Imperfect Word

 clraik.com

Recently, a Christian friend told me she believed the bible is the "inerrant word of god". Naturally, a chuckle escaped knowing what I little I do know about the history of the bible, but enough to make it suspect as a credible source for a God, and specifically for a Jesus. I composed myself and proceeded to discuss what she believed.

We are all familiar with storytelling and how generations will pass down their knowledge from one to the next by word-of-mouth. Let's assume that the practice of oral tradition was used to pass down the information we find in the Bible. As most people were illiterate at that time when this Jesus supposedly lived, it stands to reason that most of what was compiled in that book is just mostly what 'stories' they heard. "Increasingly though, scholars are pointing out that the Gospels are entirely literary creations, and heavily borrowed from one another as well." says David Fitzgerald, author of Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed At All. There is also the evidence that scribes in some situations either didn't copy properly, and even inserted different meaning into what they were transcribing. They were writing, not transcribing.

Add to that, we only have fragments of this alleged inerrant word of God until nearly the end of the 2nd century. Again, fragments not complete books which to compare to the current books we do have full versions of today. The ones we do have complete books of - Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus - didn't appear until the 4th Century, and they differ from each other - and both differ from our New Testaments.

When presented with this information she didn't agree it was possible that the inspiration of God would change what was the truth, so the passing down of information would remain consistent.

Ok, let's say we accept that. What about the alterations by scribes, intentional or otherwise, when new texts were commissioned? She didn't know about the information about the fragments, but even that bit didn't deter her because the passing down of information was the truth and sacred. She agreed there could be mistakes by the scribes, but believed that ultimately, the information published in the good book today IS the inerrant word of God because what made it into the books was what He wanted to represent. The Word was accurate.

Now let's finish this to its logical conclusion. If this is was her reasoning, then it follows that prior to the establishment of the current text some of the text was not the 'inerrant word of god. That is what my friend was saying. What ended up being what Christians currently believe is the truth, through and through, no mistakes.

I guess my only question after that would be - Why did he fuck all the other people into believing something wrong? What is up with this dude? How is that loving providing your people with something that is possibly wrong?

Just one more reason to think this is all bullshit.

In All Things, Do Good

TalkIslam YouTube

If you replaced this man with a truly kind, loving christian - it's the same message. Each have interpreted their holy texts (or had them interpreted for them by a truly kind, loving denomination/congregation) and taken nothing, but goodness from it.

What it boils down to is the text is subjective because there are mixed messages in each of those books they read. It's cherry picking. Either the individual IS good and WANTS only good for himself, other people and this world or the person IS bad, and wants only to dole out the same craziness and chaotic directives from that holy book they cling to.

And when I say good or bad, I'm speaking of their intention. Individuals choose the actions they take because of what their natural bent is, their care growing up and their life experience which has shaped them.

Would I prefer to have no religion, absolutely. Let's understand that a human being knowing where their intention comes from - themselves - is a far sight better than those who claim who they are and what they do comes from a god. Having said that, I would still rather have a deluded person intent on being a force for good in this world than an asshole who is intent on harming all others in the name of their religion.

"We The People" NOT "Our God Is A Mighty God"

BeSecular.com

Just because you have a personal relationship with Mr. Skydaddy does not dictate the outcome for "We the People". Making a personal decision to be ruled by an invisible man doesn't equate to a legal responsibility for him to rule the rest of the country, believers and non-believers. Stop interjecting religious law into secular law!

And also, please stop being misguided to thinking this is a Christian Nation... it is NOT! Do just a little bit of research (this is just a small start to get you in the right direction), and you will find our forefathers were indeed interested in keeping church and state separated. We are a secular nation because the historical dudes realized true freedom comes from allowing all to express their beliefs in this country, but legislating it would give religion opportunities to make decisions in a process where faith and beliefs just don't belong.

Our country has a long history of religion trying to creep back into having a strong-hold.

Don't let it!

Christmas: Starbucks Style - It's All Good

Josh Feuerstein is at it again. He's doing his part to fuel the fictitious War on Christmas with his latest YouTube video. And apparently, some of you are following your leader.

Guys, do you not get that we don't give a shit about you celebrating Christmas however you choose? No one is forcing this tradition away, from you or at all! Starbucks and many other establishments want to include all and let them celebrate it however they want. Them changing their advertising eliminates nothing about how you want to celebrate Christmas.

"This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories," said the company's vice president Jeffrey Fields."

Now, excuse me. I'm going to Starbucks and telling them my name is Happy Holidays to counter all the foolishness about this being some kind of battle instigated by the secular community to eliminate Christmas.

AND I'll let them know I LOVE their red fucking cups! #HappyHolidaysStarbucks

Christians And Muslims Both Love The One True SAME God

You'd think there would be harmony when they have the most important thing in common - the big guy they worship is the same. Both religions have similar ideologies. Each want the same things. Their holy books (Bible, Quran) are almost identical. These cults may worship in slightly different ways, have traditions and rituals which are dissimilar, but in the end the god they all believe in is the same. 

Jesus and Muhammed - the two spokespeople for their religions, each proclaiming their god is the greatest of all, and the only one to be followed and worshiped. Think about that for a moment... take your time. 

IT'S THE SAME GOD!!!

According to both religions, if you truly do believe in the one true god, it's all good and you are safe. The ultimate goal of religion is the persuasion of the masses to believe in the righteous and holy one. It would seem they have succeeded in both camps!

So why such a need for animosity for the other and/or this incessant desire for dominance in the supernatural realm?

Seriously, why can't you all just get along? Because the only thing you are proving to the world is that it's really not about YOUR ONE TRUE SAME god, it's about wanting to establish yourselves in the position of being better than your almost identical counter-part.

And that's not godly, that's pretty fucking immature.

newreligion.eu

Duggar - Keep Digging, I'm Sure There's More

Josh Duggar is in the news again. Who's surprised by this? Not me!

Once again we feel all disgusted with him because he has shown the world that he is not only a child molester, but a cheat and a liar to boot! Add to that, he's a huge hypocrite doing all those sinful things right under the prayerful eyes of his wife and his family. He even admits that. Good for him. And honestly, as soon as the news was confirmed in both instances, good on him for not squirming out of it. He immediately admitted what he had done when he was finally exposed in the mainstream media.

But what else does that tell us about Josh Duggar? He got caught.

He may act as if he is just a fallen sinner and needs back into the good graces of his lord and savior, but in fact, what he actually is just that... caught. And he can't get out of it by hiding anymore.

In fact, it says the same thing about most of the public figures which have a religious bent.  And frankly, to me, this detail is the ONLY reason they fess up. It is because it hit the news cycle in a big way and there's no stepping back from that reality. It's called damage control. They were exposed and now they may be repentant. But it's only because it's now out in the open in all its glorious salaciousness!

How many times do we have to hear in the news what so and so has done after telling the whole world they are better than everyone else? I'm really getting sick and tired of seeing this kind of crap. Almost daily! But yet, me being an atheist - I'm the really nasty character. Right.

Here's an idea - Josh and all you other holier-than-thou types, how about you be brave and tell us now what else we can expect to find hidden in your closet? I'm sure there's so much more. Honestly, I think I would have much more respect for that. I'd really be willing and able to understand you were human and had a failing; we've all been there. But to have your type throwing in my face what a disaster I am for my belief system while you were out there being the lousiest humans ever, it's just unacceptable. Always was... still is.

Here's to the next shoe to drop...

End Times On The Horizon. For Sure This Time? It Would Seem So.

Azure_Adonis's Bucket - Peace Fire War Ice

The chants are getting louder. The crazy section is convinced we're going down! When religion feels threatened, this usually occurs. Something is going to happen, and for them it seems it can't come soon enough. Can't you tell with all that's going on around us - droughts and other devastating weather events, uprisings, Christian's being murdered everywhere, abortions happening, the atheists are getting louder, and don't forget the gays! Oh, bring back the good old days when this was a Christian Nation!!! (BTW, NOT EVER!) You know it can only mean one thing... The End Times have arrived or we're shortly before them... as predicted for the 2000th year.

The scenario of End Times obviously predestined for the evangelical community speaks of believers being set free from this terrible world, but only doom and gloom for those who would dare not believe in their god! What inerrant, bible-thumping Christians (and many shy, quite god-fearing and all loving patrons of the mystical) hope for is the exalted one will finally lay down his wrath, smite all the evil ones with banishment to that dark, hot place reserved for them... burning and blackening crispiness awaits them while the true believers are floated to the utopia in the sky or wherever the hell his kingdom supposedly is. It is a reward for their belief and a punishment for those who couldn't quite get with the program. We see it all around us, they are chomping at the bit for their righteous to finally have what they deserve; a better place above us sinners. As if the majority haven't already been lording over us since they found out how we think. 

I hate to be the buster of bubbles, but here's my take on it.

Pew confirmed recently what many have suspected. The numbers of all prominent religions, with the exception of some non-Christian faiths, are going down. The Nones are happy to see the decline in religiosity, but also to see their sector is growing, and substantially at that. Many predicted this was inevitable, but most did not expect it to occur so quickly. My own thoughts were by 2020 we'd see around 30% listed as Nones. How validating to see we are actually on track for that possibility to occur, maybe even to surpass it!

So yes, there seems to be an end, but I don't think it's quite what the religious had in mind. Those of us who do not partake of religion, however it's dressed up, and choose to not align with it for a wide variety of reasons, we are entering what seems to be the fast track to the end times of religion itself. 

When the religious frame of mind is no longer the majority, it will die out and yes, it will end. But I predict it won't be with much fanfare, it'll just go away and we can finally live in a rational world. There will be no more need for the exhaustive pointing out of the hypocrisy, the contradictions of the faith, the history of it, the illogical, and the downright willful ignorance anymore. It will be such a relief to never have to address any of it ever again.

End times will result in a sort of metaphorical Utopia, it meaning we shall finally live a progressive, natural and rational future. I say bring on the End Times now!!!

afremov.com

Not Changing For You

Not many people would guess this tattoo represents atheist solidarity, and standing up loudly and boldly for the cause. They think I'm quoting Pink and her song "Raise Your Glass". I'm happy when I'm able to explain. Pink is awesome, the song and what it stands for is too, but my tattoo means much more than my understanding of the lyrics - standing up for those who would be kept down by a society who would like to dictate to us how to be as individuals. It's just one part of why I got the tattoo.

I'm labelled an atheist because I don't have evidence for the existence of a god. It's an accurate description of what I've come to think based on years of research, and understanding of the history of our world. I've come to this conclusion because not believing in a god is rational and it makes sense. But it doesn't to speak to my character or what kind of person I am. 

My tattoo represents my allegiance with all those who feel keeping quiet about who they are is over. When I got that tattoo, I was done keeping my views to myself out of some sort of misplaced respect for a believers views. They proudly go on and on about their thoughts, so will I. The tattoo was just a way to remind me that I had the same rights to do what they do. 

They'll wear a cross and say God Bless. I wear my atheist t-shirts and tell them to have a nice day. Believers will Thank God! when good things happen, I'll point out why a medical intervention is most likely the cause. When bad things happen to our friends, believers will pray and I'll make sure to actually do something effective in easing my friend's sorrow. And when that tornado rips through a town and kills 180 people, I'll be sure to say nature is brutally indiscriminate rather than blame the LGBT community for the community's losses while others would say god is only punishing the sinful for their behaviors.

The point is, I'm going to stand up to the irrational, I will call out the ridiculous, and I will orate loudly for common sense and logic; whenever, and wherever it's necessary. And it's going to happen whether people like it or not. I have as much right to speak up about what makes sense as the believers have about what doesn't.

And I won't change. Especially now. Once I let myself out of the closet, going back in would never again be an option. It feels way too good to be honest to myself and others. It's freeing to fully feel that I am being myself in what I say and what I do. Staying here, staying put. Deal with it.

Who Needs Prayer When You've Got A Plan?

Proverbs 31 New International Version (NIV)

Sayings of King Lemuel

31 The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.

2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
    Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!
3 Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
    your vigor on those who ruin kings.

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—
    it is not for kings to drink wine,
    not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
    and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
    wine for those who are in anguish!
7 Let them drink and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 31:3 Or wealth
2. Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The short version - a woman who does all these things is a force to be reckoned with and someone who is worthy of praise for all her efforts, the obvious strength she possesses and the character with which she carries herself. If the list of attributes above describes the woman to a T, then damn straight she deserves praise. This catch seems to be the ultimate Shero who takes care of not only the house and the kids, and all that it entails but runs a business, is smart and wise, and marries the right man. In modern times we call that "bringing home the bacon, frying it up in the pan and doing everything to please her man."

My problem with the decoration on the shirt is that she has to pray about it as if that's the only way things get done. I call bullshit with a capital B. I know many cream-of-the-crop women in the atheist movement who have no desire and especially no need to pray about it in order to accomplish all that is on their plates. They have goals, they make a plan and they get things done. It's that simple. God can be left out of the equation.

Any woman, and any man for that matter, who set their sights on what they want to accomplish can go a long way with perseverance, diligence and efforts. Does that always guarantee success? No. But how many times has prayer been claimed to have brought about the result of a good outcome? Statistically, probably the same as having not prayed. So basically it's chance that prayer was coincidentally involved.

Making plans, putting forth the effort, doing the work and possessing the determination to never give up until you've reached your goals - that is what helps us succeed in achieving them and gives us cause to list our accomplishments.

Just like prayer has nothing to do with successful medical intervention, prayer injects nothing of quality to projects or achievements that are staffed by hard-working, diligent and skilled people on the right tasks.

So really, who needs a god or a prayer when we've got things under control with our own plans?

God's Divine Word or Subjective Interpretation?

nbparanormal.wordpress.com

We live in a world that adheres to many different dogmas. Within just the Christian sect, there are tens of thousands of variations on that central theme. This fact alone has started many down the path of rubbing their index finger on their jawline, scrunching up their mouths, arching the left eyebrow, and ultimately discarding religion all together because well... it makes sense to.

Religion	Adherents
Christianity[4]	2.2 billion
Islam	1.6 billion
Secular[a]/Nonreligious[b]/Agnostic/Atheist	≤ 1.1 billion
Hinduism	1 billion
Chinese traditional religion[c]	394 million
Buddhism	376 million
Ethnic religions excluding some in separate categories	300 million
African traditional religions	100 million
Sikhism	23 million
Juche[d]	19 million
Spiritism	15 million
Judaism	14 million
Bahá'í	7 million
Jainism	4.2 million
Shinto	4 million
Cao Dai	4 million
Zoroastrianism	2.6 million
Tenrikyo	2 million
Neo-Paganism	1 million
Unitarian Universalism	800,000
Rastafarianism	600,000

Size of Major Religious Groups, 2012
Religion			Percent
Christianity			31.5%
Muslim			23.2%
Unaffiliated			16.3%
Hindu			15.0%
Buddhist *			7.1%
Folk			5.9%
Other			0.8%
Jewish			0.2%
Pew Research Center, 2012[2]

And yet still, this is not a red flag to the true believers. Why the hell not?

The word divine means that it is 'of god', right? To me, that means what is being handed down is truly his divine word and there would only be one message, not a gazillion different ways of looking at things. For this very reason, having numerous, in my opinion - subjective interpretations - means that these religions are not imbued with his divine word, but rather all the different religions are man-made because every off-shoot has been tailored according to the one who initially heralded it. There seems to be no other take-away from this.

Not one person of faith has been able to detail to me how my thought process about this issue could be any different than what I've resolved in my head. My initial assumption is that religions (all) are basically just created to appease an individual's ideal about what religion means to them. They wear what feels right for them and then encourage others to follow their ideals. If they're lucky, it's popular and it grows. If not, it falls by the wayside and dies out.

Luckily, people with a natural bent towards the supernatural have so many to choose from that if they get bored with what they were indoctrinated with or the religion doesn't meet their needs anymore, they can switch and try on another more to their current liking.

For us non-believers we'll continue to just pick apart the illogical and continue to point out what so richly deserves to the criticized.

Kids Will Believe Anything, It's Exactly Why Indoctrination Starts At Birth

http://zerobs.net

Children believe shit... period. Especially from people they trust - teachers, parents, friends - although the order of trust may be different. I'm not shocked, having two of my own that swallowed things hook, line and sinker at not so crucial times.

Imagine my chuckles when a teacher came into my job and described how students in her class were mistakenly led to believe she had 'eyes in the back of her head' when she could detail actions of her students doing things without her directly looking at them, and then would chastise them when her head was turned the other way for things 'she couldn't have possibly seen!' It scared them into thinking she did indeed have that super power! The children, being as naive as they probably would be at that age, didn't realize she had the benefit of a reflection of a window or mirror at her disposal. Obviously, she never shared that little detail with them while they were squirming or later when she could have come clean.

Hearing her laugh about what kids would ultimately believe from people whom they trusted is what lead me to this thought... Kids truly do believe anything, and this is the very reason why indoctrination takes place from the time they are born. The sooner they are fed stories about a parent's belief system, the sooner they will emulate what they have been taught. The intention of the parents may be to ensure their place in Heaven, but the exercise of not thinking for themselves is grounded in what the institution of religion wants and always has wanted... to take center stage no matter what, the individual be damned. There is no such thing as autonomy, it's only about what the collective wants so let the assimilation begin... as soon as they are born.

It's not just about what they believe, but it's about continuing the retelling of the same stories... over and over again. It just makes it harder for the kids to confront the belief system or ultimately ask the relevant questions when it's continually forced down their throats, that's why it's called indoctrination. It's a systematic process and it's one that is reinforced by Bible School, church on Wednesdays and Sundays (or whenever the specific denomination meets) and those supreme holidays like Christmas and Ash Wednesday, or whichever high holy days that specific religion or church decrees.

Ironically, the teacher I mention is religious and she can't see how the misleading of young children contributes to the cycle of indoctrination she condones, even though she would readily admit in this instance she is a participant in lying to her students. If only people (like her, and all) would truly reevaluate the things they engage in. If only they understood the impact of their actions. It actually would positively affect their small bubble of influence if only they would tailor their behavior and actions to reality, and thereby the rest that, by chance, came in contact with it.

Hmmm...I wish.

Faith Explained

"I'm waiting..."

Choosing to have faith means you think this life endured so far is not as good as what's being dangled in front of you. And of course that your expectation will translate into the right choice.

Oh, and it makes you feel warm and fuzzy.