The Meaningless and Useless Life of a Man Named Ratzinger

After the shocking and unprecedented pronouncement of the retirement of pope Ratzinger, comes an even more startling statement from the self-appointed ambassador of god.

"I will retire and dedicate the rest of my life to prayer" announced the pontiff.

It appears Josef Ratzinger is not about to undergo a life change and become useful. He was never into change. He was never useful.

Educated to teach the meaningless and insignificant topic of theology (*), Ratzinger went on to become a priest and quickly climbed the slippery rungs of the Catholic ladder all the way to the throne of The Vatican.

A man whose delusion prevented him from becoming a useful member of society, Ratzinger has caused more suffering than most. His stance on contraception and condemnation of the use of condoms has encouraged the spread of AIDS that is ravaging the African continent - ironically the only part of the world where support for  christianity and catholicism is on the increase.

On the subject of homosexuality, widely accepted nowadays in tolerant societies, as it should be - a phenomenon observed and studied in hundreds of other animal species as part of normal behaviour -  Ratzinger said  ""although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder"

This from a man who has done so much to protect members of the clergy accused of sexual crimes against children and each other.

The pope has not only alienated the gay community; he has also offended Islam by saying in 2006 "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

And he has offended the Jewish community by reappointing the excommunicated holocaust-denier Bishop Richard Williamson.

But the ultimate act of hypocrisy from the man who tells his followers to place their faith in god - that god will protect them from all evil - is that he himself chooses to place his trust in the 2" bullet-proof glass of his popemobile!

One would have thought his omnipotent boss would protect him. But then the pope is anything but a fool.

(*) Theology as an academic pursuit is what I consider a total waste of time and brain-power. No possible benefit to humanity can come from studying theology. Theology does nothing to ameliorate the human condition and even less to alleviate suffering and world poverty. As a study subject I consider it as futile an endeavour as spending years studying the life and times of Harry Potter...or Father Christmas...or Cinderella...or any other mythical concept.

Note to readers: Your comments would be much appreciated - I need views and opinions to help me with  the book I'm writing. 

:)

There's profits in prophets

Why were all prophets invented/created in the Dark Ages?

Or, to put it in historical context, between 1,500 and 5,000 years ago.

The answer, I suspect, may lie in the word "Dark".

How strange that prophets were created by the very few people who were able to read and write back in the dark days. It is estimated that only a small percentage of the populace were literate.

So, say if 90% or so of people were illiterate and possessed the intelligence and wherewithal akin to present-day chimps, what does that make of present-day believers?

Are they just shaven chimps?

Depilated chimp descendants?

Or are they just plain lazy and unimaginative people with no mind of their own?

I believe the latter.

And prophets were conveniently created at a time when human rights were virtually non-existent. When women's importance in society ranked just bellow that of cattle (as in present-day Islam) and children were seen as a burden and vulnerable prey (as in present-day Catholic Institutions and Sharia Law).

Oh yes, it could only have happened back in the days. A time when gullibility reigned supreme. A time when the uneducated revered the few who could speak and write, and the eloquent were instantly deemed as divine.

In all, the Dark Ages were the perfect time to create Gods and Prophets. It simply couldn't happen today.

Can you image a news flash on BBC proclaiming "Important announcement, a Prophet has just emerged in the Middle-East village of Bethlehem, south of  Jerusalem..."

It just wouldn't happen. And for a very good reason. We've come a long way since. At least some of us.

Now, in the Enlightened Era, prophets are used to generate profits...and war...and prejudice...and bigotry...and divisiveness...and suffering to name but a few, but at least no more are being invented.

Phew!

:)

A Strange Kind Of Faith

I feel an angry rant coming on as I always do when faced with any kind of injustice - be it perceived or real.

Did you know the Popemobile was fitted with 4-inch thick bullet-proof glass?

I didn´t either. What kind of faith is that?

This from the man whose  message to his 750 million followers is to put their faith in God! He clearly doesn´t and choses instead to put his faith in bullet-proof glass. Oh the hypocrisy of it all!

I´m sure the Pope has got an answer prepared, just in case we ever cross paths. He would probably come up with some ready-prepared cock-and-bull story on how he has to protect himself from Satan. Oh?!

Satan? The Devil? Does he mean the ´devil´ as in this other major cop-out invented by religions to cover all that goes wrong with the world?

Satan, as in the get-out clause; if it goes well it´s God´s work and when it doesn´t  it´s the Devils work. Surely if God was the Creator He must have created Satan! If He did who´s going to sue Him for that fuck-up?

Neat trick, but like every other trick to do with religion, not very clever.

I was going to nominate the Pope for the "Turd of the Week" award for his blatant act of hypocrisy but since it may offend some people (see note below)  I have decided to leave it for some other turd. There are many around.

(Note to Self: I hope people realize I don´t like to offend anyone. I never go out of my way to do so. Unless I´m provoked. As in this case.And in any other case to do with religion. Or capital punishment. Or racism-prejudism-sexism-agism and any other kind of ´ism  for that matter. Good, I hope that´s cleared it up)

J´ACCUSE...of not practicing what he preaches!

On a lighter note...still to do with faith (of the institution of marriage)...

...Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce.

It appears the 72 day  marriage of Kim and Kris is over. Kim released a press statement which said;


"After careful consideration  I have decided to end my marriage. I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision."

72 days is a life-time for the fickle-minded celebs

 Of course not Kim, it took you 72 whole days! No one can ever accuse you of acting hastily...or just acting, for that matter.

:s

9/11 - Ten years on and still no closure

The tenth anniversary of the ´crime of the century´ draws near and the debate rages on. The causes and reasons are still being discussed, analyzed and misunderstood by most people.

Frighteningly, the same conditions still exist. There are no reasons to believe it can´t happen again. And if it can, given time, it probably will.

The physical scars at ground zero are disappearing slowly, the mental scars never will. And they shouldn´t, lest we forget the day that changed the world. The day the word Islam became synonymous with terrorism 

My previous post on the subject, 9/11 Where was He?  still draws lots of readers and its no wonder, given the magnitude of the case.
 
As time goes by I no longer need to ask that question. He was not there because He does not exist! If He did exist He wouldn´t have let it happen. How could He?

If He did exist His own creations would not have been capable of such evil. After all, according to the Bible we were all created in His image.

How silly.

:)

Bloodshed in the name of God

Anders Breivik, a 32 year old Norwegian Right-Wing Christian, unleashed the vicious and callous attack that claimed the lives of around one hundred people in Norway yesterday.

 Mass-murderer Breivik

Breivik planned the atrocity over a period of 10 years. He also posted his 'manifesto of hate' on line the day before the attacks.  It is unbelievable that those who knew him and his extremist views, failed to alert the police. I wonder how they're feeling now? Maybe they're OK, maybe they support his views and actions.

Breivik, the self-styled fascist-christian, is waging war on society in order to launch a new Crusade that will  expel Muslims from Europe.

When extremism and religion meet,  the outcome is always catastrophic. The Twin Towers, The Crusades, The Inquisition, Hitler's anti-Semitic war and so on. Same old story, different year.

The following is an extract from Breivik's diary, courtesy of The Aftonbladet Newspaper.

June 11, 2011

"I prayed for the first time in a long time today. I told God that if he did not want Marxist- Islamist Alliance and the Islamists to take over European Christianity altogether within the next 100 years, he must ensure that the warriors who fight for European Christianity will rule. "

**

Extremism + Religion = Evil

:(

If the world stops to pray, we'll all be late for work

This photo taken of a bus driver yesterday, has to be seen to be believed.

E7 Bus - Ealing Broadway 11/7/11 at 20:00

the driver on his prayer mat while customer wait.

Does London Transport know this particular employee prays during working hours? And, if as I suspect they do, why did they employ him?

Madeleine and a small crowd had to wait  while this backward and superstitious waste-of-time driver, decided to pray to his imaginary god.

 If he wants to pray  then he should do so in his own time.  Just like if he wants to piss against the wind or swim against the tide, or even watch grass grow, then he should do it in his own time.  And I bet he does that 5 times a day!

Don't these people ever question why the billions of prayers around the world everyday go unnoticed and unnanswered? That despite all their praying most of their countries are in a mess, socially and economically?  The praying masses don't ask questions of themselves or others, they prefer to put it all down to god. How lazy and uninspiring is that? Praying means hoping, and hoping gets nothing done. Just take a look at societies that spend most of their time praying!

Can you imagine what would happen if in The Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Sudan or any other Muslim state, a Christian or Jewish bus driver did the same thing?

No, of course not, it would never happen. And if it did it would probably lead to imprisonment or even a public flogging.  I know it is futile comparing our society to theirs - worlds apart- and maybe the compulsion to pray instead of work is the defining  factor.

What possible good can come of prayer? Does it serve a social purpose? No. Does it bring races and cultures together? No, it divides them. Does it feed the poor and cure the sick? If only... Does it produce wealth? Of course not.

As I have said many times before in this blog, religion  (and all other superstitions)  holds back progress and causes  wars, intolerance, poverty and, yes, even delayed bus services.  The more religious a society the more backward the country. Fact.

If in doubt google the UN stats online.


I challenge his employers to do something about it. I doubt they will.


Maybe we'll have to put up with the E7 service being as efficient as  some inner-city bus route  in Mogadishu, Dhaka...San'a...


Rant over

:(

If you don't want people to make fun of your beliefs, don't have funny beliefs!

 

Here is a little gem from Ricky Gervais on religion. 

British comedian and film-maker Ricky Gervais is the writer and star of HBO’s “Ricky Gervais Out of England 2: The Stand-Up Special.

Why don’t you believe in God? I get that question all the time. I always try to give a sensitive, reasoned answer. This is usually awkward, time consuming and pointless. People who believe in God don’t need proof of his existence, and they certainly don’t want evidence to the contrary. They are happy with their belief. They even say things like “it’s true to me” and “it’s faith.” I still give my logical answer because I feel that not being honest would be patronizing and impolite. It is ironic therefore that “I don’t believe in God because there is absolutely no scientific evidence for his existence and from what I’ve heard the very definition is a logical impossibility in this known universe,” comes across as both patronizing and impolite.

Arrogance is another accusation. Which seems particularly unfair. Science seeks the truth. And it does not discriminate. For better or worse it finds things out. Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know. It bases its conclusions and beliefs on hard evidence -­- evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn’t get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge. It doesn’t hold on to medieval practices because they are tradition. If it did, you wouldn’t get a shot of penicillin, you’d pop a leach down your trousers and pray. Whatever you “believe,” this is not as effective as medicine. Again you can say, “It works for me,” but so do placebos. My point being, I’m saying God doesn’t exist. I’m not saying faith doesn’t exist. I know faith exists. I see it all the time. But believing in something doesn’t make it true. Hoping that something is true doesn’t make it true. The existence of God is not subjective. He either exists or he doesn’t. It’s not a matter of opinion. You can have your own opinions. But you can’t have your own facts.

Why don’t I believe in God? No, no no, why do YOU believe in God? Surely the burden of proof is on the believer. You started all this. If I came up to you and said, “Why don’t you believe I can fly?” You’d say, “Why would I?” I’d reply, “Because it’s a matter of faith.” If I then said, “Prove I can’t fly. Prove I can’t fly see, see, you can’t prove it can you?” You’d probably either walk away, call security or throw me out of the window and shout, ‘’F—ing fly then you lunatic.”

This, is of course a spirituality issue, religion is a different matter. As an atheist, I see nothing “wrong” in believing in a god. I don’t think there is a god, but belief in him does no harm. If it helps you in any way, then that’s fine with me. It’s when belief starts infringing on other people’s rights when it worries me. I would never deny your right to believe in a god. I would just rather you didn’t kill people who believe in a different god, say. Or stone someone to death because your rulebook says their sexuality is immoral. It’s strange that anyone who believes that an all-powerful all-knowing, omniscient power responsible for everything that happens, would also want to judge and punish people for what they are. From what I can gather, pretty much the worst type of person you can be is an atheist. The first four commandments hammer this point home. There is a god, I’m him, no one else is, you’re not as good and don’t forget it. (Don’t murder anyone, doesn’t get a mention till number 6.)

When confronted with anyone who holds my lack of religious faith in such contempt, I say, “It’s the way God made me.”

But what are atheists really being accused of?

The dictionary definition of God is “a supernatural creator and overseer of the universe.” Included in this definition are all deities, goddesses and supernatural beings. Since the beginning of recorded history, which is defined by the invention of writing by the Sumerians around 6,000 years ago, historians have cataloged over 3700 supernatural beings, of which 2870 can be considered deities.

So next time someone tells me they believe in God, I’ll say “Oh which one? Zeus? Hades? Jupiter? Mars? Odin? Thor? Krishna? Vishnu? Ra?…” If they say “Just God. I only believe in the one God,” I’ll point out that they are nearly as atheistic as me. I don’t believe in 2,870 gods, and they don’t believe in 2,869.

I used to believe in God. The Christian one that is.

I loved Jesus. He was my hero. More than pop stars. More than footballers. More than God. God was by definition omnipotent and perfect. Jesus was a man. He had to work at it. He had temptation but defeated sin. He had integrity and courage. But He was my hero because He was kind. And He was kind to everyone. He didn’t bow to peer pressure or tyranny or cruelty. He didn’t care who you were. He loved you. What a guy. I wanted to be just like Him.

One day when I was about 8 years old, I was drawing the crucifixion as part of my Bible studies homework. I loved art too. And nature. I loved how God made all the animals. They were also perfect. Unconditionally beautiful. It was an amazing world.

I was sitting at the kitchen table when my brother came home. He was 11 years older than me, so he would have been 19. He was as smart as anyone I knew, but he was too cheeky. He would answer back and get into trouble. I was a good boy. I went to church and believed in God -– what a relief for a working-class mother. You see, growing up where I did, mums didn’t hope as high as their kids growing up to be doctors; they just hoped their kids didn’t go to jail. So bring them up believing in God and they’ll be good and law abiding. It’s a perfect system. Well, nearly. 75 percent of Americans are God-­‐fearing Christians; 75 percent of prisoners are God-­‐fearing Christians. 10 percent of Americans are atheists; 0.2 percent of prisoners are atheists.

But anyway, there I was happily drawing my hero when my big brother Bob asked, “Why do you believe in God?” Just a simple question. But my mum panicked. “Bob,” she said in a tone that I knew meant, “Shut up.” Why was that a bad thing to ask? If there was a God and my faith was strong it didn’t matter what people said.

Oh…hang on. There is no God. He knows it, and she knows it deep down. It was as simple as that. I started thinking about it and asking more questions, and within an hour, I was an atheist.

Wow. No God. If mum had lied to me about God, had she also lied to me about Santa? Yes, of course, but who cares? The gifts kept coming. And so did the gifts of my new found atheism. The gifts of truth, science, nature. The real beauty of this world. I learned of evolution -– a theory so simple that only England’s greatest genius could have come up with it. Evolution of plants, animals and us –- with imagination, free will, love, humor. I no longer needed a reason for my existence, just a reason to live. And imagination, free will, love, humor, fun, music, sports, beer and pizza are all good enough reasons for living.

But living an honest life -– for that you need the truth. That’s the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, in the end leads to liberation and dignity.

So what does the question “Why don’t you believe in God?” really mean. I think when someone asks that they are really questioning their own belief. In a way they are asking “what makes you so special? “How come you weren’t brainwashed with the rest of us?” “How dare you say I’m a fool and I’m not going to heaven, f— you!” Let’s be honest, if one person believed in God he would be considered pretty strange. But because it’s a very popular view it’s accepted. And why is it such a popular view? That’s obvious. It’s an attractive proposition. Believe in me and live forever. Again if it was just a case of spirituality this would be fine.

“Do unto others…” is a good rule of thumb. I live by that. Forgiveness is probably the greatest virtue there is. But that’s exactly what it is -­‐ a virtue. Not just a Christian virtue. No one owns being good. I’m good. I just don’t believe I’ll be rewarded for it in heaven. My reward is here and now. It’s knowing that I try to do the right thing. That I lived a good life. And that’s where spirituality really lost its way. When it became a stick to beat people with. “Do this or you’ll burn in hell.”

You won’t burn in hell. But be nice anyway.

***

...and there's more from the eloquent Gervais.

To give Wall Street Journal readers a chance to respond, we asked Gervais to answer via email some of the most frequently asked questions about his article.

In your piece you write, that “Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know.” In fact, mainstream scientific thought has sometimes been wrong, and it is constantly changing and revising itself. So how can you be so sure that science supports your belief that God does not exist?

Ricky Gervais: Science doesn’t concern itself with the non-existence of something. The periodic table of imaginary things would be too big for a classroom- infinitely big in fact, and rather pointless. It’s not trying to prove the non-existence of anything supernatural. All it knows is there is no scientific proof of anything supernatural so far. When someone presents a jar of God it will test it. If it finds some evidence of “godness” it will follow the evidence till it knows everything it can.

The fact that science can say “we don’t know” is exactly my point. Science doesn’t start with a set of convenient conclusions and try to justify them. It follows evidence. In fact, it tries to prove itself wrong. When it can’t, it’s right. Superstition, religion and blind faith cherry pick the evidence and justify the results by changing the goal posts. There are no cover-ups in science. For better or worse it finds stuff out. It has no moral code as such. It leaves those decisions to society. It discovers life saving drugs but leaves it up to you whether to use them or not. It discovers that splitting the atom can release a massive amount of energy very quickly and leaves it up to governments to try it out or not. It finds out what and how and why. It asks can we? Not should we? This is why it baffles me that some god fearers believe that without a god there is no reason to be good. Really?

Doesn’t the idea that God was somehow involved in the making of the universe seem immensely more reasonable than believing that some random form of matter has existed for all of time, or that matter just up and popped into existence?

So you’re asking whether it’s more plausible that everything in the known universe including man was made by a supernatural being, in 6 days, than from a massive explosion of matter that expanded and gradually became the known universe in all it’s beauty over the last 14 billion years? I don’t think so, no.

If you don’t know what made the universe it seems pointless to say a God must have made it then. You have to then say “But what made God?” If you are then willing to say that God was always around, you may as well say that the universe was too. Saves time doesn’t it? How long did he wait till he made the universe by the way? And where was he? Did it turn out just like he planned? If he had to make another one would he do it any different? Where would he put it?

Does science really have an objective agenda?

Yes.

Wasn’t it also used to justify slavery, genocide and the subjugation of women? Why should we trust science when it comes to God?

When was science used to justify slavery, genocide and the subjugation of women? There are bad people who believe in God and bad people who don’t but neither can claim to have science on their side when they commit their deeds. I don’t know who’s been going round saying that science justifies any of those things. It certainly doesn’t and anyone who says it does is taking the name of science in vain. Many theories try to wear the badge of science to give their practices credibility but the badge is a forgery. Religion even tries to claim scientific evidence but fails. Astrology wants to be recognized as a science. It isn’t. Real science comes along and shows them the door. Its only agenda is truth. It doesn’t wish something were true. It finds out whether something is or isn’t true. Believing something is true simply because you wish it was, isn’t science. It’s faith.

Woody Allen is widely quoted as having once said: “You cannot prove the nonexistence of God; you just have to take it on faith.” Is being an atheist as unscientific a stance as believing in God? Isn’t it more intellectually honest to be agnostic?

Well Woody Allen was being facetious but makes a good point. Is being an atheist as unscientific a stance as believing in God? No definitely not. How can not believing in something that is backed up with no empirical evidence be less scientific than believing in something that not only has no empirical evidence but actually goes against the laws of the universe and in many cases actually contradicts itself?

What does a comedian really know about God anyway?

Since there is nothing to know about god, a comedian knows as much about god as any one else. An atheist however is alone in knowing that there is nothing to know so probably has the edge. An Atheist comedian can make people laugh about belief or lack of it. A good atheist comedian can make people laugh AND think about belief or lack of it. An agnostic would say that since you can neither prove the existence nor the non-existence of God then the only answer to the question “Is there a God?” is “I don’t know.” Basically they are saying just because you haven’t found something yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Well firstly we have to know what definition of God we are asking about. Many can be dismissed as logical impossibilities. In the same way that if you were asked can you imagine a square circle the answer is of course “No.” Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. Let’s just say there is a definition of a God that is possible. Does he exist? “I don’t know” in this case is indeed the correct answer. However this must also be the answer to many other questions. Is there an elephant up your a—? Even if you’ve looked you can’t say “no.” It could be that you just haven’t found it yet. Please look again and this time really believe there is an elephant up there because however mad it sounds no one can prove that you don’t have a lovely big African elephant up your a—.

People who believe in God sometimes have moments of doubt about their faith. Have you had any moments of doubt about your atheism?

Atheism isn’t a belief system. I have a belief system but it’s not “based on” atheism, it’s just not based on the existence of a god. I make none of my moral, social, or artistic decisions based on any god or superstitions. Saying atheism is a belief system is like saying not going skiing is a hobby. I’ve never been skiing. It’s my biggest hobby. I literally do it all the time. But to answer your question I am constantly faced with theories of God, and angels, and hell. It’s everywhere. But unless there is an ounce of credibility to it, I reject. I have to. You can’t lie to yourself. If you do you’ve only fooled a deluded person and where’s the victory in that?

How do you plan on celebrating Christmas?

Eating and drinking too much with friends and family. Celebrating life and remembering those that did, but can no longer.

They are not looking down on me but they live in my mind and heart more than they ever did probably. Some, I was lucky enough to bump into on this planet of six billion people. Others shared much of my genetic material. One selflessly did her best for me all my life. That’s what mums do though. They do it for no other reason than love. Not for reward. Not for recognition. They create you. From nothing. Miracle? They do those every day. No big deal. They are not worshiped. They would give their life without the promise of heaven. They teach you everything they know yet they are not declared prophets. And you only have one.

I am crying as I write this.

It usually gets me this time of year. That’s what’s special about Christmas. It’s when you visit or reminisce about the ones you love. And reflect on how lucky you are. How they helped shape you. I remember the first time my mum took me to see a movie. I’d never been to a cinema before. I can still remember the place to this day. Everything seemed carpeted. The floors, the walls, everything. I had sweets and Pepsi and the biggest screen in the world, I thought. I was blown away. I lived a life in a couple of hours. When I thought Baloo was dead I was sobbing uncontrollably but trying to hide it. My mum was consoling me but didn’t seem as distressed as me. Then when it turned out that Baloo was still alive I was f—ing euphoric.

But it made me think. On the way home I asked my mum how old I’d be when she died. “Old,” she said. “Will I care?” I asked worried about my far off future feelings. She wasn’t sure what to say. She knew I wanted the answer “no” in some ways but as usual she chose honesty. “Yes,” she said. “But it won’t happen for a very long time.” That was good enough for me.

When I returned to school a few weeks later we had to do a little presentation about our holidays. I proceeded to act out the entire movie using the other kids in the class. I told them where to stand and what to say, filling in the action with narration. Eventually the teacher had to stop me because I was taking up the whole day. Now I’m a real director I never make that same mistake. I’m home by 4 o’clock on any movie I do.

I haven’t seen the film for 40 years so I’m not sure how good it is but it’s still one of my fondest memories because it was a gift from my mum. My mum died when I was 40.

She was right by the way. I did care. But luckily 35 five years before, I’d learnt the bear necessities to get me through.

Just like Baloo, she’s still with me.

Dads are pretty cool too. Mine was a man of few words. He let me make my own way. He taught me one important lesson though. That it’s OK for a man to cry. He only cried once in his life. Just one time. When his mum died. Luckily for him all his children out-lived him. Otherwise there would surely have been a second.

I hope you are with your loved ones at this wonderful time of year. That’s what will make it wonderful.

Peace to all mankind. Christian, Jew, Muslim and Atheist.

What about Agnostics?

Uhm?…I don’t know. Only joking. Yes even Agnostics.

Peace and goodwill to ALL mankind.

RG

***

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did

:)

 

All world religions should be banned - for the sake of humanity

War, marginalization, discrimination and divisiveness are all terms associated with world religions. And all for myth and superstition! As Bertrand Russell once said, and I quote;


"Religion is based ... mainly upon fear ... fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand . . . . My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race."

wonderful incentive? How does he know?

Bigot making a stand...for whom?

How sad when the innocent are used as weapons.

 Just look at those misguided messages

 

backward looking fundamentalists

what a dreadful idea! Can you imagine?

The ugly face of world religion, ever-present and persistent due to man's inability to let go of childhood obsessions with "imaginary friends".

Here is another famous dig at religion by the great Sigmund Freud;

"The whole thing is so patently infantile, so foreign to reality, that to anyone with a friendly attitude to humanity it is painful to think that the great majority of mortals will never be able to rise above this view of life."

...and another by Mark Twain;

"Strange...a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; mouths Golden Rules and forgiveness multiplied seventy times seven and invented Hell; who mouths morals to other people and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honourably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally with altogether divine obtuseness, invites this poor, abused slave to worship him!"

...and last but not least, one by the great man himself, Albert Einstein;

"I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the type of which we are conscious in ourselves. An individual who should survive his physical death is also beyond my comprehension, nor do I wish it otherwise; such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls"


...march on secular soldiers, humanity needs you now more than ever. I feel much better now
:)

A Christmas message. If only...

…the world had been created by some Devine being, it would have been a perfect world. If only humanity could have been created in the image of such Devine being, there wouldn’t have been wars or suffering, hunger and disease ravaging humanity.


If only…

just an illusion

There would have been no parasites, whose main purpose in life is to drain the life out of their hapless hosts.

Or deadly bacteria and viruses that destroy life indiscriminately and cause so much pain and suffering in the process.

Or predators that rip apart living creatures with unbounded savagery and lack of empathy, in order to temporarily feed their hunger.

Or humans, who use, abuse and kill others and chose to live like scavengers on the carcasses of humanity, often whilst under the misguided guise of “holy war” and tribal differences.

There would have been no need for religions that separate, marginalize and often destroy others who do not share their illusions. Organised religion is like a hospital for the sick. We all know that the healthy don’t need hospitals.

What a wonderful world it would be if there were no sicknesses or the need for hospitals!
If only…

But in reality, life is simply a process started by Nature and with the sole purpose of improving and adapting all life-forms to facilitate the survival of the driving force of all life on earth. DNA

The quicker we all begin to accept that simple truth, the quicker we will learn to rise above Nature and help it along a more humane and righteous path.

It could be done, but will it ever? I doubt it. Not while half of humanity chooses the path of following imaginary friends (gods) and live by rules created by dubious humans with ulterior motives.

Still, I can only dream and hope.

:)

Yemen - looking back...

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And another disturbing report from the "old world" hits my TV screen and fills me with anger. I must stop watching documentaries, or TV in general - it's bad for my blood pressure. This time the bad news comes from the Yemen, a country in the Arabian Peninsula.

The documentary in question was made by CNN to highlight the plight of child brides – sadly still an everyday occurrence in some countries.

Reem al Numeri is a 14-year-old divorcee. Yes, you read it right.  She was just 11 when her father forced her to marry her 32-year-old cousin. Reem used to lock herself in her room at night to keep her “husband” away, but he eventually managed to break in and rape her. After attempting suicide by cutting her wrists, the so called “husband” decided to divorce her.

Reem - victim by the age of  11 -  outcast by 14

Reem now lives the life of an outcast, through no fault of her own, a victim of the cruel society she was born into. Without a husband or family to support her, she can’t even attend school.

(My blood pressure is rising again just thinking about it)

In 2009, Yemen's parliament passed legislation to rise the minimum age of marriage to 17.  Sadly,
Conservative “Koran-led” parliamentarians and more than a 100 leading religious clerics, called the attempt to restrict the age of marriage "un-Islamic"  and argued the bill violated Sharia law, which does not stipulate a minimum age of marriage.

What the fuck is all that about?  How ridiculous an argument!  Does that mean 8,6,4,2-year-olds can also be forced into marrying older men?

(I'm really pissed off now)

When will the blind and ignorant followers of religion start thinking for themselves? When will they start questioning their pathetic archaic laws and miserable existences?

Anyway, the bill to outlaw child marriages got blocked and so the practice continues for now. Yemen's parliament will look again at child marriage in the coming days, so fingers crossed, but don’t hold your breath!

Mohammed Aboulahoum, advisor to Yemen's president, wants the law to be passed, but thinks there are more important issues to deal with first. (!) He would wouldn’t he? Even after conceding that if he (Aboulahoum) was to ask most religious people if they would you let their daughter marry at the age of 12 or 13, they would most likely say no!

The human rights organization “Sisters Arab Forum” tries in vain to intervene on behalf of child brides - to stop the marriages from taking place - but without legislation they are fighting a losing battle.

The people of Yemen need to pull their heads out of the sand and try to understand the horrors of child abuse. They need to change their society's views on women, now, not in years to come but now. Never mind Sharia Law, (which most lay people don’t even fully understand). Wrong and unjust laws have to be changed, never mind the cultural or religious implications. That’s what civilized societies do and have done for centuries. To not evolve is to stagnate and eventually perish, just like the dinosaurs…

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Religiously Inspired Terror...

...these are the powerful words used in the recent TV documentary “The God Delusion” by Prof. Richard Dawkins that have prompted me to put pen to paper, once again, on this most destructive and enduring human disease we call religion.

Those of you who watched this program will no doubt be more enlightened by the awe-inspiring view on this very human 'cancer' we call Faith. I certainly am, both enlightened and more determined than ever to expose the fallacy and superstitious dogma of religion.

Faith is belief without reason; belief in Bronze Age myths and superstitions created by man’s need for meaning and used to control others through conformity. Religion has survived by keeping its followers in a state of permanent infancy while destroying its opponents in the process. Faith is, not questioning the Devine. Faith is acceptance of the myth as fact when scientific evidence exists to the contrary. That is so anti-learning and anti-knowledge that it defies reason!

The three ‘great’ religions of Islam Christianity and Judaism continue to dismiss the theory of evolution, even though there is evidence that evolution is a fact and indeed still taking place! They also continue to believe that the world is 5000 years old, when science has proved, by carbon-dating technology, that the earth is 4.5 billion years old! Religion continues to believe that high intelligence and empathy are strictly human characteristics! But most dangerous of all, extremist religion continues to victimise and vilify other religions, homosexuality, and all women, with a blind fervour and hatred that knows no bounds! Religion is the ultimate control-freak.

What good has come from religion, I ask? Morals, you may say? I say no. Definitely not. What is moral about encouraging the murder of non-believers such as the ‘fatwa’s’ of Islam or the Christian Crusades? Morals are not religious edicts but simply evolutionary processes to strengthen social groups. Moral codes exist in animal groups such as chimpanzees, elephants, dolphins, meerkats and many others. Different to our morals may be, but morals nonetheless.

Would there have been a 9/11 without religion? Or even the Holocaust? Or the Spanish Inquisition? How about the other countless atrocities and genocides - too many to mention - that stain human history with the blood of innocents? I very much doubt it. Scientific studies by the World Health Organisation state that the humble mosquito is responsible for more human deaths, through malaria, than any other illness or war, but I dispute that. I say religion is the biggest killer and anyone who wants to argue that fact, please forward me your statistics and I will reply with mine.

As the American physicist and Nobel Prize Winner Steven Weinberg once said, and I quote;

"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion”

Accurate and simple, and yet describes the illogical motives for the atrocities committed under the guise of religion. It is disturbing to think that murderous actions are still taking place under the false guise of holy war.

“March on secular soldiers” - humanity needs you more than ever.

Amish...are they for real?

Did anyone watch "The World's Squarest Teenagers" on Channel 4? Quite interesting. It is the story of 5 Amish youngsters from the American mid-west, on a cultural exchange trip to London, where they will stay with different families, from the rich suburban type to poor inner city working class.

It is interesting to hear these teenagers views on life. Interesting and inconceivable that they, who have led a sheltered life, completely away from television, press, books and all outside influence, can and do pass judgement on other people's beliefs and way of life. The Amish do not play musical instruments and only sing to praise the Lord. They do not dance or drink alcohol or date or kiss before marriage. In fact they don't do much at all apart from reading the Bible over and over again. Life is seen as just a short trip towards the eternal after-life. What if there is no after life? Don't they ever worry in case things don't go to plan?

The girl seen in the above photo (second from left) asked one of her British friends, a Muslim, if she believed in Jesus. The Muslim girl politely replied that she believes in God, Allah in Arabic, the same God as the Christians, but not in Jesus as the son of God. According to the Muslim scriptures Jesus was a prophet, just like Moses, Muhammad and many others.

The Amish girl was shocked by this (most sensible) reply, and was then heard saying that her friend had succumbed to the work of the devil !?!?!

WHAT THE %*&+ IS ALL THAT ABOUT?

Reality TV is 'scraping the bottom of the barrel' for ideas to entertain us. From the dreadful, shallow, offensive, abusive "Toddlers & Tiaras" to the brain-dead "World's Squarest Teenagers"... it doesn't bode well for the future of TV entertainment, does it?

Just as well we all have the Internet and Blogs to keep us going :)

My next post will be about an important issue...I promise... getting tired of having a go at religion.

Religion is...smug as a bug in a rug...

I don't like smugness, I don't do 'smug'. It is a characteristic I detest, more than any other!


Has anyone noticed how smug religious people are when discussing this topic with non-believers? They tend to wear the look on their faces that depicts "I know something you don't". Moreover, it implies people like me, who are of a scientific disposition and not at all religious, don't know the 'truth' - and at worst, influenced by satanic forces!!!

Is prejudice not a sin anymore? Is intolerance not a sin?...how about arrogance?.. they are in my book anyway and I don't even have a book.


The truth is, the Darwinists of this world (and other enlightened minds) are a lot closer to the truth than the 'lambs-to-slaughter' followers of people (yes, just ordinary people, not saints!) like Joseph Smith (Mormons) and Charles Russell/Joseph Rutherford (Jehovah's W) and many other self-proclaimed leaders of countless splinter groups.


The above mentioned men must have possessed great powers of persuasion in order to steer their flock away from their original churches and beliefs ! How did they do it? Well, just like all other great 'earthly' leaders throughout history, they realised how gullible some people can be and set to work on them, that's how. Am I the only sceptic here??

Just imagine some charismatic figure appearing nowadays, re-interpreting the Holy Book and re-converting the previously re-converted!?! Would they be taken seriously???

Actually, there is a characteristic I detest and pity more than smugness - GULLIBILITY

"TIME" to stop the abuse...

Well done to Time magazine for the shocking cover of this weeks edition. It is the story of 18 year old Aisha who ran away from an abusive marriage only to be caught by her husband, brother in law and local Taliban militia.

Aisha was held down by her brother in law while her husband sliced off her nose and ears... with the approval of the local Taliban commander.

Is there any hope for the future of Afghanistan with the Taliban in place? Clearly not. These barbaric images are part of daily life, including the stoning to death of women condemned (wrongly in most cases) of adultery.

If only the 'sharia law' imposers could learn a single lesson from the Bible, I would like it to be the following : 'Let he who is free from sin cast the first stone'

Sadly, and once again archaic extremist groups are giving the great religion of Islam a bad reputation.

Meanwhile the women continue to suffer silently....again...and again

Can a Darwinian be a Christian?

I believe not.
How about a little brainteaser?
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Is it "Creation" or "Evolution" with you?
If it is "Creation", who created the Creator?
If Nature created the Creator, then it must be "Evolution".
...just food for thought...that's all

Scandal-hit pope arrives in crisis-hit Portugal...

The Pope arrived in Portugal,today,to visit the Fatima shrine in time for the May 13th celebration! The Pope and 29, yes 29, staff. Good grief, does he really need such an entourage? And guess who is footing the bill? Yeah, you got it, the taxpayer, including a huge percentage of tax payers,who,like myself,would rather he stayed put and used that money on other much more important social causes. A lot of money no doubt,for an economy crippled with problems. And what are the benefits of such visit? Apparently there are 4 main benefits. They are as follows;
1- Goodwill message of peace to all mankind
2-
3-
4-
... hummm...hummmmm...could have been delivered from the Vatican.