Freethinker's corner

The Embrace of the Beast …November 12, 2012

2012/11/11

(The following are simply lines of thought on my part. I make no claims of accuracy or claims that they are indeed true, even though to me they seem logical.)

Humans, obviously the most successful creature on this planet. Dominating every other species, even driving a great number of them to extinction, humans think themselves above and separate from animals.

Well, thinking something, doesn’t make it so. Pick up any newspaper, look or listen to any news report; it most surely is not evident from what we do that we are totally severed from our primitive past.

Humans still display many of the primitive behaviors that animals possess. Flight or flight, the drive to procreate, even the caring of young are shared behaviors of humans and many other animal species. Other? Yes, other. Humans, whether they like to admit it, and despite denials to the contrary, are simply animals.

The fact that we are animals does not lessen humankind’s position, pecking order, status, or whatever. Human’s have climbed to their present position through great trial. Human beings are indeed a wonder to behold. We do not see that fact as we have always been ourselves. An impartial observer, had there been one, looking upon and measuring human progress would have been deeply impressed. After all, despite a bottleneck caused by who knows what calamity, we, humankind, bounced back from near extinction, a near extinction that occurred between 70,000 to 100,000 years ago. In spite of being reduced to nearly 2000 , we arose once again to dominate all other species. This is much more grand a concept than the assertion that some deity snapped humanity into existence in an instant. This grander concept has facts to back it. The deity, name any, never had anything to substantiate its existence, ever.

The religious deny their animal origins and as a result fall prey to animal predilections in great numbers. If you are not aware of the beast within you then it can catch you unguarded. Working behind conscious thought there is a primitive mind with primitive drives. When it surfaces it causes problems in the world of civilized humans. Evolution built our advanced brains, but it didn’t start from scratch. It built it in addition to, adjacent, under, or over the primitive brain. If a perfect God had built it there would be no primitive drives, no primitive structures, as it would be perfect also.

Even so, it is our primitive beginnings we have to thank for our present humanity. Perhaps it is to blame for our present humanity as well.

Many animals share food. It is a behavior sometimes called reciprocity. When animals scavenge for food, some find it, others do not. Those that share it are more likely to have the same favor deeded them, by those they share with, when fortunes are reversed. I believe this type of event precipitated caring, at least as soon as the mind of the human animal grew capable of such concepts.

Shame also grew from primitive beginnings. Primitive ape-like creatures that lived in social groups often ran afoul of one another and many a bully needed to be properly punished for disrupting the harmony of the group. Such punishment sometimes led to banishment from the group and then certain death. Those that stayed and endured the punishment survived. Displaying a timid, possibly, shamed appearance, might diminish the level of punishment.

This shame, I postulate, might be the foundation of the concept of sin. The feeling of shame and guilt, became sin.

As the human animal became more sophisticated the concept of sin, as a result of shame and guilt at having broken some rule or etiquette of behavior, needed atonement. Admitting sin became fashionable. Being unworthy became a trend. Admitting sin became a way of alleviating guilt and receiving quicker forgiveness from the community at large.

No doubt having already invented Gods for the purpose of explaining the unexplainable, these Gods were a handy agency by which to gain quick reacceptance by the community by having their transgressions forgiven. If your sins have been forgiven by Gods then who are humans to deny it?

Awareness, both that we are products of a development process that spanned millions of years and that we are still relative newcomers with much further to go, should caution humankind. We have to realize that we must think before we act. The primitive mind is still within us and can respond quicker than the more developed mind we now also possess. It takes longer to think out a weighed response than it does to respond with a knee-jerk. I hope we have matured enough to realize this, though, from the evidence, it doesn’t seem that we have.

I recommend these books:

“Why Evolution Is True”, by Jerry Coyne

“Your Inner Fish”, by Neil Shubin

“The Greatest Show On Earth”, by Richard Dawkins
Armageddon—Not Exactly What You Might Expect ….. November 5, 2012

2012/11/04

An adaptation of that Christian thriller …ARMAGEDDON.

For decades the Uncovery Institute and Responses In Genesis have been working to get Intelligent Design into the mainstream of science and into a myriad of other disciplines. Their efforts to force it, ID, into schools, is well known. Responses In Genesis, more bent on Creationism than Intelligent Design, still supports the efforts of the notorious Axe project, bank rolled by the Uncovery Institute.

What the public didn’t know was, this entire show was a camouflage for a much more sinister endeavor. Behind the scenes, using lies, subterfuge, and lots of money, fundamentalist cohorts were working tirelessly pursuing public offices and school board positions. While some fell by the wayside, being incompetent, or having been discovered for what they were, many kept their private beliefs to themselves and achieved their goals.

Finally, spending millions of dollars of parishioners’ money, funneled through fronts far and wide, one of their own, fundamentalist through and through, is on the brink of becoming the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. All they have to do is count a few more ballots which, mysteriously, appeared at one precinct in several large bags. Many of these absentee ballots were found which gave ‘absentee’ a whole new meaning as the casting members had been absent from this planet for quite some time. Others, though, could not be dismissed despite the fact they displayed many discrepancies. People wanted to know who was president, not weeks from now, but more immediately. Debate about this or that ballot would have to be brief. The Republican Party, now property of the far right, demanded that the process be accelerated. As fishy as all this turmoil was, the process was concluded and the new president, no surprise to anyone, was Albert Dumbski.

The nation, biding its time until the new leader took office, immediately went down the road to a full scale economic depression.

January finally arrived. President Dumbski went right to work after the Inauguration. Calling in the Vice President, one Michelle Bahee, the President laid out the plan.

“This is an historic occasion Michelle.” the President speaks, flashing pearly white teeth

“I prefer Miss Bahee, Mr. President.” she asserts.

Assuming a less jovial expression, he continues, “As I was saying, this is indeed a historic occasion. We have both the House and Senate, as well as the Oval Office in our pockets.”

They sit silently dwelling on this a few moments. Then Dumbski resumes, “There’s no limit to what we can do.”

By the end of March the nation undergoes radical changes. Legislation comes swiftly on matters great and small. It is as if the House and Senate exist solely as a rubber stamp for every piece of legislation emitted from the White House. The nation reels at the sheer volume of new laws and at the sheer volume of laws being overturned.

One-tenth of all tax dollars are designated as support for religious institutions. These institutions must meet detailed requirements before designated as recipients. Noticeably, only a few, having been made aware of the requirements in advance, meet them. Then the application deadline expires. Eerily, only certain churches, all toeing the ID line, make the cut.

In July, school being out for the summer, the nation receives a shock as all funds for public schools are eliminated. A new fund is developed for the purpose of providing vouchers to allow private schooling for all students. Only certain private schools, of course, will meet the stringent measures and qualify as voucher schools. School buildings are sold at cut rate prices to many churches, clubs, and even one to a well-to-do man of the cloth. Universities, unless they follow the mandates to teach only Christian values, are given notice to close their doors.

July also marks the beginning of a new government endeavor to develop the nation’s youth. At a special ceremony on the White House lawn, under the watchful eye of security, the Christian Soldier’s Youth League is announced. Young boys and girls age twelve to eighteen are invited to become members of an elite group for the purposes of preparing them for a life in service to the Lord. Comparisons to the Hitler Youth are ignored.

Just as in late March, the outcry of Church and State violation is raised. Many of various faiths and no faith rise up in protest. Then, the hammer comes down.

With full support of everyone down the line, the Constitution is signed out of existence by President Dumbski.

People begin rioting in the streets. Dumbski orders Marshall Law into effect. The streets turn red.

In October, with the public subdued, Dumbski goes about instilling the remainder of his agenda. He orders all non-believers’ children to be registered at local Christian schools for mandatory indoctrination. If the parents resist they are ordered to be shot and their children become wards of the state.

Publishers of books, magazine and other media are ordered to offer only Christian viewpoints on all topics. Freedom of the Press was rescinded when the Constitution went out. The word evolution and anything that might hint at it is made taboo.

Legislation continues as orders for non-believing adults to have chips implanted to identify them, are put in place. They will not be permitted near any children unless they are their own and have given their permission for them to be indoctrinated. Certain jobs are classified as impermissible for non-believers. Whereas the minimum wage went out with the Constitution, a maximum wage, at subsistence level, is put in place for those who do not accept the prevailing views of the government.

The United States becomes known world-wide as a Theocracy. Science is abandoned. The technological giant becomes an intellectual vacuum.

In December, a Christmas party is held for the President at the White House. Arriving back from a trip to the Middle East to assure Israel of the financial and military backing of America, the president exits his limousine. Then it happens: A gunshot, from the roof, some later assert, strikes the President in the temple. Everyone assumes the worse as the limp body is taken at high speed to Walter Reed Hospital.

Miss Bahee assumes control of the White House in the President’s absence. The public and the White House assume that Dumbski is dead, having been struck in the temple. While the public celebrates having been freed from a horrible tyrant, the White House re-enforces the President’s order of Marshal Law, which has been in place since late March.

At Walter Reed the doctors find the bullet lodged at the base of Dumbski’s brain. Afraid to do more damage, and convinced any effort would be to no avail, they leave the bullet intact. The President lapses in and out of consciousness, then fades into a coma.

With Miss Bahee still at the helm, the country enters the New Year. The President has regained consciousness and awaits release from the hospital. The doctor recommends light duty for at least the first three weeks. Dumbski whispers to his security aide an order. The doctor is taken out to be shot. No one tells President Dumbski what he can and cannot do.

Mid-January, Dumbski returns to the White House. It is apparent from his demeanor that he is an angry man with an agenda. Orders go out dissolving the House and Senate as they are useless anyway. Members of the military not pledging adherence to the beliefs held by the State, in reality Dumbski’s beliefs, are released from duty and ordered confined to a holding yard. There, the next morning, their bodies are found, scattered about the holding area.

The remaining military is ordered to round up all non-believers. Using the build-in locators of the implanted chips, the job is an efficient one. Land fills are created at various points around the country to hold the resultant bodies. At this point, the population of the country, now known as Dumskibahee, has declined by 40 percent that of the former United States. Over 160 million lie dead.

February finds foreign governments aligning themselves against the theocracy known as Dumskibahee. The horrors of Demski’s actions have found their way to the foreign press despite attempts to quash it. Dumbski converses with Miss Bahee relaying his suspicions that opposition must still exist within the military population for leaks of this type to have occurred.

“What do you suggest we do about that, Mr. President?” the VP asks.

“Have someone spread rumors of sedition within the ranks. Ask for reports of anti-government activity having been overheard. Offer a substantial reward.” he snarls, “We must crush all opposition to my, I mean, God’s will.”

Miss Bahee hurries to the task. Infighting soon begins within the ranks with many exclaiming their loyalty and reporting those who seem slow to join in.

In the first week of March, as Dumbski sits at the desk within the Oval office. The intercom on his desk comes to life and the voice of his secretary reports that a general of the Army has come to him with an urgent message. Upon receiving permission for admission the officer enters the Oval office.

“Yes General, what do you have for me?” Dumbski inquires.

“Mr. President, every foreign country on every continent with the exception of Iran and Israel has aligned itself against us. They have collectively issued an order for us to desist in killing people and have threatened overwhelming force if we do not comply. Only France has not joined the threat of force ruling.”

“Well, we did expect opposition to our establishment of a nation ruled by God’s Law, did we not?”

“Yes sir, however, presently our military is diminished by 60 percent due to the ousting of non-loyalists within the ranks. We do not have sufficient troops or people to operate the weapons of war to wage a major conflict.”

The General soon finds himself in front of a firing squad, both for his negative attitude and his non-acknowledgement of God’s backing for the Dumbskibahee government.

Dumbski refuses to acknowledge the authority of these allied foreign governments, in fact, he does not even respond to their ultimatums. Dumbski orders that reinforcements be sent to the borders. The Christian Soldier’s Youth League is ordered into service. Children, male and female as young as 12, are hurried into training for the use of military weaponry and strategy. The deadline for compliance with the ordered ultimatums expires.

The next morning Dumbski sits talking with Miss Bahee, “You see, Michelle, these foreign devils are full of talk, but when it comes to action, they’ve got nothing.” the President begins.

“Miss Bahee, please, I believe I have earned that little bit of respect, Mr. President.” she responds.

“Indeed you have Miss Bahee, I apologize. Together we have developed the strongest voice for Christianity ever conceived. Together we have moved this nation back to God, thereby saving it from destruction.”

A bright flash occurs, the power goes out, the walls of the White house crumble as one of the largest nuclear devices ever devised levels everything within several miles of the vicinity. Armageddon has arrived, but just not in the way expected.
Why Did Hurricane Sandy Hit New York? ….. November 3, 2012

2012/11/03

This excerpt from Alternet: A Christian religious leader has already claimed that Hurricane Sandy is further proof that “God is systematically destroying America” as political judgment for the “homosexual agenda.” John McTernan previously made similar allusions about Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Isaac (2012), which he reiterated in his urgent call to prayer posted Sunday evening.

Despite what anyone believes, of course, this is definitely not why Hurricane Sandy came up the coast and slammed into New York. It was a weather event.

John McTernan claims God is destroying America piecemeal as a result of homosexual agendas in the United States. Expect more of the same from carbon – copy evangelists throughout the country. Attribution of effects due to agency causes has always been customary of these fundamentalists after every major disaster. From Katrina, to Haiti, and even Japan, the enduring public has grown to expect them.

Many scientists attribute this freak event to the loss of sea ice from the arctic circle, in other words, global warming. Fundamentalists reject global warming statistics claiming that humankind’s feeble machinations are incapable of interfering with God’s plan, or God’s earth. If anything, since fundamentalists reject and resist efforts to reverse global warming, therefore lending to the causes of human-made weather changing green house gases, it can be said that Christianity is culpable for global warming and therefore Hurricane Sandy. This is not the first time that Christianity was the cause of the very scourge that they claim to be the cure for. After all, sin is the disease which Christianity claims is the bane of all humanity, a disease they invented, for which they offer the cure, salvation. The real cure would have been the early diminishment of greenhouse gases through scientific study and analysis and generation of better techniques. Christianity, especially bull-headed, conservative – right Christianity, has always stood in the way of any steps that might effect business, environment be damned. After all, who needs clean water, clean air, and a good living environment if Jesus is coming any day now.
What Harm Can It Be? October 29, 2012

2012/10/28
Getting atheists to agree on anything has been compared to trying to herd cats. This cat wants to go this way, that one that way, until forward motion is nearly nil. Even getting an atheist to come to the table to debate a direction, or even consider that a direction is needed, is a difficult chore.

What is the harm in believing? This question is usually the one that makes the difference between a quiescent and an active non-believer (I am torn about the use of the term non-believer, as it seems a term the believer would bestow upon those who do not accept the truth, and this concedes the believer has the truth). History is full of examples of the deleterious effects of belief. Examples of the negative effects are present in everyday life. Religion divides people. Religion enables inappropriate behavior by cloaking it in a righteous veneer. Discrimination, hatred, and bigotry is made to look acceptable by citing Biblical passages which support them. Isn’t that proof enough that the Bible is no longer a credible source of values?

Religion, despite its multiple divisions of cults and sects possesses an immense machinery supported by a generous supply of funds. Religions collectively are like an immense and arrogant entity elbowing its way into the lives of everyone and presuming to tell all how they must live. Those who dare oppose the lines drawn by belief end up receiving severe admonishment and sometimes are expunged. In the Islamic world, at this point in time, to be expunged frequently means an untimely end.

Belief in an all-powerful agency may make the follower dependent upon that agency:
- Why should the environment be taken care of if that agency will soon return and obliterate the earth?
- Why should this life be valued if the doctrine of faith requires this life be despised?
- If I die in service to God’s will I will quickly attain paradise.
- How can I know what God wants unless I accept that He has agents of his will living among us (pastors, reverends, preachers, priests)?
- To resist the will of God as interpreted by his earthly agents is to risk eternal death.
- If God says that people, all people, should live by certain rules and laws then we as believers must enforce that edict upon all the masses so as to avoid the wrath of God.
Those who do not accept the existence of such supernatural forces need to speak against them. A unified voice is better than the disorganized cries of individual dissenters. Any effective campaign must involve communications on many levels with a public that has been preached to for the entirety of their lives by religion. Such a campaign, a campaign that necessarily must be of goodwill in nature, requires time and, of course, financial backing.

What about separation of church and state and the guarantee of religious freedom? Well, separation of church and state is definitely important, and freedom to believe as you wish is important too. However, I will tolerate only those who will tolerate. Fundamentalists of Christianity and Islam to not believe in freedom of religion. They do not believe in freedom to believe what you want to believe. Fundamentalist Islam is forcing their beliefs upon all through violence and the point of a gun. From everything I have read of Christian fundamentalists, if they had half a chance, they would do the same.

There will be differences among every group of atheists. Even among groups there are differences within the ranks of each group. What must be identified among the groups are the goals which all have in common. These are the goals which must be supported with time and financial backing. One goal all should support is the the continuance of the separation between church and state. Without that separation all is lost.
Y U NO….

2012/10/26

Everyone has seen the Y U NO Guy, now called simply the y u no meme. Perhaps not everyone knows it originated in a Japanese comic.
Does Not Apply.(note, period) October 22, 2012

2012/10/21

Ever read at letter to the editor or seen a sign carried by a Christian exclaiming this or that piece of scripture? Ever hear them assert that the nation had better return to God or face the consequences?

Discounting the fact that every Christian interprets the Bible differently, has a different vision of what God is or isn’t, and cherry picks what they want to obey and what they want to ignore, why do these poor excuses for human beings insist that everyone is subject to these antiquated rules and laws or is even impressed by them?

If you have ever engaged one of these robots for God, or as some people call them, sheeple, then you know that sooner or later in a conversation there will be hell-fire and brimstone pouring from their mouths in the form of selected Bible scriptures. By golly, and you know what, they actually seem to expect you to be impressed by the passages, and assume a state of humble humility. It seems to be beyond their capacity to understand or accept that you might not have any respect whatsoever when Biblical babble begins to flow from their mouths like sewer water after a heavy rain. If these people weren’t so potentially dangerous one might just ignore them.

The bible was written by the ignorant for the ignorant. It’s time to put the Bible beside the stories of the Brothers Grimm on the library shelves, and put a sticker on its binding designating it a book of ‘Grimmer Fairy Tales’.

I do not accept that the Bible is the word of God. I do not even allow that it might be the inspired word of God. In fact it has nothing whatsoever to do with a god of any kind. It is a badly written collection of contradictory stories arranged in such a fashion that it can be weaved together loosely. It is purposefully vague in many areas so it can be interpreted in whatever way required to fit, poorly I might add, the moment.

And Jesus? What about Jesus? Jesus is no more real than Peter Cottontail.
You Poor Man, I Hope You Get Well. October 15, 2012

2012/10/14

A simple cold lingers on for several days. Usually mild, the person afflicted can carry on, perhaps even go to work or to school. The virus involved has filled a niche and is what it is by way of natural selection. By remaining a mild plight the virus does not kill its host, permitting the carrier to still function and move among others. The sickness thereby passes by casual contact or errant sneeze. The malady soon vanishes from the original host, but the virus has passed, moved elsewhere within the population. A common cold virus survives, not by killing its host, but multiplying within the host, and thereby being passed from host to host within fluids emitted by the host.

A virus or bacterium can infect the body. A parasite can live within the body as well. But, what about the mind? The mind is a phenomenon created by the brain which is composed of a mass of neurons. So though a disease might affect the level of consciousness through the symptoms it produces, even create a delirium, it is an expected side-effect.

A computer, by the efforts of a person savvy in programming, can be infected with a computer virus. A computer virus is a program that can replicate itself and spread from computer to computer. Its effects can range from totally shutting down your computer to doing nothing at all but reside therein. Is there a virus of the mind?

An ant parasite, which causes its host’s abdomen to turn a cherry red and then impels the host to climb up upon a leaf or a blade of grass and present that cherry to a passing bird, spreads itself by affecting the ant’s behavior. The bird becomes infected and spreads the parasite via its droppings, which other ants collect and feed to their young.

The mind is not a physical thing and cannot be infected by an organic disease or parasite(The brain can be affected by disease, and can be inhabited by parasites. The presence of either can affect the behavior and thinking as a side effect) The effects of brain maladies on thought is a separate issue. Consider the brain, the organic brain, without disease or parasite, and the individual not influenced by any other physical affliction; is the mind still vulnerable to a virus not of organic construct, but constructed instead of thought?

Humans communicate through a language composed of words. A small child learning language for the first time needs repetition. Over time, the presentation of words in repetition and in relation to the objects or instances they represent, become instilled within the mind. This is programming only and is far away from being critical thought. At an early age a child can survive by learning the program. Trusting, not possessing the faculties to analyze the authenticity, the truthfulness, of the inputted information, the child is protected from harm, and unfortunately, also vulnerable to being given false information.

Childhood programming is the basis upon which the adult understanding is built. Those who would teach a doctrine would do well to start when the student is very young. Both lies and truth can be taught the child. When the child becomes adult the lies can be maintained through reinforcement.

This programming, this doctrine, remains in the mind. Even if the individual leaves the realms of the doctrine, it lies dormant within the mind, ready to resurface at some future time when a thought or word is spoken which contradicts it. Then the person, even if outwardly appearing as objecting civilly, becomes agitated and angry; the heart beat increases. This behavior is very much like a primal fight or flee, self-preservation, reaction to a threat. It is very much a reflex reaction.

Evolution is a proven fact as far as the layman is concerned. Evolution is every bit as valid as the Theory of Gravity and backed by a great deal more evidence. Yet, due to ignorance, whether willful or simple, there are those who deny the facts. The Theory of Evolution contradicts the doctrine. If one mentions the word evolution in mixed company the hibernating mental virus, instilled in youth, or reinforced in adulthood, leaps to life to defend the faith.

Ignorance is a quality treasured by those who wish to manipulate the population. If you wish to alter a country, make its inhabitants willing servants, keep them in the dark, keep them in ignorance. Doctrine that contradicts the truth, contradicts science, is a useful program. Doctrine that has no foundation, no evidence to back it up, once successfully instilled in the psyche, renders the host vulnerable, and gullible, in the face of further unfounded propaganda (psychics, ghosts, hauntings, and homeopathy).
Proof is Relative …………………….October 8, 2012

2012/10/07
Why belief? It seems that humans have a predilection towards belief. The earliest humans, observing powerful natural forces at work in their world, felt helpless. Without the understanding of such forces as lightning, earthquakes, or tsunami the primitive human could only imagine the causes behind them. Imagine they did. They didn’t have the facts, so by golly they decided to make some up. Gods have been invented by the gross to explain things like thunderstorms, volcanoes, and comets. God’s even made up the heavens, outlined in the twinkling lights seen in the night skies. Well, that was then, we have the answers to these simple questions now. Have the Gods vanished from the scene?

For the most part, they have become only stories. Some, however, yet linger. If their stories are examined critically it is clear they are of no more substance than any that have ever existed, yet these hold-overs from the bronze-age continue, passed from generation to generation like some hideous genetic disease. Their usefulness in explaining the mysteries of nature long past, they are molded, fashioned, to encompass the little that remains to be explained. No doubt if even the few mysteries that remain are answered (how life began, how the universe began) some way will be found to preserve foundationless belief. Perhaps God exists in some other plane, perhaps one of those parallel universes, they will say. Perhaps, they might conjecture, he is at the boundaries of our universe, aware of all, knowing all, and caring for those pitiful humans- on a small rock in an arm of an average Galaxy, a Galaxy among billions.

Despite these acrobatics, despite the glaringly evident silliness of this badly spun tale, they insist in its truthfulness, its plausibility. Here are some reasons that none of it is likely to be true.
- Jesus did not write anything whatsoever about his exploits. He was a carpenter, usually well off and educated in those days.
- There is no mention of Jesus outside of the Bible. There were some attempts to forge some which were soon found out and discredited.
- All of the four most beloved books were not even written by their purported authors.
- Even the earliest of these four books was written over a generation, perhaps two, after the event.
- Paul didn’t even know of Jesus’ exploits (possibly because they hadn’t been invented yet), never met him (except in a hallucinogenic vision), knew only of his death, and resurrection.
- Myths before and after the time in question depict numerous similar beings as Jesus.
- The New Testament was obviously written using the Old Testament as a template.
Of course there is much more, enough to fill a dozen large tomes, I might guess.

Over the centuries Christians have tried in vain to extinguish any evidence of the lies upon which it is based. The truth exists but is ignored by the faithful. Many have had the story pumped into their minds from hapless youth. Such indoctrination is not easily expunged. Even if a small portion of reason is ignited within their minds it may do no good if they have lived a life entrenched in the myth, making it all the more difficult now to admit they have been duped. Should they be convinced entirely that the whole of it is a fabrication, for sake of family, friends, they may well continue, at least, going through the motions.

In this time our science has advanced well beyond anything the ancients could fathom. We can see a Universe with countless stars in countless Galaxies thanks to Hubble, the space telescope. Such immensity cannot be a mirage, it certainly seems real. Yet despite this immensity there are those who would think that a God that created it all would devote its energies solely to create a human being on a tiny orb around an average star in an uninteresting arm of an average Galaxy-one among billions!

Read the Bible, from it you will find that this God is every bit the same as man. Jealous, vengeful, over-bearing, and at times full of rage, it is clear that God did not create man, man created God. Everybody should have known that as the job was shoddy from the start.
Washing That Reason Right Out of Your Head (Brain)

2012/09/30

That queasy feeling in your stomach might not be that eggroll you just ate, it could be the contamination in your eyes, or an inflammation of your brain after being exposed to an extreme level of ignorance.

Our group arrived at the Creation Museum around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 29, 2012. The “fun” started before we even entered the Museum. A young lady assisted us by taking the above picture using my Kodak Z712.

The first thing you see upon approaching the door of the Museum is the following sign…

Plainly, this sign did not welcome everyone.

Despite the lack of a clear invitation, we entered and embarked upon our tour of the facilities.

One thing that was apparent immediately is that the museum was oriented towards appealing to children. Children like animals. There were many displays featuring animals throughout the museum. From Dinosaurs to Wooly Mammoths and on to many contemporary creatures, animals were a major part of a number of exhibits.

At first I was surprised by the presentation of scientific data along with the Creationist dogma.

If you were trying to get a different viewpoint into the schools, one which is resisted by scientists, what better way than present it as simply another way to look at things.

Upon examination it was clear that actual scientific material was being presented as being only of human origin, which could not compare with the Creationist viewpoint, that of the Bible.

Many exhibits were of similar fabrication. It was an obvious attempt to legitimize creationist dogma by presenting the scientific data alongside, yet at the same time indicating, very clearly, that the creationist material was superior (Being of God, rather than lowly sinful man). The exhibits later in the tour of the museum presented the Creationist Dogma while at the same time presenting feeble reasoning as to why the scientific explanations were wrong.

There is not enough time? Obviously the writer of this narration suffers, as all humans do, from the inability to grasp the nature of large numbers. A billion is a thousand million, a million is a thousand thousand, and a lot can happen in just a thousand years.

The flavor of a number of exhibits were very much similar to the sign above, attempting to assert that science simply is wrong, and that an ancient book written by bronze age authors is correct. Many exhibits caused great discomfort for me, as my stomach turned several times.

There were some displays adorned with signs like the this:

Note how it raises doubt about legitimate scientific research and elevates, clandestinely, the level of alternative (although be it pseudo-)scientific research. This is one of the main objectives of Intelligent Design proponents, that is, to present the intelligent design concepts as alternatives, and to pressure school boards to insert it into the school curriculum. It is an attempt to present Intelligent Design as science equal to that presented in the public schools.

The lies were very prominently featured as truths, and the truths prominently featured as lies.

No Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, archeology has repeatedly refuted and debunked Bible assertions, the Dead Sea Scrolls only contain Old Testament some of which is not in the Hebrew Old Testament and only in Christian Old Testament (The scrolls are in fragments, in several languages, and on Papyrus, parchment, and other), and the authors of the Bible contradict each other in many of their scriptures.

Before we leave…

We mustn’t forget Noah, and how he saved all the creatures in that small but mighty Ark.

Look closely on the ramp, what do you see?

Wow! Dinosaurs, on the ramp, entering the Ark. They survived! Where are they today? Of course, they perished later on, leaving the many fossils we see today.

<Triceratops on its way to be saved.

People and animals being abandoned by the pure and noble Noah. What a lovely bedtime story for the kiddies!

Dinosaurs and animals depicted within the Ark.^

Towards the end the appeals to emotion continued. If God is dead…

…depravity follows…

Murder, destruction, immoral behavior, everything that a Christian might find offensive, is the result of abandoning the Bible, of course.

As our tour drew to a close, resisting a hostesses’ call to watch some sort of presentation, which we “just must see”, we proceeded to the main gift store on the floor above. There we found numerous Creationist authors’ work on display for purchase. Ken Ham’s books were prominently featured along with anyone else’s you can think of, where Creationism or Intelligent Design is concerned.

Funding for the Museum came from Answers in Genesis. The Museum opened in May 28, 2007. Its cost is said to have been $27 million. Presently another park, tentatively called Ark Encounter, is in the works.

Personal Impressions:

I sincerely hope that this museum does not win the battle for children’s minds. It is obviously geared toward children and has every bit a Sunday school atmosphere. Whereas actual truth is presented alongside the myth, it is also denigrated as being of only human origin. I am fearful about the fate of America’s future in that this type of ignorance can be presented with such an air of seriousness. That a governor of a state, even in desperation to manufacture jobs, would offer tax incentives to such an endeavor, makes me feel ashamed.
That Atheist Thumb….. October 1, 2012

2012/09/30
Atheists have been given a bad rap ever since humans’ invented Gods. There is little that the non-believer can say or do which will stop this sort of defamation.

How can atheists improve their image? Well, one thing is for sure. Atheists will not solicit approving nods by sticking their thumbs in a Christian’s eye.

Many new atheists, eager to demonstrate their viewpoints, are sometimes wont to become too aggressive. As a result, the image which many atheists are trying to improve, takes another hit. Reflexive, un-reasoned behavior is frowned upon in almost every society. Human beings in a social setting do not gain favor by honking off their neighbors.

In a public setting only the best behavior will elicit the desired results. If the atheist demonstrates that he/she is simply a human being like everyone else and behaves accordingly, then perhaps the desired result of improving one’s image will be achieved.

Atheists who form groups, incorporate, and have a mission statement, should abide by that mission statement. As a group they need to showcase what the group is all about. No group which wishes to improve the lot of its members can afford to have any of its members act in the name of the group in an inappropriate way.

As an individual acting on his/her own they are of course free to besmirch their own character to their heart’s desire. Why they would want to do that is unfathomable, but nevertheless, they do. Simply do not act in the name of the group.

Aggressiveness in a group has to be channeled in a productive manner. This is even more vital when that group is of a sort that has been demonized since ancient times. A mature approach must be engaged upon. That requires those who are in charge to exercise restraint in planning just what activities the group will become involved in.

American Atheists exercises restraint in what battles they will embark upon. They still get undeserved criticism from most corners, usually from the religious, but by exercising care they can conserve resources for those battles which are winnable. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, however, continues to get involved in numerous lawsuits, many of which they cannot win.

As an incorporated group a business-like atmosphere should be pursued and maintained. In many ways, it is required if that group is to pursue non-profit status. As a group continues to work toward non-profit status there are certain requirements they have to meet, two of them are:
- A Board of Directors must be formed with no less than three individuals, though, there can be more.
- These three are to keep the organization focused on their mission statement. They are to determine the direction of the group. Working together the group goes forward.
No one director can determine the direction the organization is to take, all directors must ensure that the organization abides by its mission statement.

No organization starts with great heaping bags of money. This necessitates that the organization choose its activities wisely. Despite desires, everything is not possible.