“Is it moral to believe that your sins can be forgiven by the punishment of another person? Is it ethical to believe this? I submit that the doctrine of vicarious redemption by human sacrifice is utterly immoral.
A positively immoral doctrine that abolishes the concept of personal responsibility on which all ethics and morality must depend.”
—Christopher Hitchens (debating Alister McGrath)
Link for Hitchens/McGrath debate.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Do the religious know the definition of "respect", "indoctrination" and "cult"?
Do the religious know the definition of "respect", "indoctrination" and "cult"?
I doubt it, they are afraid to know the truth at all costs.
Respect:
3. esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment.
4. deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.
5. the condition of being esteemed or honored: to be held in respect.
Which exactly why the religious' unending request to receive respect is a con and swindle. We don't respect religious beliefs of others, for the same reason why people won't ever respect the belief of an adult who has an invisible friend.
Indoctrination:
1. to instruct in a doctrine, principle, ideology, etc., esp. to imbue with a specific partisan or biased belief or point of view.
Imbue:
1. to impregnate or inspire, as with feelings, opinions, etc.: The new political leader was imbued with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
Cult:
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
The first definitions of a cult describe any common religion believed by the masses today. And the religious don't get it when people don't take their religious beliefs seriously.
Conclusion 1:
Believers see all other religions as false, they understand this. They understand the definitions of the words above in the context of all other religions other than their own.
Conclusion 1a:
However, when it comes to their own religion, they tense up, feel offended and don't understand the definitions above and certainly don’t see how the same definitions above apply, to their own religion.
Conclusion 1:
Change the subject to all other religions in the world but their own, and the light goes on again and they understand the meaning of the words above and their definitions and how they apply to all other religions.
Conclusion 1a:
Change the religion back to their own religion and immediately, at the flip of a switch, the light goes off and they don’t understand the definitions of the words above and they certainly don’t see how any of the words above could apply to their own religion.
Conclusion 1:
Change the subject to any religion other than their own, they understand the above words.
Conclusion 1a:
Change the subject to their own religion, and they not only don’t understand the words above and but they don’t understand how they could apply to their own religion.
It's an endless circle.
I doubt it, they are afraid to know the truth at all costs.
Respect:
3. esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment.
4. deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.
5. the condition of being esteemed or honored: to be held in respect.
Which exactly why the religious' unending request to receive respect is a con and swindle. We don't respect religious beliefs of others, for the same reason why people won't ever respect the belief of an adult who has an invisible friend.
Indoctrination:
1. to instruct in a doctrine, principle, ideology, etc., esp. to imbue with a specific partisan or biased belief or point of view.
Imbue:
1. to impregnate or inspire, as with feelings, opinions, etc.: The new political leader was imbued with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
Cult:
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
The first definitions of a cult describe any common religion believed by the masses today. And the religious don't get it when people don't take their religious beliefs seriously.
Conclusion 1:
Believers see all other religions as false, they understand this. They understand the definitions of the words above in the context of all other religions other than their own.
Conclusion 1a:
However, when it comes to their own religion, they tense up, feel offended and don't understand the definitions above and certainly don’t see how the same definitions above apply, to their own religion.
Conclusion 1:
Change the subject to all other religions in the world but their own, and the light goes on again and they understand the meaning of the words above and their definitions and how they apply to all other religions.
Conclusion 1a:
Change the religion back to their own religion and immediately, at the flip of a switch, the light goes off and they don’t understand the definitions of the words above and they certainly don’t see how any of the words above could apply to their own religion.
Conclusion 1:
Change the subject to any religion other than their own, they understand the above words.
Conclusion 1a:
Change the subject to their own religion, and they not only don’t understand the words above and but they don’t understand how they could apply to their own religion.
It's an endless circle.
Is it time to move the Statue of Liberty?
I think it's time we move the Statue of Liberty to the Arizona-Mexico border.
Huffington Post article: The Arizona of 2010 Is the Alabama of 1963
Huffington Post article: The Arizona of 2010 Is the Alabama of 1963
Religious belief and respect.
Why should I respect anyone's religious belief that claims to know the impossible?
I don't and many people don't and you shouldn't either.
Oh, do you respect the belief of religious terrorists? I guarantee you the faith of the religious terrorist is stronger than a religious person who does not terrorize in the name of their god.
For those Christians who are now as mad after hell reading this. Pick up a dictionary and look up the word, "respect." Or is that too much of a challenge for you?
I don't and many people don't and you shouldn't either.
Oh, do you respect the belief of religious terrorists? I guarantee you the faith of the religious terrorist is stronger than a religious person who does not terrorize in the name of their god.
For those Christians who are now as mad after hell reading this. Pick up a dictionary and look up the word, "respect." Or is that too much of a challenge for you?
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Is God deaf?
Examples.
A selfless prayer for would be for two Christians (Or how about 1,000 Christians or more? Maybe you need more for a big prayer? Not sure the Bible is not clear on this one.) to pray for one amputee to be healed. Of course, no amputee has ever been healed by the power of (thunder and lighting) God.
However, I wonder what excuse Christians will use to explain why their all powerful God can’t do something as simple as restoring a person’s limb? Salamanders can restore their tail without even praying. Obviously, it can’t be that hard of a thing for a god to accomplish if a salamander can do it on it's own.
How about two or more Christians praying that all cancer be healed worldwide over night? This is a selfless prayer. What excuse will Christians use to explain why God won’t answer their prayer.
How about praying to God to spontaneiously heal all people with birth defects? Is this too big of a task for God to handle? What excuse will Christians use to explain why God won’t answer their prayer.
Is God deaf? Not sure of the answer?
God is imaginary.
A selfless prayer for would be for two Christians (Or how about 1,000 Christians or more? Maybe you need more for a big prayer? Not sure the Bible is not clear on this one.) to pray for one amputee to be healed. Of course, no amputee has ever been healed by the power of (thunder and lighting) God.
However, I wonder what excuse Christians will use to explain why their all powerful God can’t do something as simple as restoring a person’s limb? Salamanders can restore their tail without even praying. Obviously, it can’t be that hard of a thing for a god to accomplish if a salamander can do it on it's own.
How about two or more Christians praying that all cancer be healed worldwide over night? This is a selfless prayer. What excuse will Christians use to explain why God won’t answer their prayer.
How about praying to God to spontaneiously heal all people with birth defects? Is this too big of a task for God to handle? What excuse will Christians use to explain why God won’t answer their prayer.
Is God deaf? Not sure of the answer?
God is imaginary.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Church seats empty.
Imagine a religion which stated that all people are equally important, have inherent worth and dignity.
A religion that says it takes all of us to make our planet a good place to live. Gay, straight, lesbian, bi, trans, black, white, red, brown, yellow, etc., Asian, African, Indian, Mexican, European, etc., female, male, intersex, gender neutral, young, old, tall, short, thin, muscular, heavy, handsome and homely.
What if churches did this hundreds of years ago?
Churches, today, would be packed and their bank rolls would be overflowing.
A religion that says it takes all of us to make our planet a good place to live. Gay, straight, lesbian, bi, trans, black, white, red, brown, yellow, etc., Asian, African, Indian, Mexican, European, etc., female, male, intersex, gender neutral, young, old, tall, short, thin, muscular, heavy, handsome and homely.
What if churches did this hundreds of years ago?
Churches, today, would be packed and their bank rolls would be overflowing.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Intelligence does not preclude credulity.
"Intelligence does not preclude credulity." I'm wondering if I'm the first person to publish these words in this order? Not sure. Mike Hampson
Thursday, April 22, 2010
A quote by Blaise Pascal.
“Men (and women) never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.” —French mathematician Blaise Pascal
A quote by Physicist Steven Weinberg
“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion.” —American physicist Steven Weinberg
What about magicians? Why would this be important?
Magicians? Hmmm... tricks, smoke and mirrors. So what? Deception, trickery, ruse, sham, fraud, con, cheat, swindle, racket, hoax, deceit, dupe, defraud, bamboozle, take advantage of.
When boys, girls, and trans are young, it's fun to know a secret and fool people. Some continue as an adult either as a hobby, a part-time or full-time job. So what?
For those magicians who study Houdini, it becomes apparent quite early that he wanted to believe in spirits, ghosts and the after life. He and his wife started out with a spiritual act which was all tricks, pretending to be a spiritualist. He knew the tricks.
When his mother died in 1913, his interest in the paranormal increased and he did everything he could do, to find a way to the other side to speak to his mother. He wanted to find the door to the other side but never found it.
However, Houdini found something. Houdini found that all the psychics were using were tricks and ruses. He searched his entire life for one paranormal thing to be true, he never found one paranormal event to be true. Ever.
After Houdini's death, many scientists, intellectuals and magicians have studied the paranormal and world religions and have found none which measure up. None are true. There is no magic. Except for magic tricks, that is magic tricks for magic shows, for entertainment.
Take a lesson from magicians, believe in yourself and your own humanity to solve your problems and to find meaning in your life. Why even consider devaluing your own humanity by thinking an invisible old man is out there, somehow, influencing your life.
When boys, girls, and trans are young, it's fun to know a secret and fool people. Some continue as an adult either as a hobby, a part-time or full-time job. So what?
For those magicians who study Houdini, it becomes apparent quite early that he wanted to believe in spirits, ghosts and the after life. He and his wife started out with a spiritual act which was all tricks, pretending to be a spiritualist. He knew the tricks.
When his mother died in 1913, his interest in the paranormal increased and he did everything he could do, to find a way to the other side to speak to his mother. He wanted to find the door to the other side but never found it.
However, Houdini found something. Houdini found that all the psychics were using were tricks and ruses. He searched his entire life for one paranormal thing to be true, he never found one paranormal event to be true. Ever.
After Houdini's death, many scientists, intellectuals and magicians have studied the paranormal and world religions and have found none which measure up. None are true. There is no magic. Except for magic tricks, that is magic tricks for magic shows, for entertainment.
Take a lesson from magicians, believe in yourself and your own humanity to solve your problems and to find meaning in your life. Why even consider devaluing your own humanity by thinking an invisible old man is out there, somehow, influencing your life.
Belief is a virtue? No, it is not.
People take pride in blindly believing in religious nonsense and then are offended when you point what utter nonsense religion is.
They scoff at all the other cults and religions for not getting it right. When asked point blank if they see the similarity between their blind belief and other the blind belief of people of other cults and religions, they look at you with a straight face and say, no, I don't see the similarity.
Making water into wine. Alchemy? Walking on water? Wow. A burning bush? Is a light year more incredible with a burning bush?
I wonder if followers wonder if string theory, quantum mechanics and astronomy beat the stories of the Bible. Was the burning bush the best a god could do?
The promise of infinite life or infinite punishment. Was this the best a god could come up with? Do good things for bad reasons. It is immoral to suggest that people do good things for bad reasons. Is that the best way to motivate people? No, it's not.
Where is the justice? Finite sin equals infinite punishment. Really? There is no limit to the punishment for doing finite things? This is absolute justice? No, it's not.
Could these things have been written by a god? No. Could these thing have been written by ancient primitive men trying to explain the world around them in the culture and science of their day? Yes, of course.
They scoff at all the other cults and religions for not getting it right. When asked point blank if they see the similarity between their blind belief and other the blind belief of people of other cults and religions, they look at you with a straight face and say, no, I don't see the similarity.
Making water into wine. Alchemy? Walking on water? Wow. A burning bush? Is a light year more incredible with a burning bush?
I wonder if followers wonder if string theory, quantum mechanics and astronomy beat the stories of the Bible. Was the burning bush the best a god could do?
The promise of infinite life or infinite punishment. Was this the best a god could come up with? Do good things for bad reasons. It is immoral to suggest that people do good things for bad reasons. Is that the best way to motivate people? No, it's not.
Where is the justice? Finite sin equals infinite punishment. Really? There is no limit to the punishment for doing finite things? This is absolute justice? No, it's not.
Could these things have been written by a god? No. Could these thing have been written by ancient primitive men trying to explain the world around them in the culture and science of their day? Yes, of course.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Enya.
Some suggest that if everyone would listen to Enya's music, there would be no more wars.
If all uptight religious people would listen to Enya, would they come to the conclusion that we are all equally human?
Would the masses then agree on the universal moral that we need to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person?
If all uptight religious people would listen to Enya, would they come to the conclusion that we are all equally human?
Would the masses then agree on the universal moral that we need to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person?
We are all atheists. A very appropriate quote.
"I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." —Stephen F Roberts
Muslims Threaten To Kill South Park Creators
Anderson Cooper reported on April 20, 2010, on CNN, that Muslims in the United States are threatening to kill the South Park creators. See CNN report here.
Who insists that we respect anyone's religious belief, now?
Note: The last few minutes of this video have excellent words of wisdom from Ms. Aayan Hirsi Ali who has been in hiding in the United States due to Muslim threats on her life.
Who insists that we respect anyone's religious belief, now?
Note: The last few minutes of this video have excellent words of wisdom from Ms. Aayan Hirsi Ali who has been in hiding in the United States due to Muslim threats on her life.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sam Harris' quote on challenging a person's religious belief.
“…we are offending people [by challenging their religious beliefs], but we are [also] telling them that they are wrong to be offended.
Physicists aren’t offended when their view of physics is disproved or challenged. This is not the way rational minds operate when they’re really trying to get at what’s true in the world.
And religions purport to be representing reality and yet there's this peevish and tribal and ultimately dangerous reflexive response to having these ideas challenged.
We are pointing to the total liability of that.” - Sam Harris.
Physicists aren’t offended when their view of physics is disproved or challenged. This is not the way rational minds operate when they’re really trying to get at what’s true in the world.
And religions purport to be representing reality and yet there's this peevish and tribal and ultimately dangerous reflexive response to having these ideas challenged.
We are pointing to the total liability of that.” - Sam Harris.
We are calling the believers on carpet and they don't like it. Too bad, so sad.
We are calling the believers on carpet and they don't like it. Get used to it.
People are sick of the ridiculous claim that their faith (or belief) in religion demands an exaggerated measure of respect.
And people are sick of those who claim that you know, for sure, that people are damned to hell without religion.
"What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof." -Christopher Hitchens
People are sick of the ridiculous claim that their faith (or belief) in religion demands an exaggerated measure of respect.
And people are sick of those who claim that you know, for sure, that people are damned to hell without religion.
"What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof." -Christopher Hitchens
We don't respect your belief. Period.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
The claim to fame of the faithful is that the stakes are high. Believe or burn in hell. Obviously, a Christian knows that the Islam faith is not real, it's a false religion. The Koran did not get it right. Their belief is wrong. And Muslims feel the same thing about the Christian faith. Christianity is not real, it's false. Their Bible did not get it right. Their belief is wrong.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
Christians have told me time and time again, they respect the faith of others. What a lie. What liars they are. LIARS. They believe, due to their faith, that all other religions are false, fake, zero. Therefore, Christians, Muslims and Jews don't respect other people's faith. They simply don't.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
The only reason why the religious claim they respect other people's faith or belief, is if they did not say this, then it would leave the door of criticism open to their claim that everyone needs to respect their faith. If they say they don't respect another person's faith, then they have taken the first step in pointing out that no one has to respect another person's faith. They would not be able to make the claim that faith demands respect.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
You only respect the people in your own club. What are some other reasons Christians, Muslims and Jews don't want to admit they don't respect other people's faiths? Because this would prove that religion actually divides people, it does not unite the world's population.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
One of religion's major flaws is that no religion unites everyone. To gain members, a religion has to recruit. If the religion is so great, why does it have to recruit in the first place? And religion only unites it's own believers, maybe. In truth, religion does a bad job of uniting their own people. Look at all the different denominations in Christianity. The believers of the same faith aren't even on the same page. It's disgusting.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
Why don't we respect your belief? Because the only way the religious can get respect for their beliefs of insane ideas is to demand respect for it.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
The claim to know the impossible is insane.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
The fact is, no one knows the impossible.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
The claim to fame of the faithful is that the stakes are high. Believe or burn in hell. Obviously, a Christian knows that the Islam faith is not real, it's a false religion. The Koran did not get it right. Their belief is wrong. And Muslims feel the same thing about the Christian faith. Christianity is not real, it's false. Their Bible did not get it right. Their belief is wrong.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
Christians have told me time and time again, they respect the faith of others. What a lie. What liars they are. LIARS. They believe, due to their faith, that all other religions are false, fake, zero. Therefore, Christians, Muslims and Jews don't respect other people's faith. They simply don't.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
The only reason why the religious claim they respect other people's faith or belief, is if they did not say this, then it would leave the door of criticism open to their claim that everyone needs to respect their faith. If they say they don't respect another person's faith, then they have taken the first step in pointing out that no one has to respect another person's faith. They would not be able to make the claim that faith demands respect.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
You only respect the people in your own club. What are some other reasons Christians, Muslims and Jews don't want to admit they don't respect other people's faiths? Because this would prove that religion actually divides people, it does not unite the world's population.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
One of religion's major flaws is that no religion unites everyone. To gain members, a religion has to recruit. If the religion is so great, why does it have to recruit in the first place? And religion only unites it's own believers, maybe. In truth, religion does a bad job of uniting their own people. Look at all the different denominations in Christianity. The believers of the same faith aren't even on the same page. It's disgusting.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
Why don't we respect your belief? Because the only way the religious can get respect for their beliefs of insane ideas is to demand respect for it.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
The claim to know the impossible is insane.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
The fact is, no one knows the impossible.
We don't respect your belief. Period.
I should repect your religious belief? Never.
Why should I respect anyone's belief that claims to know the impossible?
To those Christians or other religious people who are shocked that someone dares to call the faithful on the carpet, here's a commandment you can't go wrong with: Look up the word "respect" in the dictionary, now.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Why do the religious hate gay guys?
Why to the religious hate gay guys? We've figured out how to have great sex without women. Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen.
A quote from the President of Iceland.
A reporter makes a comment to the President of Iceland, “This vast plume of ash has caused so much disruption throughout Europe.”
His response, “Absolutely, absolutely, and I think it is a very important lesson to all of us, that the forces of nature are still at work and they are so formidable, that they can bring to a stand still, the most advanced economies in the world.
And somehow we need to start planning our societies, not just here in Iceland, but all over Europe and other parts of the world, on the premise that things like this are going to happen.
So maybe it is useful to us, to get accustom to every now and then to go back to the days of boats and trains and easy travel and relax a little and take time to reflect on the relationship between man and nature.” –President Olaf Ragnar Grimmson, Iceland.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8629051.stm?lsm
His response, “Absolutely, absolutely, and I think it is a very important lesson to all of us, that the forces of nature are still at work and they are so formidable, that they can bring to a stand still, the most advanced economies in the world.
And somehow we need to start planning our societies, not just here in Iceland, but all over Europe and other parts of the world, on the premise that things like this are going to happen.
So maybe it is useful to us, to get accustom to every now and then to go back to the days of boats and trains and easy travel and relax a little and take time to reflect on the relationship between man and nature.” –President Olaf Ragnar Grimmson, Iceland.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8629051.stm?lsm
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Richard Dawkins reasons for not debating a creationist.
Richard Dawkins (A brilliant British scientist, ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science author) would never debate creationists for the same reason why a geographer would not debate flat earthers. And the same reason why a reproductive scientist would never debate someone who believes in the stork theory.
Need another huge immoral dogma found in the Bible? Easy.
Asking people to do good things for bad reasons. This is immoral. Do good things or you will (thunder and lighting), go to hell, forever! How revolting.
Obviously, knowing that the Bible asks people to do good things for bad reasons is the first step in understanding that society's morals did not come from Christianity.
Where do morals come from? From human beings.
Here again, Christians say that morals come from their Bible. Another way that Christians bash our own humanity. It's disgusting.
There are many good reasons to do good things. Ever since people have been living in communities, humans realize that it's better to be nice to each other and work together, than do the opposite. We get along better as a community when we are nice to each other. This is where morals come from, people.
Saying morals come from an old, fatherly invisible man is quite insane.
Obviously, knowing that the Bible asks people to do good things for bad reasons is the first step in understanding that society's morals did not come from Christianity.
Where do morals come from? From human beings.
Here again, Christians say that morals come from their Bible. Another way that Christians bash our own humanity. It's disgusting.
There are many good reasons to do good things. Ever since people have been living in communities, humans realize that it's better to be nice to each other and work together, than do the opposite. We get along better as a community when we are nice to each other. This is where morals come from, people.
Saying morals come from an old, fatherly invisible man is quite insane.
It is easy to point out the immorality of the Bible. Case in point, the Iceland volcano.
I wonder how many Christians are happy about the volcano erupting in Iceland? Hoping that it gets bigger? Which Christians are hoping for more major natural disasters or cities being completely blown to bits by nuclear warheads?
This secret death wish, by Christians, for major disasters to occur world-wide is one of the top immoral dogmas of the Bible, hands down, which they embrace without question. This type of thinking shows a complete lack of regard for human life.
Christians will scoff at being called immoral for their secret death wish type of thinking. They will quickly claim to be part of the surely you don't mean me club. Christians denying they have a secret death wish makes sense. How embarressing is it, to acknowledge the mythology you believe in, is false?
Why do Christians allow themselves to enjoy this secret death wish? Christians claim that life will be better after death. This is why this immoral dogma is easily and widely accepted among themselves. Christians claim they know what happens after someone dies.
Is there a problem with this line of thinking? Of course! To say you know for sure, that you know what will happen after you die, is something that is impossible to know, let alone prove. To say your god is real is another impossible claim, ta boot.
"What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof." -Christopher Hitchens
The truth? No one knows what happens after death. Most people are satisfied that we don't know what happens after we die. Sane human beings realize that all plant life, animal life, human beings and even stars will eventually die. This is the order of the cycle of life.
This is also why sane humans embrace our humanity and know that life is precious and dear to us. We are abhorrent and disgusted by anyone or any group of people who have a secret death wish for the masses based on the writings of ignorant primitive fearful men who lived thousands of years ago.
This secret death wish, by Christians, for major disasters to occur world-wide is one of the top immoral dogmas of the Bible, hands down, which they embrace without question. This type of thinking shows a complete lack of regard for human life.
Christians will scoff at being called immoral for their secret death wish type of thinking. They will quickly claim to be part of the surely you don't mean me club. Christians denying they have a secret death wish makes sense. How embarressing is it, to acknowledge the mythology you believe in, is false?
Why do Christians allow themselves to enjoy this secret death wish? Christians claim that life will be better after death. This is why this immoral dogma is easily and widely accepted among themselves. Christians claim they know what happens after someone dies.
Is there a problem with this line of thinking? Of course! To say you know for sure, that you know what will happen after you die, is something that is impossible to know, let alone prove. To say your god is real is another impossible claim, ta boot.
"What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof." -Christopher Hitchens
The truth? No one knows what happens after death. Most people are satisfied that we don't know what happens after we die. Sane human beings realize that all plant life, animal life, human beings and even stars will eventually die. This is the order of the cycle of life.
This is also why sane humans embrace our humanity and know that life is precious and dear to us. We are abhorrent and disgusted by anyone or any group of people who have a secret death wish for the masses based on the writings of ignorant primitive fearful men who lived thousands of years ago.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Not sure which god to believe in? There are 2,850 gods listed on this site.
Got faith? Got belief? Great! Not sure of which god to believe in? No worries! Here is a god database, just for you! They boast a list of 2,850 gods. Safety in numbers is so comforting, isn't it?
Anyone see the folly of believing in a god?
Who wants to replace reason by faith? Not good for you.
"The problem to begin with, the replacement of reason by faith. The discarding of the one thing that makes us important and useful and different from other primates, in favor of something that requires no evidence and just requires incantation. Not good for you." —Christopher Hitchens
Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are taking steps to arrest the Pope.
Christopher Hitchens talking to MSNBC's Tamron Hall about arresting The Pope during his Britain visit in September 2010.
"This isn't a test of church doctrine, it's a test of church conduct. The non-immunity of church from law." -Christopher Hitchens
See MSNBC interview with Hitchens here:
See Center For Inquiry (CFI) article here:
Victory for the Separation of Church and State.
A victory for the separation of church and state. Federal Court Rules (April 15, 2010), National Day of Prayer Unconstitutional. Thank goodness. See article here: See article here.
For those who need a reminder, do you want "In Allah, Buddah, Zeus and Apollo We Trust" on our currency? No, hell no.
What do we want on our currency?
What it used to say, "E Pluribus Unum," out of many, one.
Outrage. The movie.
Outrage is a movie which publicly outs in-the-closet gay politicians who consistently vote against gay rights issues.
Many of these politicians marry women who don’t realize (or they do realize) their partner is a gay man. Some of the in-the-closet politicians are not married. Many of these in-the-closet gay politicians are funded by right-wing Republicans who use their money to persuade these weak gay people to shred every ounce of integrity they have.
If must be a fun game for right-wing sickos who like use money as an incentive to make others lose their integrity, self-worth, self-respect and their own humanity. The funders of these politicians and the in-the-closet gay politicians voting against gay people are the scum of the earth.
The movie is called: Outrage
Official Movie site. http://www.outragethemovie.com/
IMDB site: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049400/
I might add, that every politician taking bribes from corporations are scum of the earth also. I guess that makes most politicians scum sucking scum suckers. The downfall of our Republic will be the politicians who make U.S. law based corporate wants and not based on its citizen's needs.
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Getty Center - Los Angeles
This is a long blog entry.
After traveling to many cities in Europe and Asia, I've seen many museums. I remember when The Getty Center (near the 405 Freeway) was being built in Los Angeles and when it was finished, most people's comments held The Getty Center in high praise.
After many years, for the first time, I visited The Getty in March (2010) of this year. Big disappointment for me. Here a list.
To get from the parking lot to the museum, you are forced to take a people mover from the parking lot to the museum area. It's a waste of time for the visitors and an obvious waste of money for the upkeep of this small mechanical system. Why not simply build the parking lot next to the museum?
When I first got off the people mover, I needed to find a restroom. There was a hard to locate sign for the bathrooms, which I finally located. I guess the architect never thought that a restroom area close to the dropping off/waiting area of a small mass transit system would be necessary for the convenience of large groups of tourists. What do I know? I’m not an architect, for god’s sake.
However, the bathrooms which I did find and use, have plenty of stalls and have tall ceilings. I do give the architect the credit for building pleasant bathrooms to use.
When I first arrived at this facility, the first thing I wanted to know was the layout of the facility and to find out where the restaurants/cafes were. Of course, there are no guide/maps at the entrance of the people mover or at its exit. You have to somehow, in the middle of many stand alone museum buildings, by osmosis, find the one building with the only information booth which has guide maps of the facility.
When looking at the guide map, the first thing I noticed was the main restaurant’s name which is called, “Restaurant.” As a person who has been in sales, marketing and advertising, for years, I was deeply disappointed in the lack of creativity in the naming their restaurant.
The main restaurant is in a building next to the museum arriving area of the people mover. Of course, there was no signage on the building of the “Restaurant” facing the people mover’s arriving/debarkation area, it is a solid wall with no signage. Without a guide map, the “Restaurant” building looks like another museum building and does not resemble in anyway, shape or form, a restaurant.
In fact, why was the restaurant's building architecture the same as the rest of the museum buildings? Why not make the "Resaurtant" building a unique building? Hasn't the architect ever seen the former Chart House restuartant in Palm Springs? A fantastically gorgeous building for the "Restaurant" and "Cafe" could have been built as a contrast to the museum buildings.
It turns out that the “Restaurant” is on the top floor of the building and a café, called, "Cafe" is in the basement of it’s building. The food in the café, or as they call it, "Cafe" is actually better than average but the tables and chairs in the café leave much to be desired. So it turns out the only sit-down restaurant called, the “Restaurant,” is located in the back (northwest area) of the museum facility.
If one walks past the “Restaurant” and then walks into the entrance of the museum with the information booth, continue walking south and at the end of the facility is an incredible, fantastic view of Los Angeles. From the lookout area, one can see Hollywood, Westwood, downtown Los Angeles, and all the way west, to the coast.
Now while standing on the lookout patio, if one glances back at the museum building, you see a building with almost no windows. What’s the point? Did the architect actually visit the property before designing this facility? The restaurant is in the wrong place. The restaurant was built where there is no view.
Imagine a restaurant (and café) that was built on the southeast end of the property which took advantage of the spectacular view of Los Angeles? It would be an architect's dream to build a fantastic multistoried restaurant with lots of windows for the customers. How about a restaurant where all the walls are glass?
It’s almost as if the architect or the funders deliberately wanted to keep visitors from enjoying this view. They will never tell or admit to their mistake. This, I am sure. But no! There is no restaurant or cafe on the southeast corner of this property.
In fact, the lookout area provided for tourists is a very small patio. How disappointing! However, on the top floor of the most southeast museum building is an almost hidden but beautiful patio with tables and chairs, with a view. This incredible view, at least, allows those in the know, a place where someone or some people can have a nice place for a picnic.
There is at least one place on this museum facility that allows a visitor to relax, enjoy a snack or meal (which they bring on their own) and take advantage of a picnic area with a view of Los Angeles. I'm not sure how this happened. Luck of the draw?
The graphic design of the museum brochure is at best, better than average; however, with that amount of money, the brochure could be much better. Their brochure/map makes it difficult to figure out the names of each museum building, for starters. The brochure does not have the sophisticated look that one would expect with a museum touted as a highly funded “must see” attraction in Los Angeles.
The facility is built on a hillside. So, naturally, the Central Garden is built on a slope. To enter the garden, you begin on a downward sloping sidewalk which zigzags several times over a small stream. At the end of the sidewalk is a large sculpted flowering hedge in the middle of a pond, the dead-end of the garden. Then to get back to the starting point of the garden, a long trek up a steep grade is required. A disappointing garden, at best.
If you are looking for one continuous majestically designed museum building, you won’t find it here. The museum is not one continuous building. There are many smaller separate buildings that make up the museum all connected by outdoor walkways.
The museum buildings are connected with outdoor wide walkways which are very inviting, when walking. These walkways give visitors a refreshing space while walking and tables and chairs have been strategically placed for visitor's use.
I also like the interior of each museum building and the contents of the museum are fun to see and are presented in a proper fashion. A lower café has been designed well for the visitor, with a view to the southwest. At least there is some view from this café.
By the way, did you see their web site? The logo in the upper left hand corner has the words, "The Getty." Okay. Click on the museum tab and it boasts, "J. Paul Getty Museum" and glance over to the right column and see the words, "The Getty Center." It turns out, if I got it right, that the website is for both the "The Getty Center" (just off the 405) and the "The Getty Villa" (in Malibu). Confusing at best.
Now click on the "Contact Us" link at the very bottom of the web site. They list a street address without the name of the facility. Simply go to the United States Post Office website, and they recommend listing the recipient, or company or organizations name first, then the street address and so on and so forth. However, The Getty, is apparently, too lofty to follow United States Post Office's recommendation listing a mailing address.
Actually, since the "The Getty" website is for two of their facilities, why not list both facilities contact information on the Contact Us page? Too difficult or too easy?
The correct way to list a mailing address, per "The Getty" or is it "The Getty Center" or is it the "J. Paul Getty Museum" is to simply list the ADDRESS without the name of the organization or a contact person. Why does any company or organization insist on confusing it's customers and potential customers?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Height bigotry in the straight world.
A straight male friend of mine pointed out to me that with most straight couples, the male is taller than the female, with the exception of short wealthy guys. I thought I'd do a simple experiment. I was shopping at Costco this week and out of all the straight couples I saw, 99% of the time, the guy was taller than the female.
I talked to two Costco female employees at check-out, explaining my new understanding of height bigotry in the straight world. They both said they hated to admit it but said it was true, that women typically only want to be with a guy who is taller than her.
The one Costco female said she is 1/2 inch taller than her husband and she feels very self conscious about this. She said, even though they are happily married, she still worries about it.
The question is, what's the big deal about this? The big deal is that millions of women have probably passed by a better man simply based on his height.
I have one thing to say about height bigotry in the straight world: It's disgusting.
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