Assumptions
By Carl S ~
The foreman was concerned because one of his men was in the port-a-toilet unit for quite a while. (Previously, he had a man die during such a long restroom break.) The foreman went over to the unit and, standing outside, heard unusual noises coming from inside. He opened the door, only to find the man with a long tree limb, reaching down inside the toilet. “What's going on?” he asked. “Well,” came the answer, “I dropped my jacket in here, and I'm trying to get it out.” “Ah come on!” said the foreman. “That jacket's ruined.” The man looked him in the eyes and said, “I know that. But my lunch is in the pocket.”
What a tasteless joke. How dare you come on to this site where so many are struggling with coming out of often mind-bending religious indoctrination with crap like this? What the hell are you trying to prove on such a serious, thought-provoking site? Webmaster Dave — Help! Oh, there's a point to this, there is.
Most of the testimonies we see here are from people coming out of the outhouse, still dirty, but at the same time, still expecting to salvage the lunches they invested there. In both instances, they‘re not worth saving. We read from those who are still mourning the loss of lunches they enjoyed while still under the influence, while others are searching through the wreckage of collapsed beliefs, not for lunches, but for the remnants of placebos, uppers and tranquilizers their religions provided. To all of them, we offer something to consider: The present citizens of a Europe rapidly becoming religion-free, secular. Their ancestors who died for the faith are buried all over Europe. What a tremendous waste of lives as a result of ignorance perpetuated by religion.
Now, consider those who are still in faiths, trying to make sense of the senseless, investigating while standing, stirring up dogmas and scriptures, looking for the ever-elusive god and truths. Coming from this experience ourselves, we must admit there's something familiar about this; the sense of smell itself was turned off for us too, naturally. If we hadn’t broken the rules about investigating, and found absent a sufficient amount of scriptural toilet paper to wipe our asses with, we might never have noticed the fresh air outside.
Too crude and tasteless for you? Imagine the response of “God’s people.” But where is it written that it’s politically correct not to offend the sensitivities of the believers? Where is the “thou shalt not?” Why should those who even disagree with them tread on eggshells while non-believers are reviled and denied their civil rights by them? Every time unbelievers are up against this, every time believers say that we are “making war” on religion, we should counter with the Yiddish phrase, “So what are we — chopped liver?”
Now, millions may claim that faith explains the meaning of life, that a deity has shown how it’s obtained and held, maintained, etc., etc. , that faith is the most important, all-pervading reason for life. What's it all about but assumptions? From the very beginnings, down to the deepest roots of religions, the DNA of assumptions dominates. Look at any creeds, any statements of faith in any church, and you’ll see; “We believe...” preceding whatever follows. Check out St. Paul, Thomas Aquinas and his proofs for the existence of God, all the apologists of Christian, Hebraic, Moslem faiths. Look into Pat Zukeran’s “Authority of the Bible.” Every one of them uses the credo that one must assume, in other words, pretend, have faith in, with the assumption that believing is the same as knowing what is claimed is true.
The first time I made use of a lawyer's services, I had to tell him I was surprised that my ex-wife would have brought such charges against me as she did, or would demand such money from me. Because, I told him, I had assumed she wasn't capable of this. He told me of a saying among lawyers: “Assume” means that it makes an ASS out of U and Me.” I have not forgotten this piece of wisdom. The next experiences the lawyer and I had with her confirmed his judgment. Evidence is truth.
In order to get people to believe what they preach, indoctrinators have to convince them to assume certain things. (Beware of assumptions with sugar coatings; they’ll make an ass of you very fast. In the moral folk tale “Pinocchio,” the puppet is lured into Pleasure Island, gets inebriated in its ecstatic surroundings, only to find himself being turned into a real donkey- ass. All the time, he had assumed the puppet master was benevolent.)
In order to get people to believe what they preach, indoctrinators have to convince them to assume certain things.All believers “naturally” assume their clergy are telling them the truth, that clergy can be trusted alone with their children, that their clergy, bible, apologists, and church institutions, represent what is assumed (believed) to be divine rules with almighty-loving god’s personal stamp of approval! It isn‘t they alone who make asses of their followers, but the faithful followers who continue to make asses of themselves while continuing to accept these assumptions without evidence.
In the root system, the arterial system of these assumptions is the unspoken belief in the magic power of words; the power of words to avert destruction, to appease, heal, and cure. The placebo of words. The miracle making of words, Word made flesh, Word of God. Magical, inspired, uncontestable words of ancient scriptures. The power to bring back to life a two thousand year dead man-god, and attain eternal life by believing and repeating words of rhythmic incantations. The seduction of words, from the minarets, the altars, the pulpits, from the mega- church stages and podiums, and privately in the sacristies. The Kama Sutras of words. Where there are religions, there are the over-saturation of words with the magical assumption, the pretending, that they work.
For thousands of years with millions of gods, the system has worked. And, depending on where you live, you might even be killed for not believing assumptions to be the same as knowledge. To you, dear faithful readers, I wish to share a personal quandary: Whether to continue contributing or not, since I seem to have exhausted every insight you can practically use from me. If you don't “get it” by now, I don’t know what more to say.
For every newcomer to the site, I will recommend the fast-track approach of investigating the meanings of the word “superstition,” and compare them to all they can learn in scientific discoveries. This simply means that all religious beliefs are superstitions, period. We can't make superstitious minds interested in the facts when their whole existence is tied to ignoring them. Dive into all the wonderful, liberating reading material available, watch “Cosmos,” share your stories, encourage and support ex-religious whistle-blowers. Let the secrets out and liberate others from bondage and fears. Go for it!
What a tasteless joke. How dare you come on to this site where so many are struggling with coming out of often mind-bending religious indoctrination with crap like this? What the hell are you trying to prove on such a serious, thought-provoking site? Webmaster Dave — Help! Oh, there's a point to this, there is.
Most of the testimonies we see here are from people coming out of the outhouse, still dirty, but at the same time, still expecting to salvage the lunches they invested there. In both instances, they‘re not worth saving. We read from those who are still mourning the loss of lunches they enjoyed while still under the influence, while others are searching through the wreckage of collapsed beliefs, not for lunches, but for the remnants of placebos, uppers and tranquilizers their religions provided. To all of them, we offer something to consider: The present citizens of a Europe rapidly becoming religion-free, secular. Their ancestors who died for the faith are buried all over Europe. What a tremendous waste of lives as a result of ignorance perpetuated by religion.
Now, consider those who are still in faiths, trying to make sense of the senseless, investigating while standing, stirring up dogmas and scriptures, looking for the ever-elusive god and truths. Coming from this experience ourselves, we must admit there's something familiar about this; the sense of smell itself was turned off for us too, naturally. If we hadn’t broken the rules about investigating, and found absent a sufficient amount of scriptural toilet paper to wipe our asses with, we might never have noticed the fresh air outside.
Too crude and tasteless for you? Imagine the response of “God’s people.” But where is it written that it’s politically correct not to offend the sensitivities of the believers? Where is the “thou shalt not?” Why should those who even disagree with them tread on eggshells while non-believers are reviled and denied their civil rights by them? Every time unbelievers are up against this, every time believers say that we are “making war” on religion, we should counter with the Yiddish phrase, “So what are we — chopped liver?”
Now, millions may claim that faith explains the meaning of life, that a deity has shown how it’s obtained and held, maintained, etc., etc. , that faith is the most important, all-pervading reason for life. What's it all about but assumptions? From the very beginnings, down to the deepest roots of religions, the DNA of assumptions dominates. Look at any creeds, any statements of faith in any church, and you’ll see; “We believe...” preceding whatever follows. Check out St. Paul, Thomas Aquinas and his proofs for the existence of God, all the apologists of Christian, Hebraic, Moslem faiths. Look into Pat Zukeran’s “Authority of the Bible.” Every one of them uses the credo that one must assume, in other words, pretend, have faith in, with the assumption that believing is the same as knowing what is claimed is true.
The first time I made use of a lawyer's services, I had to tell him I was surprised that my ex-wife would have brought such charges against me as she did, or would demand such money from me. Because, I told him, I had assumed she wasn't capable of this. He told me of a saying among lawyers: “Assume” means that it makes an ASS out of U and Me.” I have not forgotten this piece of wisdom. The next experiences the lawyer and I had with her confirmed his judgment. Evidence is truth.
In order to get people to believe what they preach, indoctrinators have to convince them to assume certain things. (Beware of assumptions with sugar coatings; they’ll make an ass of you very fast. In the moral folk tale “Pinocchio,” the puppet is lured into Pleasure Island, gets inebriated in its ecstatic surroundings, only to find himself being turned into a real donkey- ass. All the time, he had assumed the puppet master was benevolent.)
In order to get people to believe what they preach, indoctrinators have to convince them to assume certain things.All believers “naturally” assume their clergy are telling them the truth, that clergy can be trusted alone with their children, that their clergy, bible, apologists, and church institutions, represent what is assumed (believed) to be divine rules with almighty-loving god’s personal stamp of approval! It isn‘t they alone who make asses of their followers, but the faithful followers who continue to make asses of themselves while continuing to accept these assumptions without evidence.
In the root system, the arterial system of these assumptions is the unspoken belief in the magic power of words; the power of words to avert destruction, to appease, heal, and cure. The placebo of words. The miracle making of words, Word made flesh, Word of God. Magical, inspired, uncontestable words of ancient scriptures. The power to bring back to life a two thousand year dead man-god, and attain eternal life by believing and repeating words of rhythmic incantations. The seduction of words, from the minarets, the altars, the pulpits, from the mega- church stages and podiums, and privately in the sacristies. The Kama Sutras of words. Where there are religions, there are the over-saturation of words with the magical assumption, the pretending, that they work.
For thousands of years with millions of gods, the system has worked. And, depending on where you live, you might even be killed for not believing assumptions to be the same as knowledge. To you, dear faithful readers, I wish to share a personal quandary: Whether to continue contributing or not, since I seem to have exhausted every insight you can practically use from me. If you don't “get it” by now, I don’t know what more to say.
For every newcomer to the site, I will recommend the fast-track approach of investigating the meanings of the word “superstition,” and compare them to all they can learn in scientific discoveries. This simply means that all religious beliefs are superstitions, period. We can't make superstitious minds interested in the facts when their whole existence is tied to ignoring them. Dive into all the wonderful, liberating reading material available, watch “Cosmos,” share your stories, encourage and support ex-religious whistle-blowers. Let the secrets out and liberate others from bondage and fears. Go for it!