching the bad witch in the Wizard of Oz. That didn't make witches real.) Even ordinary memories can't be depended on to be accurate, though hindsight can be enlightening, Take a deep breath and think about this: Casey Stengel said, "You can see a lot if you observe." You can hear a lot if you really listen.
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I'm thinking about the religious rituals I was, we are, exposed to when repeated B.S. incantations are accepted as enlightened knowledge. I'm talking about rituals of litanies, and how substituting new ones for them can lead to mental and psychological freedom.
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Let's think about how repeating blind beliefs maintains and reinforces bullshit. Learning by rote is the foundation of religious and political indoctrination. Learning by rote doesn't mean the learner understands or thinks about what is "learned," Usually it involves merely repeating the words teacher expects to hear! Religions are much more interested in the psychology of human beings than in doctrines. Religions know humans like to take the easy road, accept easy answers that aren't answers, and learn without thinking or questioning what's being taught. Belief is cheap, thinking is not gratis like "grace;" it's costly to think for oneself, personally and socially.
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<span class="pullquote">Let's face it: Religions depend on constantly repeating and adapting their lies</span>It's in the DNA of every god's speakers to convince their trusting followers to believe nonsense, even going so far as to exploit their personal agonies resulting whenever "God-enabled" tragedies happen. My beloved wife would say, "Shame on them." But apparently, they have no sense of shame. Has lying to others and themselves become so habitual, they don't pay attention to what they're saying? In my experiences with them, it has.
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Is there a way out of the religious labyrinth, the squeezing maze, the never-learning-from-experience pattern of repeating habits? Maybe there is a solution. We're raised in a society where some things are habitual and accepted - not arrived at by logic or seriously thought about. To deal with amens and litanies, we have to observe and listen, and learn to consider the opposite of what they tell us. They are often lies and fables passed down through millennia, learned by repetition! Those amens, slogans, and litanies, are repeated so often they become "truths" though there's no evidence for them. Constantly repeating those unthought about cliché’s short-circuits the brain's ability to think, to observe, to question. Since "What can be asserted without evidence can be denied without evidence" is true, why not use denial to assert knowledge over blind beliefs? Do it.
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My proposal: counters creeds with chants, with Litanies of Facts, using laughter and "That's Nonsense!" or "Is not so" whenever religious amens and claims to truth pop up. Keep repeating to yourself "god is not good, is indifferent and absent, god is not great" or powerful, because... and give examples to yourself why you've found these to be true, and if you feel like it, repeat them to those proclaiming the opposite. As you do, meditate about them. Maybe someone else will think about what he or she suspected, doubted, but feared to say themselves. Saying "That's stupid!" or LOL-ing the ridiculousness of beliefs may not change what believers claim to believe, but you'd be surprised how much freedom of mind you and they will have, just by repeating mantras of thinking and reasserting. Enjoy the feeling.
</div>Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-24402239022814888232022-06-14T10:23:00.003-04:002022-06-14T10:30:05.714-04:00Breaking Free<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7aL1LMng3YUWIFWz_trAHI0mGRzg5fdbbTr5tK2E1eRBGYVleBTr7IH7ffNL3Q1G9kCk9w6ytiwu977t38j54xmwfYfBabqxU9orh-m2hzusLFDNo5iMRGAON54Xyhh3zHGov5FnuAMpNXcKN0bftt_eH5DCLBhLCBXd9L7HhQhpN1RQjTCjECfN/s4432/meaningoflife.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3324" data-original-width="4432" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7aL1LMng3YUWIFWz_trAHI0mGRzg5fdbbTr5tK2E1eRBGYVleBTr7IH7ffNL3Q1G9kCk9w6ytiwu977t38j54xmwfYfBabqxU9orh-m2hzusLFDNo5iMRGAON54Xyhh3zHGov5FnuAMpNXcKN0bftt_eH5DCLBhLCBXd9L7HhQhpN1RQjTCjECfN/w640-h480/meaningoflife.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<i>By Neal Stone ~ </i>
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<span class="dropcap">S</span>o, you finally got to where you realized what you believed all these years has turned out to be nothing more than man made crap. You have decided to take the big leap and finally set yourself free and leave religion.
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Now what? What do you do now? How do you deal with this sudden change? Let me throw you some pointers that helped me and a few that I wish I had tried when I made that big leap.
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<b>1. Be Angry, Don’t Be Angry</b>
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Wait what? You will feel a strong loss and realization of all that you have missed out on because of religion. You sacrificed so much for something that didn’t even work; you missed out on living and exploring life around you because you spent all your time at church doing the pastor’s…er…ahem…God’s will. You will be angry, you will be pissed and the desire to lash out and let everyone know how disappointed and upset you are about your realization will be strong.
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Be angry, process those feelings, and work through it. Feel the loss of what you missed, what you gave up, what you sacrificed. Those feelings are ok and valid! Process them and continue to move forward as you do.
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Don’t be angry and lash out going off on former fellow believers or the pastor as they will not be open to anything you say, and you will appear the typical angry atheist who hates God even though that isn’t the truth. You could break relationships you may need or contact with those who may someday be open to how you feel or be ready to take that leap. You are in a vulnerable state and religious people love that because they can use it against you to reel you back in. Find a blog site or journal and use that as an outlet and when the anger has simmered, then you can engage others in a more peaceful way and chances are to getting a better response.
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<b>2. Grieve</b>
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Yes, grieve, you have suffered a tremendous loss and realized what you have already lost because of religion controlling your life. You let go of a life that meant something to you and it can be depressing and hurtful. You also discovered how much real living you missed out on and that too can hurt and be actually worse. So, grieve, process it and then open your mind to the now endless possibilities of your life soon to come.
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I was in an apartment in downtown Olympia, WA in the late 90s. I was about 33 years old. In this apartment my journey started as I realized what I lost and gave up. The grief and anger were strong, and I held onto both for a long time. This was in the early days of the Internet, so my resources were limited. This was a rough moment filled with heartache and tears. I never felt so alone as I did then.
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<b>3. You are not who they say you are</b>
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They will say you are a worthless, undeserving, disgusting, horrible sinner, and deserving of hell or eternal punishment. This is false and a lie. This is nothing more than a manipulation tactic to guilt you into being converted. Disregard these feelings and beliefs and embrace yourself as the wonderful person you are or can become. Learn to live without guilt and feeling like a constant disappointment to God. Stop muttering “God forgive me” under your breath every time you make a mistake. Guilt is only for when you truly do something wrong or hurtful to yourself or someone else. You are worthy…of a better life, you are deserving…of everything you dreamed of, you are amazing, and you do not deserve hell or eternal punishment, since they don’t exist anyway.
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Stop feeling guilty and down on yourself. That is a sick and perverted mindset. Unless you have done something harmful to yourself or someone, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Don’t feel guilty about living your life as you feel it should be lived. Guilt is for stealing something, raping someone, harming someone…you know…being a priest.
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The guilt was strong and took years just to be able to go to the movies without looking around feeling shameful and guilty because my previous church was against movie theaters and TV. Now I am just fine with seeing a movie, bonus points of Samuel L Jackson is in it.
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<b>4. You will not end up lost</b>
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Your religious friends will convince themselves you are lost to the world and will end up doing drugs, become an alcoholic, become some sex crazed promiscuous person, and end up in a horrible life of sin. Out of the three things above, they were right about only one…you guess which one? <wink>
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Ignore their comments, their stares, their judgmental attitudes, because they are the ones who are lost, not you. Keep moving forward and be ready to show them the amazing life you can create when you’re not wasting it mopping the church bathroom at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.
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Here is an experiment you can do. Before you quit your church, make a point of hanging out with as many fellow believers outside of church as you can. Go to their homes or meet them somewhere where the pastor or other Christians aren’t around. Watch how quickly you see a totally different person than what you see in church. You might be surprised at how many alcoholics, smokers, potheads, foulmouthed, and promiscuous people are IN your church.
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It’s like this: you can’t be lost when there is no actual path to follow. Follow your own path and create your own way.
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Look at the story of Moses and the Exodus. They escaped Egypt with the promise of a new and wonderful land they could call their own. They end up in the desert for 40 years wandering and when they finally arrive…TADA!… those over the age of 40, including Moses, are denied access, and not allowed to go in. Welcome to serving your church and God!
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Explore, find what interests you, find your own way and path, and it will be the correct one because it is your life. Go for it, man!
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<b>5. Understand life doesn’t need a meaning</b>
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Yes, that is right, life doesn’t need a meaning. Why should it? Why can’t it just be lived, embraced, and enjoyed by those lucky enough to be alive?
<br /><br />
<span class="pullquote">When I realized life didn’t need a meaning, I experienced an all-new freedom and relief that I didn’t need to prove myself to any god, deity, or religious people. Meaning is decided by you, not God or a religion. YOU! — <span class="pullquoteauthor">Neal Stone</span></span>You will be accused of being selfish, self-centered, and ungodly because you lived life as you see fit. It is perfectly ok to take care of yourself and still serve or help others and you don’t need church for the latter. You can enjoy your life as you please. It’s ok to live!!!
<br /><br />
When I realized life didn’t need a meaning, I experienced an all-new freedom and relief that I didn’t need to prove myself to any god, deity, or religious people. I just chose to live period! Everyone pushed for life to have some meaning, but that meaning is decided by you, not God or a religion. YOU! This is not a sad thing at all but an amazing realization because now you are free to explore life without distraction of some mystical meaning for your life. YOU ARE THE MEANING!
<br /><br />
<b>6. Find like-minded people</b>
<br /><br />
Find others who have been through what you have and will support your life as it unfolds. Supports and understands how you feel and what you now believe or stopped believing. This will be one of the most important things you can do. It will help you find better sources of information for understanding and healing and help keep you from getting sucked back in.
<br /><br />
The longer you stay out of religion, the stronger you will get as a person. The insecurities will dissolve, and you will realize how much you relied on religion for so many things that you could’ve done on your own. Self-worth, personal security, self-reliance, personal development and so much more that you will now gain. I was amazed at how insecure I was when in church. Just watch any televised or online video of a church service and see how insecure most of them are. That was once you!
<br /><br />
Get some counseling if necessary. I was once anti-counseling because…JESUS! Now I am all for it and have spent five years in it. She was a Christian but offered secular counseling and never pushed her religion on me. It was the best thing I could’ve done for myself and helped me sort through a lot of feelings that were unresolved and helped me reset.
<br /><br />
<b>7. Embrace your new life</b>
Yes, you have left the church and moved on. But on to what? What now? Where will I find meaning and purpose? What will I do?
<br /><br />
Anywhere and in anything you want! Dance, create, be artistic, explore, travel, read, study new things, do whatever you feel you want to do and build that meaning in any way you wish.
<br /><br />
I have a variety of hobbies and am always exploring new things. Every year, my income tax return goes into something new to explore and try. I love that part of my life the best because I learn so much about myself in the process where before it was just Bible and church related stuff I studied. I can’t even imagine what I would’ve done or learned had I quit church a lot earlier.
<br /><br />
I still get meaning by helping someone when I can, or by inspiring others with how I handle things with the new strength I have found within myself. I am six months post open heart surgery and am almost completely back to my old self and have no issues and definitely not disabled. I work full-time outside and am on my feet 7 hours a day. People are astounded and inspired by this and how I handled it all.
<br /><br />
You would be surprised how you inspire others unaware. I have had people message me about how I encouraged them to keep going.
<br /><br />
You have just stepped into w whole new world of choices, opportunities, and it’s time to embrace that and explore that.
<br /><br />
<b>8. Be prepared for the rough road ahead</b>
<br /><br />
I didn’t say it was going to be easy. Many will be opposed to your decision to leave religion including friends, family and even your spouse or partner. You may lose a lot of these as a result, and it can hurt. Years of a life you built will unravel, or not. It really is hard to say. Mine blew up, and the loss was great and painful, and I kept going and am better off.
<br /><br />
Yes, the loss will hurt, you will cry, scream, and may even regret the decision and be tempted to go back. DON’T! Once the storm passes and things are sorted out, you will be hopefully better off and happier.
<br /><br />
You may lose your marriage or relationship, your kids may stop talking to you, or your parents will cut you off. You will be surprised how many “close friends” you really didn’t have and how quickly they will turn on you. They will call you selfish and narcissistic, all the while displaying these very characteristics themselves. I can only hope you are able to pick up the pieces and move forward as hard as it will be.
<br /><br />
The fact is life happens! It hurts especially the betrayal you will experience. I was totally surprised at best friends who cut me off and even turned on me. Friendships spanning 25 years. Conversations behind my back that I overhead. So many saying they were concerned for my very soul and prayed for me, yet not one could be bothered to approach me and talk to me. I guess having me around helped them feel more spiritual and holy?
<br /><br />
Your relationships shouldn’t be based on something more than the fact you believe as they do and worship as they do. I don’t care what you believe as long as you respect where I am in my belief system. You shoot with a Canon, I shoot with a Nikon, we both still get some good pictures. The relationships I had were based on usury. As long as they got something out of me I had value, once you veer off from their belief system, they realize they can’t use as much anymore. Your skills or the fact they would keep you in a place of insecurity so their insecure ass could look like a leader or encourager showing off to everyone else.
<br /><br />
Be ready for this loss and the rough road ahead. I lost my home and almost everything I own through a rough divorce and my losing my religion was one of the factors but not the main one. I lost my marriage, many friends, most of my hard-earned possessions, but I gained myself and that can never be replaced. It is the best find ever!
<br /><br />
It has been 9 years since the divorce and not one of these “concerned” friends has ever bothered to contact me, to reach out, to minister to me. Not a single one! I guess my immortal soul wasn’t that important.
<br /><br />
One last thing, never feel you have to explain yourself. You don’t! Religious people will demand an explanation, but not to listen, but to get a foothold on you and look for a way to convince you that you are wrong and made the wrong decisions. You just “misunderstood” something. It’s a ploy to get you to open up so they can find a way to pull you back in. Be ready for this! The harder you make it, the quicker they will give up. Be stubborn and make the frustrated…IT’S FUN!
<br /><br />
I hope in some way this helps someone who is on this journey now.</span></wink>Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-36492721860333764142022-05-29T19:46:00.000-04:002022-05-29T19:46:05.342-04:00The Used Car Salesman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LcOlEtzO9wfVEMa3iO97OjIBUlLRKPl-ruHGBgHfKv_IWXEytVJF9btLZr6GGNTI4jBBo9cfUyW4RrVdBvDicnDY9OqE9cPih7EWm3xUv8xdEIrF9iODRxG6JheoMDt4AihGhPZEDtNliUL60_QJhuG-AGswsBLfR0NH_O-cZj1wPSRajTy2L9iV/s900/door-to-door-evangelism-900x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LcOlEtzO9wfVEMa3iO97OjIBUlLRKPl-ruHGBgHfKv_IWXEytVJF9btLZr6GGNTI4jBBo9cfUyW4RrVdBvDicnDY9OqE9cPih7EWm3xUv8xdEIrF9iODRxG6JheoMDt4AihGhPZEDtNliUL60_QJhuG-AGswsBLfR0NH_O-cZj1wPSRajTy2L9iV/s16000/door-to-door-evangelism-900x600.jpg" /></a></div><br /><i>By Neal Stone ~ </i><br /><br />
<span class="dropcap">F</span>rom about age 12 to around age 33, I attended church. I attended a strict Baptist church that focused a lot on “Soul Winning”, as in going door-to-door annoying… ahem… sharing your faith with others who were so eager and overjoyed to open that door at 7pm, while you were in the middle of not being annoyed, and seeing those wonderful suit clad strangely happy guys with Bible in hand or New Testaments conveniently hidden in an attempt to hide the reason you were there… poorly. They often have no time to jump around the issue and dive right into why they are there.
<br /><br />
When I did the door knocking stint, I was surprised at how many pretended to get “saved” just to get these guys off their porch. It was obvious, at least to me, but not to the guy who ran back and bragged how he got one. In fact, not many had much success each time we got back and reported in our results. Most of the time the results were exaggerated followed by a lot of patting on the back.
<br /><br />
Often one is a newbie, and the other is experienced, the latter doing all the talking. Always target your question to the other guy who has no idea how to answer your questions because he is new. Make it awkward! Bonus points if he is a new Christian and you cause him to doubt his conversion and new religion. 😁<evil grin=""><br /><br />
I had every class you could imagine on soul winning and all the techniques used. Oddly, they never gave a seminary style in depth class in Christianity and The Bible, especially the origins of it all. Hmmmm.
<br /><br />
Now I can deal with these door-to-door guys pretty easily because I already know why they are there regardless of how well they try to hide it. Just ignore them or answer the door naked. Either way, they’re leaving!
<br /><br />
It’s the covert operators I can’t stand. Imagine you go to a car lot, new or used, and you’re looking around. Often the salesmen will wait for a bit before approaching you. They often watch for a minute to see what you look at and then approach you to “assist” you. They want to learn as much about you as possible, so they know how to present themselves and gain your interest.
<br /><br />
It happens often, you are at the park, the grocery store, a restaurant or at a friend’s house and there is that one person who has locked in on you and is watching you ever so closely to figure out how to approach you because “God has laid it on his heart” to talk to you. Yeah, sure buddy!
<br /><br />
We will take on the friend visit for an example. You go over the visit and they are having a BBQ or something and as you are there hanging out, someone off in the distance or even close by has locked in on you. Watching you closely and listening to everything you say.
<br /><br />
As you are talking to your friend you happen to mention a book you just read or a song you like. Then you hear it, “So you like to read? So, you like music?” and you look over and there is Mr. Fake Interest intently focused on you with a smug condescending grin. He will sit there with a big cheesy grin and look right up at you. He will then start asking leading questions which eventually will turn to God or salvation.
<br /><br />
<span class="pullquote"> I can deal with these door-to-door guys pretty easily. [...] Just ignore them or answer the door naked.</span>He is attempting to get that hook in you and show you he is interested in you and whatever you are doing. This is to get you to open up, share more and let your guard down. By showing fake interest in you he is hoping you will open up and be comfortable in talking to him. Let’s face it, we all have things we do we may like to share and brag about. Photography for example and am always happy to show off my work. It’s a trap!
<br /><br />
Once your guard is down, he has you and he will move into somehow taking your interest and use it to wedge God, salvation, being saved or whatever he can into the conversation. You will be in front of friends or even family, so you’re stuck now having to deal with him in front of these people and he knows it.
<br /><br />
It’s all fake! They are never really interested to begin with, it’s just a tactic to pull you in and sucker punch you with religion. But be warned, if any of your skill sets are useful to their church, they will hold that interest long enough to let you know how you can help spread the word and how they think it is “God’s Will” to join their church. After all, that is (in their eyes) the very reason you just happen to meet. It was God leading you to them so you can serve their church and agenda.
<br /><br />
Yeah, it was all part of God’s plan. NOPE! It’s like fishing on a charter boat, you throw out a bunch of hooks and snag whoever bites it. It is nothing more than random chance that you happen to meet this person and there is no divine intervention here, just some guy exploiting the opportunity and gas lighting you into thinking you were meant to meet.
<br /><br />
I hate these guys! The fake interest, the fake smile and way they watch you intently looking for an angle. But I also know how to deal with them, let them know up front I am NOT interested. I can politely chat with them, then excuse myself and move on. Oh, they will keep trying, but I can play the game too. This fish knows how to avoid the hooks.
<br /><br />
Show lack of interest in them, avoid them, or hit them with those uncomfortable questions about why certain things happen or ask them to clearly explain a difficult question. “What was Jesus/God doing when my step-dad abused me as a child?”
<br /><br />
Either way, I am not biting that hook. Did once and it stung!
<br /><br />
One of my biggest pet peeves is the single person who flirts and shows interest then once you join, they move on and act like they never were interested. Either way, that is how it lays out, once you join their church or show up, there is interest for a while, but then they move on to their next target. Often you will be directed to a class or Bible study where someone else takes over.
<br /><br />
Eventually you are forgotten and their interest fades once they have gotten what they need out of you. Now if you end up serving the church and really getting involved, they are happy to stick around so they can brag how God “lead” you to them.
<br /><br />
But mostly you won’t hear much from them after they have done what they needed to do. It’s like a used car lot where they have a constant turnover of their product. Stay with any church for a decade and you will see the crowd change. There will be the die-hards that stick around, but a lot will quit or move on. The die-hards only stick around because they are either in charge or are still popular, it’s all about ego.
<br /><br />
It’s nothing more than sales and marketing.
<br /><br />
I am not for sale!
</evil>Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-45657313182814509762022-05-25T10:27:00.006-04:002022-05-25T10:33:26.658-04:00Crazy Christians<i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiOVWYYucmQasUlu_5S_vYqUqlaaKT08AB6KWkLb56J8O7VzMu7sIjJgeSTK-fSCuBtwhWEcDaj40KxLaW_82-1jfcjO1iVNHI0SfQYSuedlSh9n_wyWMi3XmBPDSqKPk2KljlnyLFE49G4AR55dmJXVx6l_c2dCAbALsChSuKdjGypywfyTwka_j/s222/gunsblack.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="222" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiOVWYYucmQasUlu_5S_vYqUqlaaKT08AB6KWkLb56J8O7VzMu7sIjJgeSTK-fSCuBtwhWEcDaj40KxLaW_82-1jfcjO1iVNHI0SfQYSuedlSh9n_wyWMi3XmBPDSqKPk2KljlnyLFE49G4AR55dmJXVx6l_c2dCAbALsChSuKdjGypywfyTwka_j/s1600/gunsblack.jpg" width="222" /></a></div></i><div><i>By Tyler ~ </i><br /><br />
<div>
<span class="dropcap">O</span>K, so there is a heaven and there is a
hell.
</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
On the way to heaven: a person must be of good character and not
break any rules</li>
<li>
On the other hand: if you do break rules, you must go to hell.</li>
</ul>
So, let me get this straight. All your life you sin, sin, sin. Then, one day,
just admit your sin aloud to other sinners and you will instantly propel yourself
towards the eternal land of righteous rewards?
<br /><br />
I highly doubt this is the way it would work. Sounds to me like the corrupted
mentality of those crazy bible-thumpers that took over Africa. Africans got
the Bible while the white "fathers" got the land. Interesting.
<br /><br />
I am equally sure white "fathers" were on a righteously peaceable mission when handing out guns for natives to use against each other (and ultimately destroy each other). And the gold and silver-grab thing by white "fathers" was just
good ol' Christian home-cooking values, right?<br /><br />
Didn't their Jesus say "Don't desire the things of the world?" I guess gold,
silver and even slaves didn't make the things-of-the-world list, huh?
<br /><br />
Christians, Muslims and the rest are nothing more than deceivers and liars who
enslave people and the enslaved people think they are doing right.</div>
</div>Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-35320902384435348792022-05-05T18:15:00.009-04:002022-05-05T19:06:47.111-04:00Interpreting Reality<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHvmBBPRwkgaBedznBeZvfAnEUOsxbvkjXroTGacmmUsnfifhuF7KxIpANx0_DdEkgoOgGyCt0P7LHFdZb76q1qW3FWG0MedVIxaXiK0alHOSG2G0jbbsQ5tNlSMCyBq8FU0sVfwIZG8JTvVZT6RaybgainGYWkXMygz14mjRa6k4tGQ4tE78cgLF/s4656/0523202019d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2218" data-original-width="4656" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHvmBBPRwkgaBedznBeZvfAnEUOsxbvkjXroTGacmmUsnfifhuF7KxIpANx0_DdEkgoOgGyCt0P7LHFdZb76q1qW3FWG0MedVIxaXiK0alHOSG2G0jbbsQ5tNlSMCyBq8FU0sVfwIZG8JTvVZT6RaybgainGYWkXMygz14mjRa6k4tGQ4tE78cgLF/s16000/0523202019d.jpg" /></a></div><i>By Webmdave ~</i></div><br />
<span class="dropcap">R</span>eality for my dog is uncomplicated. She understands life to be a series of eating, sleeping, running, sniffing, barking, guarding, trusting some and distrusting others, and above all expressing affection and loyalty to her pack (human family). In short, reality for my dog is displaying the qualities usually associated with a dog. She neither searches for or desires a higher purpose, nor does she fear sickness or death. She does not accumulate possessions and is not afflicted by envy, avarice, or demanding addictions and passions. Beyond just living out her days according to her nature, there is nothing else. She is at peace and content with her lot.
<br /><br />
Regardless of various differences in appearance, aptitudes and situations, dogs appear to be consistently content with their lives. People, however, are complicated. We believe we are somehow special in the universe and are notoriously discontent with nearly everything in our lives on a regular basis. Just sitting still for an hour can be torturous for many of us. Being unoccupied with busy activities is a burden that many find loathsome to bear. People are constantly on the search for purpose and meaning. They want to understand the purpose of the universe and why people suffer. They want a reason why some people receive so many privileges and blessings from life while others suffer privation of health and basic necessities. Many are of the opinion that the benefits of life should be equally distributed to all, and when it is not equally distributed, they think justice is not being served.
<br /><br />
Of course there are others with completely different views of life. Historically, the various systematic interpretations of reality believed in and adhered to by human beings are as varied and as divergent as are the star systems in the cosmos.
<blockquote>“Life is opinion,” or “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” – <span class="pullquoteauthor">Marcus Aurelius, Meditations IV, 3</span></blockquote>
In my opinion, how any of us interprets reality is ultimately inconsequential to the operation of the universe. I sincerely doubt that the incomprehensibly vast universe is even aware of humanity, much less actively devoting any energy toward designing and assigning unique individualized purposes for our short natural lives. While it may be pleasant for some to believe that each of the nearly 8 billion people on this planet have cosmically significant (and even eternal) meaning, the likelihood of that idea approaching any level of truth is probably considerably less than microscopic.
<br /><br />
Except for humans, no other lifeform on the planet believes their individual lives are invaluable to the cosmos. Only humans are guilty of indulging in self-congratulatory interpretations of reality that resemble self-aggrandizing fantasies.
<br /><br />
Now, to be clear, my life is pretty important to me. And your life is likely very important to you. And both of us may or may not be considerably important to those close to us. However, is it reasonable to assume that the vast cosmos has singled each one of us out and placed extraordinarily priceless values on our individual lives?
<br /><br />
<span class="pullquote">There is no evidence that a supernatural (or natural) being outside an individual’s head is assigning value and meaning to an individual’s life. — <span class="pullquoteauthor">Webmdave</span></span> Some reject this thinking and believe their lives lack meaning without their god(s), their family, their job, their freedom, their culture norms, and hosts of other fabricated human constructs. Societies throughout history clearly indicate there just doesn’t seem to be a standardized system for interpreting reality, as each population group defines reality for themselves. In other words, there is no evidence that a supernatural (or natural) being outside an individual’s head is assigning value and meaning to an individual’s life. People ultimately make their own decisions and assign their lives meaning through their gods, their family, their clan, their country, their hobbies… (you fill in the blank).
<blockquote>“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality” ― <span class="pullquoteauthor">Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Letter 13 to Lucilius</span></blockquote>
This delusional thinking has likely at least in part something to do with our ability to imagine things that do not exist. Our imaginations predict optimistic and pessimistic futures for ourselves that more-often-than-not never come to fruition outside of our anxious imaginations. We observe happenings in the world and make unreasonable conclusions based entirely on intuition and feeling. Or, in other words, based on imagination. People hate to answer a direct question with “I don’t know.” They usually make something up for an answer based on – you guessed it – their imagination. It astounds me when I ask someone a question they could not possibly have an answer for, yet that person will immediately blather out an answer. Just answering with an honest shrug and an “I don’t know” is anathema to nearly everyone, or so it appears to me.
<blockquote>“People are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.” – <span class="pullquoteauthor">Epictetus, Enchiridion Ch 5</span></blockquote>
We do have the ability to reason things out. I think, however, that other animals also have this capacity, but of course in smaller doses. Our reasoning abilities outshine other lifeforms on the planet, and we rightly place a high regard on our demonstrated superior brain power. We dominate our planet because of our brains, but our understanding of reality is still woefully lacking. We really only understand the reality we create in our heads. Our interpretations of what we see, hear, touch and feel emotionally fleshes out our reality. In the end, our opinions frame our reality. Our perception is our reality, and our perception is frequently (if not always) incomplete.Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-50057665184678809532022-05-03T13:24:00.003-04:002022-05-05T18:21:43.783-04:00What I believe<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHA9_xict_5w6qWQO0-LoEf8cZNh7I7yL9w2_zr4fWe4X5TtPKM2AeANwH7idkiuZOd1Xr5ydGvVlcpg1yMd6FehFnMLdCs_1ZApaNX_UvW0mneFDwnVLsw-DJfbnGoTFcKUL-m_InS1W994hV_ni4Q_MISVAtaGN3Bh8vobDOQ1zLuFaXuz5Ru3k/s3840/i-don-t-believe-in-dogmas-and-theologies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHA9_xict_5w6qWQO0-LoEf8cZNh7I7yL9w2_zr4fWe4X5TtPKM2AeANwH7idkiuZOd1Xr5ydGvVlcpg1yMd6FehFnMLdCs_1ZApaNX_UvW0mneFDwnVLsw-DJfbnGoTFcKUL-m_InS1W994hV_ni4Q_MISVAtaGN3Bh8vobDOQ1zLuFaXuz5Ru3k/s16000/i-don-t-believe-in-dogmas-and-theologies.jpg" /></a></div><i>By Jerry ~</i></div><br />
<span class="dropcap">I</span> am a senior man who would consider himself an agnostic when it comes to belief in a creator of the universe, but an atheist who rejects the idea that there is a loving being wishing the best for mankind.
<br /><br />
Because of the design of the earth itself and the completely hostile environments of the planet, I believe we are more of an accident then a purposeful creation.
<br /><br />
I don’t accept the Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian or pagan gods.
<br /><br />
I had been involved with Jehovah's Witnesses in my youth and Christian Evangelical Fundamentalists most recently. I found both to be equally troubling for various reasons. However, my wife is still a staunch Pentecostal, and I must at least pretend in order to keep my marriage. But, in my heart I know the Bible was a book written by men and not at all accurate or inspired by anything other than their imaginations.
<br /><br />
One only need to study the Old Testament to see that not only was God a monster, but compared with the New Testament it’s a completely different religion. Yet, I am supposed to believe Jesus is the God of the Old Testemant? They (those gods) couldn’t be more different.
<br /><br />
I believe in love and good people. Even when evil triumphs, I will be the best person I know how to be.
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-22605828011652625982022-04-28T13:11:00.001-04:002022-04-28T13:11:18.626-04:00Believe Nothing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2n3hYazREFDCk7gXXs9T912mAV6v_JjqTpxS4EttSmZgKNNmVoKihtFgIS24i4ktPV1Rt2_t65djht5OlyHh24GqZn3qP7hlb0olwoW2zqKsFP3p-aLMGV2DfYXNemI8QcGyUXIyMAsqtKLTOElWpYQwmWsoRt5HigMUgvf6cPBb0_-LqR5AYr9v/s378/believe-nothing-funny-buddha-quote-office-saying-sticker.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="378" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2n3hYazREFDCk7gXXs9T912mAV6v_JjqTpxS4EttSmZgKNNmVoKihtFgIS24i4ktPV1Rt2_t65djht5OlyHh24GqZn3qP7hlb0olwoW2zqKsFP3p-aLMGV2DfYXNemI8QcGyUXIyMAsqtKLTOElWpYQwmWsoRt5HigMUgvf6cPBb0_-LqR5AYr9v/s320/believe-nothing-funny-buddha-quote-office-saying-sticker.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>
<i>By Tyler ~ </i>
<br /><br />
<span class="dropcap">L</span>uckily, I was not born into a religious family! However, I was born into a family that lived around religious Catholics and Jews. Oh no!
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When going to school with people who were primarily Jewish, I was ridiculed all the time and heard their silly jokes to each other, which I never understood. They were all well dressed, totally materialistic and did not make sense to the rest of us who did not grow up with their religion. One actually came to my house, stole something and tried to put the blame on me. Then we called his mother. She tried to blame it on us too!
<br /><br />
Same thing happened to my sister: false accusations. I think they secretly think everything belongs to them, much like their Catholic and Christian enemy/brothers.
<br /><br />
Anyway, I eventually went to a community school with a Roman Catholicism class. Uh Oh! I was sitting in the first seat in front of the teacher and he immediately looks at me and tells me, "Come out of her my people." I did not say a word but looked down and thought, "He must think I am religious." He begins telling me that I am a murderer. Then he accuses me of being a Jew. Knowing full well that I was not one, he begins to explain that my family came from Spain.
<br /><br />
Number 1, I am not Spanish. I have record of where my family is from. It's not Spain. And my last name is common in the land where I came from. Far far away from Spain.
<br /><br />
Anyway, He then says that the Christians who came over on the Mayflower receive money from the Catholic Church now for free. Then, he asks if I want to work for him. Then, he says Benjamin Franklin was a murderer. "You like Benjamin Franklin, right?" Mind you, throughout all of this time that he was making these comments I did not answer or talk to him. It just poured out of his mouth. Then he gossips about Queen Elizabeth saying she had lovers. I'm still wondering what is this man talking about? Then he rambles on about "metrosexuals" and how he likes them.
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Listen folks, stay far far away from any religion. Jesus was a nut and so are the people that believe or disbelieve. The whole thing, throw it away.
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A problem we are encountering is the majority of Catholics in the representative powers. I thought this was a land of all people. Where are the other representatives of other cultures and religions? America? The land of the free? Where people of different religions and beliefs are subject to Old Testament laws, Catholics, Jews as well as a lying government that is granted the authority to lie and spread religious propaganda through the government? Don't believe everything you hear about other countries. They drum up lies to make people feel "lucky" about their Catholic, Jewish and Christian slavery! Look up the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruderhof_Communities" target="_blank">Bruderofs.</a>. That should speak for itself.
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Be free, live, have sex and make mini-mes in the name of Buddha wan Chinobi or whatever god YOU make up!
</div>Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-6611237733482158042021-12-14T22:23:00.003-05:002021-12-14T22:26:55.797-05:00Ho Ho Oh No It Ain't SoBy Carl S ~ <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkfBHP2Fsvtvdk3lOK8NpW27ddrK7kydyjIgt0P2UAmkZjrjLBf04530P22606-MENSihHPyzLubsgJ9Qj39rxogoeUWRbGN94rbVfsilk2OB9o8azjwmYEb0NjQBY4IXkUX7faQ0Rai9-YBEp1-LVlLn_00ab1qy6_YJBVi0HVfxNe-UPlOySMLfv=s1023" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1023" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkfBHP2Fsvtvdk3lOK8NpW27ddrK7kydyjIgt0P2UAmkZjrjLBf04530P22606-MENSihHPyzLubsgJ9Qj39rxogoeUWRbGN94rbVfsilk2OB9o8azjwmYEb0NjQBY4IXkUX7faQ0Rai9-YBEp1-LVlLn_00ab1qy6_YJBVi0HVfxNe-UPlOySMLfv=w640-h458" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="dropcap">I</span>t's that time of year when people hear the story of a star traveling right above Earth, leading men to a structure, where it stops and hangs around for hours! ( Global Positioning Star, or Ancient UFO?)
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The reason for the Christmas story is said to be of utmost importance: It's claimed (no witnesses), the first humans did something naughty by following the advice of a Talking Snake! This “evil” was enough to punish the entire human race, forever. In order to pay the penalty for it, the child born on the first Christmas had to be tortured to death for three hours! This gory “solution” is preached as the greatest example of love! If you're willing to accept this package: would you believe all animals on Earth, predators and prey, could live peacefully packed together, on a boat, for over a hundred days? Would you believe only a few people on Earth worth saving were the ones standing by watching their friends and neighbors drown? What about five loaves of bread feeding five thousand men alone? Would you believe four thousand, with seven loaves? What if they're really big loaves?
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Would you believe that, for children, faith is just another habit to learn, together with how to eat, just as they trustfully accept histories of family and ancestors, (which may or not be true), and learn cultured habits, right along with their potty training? Isn't trust just another survival mechanism? “Don't ask why” is the answer they get when they question a learned habit. These are all called, “tradition.” When one grows up, shouldn't one shelve or abort the impregnated fantasies? Not everyone does.
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Most people don't take scriptural stories extremely seriously, and those who do often cause trouble. (Ask the witnesses to 9/11 and the Parisians who were there for reactions to the cartoon of Mohammed.) Allah/God, has no sense of humor. Comedians and cartoonists find a ton of examples to laugh at in alleged “holy” texts. Blasphemy is the laughter of free people with freedom to speak their minds and tell it like it is. If you don't think this is true, just look at the places where it's a crime, where you can even be executed for not pretending to believe.
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<span class="pullquote">When one grows up, shouldn't one shelve or abort the impregnated fantasies?</span> Religious stories sound familiar, like something you'd find in Qanon and other conspiracy and alternate-reality sites. They all have millions of followers. Seems like the last time an abundance of technology went amok was in the Roaring Twenties, when “Anything Goes.” Now new bible printings will have to include the Prosperity Gospel. I don't know what your experiences are, trying to discuss beliefs, but whenever I ask for evidence to back them up, I get an angry, “It's The Truth!”or, “Just believe it.” Hmm,, same problem trying to have conversations with people of faith or cult members. Asking for proof is rejected, over their emotional intensity of being privileged insiders to secret worlds.
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Nothing new, here. As far back as the 2nd century C.E., the Christian apologist Tertullian, wrote: “It is impossible for a man to return from death; therefore it must be true.” Investigate the multitude of bizarre things believed as “truth” on this planet, and you might be tempted to ask yourself Why should nonsense be respected when it's earned the opposite of respect? It's no mystery: What every single conspiracy theory/alternative reality, shares in common with cults and religions: they all require an initial “ leap of faith,” and to keep that feeling leaping. This desire makes every one of them “True.”
<br /><br />
So here we are at yuletide in the 21st century, expecting rational judgements from Supreme Court justices entrusted to make decisions based on evidence alone, not faith, not opinion, not hearsay. Let's hope they have doubts about dogmas, because six of those justices belong to a faith which professes, despite all evidence to the contrary, that crackers are the living body of a man who died two thousand years ago. For a start, let's hope they don't take that one too seriously.
<br />Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-13739178185242331222021-09-14T13:11:00.005-04:002021-09-14T13:19:07.753-04:00Before and After <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnbDlI-8-NMGJ2SlzcJPrIKAbq-PfH7_CKCDjMU8F_ouQ5WLRaEfFYbJUCSZ8WSJs1GfE8P1jji3hqyMwP26ZORz559UPkJ86pV-dQJJRLqSJQvu0G6uN9jXCEUnl5j1aw2kbUFALyq0/s508/moses.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="508" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnbDlI-8-NMGJ2SlzcJPrIKAbq-PfH7_CKCDjMU8F_ouQ5WLRaEfFYbJUCSZ8WSJs1GfE8P1jji3hqyMwP26ZORz559UPkJ86pV-dQJJRLqSJQvu0G6uN9jXCEUnl5j1aw2kbUFALyq0/w640-h427/moses.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>By Carl S ~ </i><br /><br />
<span class="dropcap">O</span>ne man made a very astute observation. He said before the ten commandments came to be, there were tribes. Mankind, therefore, already had social laws in place. People co-operated, loved, cared for, and supported one another. So who needed commands from one more invented invisible deity? All of this natural morality existed before the ten commandments. But what happened after them?
<br /><br />
What about that Golden Calf story? It's in Exodus 32, if you're wondering. Long story short, after the Israelites are delivered out of Egypt, they make a stopover near Mt. Sinai, and Moses, the leader, goes up the mountain alone to speak with the “god” no one has seen. He's up there so long, it looks like he's skipped out on them. They're bored, and ask the second-in-command man to fabricate this god upstairs into an image representing that “god.” After he does (here again, according to Moses alone), the “invisible god” on the mountaintop tells Moses he's pissed off and is going to destroy the lot of them. Moses says he talked him out of doing this, arguing it would be bad for “god's p.r.” if the Egyptians passed it around, “their god only delivered them so he could wipe them out in the desert.” Nice move.
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<span class="pullquote">Moses just happened to be just another self-ordained god-spokesman, a.k.a. nut job</span>Now Moses just happened to be just another self-ordained god-spokesman, a.k.a. nut job, another one of those who go off as hermits with brains cooked and hallucinating in the searing desert heat, hearing their “god” speaking to them. (And he had over a month to spend chiseling letters in rocks.)
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To continue, Moses, in a huff, and after 40 days away from his people, goes down the mountain and sees the people singing and dancing! Enjoying themselves! He breaks those ten commandments tablets he claims were written by “god,” (one of them being, “You shall not kill”), and makes the people eat the dust made from the idol he pulverized. As if that weren't punishment enough for idolatry, he tells the men from the tribe of Levi, “Thus says the Lord: grab your swords, go to and fro through the encampment, and “each one of you kill his brother, his companion, and neighbor.” Now just picture this taking place! Tallying up the slaughter, it's claimed “only” 3000 were killed. Compare that to the number of victims on 9/11/2001. Thank you, Lord.
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Now, I myself don't believe a word of this story. To begin with, the ancient Egyptians, who kept meticulous inventory of day to day events at that time, never mentioned Moses or the Israelites being in Egypt. I couldn't care less, but millions of people believe this wacko story. I'm writing about it to point out something. Read the section following Moses's descent from the mountain to any believer, and that believer will have no problem accepting what followed. But think about this: before the commandments, the tribes came together and co-operated to make their journey. Families, husbands, wives, children, slaves, etc. After the ten commandments, after they “got religion,” then the slaughter of one another began. And no believer has a problem accepting this outcome.
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-50493870718944620092021-04-05T10:07:00.001-04:002021-04-05T10:07:26.806-04:00What is our Anger About?<i>By Yak ~ </i><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJsqhGFChrCPB8UShClQws5cj4mjDe1rMx9F4ydrh5DekhVyYJ32Dy4QLjsh6Wn03DusdMhEqQ8kwIR_pUsH1G6Uy4AMbB_dnnaFfs-EYpIf0FcD-fXWmzuvRk4dLOHHmo4SClCw8sWE/s0/angrywoman.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJsqhGFChrCPB8UShClQws5cj4mjDe1rMx9F4ydrh5DekhVyYJ32Dy4QLjsh6Wn03DusdMhEqQ8kwIR_pUsH1G6Uy4AMbB_dnnaFfs-EYpIf0FcD-fXWmzuvRk4dLOHHmo4SClCw8sWE/s0/angrywoman.jpg"/></a></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-67278ba2-7fff-1138-0c3f-d454a5c1fb1c"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="dropcap">I</span> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">want to talk about anger. Just a short spin through these forums reveals a constant undercurrent of strong anger. I don't believe that our anger is misplaced, and I think it is definitely justified. Real or threatened loss, including betrayal and deception is a strong basis for anger. But, being both a mildly introspective non-theist and counseling professional, I have to ask questions about our anger. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My questions are: (don't spit blood; read it through) Are we angry because we wish it (god) really exists? Are we really angry because we were told that there was a real "father" who actually "cared" for us, the way we had hoped as children? Perhaps like a dad who would back us up and soothe our hurts, listen and dispense wisdom when we were confronted by the vagaries and ugliness of life? But then, we inevitably discovered or finally admitted to ourselves that what we were told isn't true. In other words, we were deceived, got let down or betrayed. Of course, everyone eventually discovers that this divine conception isn't true, some taking longer than others to reach the point of discovery, but the discovery is made </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">despite denials</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Always.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There's a whole host of other ridiculous religious doctrines and convoluted teachings. Enough in fact to spark all the arguments we engage in on this site. Let's set those aside for this one and focus on the ones that are at the core of our disappointment: we were told someone/something cared for us but found that to be a lie.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've been one of the most outspoken of us. My own anger --even rage-- seemed unbounded, and I can say that my rancor has been powered to a large degree not by the philosophical arguments of divine non-existence, but by the profound disappointment of being let down. Yes, I do agree that the idea of the existence of such a being is deeply troubling, but I think the focus of our anger is more about "why don't you exist" and "why do the stories persist that build up a deep hope that is ultimately dashed" rather than about our philosophical notions. In short, when we got let down, we got hurt. Many of us experienced far more dire consequences of religion, and we recognize the validity of those horrible experiences. However, I'm looking into what appears to be a more universal common denominator that arises from the text in the thousands of posts that so many have shared on this site.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being honest about the matter, my anger is constantly re-vivified each time I read about, hear or see some human who has been deluded, damaged or killed by their own beliefs in some kind of divinity, or through the beliefs of someone else. (I see such damaged individuals daily in my practice)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have a deep, animal need to feel protected, heard, helped and comforted. This is normal and is especially and immediately relevant to us due to the presence of uncertainty and threat in our environment. From the time we are born, we're hardwired to look to someone to fill that deep need. We humans devised god(s) to fill that need and proceeded to build many stories to support it. Not surprisingly, when people began discovering that it didn't exist to help the way we had hoped and, as a way of trying to explain why terrible things happened around us and to us, we had to distort the story and make the "father" we hoped for into the mixed bag caring-but-uncaring, benevolent-but-malevolent, unconditional-but-conditionally loving "father" that is clearly taught by several world religions. While ultimately clumsy in its execution, it's an understandable attempt at making sense of the stark and the often brutal divergence between the story we constructed and our experience of reality.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, we're back where we started. But, due to distortions in the narrative, and the pain of our own unmet childhood need, we may </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wish</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it did exist but are faced with the universal experience that we, in fact, are on our own. Hence, our sense of loss at being let down.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pullquote">Are we angry because we wish it (god) really exists? </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It makes me both sad and happy because this painful experience of realization, once accepted (and that is by no means a simple or quick task --can I get an amen?), actually means that you and I are growing into the humans that we actually are meant to be --frail but strong, feeling lonely but never alone because we have each other, and able to a greater or lesser degree to handle life's vagaries. When we begin to accept the universe around us as a world of wonder, replete with the entire spectrum of experiences, from good to bad, including happiness and suffering, life and death --we finally let go of the apron strings and learn to stand on our own. It's only then that we can truly see and engage with others around us and "get" that this is the way life is meant to be lived. We stop focusing on our dream of how it could be and can begin living in the reality of our situation.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who cling to their childhood, need it the strongest and refuse to relinquish it are, understandably, the loudest deniers and sometimes the most dangerous and damaging to themselves and others. It's a case of "the childish will run riot." Their "tests of faith" and odd notions of "divine judgment" and supporting doctrines are remarkably consistent with the thinking of children between the ages of 5 and maybe 9, a time of life when concrete, all-or-nothing thinking is normal. After that age of course, humans are geared to begin confronting the world with its unpleasantness and not knowing, not having a quick answer to every problem, and the reality of uncertainty, which is a hallmark of life. All-or-nothing thinking is no longer age-appropriate by then, but those who are the most afraid and needy will cling to it giving rise to the oft quoted maxim when referring to those who are still trapped by religion, '</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">never underestimate the power of denial</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.' For those of us who hung on to the untrue story the hardest and longest, our anger is the strongest because the loss seems the greatest. And that makes sense. However, we needn't hide behind our anger with lavish arguments; we need only accept and express our anger at our loss so we can finally let go of what are now unrealistic childish needs and begin living as whole, integrated adult humans. Our philosophical arguments can then turn into mind candy to be bantered about vigorously, but without the added internal sting of needing to assuage the deep betrayal that we feel because we realized that were told to accept a painful untruth. Arguing ideas is so much more fun and instructive when they're unclouded by pain.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think the process of growing through the worst of our childhood need for someone bigger to run to when we feel alone, hurt or uncertain is part of maturation. We're also learning to look within ourselves for answers and looking across to other humans for the understanding and the comfort we seek instead of looking "up" to someone who isn't there. We finally stop looking at the disconnected, static-distorted image of a divinity that fades in and out like on an old TV set and look around us and see life, ourselves and others clearly. We discover that we can talk with others and work through most of our problems or dilemmas. We discover that we provide the only protection we have. We move on. So. Yes. We get angry when we experience a real or threatened loss --and the realization that we do not now nor have we ever had a big daddy to turn to, despite being assured "he" was there, qualifies as a real loss, a legitimate reason for our anger.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, and this is the lucky bit for us, this is a part of growing up and becoming a complete human. I'm glad to be human, only human, and that you are here with me, sharing this patently human adventure. I remember this happy fact when the noisy theists rehash their worn out arguments, trying to inflict guilt while exposing their own unmet needs and pain that they haven't found the courage to face and outgrow. They're afraid but still dangerous to those around them. They deserve our compassion, as we would have compassion for a frightened child who won't let go of the door going into the dentist's office.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I say in answer to the questions I started with: yes, we're angry because we were deceived. It is </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">loss</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and justifiably so. So, let's be angry, take the time to work through it and get on with being grown up and free and let's do it </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">together</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your thoughts?</span></p><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-54059708502777101852021-03-16T14:49:00.002-04:002021-03-16T14:49:21.903-04:00Meaning of Life<i><a href="https://iwasfreeborn.wordpress.com/meaning-of-life/" target="_blank">By Rational Logic ~ </a></i>
<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpYK-a0LlZTT-KEFs-7zV4Hqi_qf0VjV63zgC2tmRzDVbuZA9vzY5FXdwfCGKhdu7uGHYucfivTMkNmiX6XS_-_P702BF4aDmHOMghTiLkJcAzR8xX_iZkJ5OxzVhMl-8KDgBRhxVRls/s2040/42b.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1358" data-original-width="2040" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpYK-a0LlZTT-KEFs-7zV4Hqi_qf0VjV63zgC2tmRzDVbuZA9vzY5FXdwfCGKhdu7uGHYucfivTMkNmiX6XS_-_P702BF4aDmHOMghTiLkJcAzR8xX_iZkJ5OxzVhMl-8KDgBRhxVRls/s400/42b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="dropcap">S</span>ome Christians say that the atheist viewpoint on life is that it is ultimately meaningless. They quote Richard Dawkins in <a href="https://amzn.to/3eLsaNp" target="_blank">Unweaving the Rainbow</a> who hints at such when he says “We are going to die…. how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state…? That prior state he is referring to, is of course is nothingness. If you ultimately return to nothingness and the whole universe will one day be nothingness does that mean life is ultimately meaningless?
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To many Christians, William Lane Craig included, feel that if there is no god with no ultimate purpose then everything is ultimately meaningless, even “depressing” according to Dr Craig. And yet, when you look at a beautiful red sunset and a tear rolls down your eye, or you listen to music that uplifts your spirit, or watch children at play and smile, do you feel that life is meaningless? Of course not. It is these very things that give life meaning.
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Christians have a different problem on their hands. For a great many unfortunate people in this world, life does indeed seem meaningless. Millions die each year of starvation, disease, war and disaster. If it is the ultimate plan of God that gives meaning to life, yet the vast majority don’t get to go to heaven because they either didn’t believe in god, or believed the wrong god, or the wrong doctrine of the same god, then where is the meaning for them? I think when Christians say their god gives meaning to life, what they mean is God gives them meaning for their life. There is no over arching God gives meaning to life.
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Ultimately, the universe does not care whether you live or die. If you want meaning from life you have to find it within yourself. Certainly a non existent god or gods won’t give meaning to you.
Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266985040290242663.post-29766186977057626842021-03-16T14:38:00.002-04:002021-03-16T14:38:09.039-04:00Let's be Really Honest<i>By Carl S ~ </i>
<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8IFppIpmO97OWAgFU9pjal0nDEtF0qMOt8LD6iN4wX-VuWkjUACWRryirbO8ZhSQsPEFTeEsECXrjDIdH9u-q38os0BbbxebH3j8fTpdB4d5SuUTmcZrCtE3wcEXjokdkOBxsjVzwVs/s1200/ChristianPorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8IFppIpmO97OWAgFU9pjal0nDEtF0qMOt8LD6iN4wX-VuWkjUACWRryirbO8ZhSQsPEFTeEsECXrjDIdH9u-q38os0BbbxebH3j8fTpdB4d5SuUTmcZrCtE3wcEXjokdkOBxsjVzwVs/s320/ChristianPorn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="dropcap">D</span>o fundamentalist Christians buy vibrators, condoms, birth control pills, pornography? Amazon, ebay, Paypal and Home Shopping Network won't tell. Do they have abortions? But they'll show up in force when they want to make public statements against their own personal choices. After mass tragedies, families and community members buy huge amounts of stuffed animals and flowers, purchased in mourning, to honor the victims. Those are primal responses, originating long before the burial practices of ancient Egypt! And not one Christian is aware the pagans initiated this response: toys and implements were originally buried with the deceased to be used in their afterlives. Now, thousands of years later in a market economy, lamentation, grief, and loss are sales opportunities for businesses taking advantage of the lucrative business of religion. (Doesn't this remind you of Christmas?) After these things, comes the ceremonial praising of a god by survivors, the prattle of victims being “in a better place, with God, becoming angels.” It's no wonder why a non-believer invented the Celebration of Life to be used in place of religious ceremonies.
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With or without religions, we act from our nature, despite every attempt by religion to control it. Our lives do not require merely existence, but need experimentation, so we make a lot of junk, like belief systems, before we arrive at something workable. Humans became pawns to religions as soon as they created them. When creators think they have mastery over them, things get seriously out of control. This is bound to happen, since doctrines are gambling ventures contrary to our nature. This happens despite the fact life itself is usually gambling. In order to survive, we just can't help but tempt fate or thwart the wills of gods.
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Life is good when we experiment with it. This goes beyond mere temptation. As children, we see how far we can push a parent before we get a reaction. You may steal a candy bar from the store, eat a forbidden fruit to find if it makes you wiser. You might experiment by using any way possible to get solutions for diseases defying our best efforts at eradication. It's called science, derived from “scientia,” meaning: “to know.” The pompous clergy, who condemn scientists, are getting the best of what science has to offer in medical care and technology. No prayer healing or low-tech broadcasting for them!
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<span class="pullquote">With or without religions, we act from our nature, despite every attempt by religion to control it.</span>When you got sexually involved for the first time with the right or wrong person, ignoring the warnings of your religion, (touted as that big part of your “whole life”), was it terrible, that “loss of innocence?” Your religion tells you humans were punished by being expelled from an earthly paradise of Eden. So? We're not cut out for a protected “Eden” existence; we'd be bored to death! We dare to “sin.” So? We lie - sometimes we need to lie to find out what's true, just by observing nature alone. So? We notice sex is essential for emotional health; virginity's just a phase. You got a problem with that? Clerics lie continually; their followers don't have a problem with that.
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Experimenting can get you mixed up in the wrong crowd, but, if you choose your terms, may cause you to reject them and head for the healthy lifestyle. Experimenting with blasphemy and pornography, like experimenting with new musical forms and writing styles, seems inevitable when they succeed. We tempt life, we mold and manipulate it, (like every other animal does, and in ways no other animal can).
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Despite centuries of propaganda trying to convince everyone there's a god involved in every aspect of life, we are left with: shit happens. In the common everyday world, how do people act? According to Annie Laurie Gaylor, most people live as if they're atheists. No religion necessary. No creed. So?
<br />Dave Van Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08288914445803411893noreply@blogger.com0