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  • Who Goes There?…………………March 19, 2012

    “Who Goes There?” is a book written by John W. Campbell, Jr. and copyrighted in 1948. This is basically a story about an alien creature and it’s ship that crash landed in the Antarctic  around 20,000 years ago, and the subsequent discovery of it in 1948.

    Using thermite, the hapless humans managed to destroy the creature’s craft which was beneath the ice. Then they found the creature in a separate area beneath the ice and carved the alien out. (Sound familiar?) They carted it away using a dogsled and soon arrived at their camp.

    Naturally the creature managed to get thawed. “The Thing” is freed.

    This creature exhibited unusual abilities. It could assume the form of any creature by absorbing it. With the left over mass, it’s original mass, it could go do it to another creature, so on and so on. If the humans had not managed to destroy it, it could have conceivably gone on and literally become the population of the Earth.

    Another quality it had was technical genius. Able to build sophisticated machines like atomic reactors and anti-gravity. (This is the book, not the movie)

    After finishing the book I was struck by the thought of how similar this creature’s procreation power was to the spread of religion. How each individual became a nondescript part of the group. All thinking the same, all behaving the same, and all with the same goals.

    I continued that thought line and remembered the Old Star Trek series with James T. Kirk and Spock and what happened in one episode named “ Landru”. On planet Beta III a computer controlled an entire population. Landru had died 6000 years previously but as a means to enforce his concept of an ideal world programmed a computer for this purpose and gave it the ability to actually induce euphoria within the minds of the people and instill order. They were all part of the “Body”. Everyone walked the streets in a slow methodical manner, greeting each other with simple greetings, and wishing each other the “blessings of Landru.” All thinking the same, all behaving the same, and all with the same goals.

    On, to the Borg. Wow, yet another example where everyone thought the same, behaved the same, and had all the same goals. Part people, part machine, totally cyborg. Their greatest asset, the communal mind, in the end became their greatest vulnerability. They could not function well once the communal mind link was broken. The virus consisting of the concept of self, individuality, became their downfall.

    This is very much similar to what is happening to Christianity today. Many people are examining their beliefs and finding them absurd. Under close scrutiny the deception is not hard to discern, and more and more people are joining the ranks of the nonbeliever. People are finding their individuality and assuming behavior much less that of sheep.

    Christianity will not go easily and is putting up one heck of a battle. They are determined to either forcefully insert religion, namely Christianity, into the schools, or by god, whoops, by golly, they will close up the public schools by demanding a voucher system to attend private schools, or assume the chore of home schooling; either of which will surely shortchange America.

    With science education declining in America the rest of the world is having an easy time wresting the title of “superior technology developer” out of America’s grasp. Even Stem cell research has been hamstrung by government restrictions prompted solely by the conservative right’s demands. Evolution, proven over the span of 150 years to be unassailable, is still under attack by the ignorant, most of which have never read the author’s work.

  • The Basis of Arrogance

    Scientists admit they do not know everything. Science means the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. Only those things which are verifiable and falsifiable can be tested and investigated. There are many areas outside the ability of science to presently adequately investigate. Included in that list is:

    1. What existed before the Big Bang? (Universe)

    2. Existence of non-falsifiable, untestable entities including God, unicorns, extraterrestrials, big foot, and Nessie among many. 

    3. Multiverses.

    4. Does anything persevere after a person dies.

    This is simply a tiny portion of the many things science cannot investigate adequately today. Although science can speculate on these things, theorize, conjecture, or make educated guesses, nothing definite can be claimed.

    Theories are conclusions, speculative conclusions, made as a result of experimentation, observation, and reasoned thought. Those theories, like evolution, gravity, or relativity which have endured despite myriad challenges assume the level of fact. Though these theories may undergo refinement as new information is discovered they remain as the best explanations for the observed phenomena. Though the likelihood seems remote, should contradictory information be discovered which invalidates these theories, they will be abandoned and new theories postulated. Such is science.

    Religion claims to know everything: Who made the Universe and life. What existed before the Universe, and what will happen after death. Not only that but it claims knowledge of why we exist. None of this is verifiable. It is totally non falsifiable nor testable. It’s adherents are asked to believe solely by faith in it’s tenets. The only offered evidence is second hand, or after the fact testimonies and dubious improvable reports of miraculous occurrences.

    Arrogant: Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.

    A scientist makes no claim to complete knowledge, as complete knowledge would eliminate the need for there to be a scientist. Science is all about investigating the unknown, finding the answers. There is great humility in the admission that there is much that is unknown.

    A theologian claims that their religious book provides all the answers. A minister, preacher, priest, reverend, or Muslim cleric purports to know the unknowable, assuming a position of authority which is totally undeserved. The only humility expressed is that of submission to an overarching deity. No humility is expressed as to the lack of the answers to the unknowable.

    “They think they have a pretty good bead on things” –MIB agent Kay

    As far as the world is concerned it seems that scientists are infinitely humbler than theologians, admitting that some things are presently unknown. Some things may remain forever out of the reach of human knowledge.

    The theologians meanwhile, assuming complete knowledge, discourage and deplore exploration which might contradict this assumption. Some things that might have been discovered years ago are only now being discussed as a result of this opposition.

    I see the religious leaders as pompous and arrogant. Full of themselves they claim knowledge which is unknowable. If they make it to a heavenly paradise not only will this be proof that the eye of a needle is more the size of  a hula hoop, but that heaven is only a place for those barren of thought.

     

     

  • So, You Want A God…. March 7, 2012

    Feeble are the Gods invented by man. Contradictory, vague, and the cause of much misery. Figments of the mind are they all, never having seen the light of day, much less been the creator of it. But, wait, there are entities worthy of your praise, dead, but not forgotten by those who care. Massive orbs, boiling, churning, casting massive arcs of plasma into the voids of space. Stars more massive than our average sized sun. Stars so massive they used up their allotment of hydrogen in millions, instead of billions of years. Then, collapsed and exploded spitting their innards into space. Heavier elements saw their beginnings in this way. The heavier elements of which we are made came from these massive stars. They died making it possible for us to live. 

    If you must praise something praise these massive stars. At least they can be proven to have existed, if only from their remains.

  • The Liar Apologizes ……. March 6, 2012

    Rush Limbaugh who labeled a Georgetown law student a Slut for daring to speak about contraception made a condescending apology as a result of pressures emerging from many sources. No doubt at all the major source of pressure being from sponsors who began to leave his show (Despite his prevarication to the contrary). ProFlowers.com was only the latest to withdraw advertising. Quicken loans, Sleep Number, Citrix, Carbonite and LegalZoom withdrew previously. Arrogantly, before his apology occurred he stated he would replace all of the advertisers that left,  as he had previously rejected many advertisers, he claimed. 

    Even many of his fellow Conservatives had called on him to apologize.

    “I descended to (the left’s) level when I used those two words to describe Sandra Fluke.” Rush claimed. Yet another slam amidst the debacle caused by his rant on Fluke. The left generally and literally is more respectful of women and women’s rights than the blowhard Rush Limbaugh, and the conservative circle in general.

    The N.O.W. wants him fired.

    Rush went on ranting that liberals would never apologize for saying things about conservatives, about which he did not go on to illustrate. For all intents and purposes sounding like a scolded pre-adolescent child. Complaining about non-existent double-standards was next, the same tactic most Conservatives use when caught with their pants down.

    I have listened to this man on various occasions when listening on the car radio. If you listen from an objective point of view you will find the lies add up in quick order.

  • Acrobatic Self-Delusion…………………March 5, 2012.

     

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    “The Most Ill-conceived and Convoluted Show on Earth!”

    Many fundamentalist Christians claim the Bible is the inspired infallible inerrant word of God. Other Christians not so much, having seen the contradictions, and errors themselves. Fundamentalists rely on many preposterous interpretations to validate their claims of infallibility and inerrancy.

    Here is the beginning of a series of blogs exposing these contradictions along with some commentary.

    1.
    God is satisfied with his works
    Gen 1:31
    And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

    God is dissatisfied with his works.
    Gen 6:6
    And the LORD repented that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart.

    Is God fallible, is he omniscient? Didn’t he know what was going to come to pass? Since he seemed surprised at the decline of his creation, how can he be said to be omniscient? Why create something which he knew would become corrupt? Why create something that was corruptible? How could a perfect God create something corruptible? How could he be pleased with his creation knowing that not only was it corruptible, but was destined to be corrupted? If due to free will, why create free will? Seems like a highly flawed experimental scientist, which seeing the experiment is going wrong, due to unexpected results, starts from scratch, but commits the same mistake again by allowing the flawed creatures, Noah and his relatives, to survive.

    2.
    God dwells in chosen temples
    2 Chron 7:12,16
    And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him: “I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself for a house of sacrifice.
    God dwells not in temples
    Acts 7:48
    However, the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands, as saith the prophet

    Is a church a house of God or not? This is an obvious contradiction. Should people bother building houses of worship when God does not live there? Are they angering their God when they build a house expecting him to move in? Inspired, infallible word of God, indeed. If he is omnipresent why does he need a house? It’s not a house of God, but a house of man.

    3.
    God dwells in light
    1Tim 6:16
    Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
    God dwells in darkness
    1 Kings 8:12/ Ps 18:11/ Ps 97:2
    -Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
    -He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
    -Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

    Which is it? Is he in the light, or does he exist only in darkness? Does he dwell in light when times are good, but in darkness when he can’t pay the light bill? Is he like some toddler fascinated by lights, turning them on and off?

    4.
    God is seen and heard
    Ex 33:23/ Ex 33:11/ Gen 3:9,10/ Gen 32:30/ Is 6:1/
    Ex 24:9-11
    -And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
    -And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
    -And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
    -And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
    -In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
    -Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
    And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
    And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
    God is invisible and cannot be heard
    John 1:18/ John 5:37/ Ex 33:20/ 1 Tim 6:16
    -No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
    -And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
    -And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
    -Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

    For crying out loud, can god be seen, or can’t he?! Did God moon Moses?  Either some of these testimonies are lies or the Bible is not infallible. You can’t have it both ways. Does he speak, or are all these claims of people having conversations simply hallucinations? Have people seen god, or is god’s visage simply a product of some drug induced or emotionally charged  hallucination? They were into that sort of thing.

    5.
    God is tired and rests
    Ex 31:17
    -It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
    God is never tired and never rests
    Is 40:28
    -Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

    “There is no searching of his understanding?”… I’ll say. Does he suffer tiredness or does he not? Well, both. He fakes tiredness? He fakes never getting tired? Refreshed? Refreshed as a human becomes refreshed with rest and sleep and consumption of food? To be refreshed indicates tiredness. Such an entity it can be imagined is not nearly so omnipotent as advertised and can be eventually exhausted leading to perhaps… death?
    If both of these scriptures are to be deemed true then the bible presents an irrational concept of an almighty God, who is vulnerable, omnipotent, but not nearly so?
    There is no way to search for understanding of fully contradictory passages.

    6.
    God is everywhere present, sees and knows all things
    Prov 15:3/ Ps 139:7-10/ Job 34:22,21
    -The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
    -Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?
    If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there.
    If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
    even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.
    -For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings.
    There is no darkness, nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

    God is not everywhere present, neither sees nor knows all
    things
    Gen 11:5/ Gen 18:20,21/ Gen 3:8
    -And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men built.
    -And the LORD said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,
    I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come unto Me; and if not, I will know.”

    God sees everything? A peeping Tom?

    God has to come down and see the tower? Wasn’t  he already seeing it, being Omnipresent?
    The crys came to him? He had to go down and see if they have done things according to what they have said? “and if not, I will know”, he had to come down and see for himself?
    God is everywhere except… when he isn’t?

    7.
    God knows the hearts of men
    Acts 1:24/ Ps 139:2,3
    -And they prayed and said, “Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show us which of these two Thou hast chosen,
    -Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off.
    Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

    God tries men to find out what is in their heart
    Deut 13:3/ Deut 8:2/ Gen 22:12
    -thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is proving you to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
    -And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments or not.
    -And He said, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.

    God knows all thoughts? Condemns most people right off!

    If God is Omniscient, doesn’t he already know your “heart”, your mind? Why the tests then? Since god knows the future, shouldn’t he already know which way you will go? If god is Omniscient, everything is set in cement, unchangeable, and there is no free will. What is to be will be. Why pray?

    8.
    God is all powerful
    Jer 32:27/ Matt 19:26
    -Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there any thing too hard for Me?
    -But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

    God is not all powerful
    Judg 1:19
    -And the LORD was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had chariots of iron.

    Is this the source of the old challenge… Can God make a rock so big he can’t lift it? What if it’s made of iron? Is God only all-powerful part of the time? Being infinitely old perhaps he tires easily. What is so special about iron?

    9.
    God is unchangeable
    James 1:17/ Mal 3:6/ Ezek 24:14/ Num 23:19
    -Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
    -For I am the LORD, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
    -the LORD, have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it. I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent. According to thy ways and according to thy doings shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.
    -God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent. Hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

    God is changeable
    Gen 6:6/ Jonah 3:10/ 1 Sam 2:30,31/ 2 Kings 20:1,4,5,6

    -And the LORD repented that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart.
    -And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. And God repented of the evil that He had said that He would do unto them, and He did it not.
    -Therefore the LORD God of Israel saith: `I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before Me for ever.’ But now the LORD saith, `Be it far from Me; for them that honor Me I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
    Behold, the days come that I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.
    -In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him and said unto him, “Thus saith the LORD: `Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die and not live.
    And it came to pass, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
    Turn back and tell Hezekiah the captain of My people, `Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will heal thee. On the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
    And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city for Mine own sake and for My servant David’s sake.

    Not only does this present a problem for the claim that God is unchangeable, it also calls into the question of whether God is Omniscient or not. It is evident that claims for God’s Omniscience, his unchangeable nature, has created enormous problems for the proselytizing Christian. Will he change his plans for one person’s prayers? Can divine plans bend to the needs of a single prayer? Isn’t it evident these passages were written from a mortal man’s perspective, rather than the inspired word of a deity? Interpretations? My hind end.

    God does not lie? What about John 7:8? I’ll delve into that in a later blog.

    A ton more to come – haveaniceday

     

     

  • Religious Conversion……….. February 27, 2012.

    An individual, having lost their job, suffering a devastating loss of a relative, having been severely injured, about to lose every possession due to foreclosure and bankruptcy, sits, crying on a park bench. Contemplating suicide, this shadow, this down and out, pitiful wreck, awaits an answer. A friend approaches, sits down by him/her, and puts his/her hand on the shoulder of this beaten man/woman.

    “I have hope to offer, the hope of salvation, my friend, in the form of Jesus Christ.” he/she speaks.

    Religious proselytizing seeks such opportunities. It is not an intellectual appeal that is made, but an emotional one. No converts to a religious faith were made through an appeal to reason. The proselytizing methods are varied, as the low points people suffer vary. The individual approached need not be the virtual wreck offered above, simple depression will do.

    Upon accepting help as described, an individual will be told of the virtues of the religion, perhaps even go to a church. Upon attendance at a church, and following a highly charged emotional appeal, most often laced with music; salvation is received, and conversion accompanied with experiences of joy and relief occurs. With those surrounding rejoicing and exclaiming in resonance, the experience is reinforced and magnified. (Imagine the past, in a jungle, natives dancing furiously around a fire)

    How true or false the conversion is, is readily apparent in the following days, weeks, months, and years of an individual’s life. Life changes are usually touted in the Christian’s toolbox, useful in proselytizing the next prospect in a continuous chain.

    On the point of conversion some report an awakening, a new consciousness of the presence of a divine being, or divine reality. Jesus did say, according to the Bible, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Mathew 18:3

    Different cults require differing conversion experiences. Protestant churches use the terms: saved, born again, converted. Evangelical, fundamentalist, and Pentecostal churches require intense personal encounters with “the power of God”. Frequently they call them “born again” experiences. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox churches require baptism, believing it a rite by which a person enters the church and becomes Christian.

    Appealing to emotion is a very powerful tool of persuasion. It is used by many salesman to get the job done. From selling a car to soliciting an insurance policy, it is the tool of choice. It is used by all the world’s religions.

    There is no question that changes in lifestyles occur in the lives of many of those converted to the various religions. Changes do occur in the lives of many people without the involvement of religion as well. Changes can occur simply due to a conscious decision to do so. Changes in one’s lifestyle cannot prove supernatural intervention by a divine entity. Reports of conversion experiences also fall short as evidence.

    There have been experiments with magnetic fields related to conversion experiences. A test subject is fitted with a helmet, dubbed the “God Helmet”, containing coils for the purpose of generating a mild magnetic field. The temporal lobe of the subjects brains were excited by the magnetic field and produced surreal experiences for these individuals. Four out of five reported a spectral presence.

    There are many personal testaments of conversion experiences. In Luke it tells of Peter’s awakening to an awareness of Jesus’ uniqueness. Jesus elicited awe, reverence, and fear within Peter. Peter allegedly confessed his wretchedness and unworthiness on the spot. Apostle Paul, previously guilty of persecuting Christians, was, by his own report, surrounded by a white light and addressed by God; an instant conversion.

    No doubt that some Christians have had such conversion experiences. Some experiences more dramatic than others.  However, not all report such vivid nor intense experiences. Some go in expecting much more than is experienced.

    I have taken a small survey of some former believers as to their conversion experiences, if any.

    -One lady responded that at 15, upon baptism, she experienced what seemed at the time a very real transformation. Looking back now, from a different perspective, she realizes that the event was a response to an intense emotional state generated by the behavior of her mother and the rest of the congregation. She stated: “I was just caught up in the emotion of the moment. That to me was the transformation… one can feel transformed, but to me it’s just an emotional state of mind that all religious ceremonies create.”

    -Another lady responded that she did not experience anything extraordinary, no electric charge or tingle, nothing “to write home about”, as she put it. All she felt was a subtle change, similar to the feeling of wearing a new outfit, or new hairstyle. “You want to show it off and wear it all the time, make sure everyone will see it…the newness wears off.”

    -A fellow responded that he had no “Transformation”. “I grew up in a Catholic family and started catholic grade school in first grade.” he said. Christianity was a given in his family and he was never offered an alternative. Being in a Catholic school insulated him from other religions, he stated. He also added that he had never experienced any supernatural or other unexplained phenomenon.

    -Another fellow replied that his mother was very devout and forced him and his sister to attend church on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night throughout his childhood. One particular day during an emotional low point he was convinced he had been “saved”. As a teenager, and very impressionable, this event seemed life changing. Later, however, other than a feeling of belonging, nothing else was different, and he felt cheated. “I slowly came to realize this (event) was a mild form of hysteria.” he said.  Now as an adult he looks back on the event as being the result of “years of brainwashing and manipulation by the church” as well as his need to “belong”, at the time. 

    -A man who says he is a Christian (I have no reason to doubt him) told me he could not point to a specific time and date, only to experiences that occurred over a span of time in his life. He described one incident that occurred while he sat in Church listening to a message. As he listened he became aware of hearing more than the message being given, “I had the overwhelming sense of conviction and overwhelming sense of love at the same time. I became super aware of some sins in my life, and at the same time I became super aware of how much I meant to Jesus and that he loved me so much that he died for those sins in my life.. This had nothing to do with the message that was being preached, but I just couldn’t stop crying.. I had no idea what was going on, but I was just broken.. tears of joy, tears of love —” After that he noted that his friends saw a change in his behavior. “I wasn’t as much of an ass as I had been before. I wasn’t a “snow plow” which many people said about my personality. I had a love for people that had never been displayed before. This feeling stayed with me for about 15-20 hours.” Other experiences, similar, yet not for the same reasons, were relayed to me by this fellow.

    I myself when accepting Jesus felt no major experience. The room just seemed calmer, and my focus on the moment became clearer. I expected something much more grand and was disappointed at it’s absence. After that moment I felt as if I was simply faking it though I was very sincere beforehand. I don’t know what I expected… Perhaps a loud crack of lightning overhead, a booming voice that only I could hear. At that moment even a piece of toast with Jesus’ face on it, would have sufficed. Nothing, just nothing.

    My opinion: Conclusions….

    If there were indeed a supernatural transformation which changed a person on a base level then how could anyone who experienced such change, such power, ever leave? Without the weekly reinforcements induced by surrounding yourself with like-minded people why would the state of mind dissipate, if the actual transforming source were of supernatural origin? How can an experience which “seemed real at the time” look so unreal from a perspective bereft of weekly reoccurring re-enforcement? I can hear the remarks that “Their commitment was not real”, or “They faked it”, “They have back sliden!” I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of the respondents to my survey.

    How are the followers kept faithful for the most part?….

    Proverbs 13:20 “ He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”                                            Proverbs 14:7 “Go from the presence of a foolish man when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.”                                                 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: “Evil associations corrupt good manners.”                                                                                                            1 Corinthians 3:18  “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.                                                                                                                Most of these exhort the believer to refrain from exposure to outsiders. Some simply berate and ridicule wisdom of this world (real knowledge).  A cloak is drawn around the believer in an attempt to guard them from worldly knowledge. By proclaiming outsiders and outside knowledge evil, in effect demonizing them, fear is utilized to insulate believers from contradictory influence.

    While in the grip of such powerful admonishments they remain under the control of their irrational beliefs and are able to see and interpret events only from that perspective. Once freed, through whatever means, their rational minds are able to look from a different perspective and see the prior religious experiences for what they were: emotional responses to a purposely created emotional appeal.

    My final personal conclusion:

    Religious conversion is an emotional response to an intense emotional appeal to many facets of a person, including guilt. The appeal is more successful if the individual is in a low period in his/her life: a tragedy, depression, death of a loved one.  The emotional response is magnified by being surrounded by like-minded individuals.  No supernatural power is evident. 

    Thanks to everyone who participated in my survey.

     

  • Pardon Me, Would You Have Any Gray… Brain Matter? … February 20, 2012

    Rambling Thoughts Emanating From a Sentient Life-form

    Mankind’s fear of death probably ignited dreams of immortality long before Ponce De Leon’s famous quest for the Fountain of Youth, no doubt long before the Bible’s stories of Adam and Eve’s loss of same as a result of their indiscretions. Scientists are working even today searching for ways to prolong lives, perhaps “cure” death. Most religions offer some form of immortality as a reward for faith.

    What would be the limitations of extending life indefinitely?

    Medical science continues to make new advances and discoveries which alleviate the frailties of the human body. Diseases arising from pathogens  may soon be eliminated, other infirmities whose origins lie within the complex human genome may follow. Alas, all these advances simply prolong life rather than imbue immortality.

    The human body, somewhere within it’s structure seems to possess a timing mechanism, perhaps in the genome, which leads to an inevitable decline (Perhaps telomeres). The immune system, the rebuilding systems, of the body at some point becomes not quite as efficient, allowing cellular deteriorations to accumulate faster than they are repaired. If this problem can be solved through genetic means, our bodies may become nearly immortal. There remain other hurdles to traverse.

    Some scientists put the capacity of the human brain at around a million gigabytes. If our brains worked like a digital video recorder this would be enough space for around 300 years. Since our memories leak, lose information which is considered not important as well as those we might like to retain, the capacity in years of a human brain might not be calculable. No doubt it has an upper limit, but who knows what it might be. Still… could it service during the unlimited span of an immortal life if present problems with decay are solved? Logically, more storage space would be needed at some point in an immortal lifespan.

    Perhaps some extension of the human mind, at least the physical storage hardware, could be devised. At first installing ports in the back of the head for plugging in memory storage devices constructed to be compatible with the way human memory works, would suffice. After many millennia one could imagine the physical limitations that might arise: a head so heavy it could not be lifted. Perhaps storage afforded by means of a hookup via something akin to present Wi-Fi to an outside storage repository would provide a solution. Mobility would be limited unless the range of this “Wi-Fi” were improved over today’s technology many fold. Thought processes may lengthen in duration, depending on the distance from such a source, in any case.

    That reminds me of a story about someone who claimed to be abducted by aliens. As he/she laid upon their examination table screaming, the alien abductor scientist looked down upon them and seemed to only realize the frantic state of the human after about 8 seconds, rather than instantaneously as we might. Perhaps they were hooked up mentally to a distant source… or simply automatons, remotely controlled.

    Assuming that the problem of memory storage could be solved, there are still other hurdles to jump. One problem is that of our robust procreation. With our present production of baby humans coupled with immortal lives, a point would soon be reached where one’s nose will always be in the back of someone else’s head. How can you convince humanity to limit procreation to only match those who die due to accidental death? Presently I see no remedy to our growing over-population as many societies only see value in continued growth.  How can you tell one group that they must stop creating more mouths to feed if their group is in a minority where population is concerned? Equal representation would have to fall by the wayside, perhaps through convincing everyone, finally, to look upon humans as only one species, which we truly are, and abandon the concept of numerous races.

    Memory and population problems solved, we then must face the mortality of Planet Earth. What will we do when our wonderful source of light and heat, the sun, good old Sol, begins to expand in about 7 billion years or so and swallows up Terra-Firma, having previously burned off the oceans?

    With our wonderfully expanded consciousness we may have already planned for the eventual demise of our star. Many years previous to such an event, which would be preceded by many early signs, we might have already constructed immense vessels, so large as to contain the entirety of humanity. Using such vessels we would travel, becoming a galactic entity rather than being confined to one small spot of the Universe. We might linger momentarily, watching the final death throes of our mighty star, then, separately no doubt, each ship containing a portion of humanity, would set out looking for habitable worlds, younger stars, perhaps seeding proto-worlds with life as we go.

     

    space_ship_space_rocket a

    The final hurdle, perhaps impassible, is the point where pockets of low entropy available within the Universe decline and disappear. Towards the end it could be imagined that within the Universe around remaining pockets of low entropy (Isaac Asimov concept), a humanity much different than now, might reside. These beings might have reached levels of intellect beyond our feeble imaginations now and could be capable of devising a way, inconceivable as it seems, to re-initiate the process, and begin the Universe anew.

    Questions…. 

    Perhaps tomorrow someone will approach you with a hypodermic full of immortality. Would you accept it? Granted, life is boring on many levels, stressful presently,  but if life could be made exciting, worthwhile, comfortable,  would you take the chance? If it rejuvenated you as well as granting immortality, making you youthful forever, would you be interested? Is life immortal better than death eternal? Existence better than non-existence? Consciousness better than oblivion? Religious concepts of immortality aside.

    Ancillary musings: Same source.

    -Considerations in reference to the scenario where we have expanded our consciousness by utilizing a Wi-Fi connected memory storage device.

    What if the mainframe went down due to some malfunction or power outage? Would we become, depending on how much of our actual personality is on the mainframe, raging hysterical screaming non-sentient crazy creatures until such time as service is restored?(There might have to be a default state, similar to sleep, which restricts movement) Backup facilities along with backup power supplies would seem a necessary preparation. Since actual mechanical devices seem prone to interference from outside electrical fields perhaps the storage facilities will have to be of organic construct. Immense brains, or masses of brain tissue,  grown in large fluid filled containers, able to expand with need, would possibly solve the problem.

    Would this Wi-Fi connected to the storage devices be hack proof? Imagine a species hi-jacked through such a means. Thorough encryption would be necessary.

    -Large spacefaring vessels… Space exploration to planets around distant stars will require more than one life time. Perhaps space exploration should begin with the construction of moon sized spacecraft. The initial families will depart, knowing they will live their lives in their entirety within the vessel, and that it will be their descendants who will arrive, who knows where. (Would you sign up?) The spreading of humanity out into space is a necessity, lest, in one cataclysmic event, the whole of humanity ceases to exist.

    Can you imagine the immense amounts of materials that would be needed for such a craft? We might be better off hollowing out the moon and sending it on it’s merry way. Perhaps we might use an asteroid from the belt between Mars and Jupiter, for the sake of those who find the moon romantic, or the tides necessary or useful. (They may have been necessary when life began)

    -In reference to the hypodermic full of immortality? Suppose that rejuvenation wasn’t possible and only a cessation of the aging process were available?  Would the elderly infirm even bother? Old forever?

    Could the secret to immortality be as simple as an on and off switch within our DNA? If this was so then you would think by now, through evolution, there would have been at least one occurrence in nature. Maybe there has been and that individual has died in a useless war, or is in hiding.  

    -Universe re-creation? If our existence continued would the human race be perceived as Gods to any emerging sentient life-form? Any sufficiently advanced technology might seem as magic or as the supernatural by the less advanced. (Arthur C. Clarke, paraphrased)

    Could this already have happened with another race?

    ……………………………

    I welcome any similar musings from any Life-form, android, robot. The only qualification being that you have reached a level of sentience at least the equivalent of the average human.

    Time travellers: No spoilers please! Keep it to yourself.

    -haveaniceday

     

     

  • The Rage ……………….. February 13, 2012

    “You don’t believe, we understand that, what reason could you have to keep trying to convince others that what they believe is wrong”, they repeatedly admonish.

    The reasons are clear. Religion has done great harm. “What about the good that religion does”, they implore. The little good is usually done to spread the meme of religion, and is outweighed by the greater harm, I reply. Religion:

    1. … is an impediment to science. (stem cell research)(Burning of libraries, books, historically)

    2. … creates division and tension.

    3. … is responsible for most wars.

    4. … suppresses women, relegating them to a lesser status than men.

    5. … promotes over population and STD’s by opposing contraceptives.

    6. … is bad for the environment and flora and fauna. (Dominion over the Earth)

    7. … causes acceptance of irrational thought. (God gave his only son(really himself) to save humanity from(himself) for sins (he already knew were going to occur when he created us))

    8. … enables it’s leaders to speak from a position of authority,  for which they are not entitled , nor possess the credentials necessary.

    9. … results in unnecessary deaths. (Forgoing medical treatment in favor of prayer, or impotent medical treatments)(Development of obscure crazy cults)

    “But what good does it do to enrage those who believe?” I am asked.

    It delights me when the believer responds with rage. What this means is that they understood the message. What this means is they are raging inside, religious meme against their inherent rational mind. They are not raging against me; their rational mind is raging against the irrational religious meme, the meme reacting with anger to protect itself from being vanquished. My criticism of religious beliefs plants seeds, seeds of doubt.

    For those heavily immersed the message is eventually erased as they undergo another revival by cloaking themselves with other believers. It is easy to believe irrational ideas when those around you are in agreement. What this means for me is that I must get the shovel and hoe back out, dig some fresh ground, hoe some rows, and plant more seeds.

    Irrational beliefs are of fragile construct and difficult to maintain when everything around you decries the realness of them.

  • The Cherry Tree Feb 6, 2012

    The Cherry Tree, established circa 90 to 300 C. E. , where Christians come to pick the finest cherries.

    To make Christianity relevant in these modern times many ancient practices and beliefs must be abandoned. To accomplish this, those parts of the Bible that are barbaric must be ignored or relegated as being no longer in force.

    To allow this to occur modern Christians have declared that a “New Covenant” was established upon the arrival of Jesus on the scene, despite that Jesus said, in Matthew 5:18-19:

    “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

    Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

    How is this new Covenant established? How can they justify ignoring Jesus’ mandate that the ancient laws must continue to be obeyed? Their justification rests in Romans 10:4:

    “For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to every one that believeth.”

    Unfortunately, for the believer, this was not a dictation from Jesus, but was written by Paul. There is no reference in literature, to this dictate, before Paul. Why did Paul write this? His writings were an effort to make Christianity more presentable to the Roman audience, an audience that preferred not to have to obey old Jewish laws.

    Today’s modern “Christians” aren’t Christians at all. They are followers of Paul, not Jesus. Since Paul advocated the followers to ignore Christ’s teachings, Paul is a false prophet. Modern Christians, by ignoring the old laws, and adhering to a teaching by Paul, are following a false prophet.

    To be good Christians according to the law Christians must:

    1. Stone disobedient Children.

    2. Women are lesser beings and must submit to their husbands.

    3. Gays must be stoned to death.

    4. Death must come to all who work on the Sabbath.

    5. Blasphemers must die.

    6. Inheritance must go to the first born son.

    7. Up to the third and fourth generation, the children of a man must be punished for his sins.

    This list is incomplete and more can be found in your handy dandy Bible. I encourage all Christians to read their Bibles, with their reasoning center turned on, instead of off as is usually the case. Remember, as a wise individual once said:

    “Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.”

    – Isaac Asimov

     

  • Militias and the Second Amendment

    Amendment II, The Bill of Rights:

    A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

    Does this amendment, the second amendment, part of the Bill or Rights, provide a legal basis for any group to develop and train a militia? Has this amendment been misinterpreted? How is it that the term “well regulated Militia” has come to mean that independent militias, with no real ties to the state, can be formed? Is this one of the many of  Achilles’ heels built into the Constitution?

    One interpretation of the original intent of the founding fathers in establishing this second amendment was to guard against the possibility of a tyrannical government developing here in the United States. It was not to include standing armies, like the National Guard, but to consist of individual citizens organized, trained, to act in the event that the United States government were to become tyrannical. This was  a result of the founders having seen governments in Europe used against their own peoples.

    Another interpretation is that a militia, like the National Guard, with states in control of individual units, was the intention. It was the Federal Government that was seen as the threat of becoming tyrannical and needing the safeguard provided by a citizens’ militia to keep it in check. 

    Presently there are hundreds of militias operating, training in the United States. Rather than composed of Americans in general from all walks of life, many are composed of groups of people who have specific backgrounds, specific goals in mind, rather than a general interest in protecting the Constitution, or individual American’s rights. I do not think that this is what the founding fathers had in mind.

    In America we have militias formed by Jewish groups, Christian groups, and Muslim groups. Each seemingly intent on opposing the other should the need arise. There are also militias formed by other groups with suspicious intent. With all these groups seemingly waiting for a moment of anarchy to occur so that they can rise up and protect their own interests it is hard to conceive that they have any interest in the preservation of the America envisioned by the founding fathers.

    In 1996 there was a raid on one such militia:

    From the Los Angeles Times, July 3, 1996…

    Federal agents searching the homes and caches of Arizona’s Viper militia said Tuesday that they found bombs, hundreds of pounds of bomb-making material, more than 200 blasting caps, about 70 shotguns and rifles and a .30-caliber belt-fed Browning machine gun the Vipers called “Shirley.”

    The agents pressed their search for 12-inch aluminum rockets carrying half a pound of explosives apiece that they said the Vipers were designing to be fired from automatic rifles. They said the Vipers bragged that each of the rockets could “take out a police car” at 500 yards in what the militia called its upcoming war against “the government.”

    Are such groups, through the act of taking excessive advantage of the Second Amendment, through misinterpretation of the Second Amendment, going to cause an erosion of the Second Amendment?

    Some of these groups, like the California Militia, have a survivalist mentality, banking heavily on the eventual demise of the United States due to what they see as an inevitable descent into anarchy.

    California Militia:

     Our plan is simply to train and prepare for what is inevitable: the destruction of our society from it’s own apathy and greed. Our strategy is simple. Prepare to rebuild America on the ashes of that destruction. If we can survive the initial turmoil and feed ourselves and our families until the chaos levels out, we can begin to rebuild. If we don’t organize now, it will be too late, as it will be impossible to form a network, when everyone will be preoccupied with daily survival in a chaotic state of anarchy. By forming defensive units now, and taking note of skills among our members we can best insure our survival through cooperation. We can, through this cooperation, begin to improve our lives now. All it takes is commitment and loyalty.

    In this day and age such plans seem naïve. If our government collapses, do they expect they will be free from foreign encroachment? With the many different groups espousing their own goals how could one group hope to prevail?

    Here we have all these militia groups, all training to do battle. Each having some sort of paranoid vision of impending doom. Each having different ideas of what America should be.  What kind of spark would it take to ignite such groups into action? Could it be that the existence of all these disjointed groups might create the anarchy which they seek to prevent? Altogether, might they be a powder keg, awaiting a tiny spark?

    Who decides whether a government has become tyrannical or not? What kind of incident would open the floodgates for these militias to initiate action?

    One thing is for sure… If our present government collapses, igniting action by the various militia groups, America, as we know it, will never be again.

    In conclusion, it is clear that the founding fathers did not intend for the Second Amendment meaning that independent militias representing separate intents were to be legally created. It was intended that each state was to have the right to maintain their own militias. The purpose of such militias were meant to protect the people from the development, should it occur, of a tyrannical Federal government. For this purpose, the right to bear arms, of the individual citizen, was not to be infringed upon.