The Israeli army showed us its loving god through its wholesale slaughter of cage Zoo animals. This pregnant camel was deliberately shot with a rocket. Other animals were shot with small arms in their cages.
Friday, January 30, 2009
WTF
The Israeli army showed us its loving god through its wholesale slaughter of cage Zoo animals. This pregnant camel was deliberately shot with a rocket. Other animals were shot with small arms in their cages.
Christian Nazis
Archive footage of Christian Nazis. Before theists accuse atheists of being Nazis they should understand that Hitler was elected by a Christian country. He didn't suddenly become a Nazi. He didn't take power by forse. His policies were acceptable to Christians.
Theists. Watch this video.
Watch this video. This guy says that the earth is flat because it says so in the Koran. This is now dumb you sound to me when you make claims about how the world is based on your bible.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Carbon Dating
Eric Lyons M.Min. sets out his arguments against carbon dating. He sets up his straw man well then burns it to the ground thinking that this proves the Young Earth Creationist theory.
Where did he go wrong? PotHoler54 answers all of his questions.
Of particular interest is the Hugh Miller carbon dating incident as told by the two parties above. Hugh Miller sent fossilized dinosaur bones in for carbon dating. Fossilized dinosaur bones cannot be carbon dated because all of the carbon is gone from them. This is just the wrong measure so it cannot give any meaningful results.
However, these bones had a preserving resin coating applied to them by man. So, the sample, being a combination of relatively new resin and carbon14 free, fossilized dinosaur bones came up with an age of 15000 - 20000 years. This is an average age between the bones and the resin.
For Young Earthers this was the knock down argument for evolution. For them, if evolution is wrong, creationism must be right. For me, if evolution was disproved right now it would not make creationism more likely. They are not competing scientific arguments. Why would Christian creationism or Intelligent Design be more valid than the Australian Aboriginal's Rainbow Serpent creation hypothesis?
How is this different to science? Miller was looking for a result. He worked out how to get it. According to potholer54, he could have gotten the same result by smearing jam on a dinosaur bone. The jam would introduce carbon14 to the sample and skew the results towards a much younger date. Science looks at results to see if they fit into scientific theory. If they don't fit into scientific theory they put both the test and the theory to the test. They don't just yawn and pull an old theory out of the draw and say: 'Well, I suppose this one will do.' They aren't just trying to keep the punters happy.
In this case it would be just as valid (totally invalid) to say that the resin on the bones was 15000 - 20000 years old and that this disproved the entire bible story that man was created 6000 years ago because man makes resin. It's a dumb argument designed to impress dumb people into tithing. They use these straw man arguments because they work on theists.
Where did he go wrong? PotHoler54 answers all of his questions.
Of particular interest is the Hugh Miller carbon dating incident as told by the two parties above. Hugh Miller sent fossilized dinosaur bones in for carbon dating. Fossilized dinosaur bones cannot be carbon dated because all of the carbon is gone from them. This is just the wrong measure so it cannot give any meaningful results.
However, these bones had a preserving resin coating applied to them by man. So, the sample, being a combination of relatively new resin and carbon14 free, fossilized dinosaur bones came up with an age of 15000 - 20000 years. This is an average age between the bones and the resin.
For Young Earthers this was the knock down argument for evolution. For them, if evolution is wrong, creationism must be right. For me, if evolution was disproved right now it would not make creationism more likely. They are not competing scientific arguments. Why would Christian creationism or Intelligent Design be more valid than the Australian Aboriginal's Rainbow Serpent creation hypothesis?
How is this different to science? Miller was looking for a result. He worked out how to get it. According to potholer54, he could have gotten the same result by smearing jam on a dinosaur bone. The jam would introduce carbon14 to the sample and skew the results towards a much younger date. Science looks at results to see if they fit into scientific theory. If they don't fit into scientific theory they put both the test and the theory to the test. They don't just yawn and pull an old theory out of the draw and say: 'Well, I suppose this one will do.' They aren't just trying to keep the punters happy.
In this case it would be just as valid (totally invalid) to say that the resin on the bones was 15000 - 20000 years old and that this disproved the entire bible story that man was created 6000 years ago because man makes resin. It's a dumb argument designed to impress dumb people into tithing. They use these straw man arguments because they work on theists.
Teen Rape Case - SMH
This SMH article tells of 7 boys around 16 raping a 13 year old repeatedly.
So, the happy clappers are gonna be after the pornographers again.
However, for me, there is a hint. I know I am reading between the lines a lot here. But if my theist oponents ignore the rule that correlation does not imply causation then I'll join in and be intuitive. One of the kids was not permitted by his parents to recieve school based sex education prior to the event. For me that equals happy-clapper parents. Secular parents want their children to have real information as they need it to deal with real world situations as they encounter them.
How would real sex education have helped here?
. If these kids had know what rape was one of them might have seen that this was wrong and said something or just gone home. I bet each parent of the boys wishes their boy had walk away and rung the police.
. She would have know that she was out of her depth and that 16 year old boys have just one thing on their minds.
. Did they use condoms? Is she pregnant? This situation is bad enough without this poor girl having to life with the repercussions of this forever.
How religion primed society and these boys for this event:
. Christianity says that a girl who steps into any situation and is raped did the wrong thing. It says that she should have been more careful. The blame is pushed onto the victim. Islam does this more - thus the bhurka.
. Religions tell their members that others are of less worth than their fellow flock members. This xenophobia justifies rape of 'the other'.
. Women are second class citizens to theists. Made from a rib to keep men company, rib woman gets what she diserves.
. Men are instilled with a sense of entitlement to women's bodies - just look at traditional wedding vows.
. Women brought sin into the world (the snake/apple affair) so they get what they deserve.
. With a black and white attitude towards the world theists will stoop to depravity when they fall from grace - in for a pound, in for a penny. The idea that a fall from grace is a complete fall is what leads many Catholic girls into prostitution.
. Once a woman has fallen from grace she is worthless. For these boys she probably got what she diserved because she went on a date with one of them.
Football teaches young men the wrong thing too.
. Again, a sense of entitlement.
. The message is that if you are good enough, you'll get away with it. Our society seeks to be like its idols by wearing the same brand shoes or shirt and raping girls in the same manner.
. Football teaches that might is right.
Christianity has had 2000 years to make the society it says it can make. It is no closer today than it ever has been. Society wasn't safe when they had enough power to burn you to death or drown you for disagreeing with them. The problems and threats were just different. We only give politicians a few years to show that their policies are working then we dump them. Why have we stuck this this crap for so long? Is it because we want to believe their lies?
If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
So, the happy clappers are gonna be after the pornographers again.
However, for me, there is a hint. I know I am reading between the lines a lot here. But if my theist oponents ignore the rule that correlation does not imply causation then I'll join in and be intuitive. One of the kids was not permitted by his parents to recieve school based sex education prior to the event. For me that equals happy-clapper parents. Secular parents want their children to have real information as they need it to deal with real world situations as they encounter them.
How would real sex education have helped here?
. If these kids had know what rape was one of them might have seen that this was wrong and said something or just gone home. I bet each parent of the boys wishes their boy had walk away and rung the police.
. She would have know that she was out of her depth and that 16 year old boys have just one thing on their minds.
. Did they use condoms? Is she pregnant? This situation is bad enough without this poor girl having to life with the repercussions of this forever.
How religion primed society and these boys for this event:
. Christianity says that a girl who steps into any situation and is raped did the wrong thing. It says that she should have been more careful. The blame is pushed onto the victim. Islam does this more - thus the bhurka.
. Religions tell their members that others are of less worth than their fellow flock members. This xenophobia justifies rape of 'the other'.
. Women are second class citizens to theists. Made from a rib to keep men company, rib woman gets what she diserves.
. Men are instilled with a sense of entitlement to women's bodies - just look at traditional wedding vows.
. Women brought sin into the world (the snake/apple affair) so they get what they deserve.
. With a black and white attitude towards the world theists will stoop to depravity when they fall from grace - in for a pound, in for a penny. The idea that a fall from grace is a complete fall is what leads many Catholic girls into prostitution.
. Once a woman has fallen from grace she is worthless. For these boys she probably got what she diserved because she went on a date with one of them.
Football teaches young men the wrong thing too.
. Again, a sense of entitlement.
. The message is that if you are good enough, you'll get away with it. Our society seeks to be like its idols by wearing the same brand shoes or shirt and raping girls in the same manner.
. Football teaches that might is right.
Christianity has had 2000 years to make the society it says it can make. It is no closer today than it ever has been. Society wasn't safe when they had enough power to burn you to death or drown you for disagreeing with them. The problems and threats were just different. We only give politicians a few years to show that their policies are working then we dump them. Why have we stuck this this crap for so long? Is it because we want to believe their lies?
If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
Theist misconceptions
Atheists have to moral compass:
. My moral compass is based on Secular Humanism.
. I don't need supernatural threats to be nice to people.
. Reciprocity is a human trait co-opted by religion.
Atheists are more prone to criminality:
. Prison populations show higher religosity than society overall.
. Atheists don't have a supernatural forgiver of sins. We have to forgive ourselves.
. Atheists don't have a devil to blame. We have to take reponsibility for our actions.
. Atheists only get one life and don't want to waste it in gaol.
Atheists worship self:
. I don't even know what that means. It sounds like religious mumbo jumbo so it just gets ignored.
. I don't worship anything. Worshipping is for theists.
Atheists are too few to effect real change in the world:
. Keep telling yourself that if it gives you comfort.
Atheists fear death because they have no heaven to go to:
. Theists have constructed an imaginary world to avoid having to face their own deaths. This is a product of fear.
Atheists are selfish:
. Freecycle's Atheist, Agnostic and Freethinkers group has lent the most money of all the groups including the Christians.
. Again, this is religion co-opting positive human actions and attributing them to their own faiths.
. Their motivation for altruism is to curry favour with their god. I don't have a heaven that will repay me for good deeds so my altruistic actions are much more generous because I don't expect repayment.
Atheists are stupid. They just cannot see the real world.
. We think the same thing. We say: "They beleive what...?"
. Religion is all black and white. So theists can answer questions in ridgid, dogmatic ways but they rarely give much thought to topics.
. They are asleep.
. Freethinkers - they just sound smart.
. Theists are just so closed minded. How can you learn with a closed mind.
There are no atheists in foxholes:
. at first I took this as a compliment. Atheists are rarely sucked into religious wars.
. after a while I was led to understand that this was an accusation of cowardous.
. the Military Acsociation of Atheists and Freethinkers will have an issue with this.
Atheists are imaginary. God doesn't believe in Atheists, so they don't exist.
. Prove it.
Atheists are just lazy, they just want to stay in bed on Sundays:
. Theists are lazy, they just don't want to think.
. I don't really sleep any later on Sundays.
Evolution/Science is a religion:
. I just don't get this.
. You're not allowed to just make up new definitions of words.
. Science makes astoundingly accurate predictions. Religions don't even try to make predictions they just retrospectively justify dusty old books and power structures.
Atheists hate God and we're just being rebellious by denying His existence...
. He doesn't exist so how can I hate him?
. My moral compass is based on Secular Humanism.
. I don't need supernatural threats to be nice to people.
. Reciprocity is a human trait co-opted by religion.
Atheists are more prone to criminality:
. Prison populations show higher religosity than society overall.
. Atheists don't have a supernatural forgiver of sins. We have to forgive ourselves.
. Atheists don't have a devil to blame. We have to take reponsibility for our actions.
. Atheists only get one life and don't want to waste it in gaol.
Atheists worship self:
. I don't even know what that means. It sounds like religious mumbo jumbo so it just gets ignored.
. I don't worship anything. Worshipping is for theists.
Atheists are too few to effect real change in the world:
. Keep telling yourself that if it gives you comfort.
Atheists fear death because they have no heaven to go to:
. Theists have constructed an imaginary world to avoid having to face their own deaths. This is a product of fear.
Atheists are selfish:
. Freecycle's Atheist, Agnostic and Freethinkers group has lent the most money of all the groups including the Christians.
. Again, this is religion co-opting positive human actions and attributing them to their own faiths.
. Their motivation for altruism is to curry favour with their god. I don't have a heaven that will repay me for good deeds so my altruistic actions are much more generous because I don't expect repayment.
Atheists are stupid. They just cannot see the real world.
. We think the same thing. We say: "They beleive what...?"
. Religion is all black and white. So theists can answer questions in ridgid, dogmatic ways but they rarely give much thought to topics.
. They are asleep.
. Freethinkers - they just sound smart.
. Theists are just so closed minded. How can you learn with a closed mind.
There are no atheists in foxholes:
. at first I took this as a compliment. Atheists are rarely sucked into religious wars.
. after a while I was led to understand that this was an accusation of cowardous.
. the Military Acsociation of Atheists and Freethinkers will have an issue with this.
Atheists are imaginary. God doesn't believe in Atheists, so they don't exist.
. Prove it.
Atheists are just lazy, they just want to stay in bed on Sundays:
. Theists are lazy, they just don't want to think.
. I don't really sleep any later on Sundays.
Evolution/Science is a religion:
. I just don't get this.
. You're not allowed to just make up new definitions of words.
. Science makes astoundingly accurate predictions. Religions don't even try to make predictions they just retrospectively justify dusty old books and power structures.
Atheists hate God and we're just being rebellious by denying His existence...
. He doesn't exist so how can I hate him?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I can't find this...
I've been thumbing through my bible (a lie) and I can't find the section where is says I should write hate mail to elderly nature program presenters who don't believe in God.
Sir David Attenborough recieves hate mail from Christians who disagree with his position on evolution. Is this Christian love in action? If this is Christian love or the loving spirit of Jesus operating via these misguided lunatics, I don't want any part of it.
If you want to get power from threatening and harrasing other people Christianity is your gig.
Sir David Attenborough recieves hate mail from Christians who disagree with his position on evolution. Is this Christian love in action? If this is Christian love or the loving spirit of Jesus operating via these misguided lunatics, I don't want any part of it.
If you want to get power from threatening and harrasing other people Christianity is your gig.
Correlation does not prove causality.
So much of religion's authority comes from ideas like: lack of religion causes immorality, sex out of wedlock causes social problems or homosexuality causes floods. Again and again religion has last it's authority on such issues. Psychotherapy has replaced demonic possession and exorcism. Weather science has replaced God. Thor is not the god of thunder any more.
The response to this is that correlation does not prove causality.
Christians still have their heads in the sand. Christian News says that God does control the weather. Weather like: "storms, floods and earthquakes".
The Trumpet describes God's stick and carrot attitude towards weather.
These causality claims make as much sense as phocks.org's comparitive study between the dietary health of the Japanese and the French or the correlation between pirate decline to global warming.
The response to this is that correlation does not prove causality.
Christians still have their heads in the sand. Christian News says that God does control the weather. Weather like: "storms, floods and earthquakes".
The Trumpet describes God's stick and carrot attitude towards weather.
These causality claims make as much sense as phocks.org's comparitive study between the dietary health of the Japanese and the French or the correlation between pirate decline to global warming.
Monday, January 26, 2009
A can of Mercy Ministries worms
After my last post I was reading SeanTheBlogonaut's AtheistNexes posts on MM. This lead me to this Nashville News story that ran after the SMH broke the Australian MM story. It is very interesting. It has lies, love afairs, demons corrupting people... the usual nonsense Christians just can't seem to stay away from.
Sean the Blogonaut - MM posts. Sean has followed this story closely. His posts are much more detailed than mine so head on over there if you want to know more.
A blog by an ex captive of MM.
The Perth Voice ran a story on Naomi Johnson's experience with MM.
When you try to discuss MM on youtube the video is taken down because MM slaps a copyright claim on you... because they have nothing to hide. But never fear. There are still plenty of videos on youtube about MM's treatment of young people in need of help.
Sean the Blogonaut - MM posts. Sean has followed this story closely. His posts are much more detailed than mine so head on over there if you want to know more.
A blog by an ex captive of MM.
The Perth Voice ran a story on Naomi Johnson's experience with MM.
When you try to discuss MM on youtube the video is taken down because MM slaps a copyright claim on you... because they have nothing to hide. But never fear. There are still plenty of videos on youtube about MM's treatment of young people in need of help.
Mercy Ministries again... well, they keep it up.
This blog is not a search and destroy mission against Mercy Ministries, however, they persist so I persist in attacking them.
Live News ran a story not unlike previous stories telling of Mercy Ministries' treatment of medical conditions with prayer and exorcism.
The difference is that there is a video of Mercy Ministries boss Peter Irvine. Mr Irvine is also CEO of Gloria Jean Coffee. During the video footage he says that there is no use of exorcism in the Mercy Ministries program. They also have photocopies of the Mercy Ministries handbook that explains how to do exorcisms. Put the two together and something doesn't match.
Now, as every dogmatic christian will tell you, Mr Irvine cannot be lying because he is a christian. I'm not buying that assessment. My experience of Christians is that they will lie through their teeth and they will believe almost anything to forward their ridiculous belief system.
Live News ran a story not unlike previous stories telling of Mercy Ministries' treatment of medical conditions with prayer and exorcism.
The difference is that there is a video of Mercy Ministries boss Peter Irvine. Mr Irvine is also CEO of Gloria Jean Coffee. During the video footage he says that there is no use of exorcism in the Mercy Ministries program. They also have photocopies of the Mercy Ministries handbook that explains how to do exorcisms. Put the two together and something doesn't match.
Now, as every dogmatic christian will tell you, Mr Irvine cannot be lying because he is a christian. I'm not buying that assessment. My experience of Christians is that they will lie through their teeth and they will believe almost anything to forward their ridiculous belief system.
The problem with credulity:
A goat is being held in custody for attempted armed robbery. Apparently this goat, who is really a person who transformed himself using witchcraft was seen trying to steal a car before running into an alley. His persuers came around the corner and there he was standing there looking sheepish.
Two issues here:
. witchcraft is a belief held by christians. They think that Harry Potter is bringing evil into the world and that witches get tehir power from satan. If you'll believe in religion, what will you believe next?
. as Hitchens says, mob opinion is wrong by definition.
Two issues here:
. witchcraft is a belief held by christians. They think that Harry Potter is bringing evil into the world and that witches get tehir power from satan. If you'll believe in religion, what will you believe next?
. as Hitchens says, mob opinion is wrong by definition.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
I'm gonna call it:
I 'm gonna call it. I bet these nutbags were Christians.
It's got all the signs of dumb-arses taking their queues from the bible. Infanticide, incest, obedient and silent wife, obeying your father, not seeking medical help, Americans... it's got it all. I think the story will be in Bible 3.0.
This call is made with as much evidence as people with the opposite view, that they must have been Atheists, have for their stance.
It's got all the signs of dumb-arses taking their queues from the bible. Infanticide, incest, obedient and silent wife, obeying your father, not seeking medical help, Americans... it's got it all. I think the story will be in Bible 3.0.
This call is made with as much evidence as people with the opposite view, that they must have been Atheists, have for their stance.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Atheist Bus Campaign again
Facebook has groups for and against the Atheist Bus Campaign. A lot more people have joined the for than the against.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
If an Atheist did this...
If an atheist felt strongly that they couldn't drive a bus that carried a religious advertisement they would be accused of being anti-christian. The label anti-christian feeds straight into accusations of being immoral, Nazi, communists... and all that crap.
ISIS
Institution for the Secularization of Islamic Society made the St. Petersburg Declaration starting thus:
We are secular Muslims, and secular persons of Muslim societies. We are believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the West and Islam, but between the free and the unfree.
It goes on to call for secular rights and responsibilities in Islamic societies.
We are secular Muslims, and secular persons of Muslim societies. We are believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the West and Islam, but between the free and the unfree.
It goes on to call for secular rights and responsibilities in Islamic societies.
Another Fundy Nutbag
This guy's magic larva lamp created a sculpture of The Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus (characters from a popular local religion). Having strong abstract thought I can see the resembelance... also, it looks a little like a spagetti western cactus but no-one prays to them so we'll overlook that inconvenient resembelance.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Churchies more likely to cheat.
Church goers are more likely to steal a paper from a self serve booth. They feel that, as they are generally more moral and righteous, that things that they think of doing are right. Like a spoilt child who does anything that pops into his or her mind because the parents never defined and applied proper boundries.
Now this is one of their Ten Commandments (and under Greed in the 7 deadly sins) so why would theists be doing this. This really is a problem with religion. It tells people they are good if they make the correct tythe to their church and attend weekly to repent. As a humanist all I see is a dirty little theif.
Clean your own dirty laundry first before you start accusing me of being bad, theist scum.
Now this is one of their Ten Commandments (and under Greed in the 7 deadly sins) so why would theists be doing this. This really is a problem with religion. It tells people they are good if they make the correct tythe to their church and attend weekly to repent. As a humanist all I see is a dirty little theif.
Clean your own dirty laundry first before you start accusing me of being bad, theist scum.
Humanism
The Victorian State Government education accreditation body has been given a Humanist Ethical Lesson plan to be taught to children who's parents do not want their children to be given religion lessons in Victorian primary schools. Previously they were given no activities or lessons, they were left to their own devises for the period.
Religion claims to be able to teach people how to be good. Humanism, equally, claims to teach an ethical system. Humanism offers a workable ethical system based on tested, proven concepts. Just because it lacks a supernatural punishment for non-compliance that doesn't render it invalid.
Religion is quite right to be afraid of this movement. It is staring down the barrel of extinction. One of the few claims it is still allowed to make by agnostics and soft atheists is that it teaches morality. If a system without supernatural threat is found to be just as valid people on the middle ground will see one more of religion's lies.
Humanist Society of Victoria
Ethical Education Site
Age Article with comments on Richard Dawkins' site.
Religion claims to be able to teach people how to be good. Humanism, equally, claims to teach an ethical system. Humanism offers a workable ethical system based on tested, proven concepts. Just because it lacks a supernatural punishment for non-compliance that doesn't render it invalid.
Religion is quite right to be afraid of this movement. It is staring down the barrel of extinction. One of the few claims it is still allowed to make by agnostics and soft atheists is that it teaches morality. If a system without supernatural threat is found to be just as valid people on the middle ground will see one more of religion's lies.
Humanist Society of Victoria
Ethical Education Site
Age Article with comments on Richard Dawkins' site.
The Large Hadron Collider
Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the world yet?
Theists, with all of their superstition, are convinced that the Large Hadron Collider will destroy the earth. Their big problem, as illustrated by their faith, is that they will believe almost any peice of nonsense put to them by anyone standing near a pulpit.
Snoopygirl illustrates this hysterical credulity well.
Fortunately there are sensible, thoughtful atheists like larianlequella out there too. Larian is brave enough to engage with these lunatics.
Speaking of Lunatics:
George W has finally left the building. This illustrates how much he will be missed. Another theocractic dictator brought down. :))
Theists, with all of their superstition, are convinced that the Large Hadron Collider will destroy the earth. Their big problem, as illustrated by their faith, is that they will believe almost any peice of nonsense put to them by anyone standing near a pulpit.
Snoopygirl illustrates this hysterical credulity well.
Fortunately there are sensible, thoughtful atheists like larianlequella out there too. Larian is brave enough to engage with these lunatics.
Speaking of Lunatics:
George W has finally left the building. This illustrates how much he will be missed. Another theocractic dictator brought down. :))
Monday, January 19, 2009
Christian challenges atheist bus advert
Stephen Green of Christian Voice saw a trap and thought he'd quickly run into it.
Story here:
Mr Green could not have done more to promote the bus campaign.
Story here:
Mr Green could not have done more to promote the bus campaign.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Credulity Problems
The Saudi legal system has sentenced a woman to death for witchcraft. WTF!? This is an old story. I don't know if the sentence was carried out.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Boy Scout Association
BSA has asked Obama to be their honourary president. A coalition of secular organizations in the United States have requested that he reject the request on the basis that the BSA discriminates against non-theists and homosexuals.
Their submission says: "Accepting the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America would thus send the message that institutional discrimination against people who don’t happen to believe in a god is acceptable."
Their submission says: "Accepting the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America would thus send the message that institutional discrimination against people who don’t happen to believe in a god is acceptable."
Mercy Ministries, Hillsong Church and Gloria Jean Coffee make the news again:
As usual this trio have made the news for all the wrong reasons again. Their use of exorcism for the treatment of eating disorders makes me wonder if we've slipped back to the 1400s. It seems that some of us have.
Creation Museum
On 15 November 2008, the Secular Alliance of IU took a road trip to Petersburg, Kentucky to visit the Creation Museum. They were shocked, puzzled and amused by what they saw.
Here's the video.
It would be funnier if you didn't know that people actually believe this stuff.
Here's the video.
It would be funnier if you didn't know that people actually believe this stuff.
The Amsterdam Declaration (2002)
Again, getting away from the dogmatic 10 commandments the International Humanist and Ethical Union updated and adopted The Amsterdam Declaration (2002) as the official defining statement of World Humanism.
Secular Affirmation
This is a 10 commandments killer if ever I saw one. Reading through this affirmation makes me feel warm all over. Again, we haven't thrown 3 commandments down the toilet protecting God's position.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
When religion gets too much power.
When religious dogma over rules human rights you end up with people who think they have the right to oppress whoever their religious leaders tell them to oppress. Islam wants women oppressed at the moment.
This is the spirit of god moving in people.
This is the spirit of god moving in people.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The wowsers continue to make inroads
Just because you don't like something it doesn't mean that you have a God given right to slap a ban on it. I don't like idiot theists coming to my door telling my I'm a bad person because I don't tythe to their church but I don't try to ban them. I tell them they are idiots and enjoy it.
So, the wowser parade marches on:
Fred Nile - who votes for this guy and what are you thinking?
Is topless sun bathing even mentioned in the bible? I doubt that it is but I'm sure the wowsers are holding their bible up and saying it is mentioned. It doesn't matter whether it is mentioned or not, bible types don't need it to actually be mentioned in the bible for them to find something that they can pretend means don't topless sunbathe.
Does Nile wear a mankini when he swims? That would be a funny pic! Does he want Australian women to wear a buhkah?
The owners of the boobs get to decide. If a woman doesn't care about it why should Nile? WTF!? If he doesn't want to see them (and I think the problem is that he really does) then don't look. I saw topless sunbathing when I was a kid and it hasn't destroyed my life. They were, are and will always be: only boobs! Get over it churchy!
Go and do some sort of good work. It says to do that in the bible too but that sounds hard. It's easier to moralise about stupid crap than actually do something. If Christianity is such a powerful force for change and good then you should be able to show me some sort of good coming from its application instead of this pointless browbeating... actual good, not implied good like: 'If only we could cover every boob in the world we would win the fight against evil.' Get a grip!
Good on Sally Betts for being aghast at just the right moment! She knows they are only boobs and there are bigger fish to fry in public life.
So we move to the Caribbean:
Why would one go to the Caribbean if not to wear a bikini (we are not talking about going topless, just being in a bikini) or budgie smugglers? They're throwing away their only asset here. Who would live their if they didn't like seeing people in bikinis. Now this story doesn't specify that their are religious zealot behind the fining of people for wearing a bikini off the beach but when it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck there is a strong possibility that it is a duck.
Now to Bali:
Bali is seeing the problem with giving too much power to religious nutjobs. They are classifying anything that looks like... anything as pornography. Well, I have to say: if Hindu penis carvings float your boat then go to it but don't take your fantasies out of the rest of us.
Fortunately Bali seems like it might get an exemption from these Koran based laws. Bali is predominantly Hindu anyway. At least they know which side their bread is buttered on.
So, on to Italy:
The Italians have handed more law making powers down to local government. If Italian local government attracts the same caliber of law maker as in Australia it is no wonder that they have come up with petty, stupid laws. For example: a public display of affection in a car in Eboli will cost you EUR500. WTF!? How affectionate are we talking? Is giving flowers a capital crime now? This will only drive jewellers underground you know. It's probably for shagging in a car which, I admit, would be unseemly unless you had curtains in your panel van... or a motor home.
So, to my point, mind your own business and get your dusty old books out of my life.
So, the wowser parade marches on:
Fred Nile - who votes for this guy and what are you thinking?
Is topless sun bathing even mentioned in the bible? I doubt that it is but I'm sure the wowsers are holding their bible up and saying it is mentioned. It doesn't matter whether it is mentioned or not, bible types don't need it to actually be mentioned in the bible for them to find something that they can pretend means don't topless sunbathe.
Does Nile wear a mankini when he swims? That would be a funny pic! Does he want Australian women to wear a buhkah?
The owners of the boobs get to decide. If a woman doesn't care about it why should Nile? WTF!? If he doesn't want to see them (and I think the problem is that he really does) then don't look. I saw topless sunbathing when I was a kid and it hasn't destroyed my life. They were, are and will always be: only boobs! Get over it churchy!
Go and do some sort of good work. It says to do that in the bible too but that sounds hard. It's easier to moralise about stupid crap than actually do something. If Christianity is such a powerful force for change and good then you should be able to show me some sort of good coming from its application instead of this pointless browbeating... actual good, not implied good like: 'If only we could cover every boob in the world we would win the fight against evil.' Get a grip!
Good on Sally Betts for being aghast at just the right moment! She knows they are only boobs and there are bigger fish to fry in public life.
So we move to the Caribbean:
Why would one go to the Caribbean if not to wear a bikini (we are not talking about going topless, just being in a bikini) or budgie smugglers? They're throwing away their only asset here. Who would live their if they didn't like seeing people in bikinis. Now this story doesn't specify that their are religious zealot behind the fining of people for wearing a bikini off the beach but when it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck there is a strong possibility that it is a duck.
Now to Bali:
Bali is seeing the problem with giving too much power to religious nutjobs. They are classifying anything that looks like... anything as pornography. Well, I have to say: if Hindu penis carvings float your boat then go to it but don't take your fantasies out of the rest of us.
Fortunately Bali seems like it might get an exemption from these Koran based laws. Bali is predominantly Hindu anyway. At least they know which side their bread is buttered on.
So, on to Italy:
The Italians have handed more law making powers down to local government. If Italian local government attracts the same caliber of law maker as in Australia it is no wonder that they have come up with petty, stupid laws. For example: a public display of affection in a car in Eboli will cost you EUR500. WTF!? How affectionate are we talking? Is giving flowers a capital crime now? This will only drive jewellers underground you know. It's probably for shagging in a car which, I admit, would be unseemly unless you had curtains in your panel van... or a motor home.
So, to my point, mind your own business and get your dusty old books out of my life.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Atheist Nexus
The working group for the Atheist Nexus submission to Australia's review on the Freedom of Religion and Belief in the 21st Century
Atheist Bus Campaign
The UK's Atheist Bus Campaign is up and running. As blogged the other day, the Australian version was shot down by APN's refusal to run the campaigns
Friday, January 9, 2009
Marriage
The church has been working hard to support families here. This is the problem with rigid beliefs about what makes a family.
And before the moderate christians start crying foul I say that they are christians and you should clean your own dirty laundry before you criticise mine.
And before the moderate christians start crying foul I say that they are christians and you should clean your own dirty laundry before you criticise mine.
Ten Commandments
"But the 10 commandments are a good moral guide", said Bruce... well, are they?
George Carlin disagrees. Anyone as excellent (Whoa. Rufus, duude.) as Carlin needs to be listened to:
So, because Atheists, Humanists... etc are a mixed bag they wont be pinned down to a common set of rules. That said, there are common threads. Most importantly, they don't want to kill each other over the differences.
Dawkins offered an alternative 10 commandments in The God Delusion. Really, given that you don't throw 3 of them away sucking up to god you get more bang for your buck with the Dawkins version. That page shows a few other versions too.
A discussion on the same:
This is a better list without the baggage of thousands of years of bloodshed:
Ted Turner's 10 Commandments. Mr Turner received the 1990 recipient of Humanist of the Year award from the American Humanism Association.
Or, perhaps, some golden rules:
Positive Atheism's list with detailed explainations:
That'll do for now...
George Carlin disagrees. Anyone as excellent (Whoa. Rufus, duude.) as Carlin needs to be listened to:
So, because Atheists, Humanists... etc are a mixed bag they wont be pinned down to a common set of rules. That said, there are common threads. Most importantly, they don't want to kill each other over the differences.
Dawkins offered an alternative 10 commandments in The God Delusion. Really, given that you don't throw 3 of them away sucking up to god you get more bang for your buck with the Dawkins version. That page shows a few other versions too.
A discussion on the same:
This is a better list without the baggage of thousands of years of bloodshed:
Ted Turner's 10 Commandments. Mr Turner received the 1990 recipient of Humanist of the Year award from the American Humanism Association.
Or, perhaps, some golden rules:
Positive Atheism's list with detailed explainations:
That'll do for now...
Revisiting Hitchens
Hitchens' call to war just doesn't sit well with me. He says that the Iraqi war will eliminate all of the muslim extremists. If this was ever gonna work it would have worked in Israel by now.
Religion showing us how to be good
An 8 year old girl has been ordered to stay married to a 58 year old man in Saudi Arabia. This is a loving god at work. Picture an 8 year old you know. Imagine a 58 year old. Imagine them married. If this doesn't make your skin crawl you need to have a long, hard look at yourself. How can this girl not be harmed by this arrangement? What is religion teaching fathers if he thinks this is the best thing for his daughter? Why isn't this marriage being objected to in the strongest language by moderate Muslims?
Simply, if Islam allows this so Islam has no place in this modern world.
Brisbane Times article:
Simply, if Islam allows this so Islam has no place in this modern world.
Brisbane Times article:
APN Outdoor flexes its religious muscle
APN Outdoor has rejected a commercial request for advertising space on buses from the Atheist Foundation of Australia.
SMH article:
SMH article:
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