Dusty is godless

Old habits die hard for Peter Popoff.

2012-03-03T17:44:00.000-05:00

This guy has been a con man for years. Even after being thoroughly exposed he still manages to swindle millions of dollars from desperate people.

Battle of the minds. Deepak Chopra vs. Michael Shermer

2012-02-14T15:36:00.000-05:00

This video was originally featured on ABC and is still available on ABC.com. You can find the video easily through MichaelShermer.com as well.

The title of the debate is "Does God have a future?". My immediate response is a resounding no. How can something that doesn't exist have a future? However, I do think the idea of God has a future. No matter how advanced science gets and no matter how adept we become at disproving religious theory, there will always be enough mystery in the universe to allow people to adapt their beliefs. Humans have evolved a tendency to believe in God. Our dominance as a species is due partly to the our need to make connections between cause and effect. This has lead to a whole range of scientific developments, but its also a key component of religious beliefs. We need to make a connection so badly that we fill our intellectual gaps with notions of God. It's sort of ironic that what makes us intelligent also drives us to abandon logic.

The debate is very good, but like most debates it probably won't change anyone's mind. I can say that I agree with everything Michael Shermer says 100%. I agree only about %90 with his debate partner Sam Harris. I consider their opponents to be lunatics. Enjoy.

Throwing Stones - When Christians Should Just Shut Up

2012-02-05T22:33:00.000-05:00

If you are a fan of tabloid TV shows, then you have probably seen the picture of Miley Cyrus pretending to lick a penis-shaped cake that was made for her boyfriend's (Liam Hemsworth) birthday. On second thought, if you are fan of tabloid TV shows, then you probably aren't reading my blog. Hence the photo posted above.

What's the problem here? It seems to me that Miley is just showing a sense of humor. If you buy someone a penis cake, then it only makes sense to take pictures like this. Is it obscene? No, it's just a fucking cake. Last I checked, cakes were not a gateway drug to porn. I doubt fully-clothed girls licking penis-shaped cakes elicits wild fantasies from males. I don't ever recall jerking off to a girl performing "cakealingus" -- or is it "fecaketio"? "Tea-cakeing"?

One prominent Christian organization, the Cultural Media Institute, disagrees. A branch of the Media Resource Center, CMI released a statement condemning Cyrus' antics as "sleazy" and "disgusting".

The same article also criticizes Hollywood for making more "raunchy" comedies, covering up child abuse and allowing sex to be traded for work. The CMI basically makes Hollywood sound like a collection of sexual predators.

Truthfully, there have been some alarming stories coming from Hollywood in the last few years. That said, there have been alarming stories coming from all over the world. Even in Christian organizations, sexual conduct has been a problem. It's not just Catholics either.

Here's a funny quote from the CMI's "about us" page:
"On October 1, 1987, a group of young determined conservatives set out to not only prove — through sound scientific research — that liberal bias in the media does exist and undermines traditional American values, but also to neutralize its impact on the American political scene."

"Sound scientific research" must be some kind of joke. To research something like a "liberal bias", one would have to have a unwavering definition of liberalism. That definition really doesn't exist. Many people identify as liberal who wouldn't identify each other as liberal. Also, their purpose seems to be to enforce their own definition of morality, which has nothing to do with the political spectrum.

The attempt to conserve "traditional American values" is also fallacious. Two of the most traditional American values are freedom of speech and freedom from the establishment of religion. Coincidentally, these are two things that organizations like the CMI attack by promoting creationism in schools.

I suppose it's possible that Miley Cyrus' influence as a role model could lead some young girls to pose provocatively with a cake. Forgive me if I'm not terrified by that prospect. If that's the worst a daughter does, then her parents are lucky. As for the raunchy movies, children can't be admitted without a guardian. So, in the true sense of American values, it's up to the parents to filter what makes it to their children's eyes. It's certainly not the responsibility of the CMI or MRC to make those decisions.

In conclusion I'd like to tell the CMI, MRC and any organization that resembles them to just SHUT UP!.

This brings me to STFU case #2.

Die Antwoord is a South African rap group. If you've watched the embedded video, then you already know. They are ridiculous. However, being ridiculous is their goal. Die Antwoord translates from afrikaans to "The Answer". When asked, the group admits they're not quite sure what the queston was. Their satirical nature is most apparent in their interviews.

Not long ago I did a youtube search for Die Antwoord's song "Evil Boy" on my mobile phone. Since VEVO results don't show up on my phone, the top result was a video titled ""Evil Boy: Satanic Music Video Exposed". I had to click. The video turned out to be a 1 hour long critical breakdown of the original 4 minute music video. The commentator claims that "Evil Boy" is full of satanic imagery. The "video" is actually comprised of a series of screen captures which are all said to contain evil symbolism.

I admit, there are a lot of penises in the video. There's even a large furry monster that has a penis several feet long. So what's the song really about?

It's about circumcision. Not the type that happens to infants in a hospital. These circumcisions are tribal rights of passage that occur when boys turn 19. No anesthetic, no antiseptic and no surgical tools are used. They take their boys out into wilderness and hack off their foreskin with a knife. The ritual has a history of death and disfigurement.

The song features one of these tribesmen (Wanga) who has shunned the traditional circumcision. The Xhosa believe that the circumcision purifies and allows passage into manhood. That's why Wanga says he'd rather be an "evil boy for life".

The man criticizing "Evil Boy" knows all of this. He dismisses this explanation of the song as a disguise to coverup its satanic messages.

I'm fine with him feeling this way. Freedom of speech is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, he has comments disabled on his videos. I suppose RINGOTVHD isn't prepared to defend his stance on Die Antwoord. It's a shame because I enjoy a good debate. I'd also enjoy posting STFU in the comments a couple hundred times. I just don't understand how anyone could attack someone for promoting such a good message, even if it is a ridiculous video.

Oh, what about the penis monster? He's not Satan. He's known to the Xhosa as a Tokolshe. He's an evil spirit which they believe rapes their women at night while they sleep. According to legend they are only visible to children.

RINGOTVHD's channel is full of bologna like this. I wish he'd just shut up.

My Self-help Advice? Don't Believe In Self-help!

2012-01-28T20:20:00.001-05:00

James Randi shows us how "psychic surgeons" take advantage of the sick.

Source: Postmedia News

Are you struggling to get a grip on life? Need help managing your finances, your family or your emotions? Before you consider seeking the advice of a "self-help" expert make sure you know all the facts.

Chantale Lavigne of Montreal completed 85 sessions of self-help and paid $18,900 to a group called "Dying in Consciousness". A therapist for the group, Gabrielle Frechette, claims to be "channelling Melchisedech, a Biblical figure." Lavigne died under the supervision of Frechette after she and other attendees "were covered with mud, wrapped in plastic, put under blankets and immobilized with their heads in cardboard boxes for about nine hours, under instructions to hyperventilate."

When Lavigne was pulled from the coverings she had a body temperature of 104.9F. Medically, her cause of death is hyperthermia. She essentially cooked to death. Another woman was taken to the hospital for hyperthermia but survived.

This article exemplifies the reason I became a skeptic. It's not to argue and bicker with those who believe weird things (though it's quite enjoyable). The reason I became a skeptic is because I can't sit quietly while predatory con-artists put innocent people in harm's way. I don't care if someone believes they are channeling biblical figures, but when they use that belief to justify dangerous practices it changes their status. They're not just wackos anymore, they're criminals.

Most of these charlatans can't be held accountable until something tragic happens. You can claim any kind of spiritual belief or supernatural power without being subject to any laws or regulations. Faith-healers have been telling their congregation to throw away medicines for years. Instead of being arrested these "healers" are usually made rich by offerings.

Companies can put nearly anything in a pill without proof that it's safe and effective. All they have to do is label their concoction correctly. "Homeopathy", "Naturopathy", and "Herbal Remedy" are all titles that make it possible to avoid regulation.

For those considering a self-help program, don't follow the advice of a self-proclaimed expert. If anyone wants you to put something in your body, check with your doctor. Also seek medical advice if you are being asked to put your body through a procedure. This may include chiropracty, crystal healing, acupuncture or anything else that will have an effect on the body.

Don't take chances. Seek out a doctor who only practices traditional western medicine. Look into the background of anyone who seems otherwise convincing. Many charlatans are convicted of financial crimes stemming from their penchant for fraudulent activities.

The internet is a valuable tool. Not everything is accurate, but you can find a wealth of opinions about innumerable topics. If Chantale Lavigne had posted about her upcoming "treatment" on a skeptic's forum like the one at Randi.org, she would have tons of people warning her against the dangers of hyperthermia. I don't mean to place blame on Lavigne, her death is clearly the fault of those in charge at "Dying in Consciousness". However, if she had been more educated in critical thinking and known about certain internet resources, her death may have been prevented.

Here are my top 2 resources for dealing with con-artists and quacks.

1. whatstheharm.net
From their website:
This site is designed to make a point about the danger of not thinking critically. Namely that you can easily be injured or killed by neglecting this important skill. We have collected the stories of over 670,000 people who have been injured or killed as a result of someone not thinking critically.

We do this not to make light of their plight. Quite the opposite. We want to honor their memory and learn from their stories.

We also wish to call attention to the types of misinformation which have caused this sort of harm. On the topics page you will see a number of popular topics that that are being promoted via misinformation. Many of them have no basis in truth at all. A few are based in reality, but veer off into troublesome areas. We all need to think more critically about these topics, and take great care when we encounter them.

Many proponents of these things will claim they are harmless. We aim to show that they are decidedly not.

2. Science-Based Medicine
From their website:
Science-Based Medicine is dedicated to evaluating medical treatments and products of interest to the public in a scientific light, and promoting the highest standards and traditions of science in health care. Online information about alternative medicine is overwhelmingly credulous and uncritical, and even mainstream media and some medical schools have bought into the hype and failed to ask the hard questions.

We provide a much needed “alternative” perspective — the scientific perspective.

Good science is the best and only way to determine which treatments and products are truly safe and effective. That idea is already formalized in a movement known as evidence-based medicine (EBM). EBM is a vital and positive influence on the practice of medicine, but it has limitations and problems in practice: it often overemphasizes the value of evidence from clinical trials alone, with some unintended consequences, such as taxpayer dollars spent on “more research” of questionable value. The idea of SBM is not to compete with EBM, but a call to enhance it with a broader view: to answer the question “what works?” we must give more importance to our cumulative scientific knowledge from all relevant disciplines.

Homeopathy - 2 parts water, 1 part bullshit

2012-01-14T03:28:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I last posted anything. I'm due for a good heathen rant and I promise it will happen soon. In the past couple of months my laptop has broke which has hindered my blogging ability. Also, I've dealt with tons of car trouble. Need more excuses? My wife and I had our second kid on December 19th. Crispin Carter Wallace was born 9lbs 9.4oz. Also, I've had a terrible sinus infection that has kept my activity to a minimum for weeks.

That last excuse is important. I went to see my doctor, Dr. Pete, a few days ago. After looking at my tonsils with disgust, he prescribed me a long course of anti-biotic. So I should be back to 100% soon.

This ordeal got me to thinking about homeopathy. Before I turned my life over to my lord and savior Logic, I thought homeopathic remedies were just medicines made from organic substances. I assumed that they must have been strictly tested by the FDA since there were rows of remedies on store shelves. I was wrong.

I could explain how homeopathic remedies work, but James Randi and the BBC would do a much better job than me. This short documentary is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in homeopathy.

To sum up the process, homeopathy consists of taking a single drop of ingredient and diluting it into an amount of water that is equivalent to the ocean. This results in a pill that is a combination of sugar and....well....sugar.

Comfort in Hope: The loss of a loved one.

2011-10-29T21:30:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick update on my life. My wife is 7 months pregnant. My son just turned 7 and my wife's birthday was Oct. 20th. With holidays quickly approaching life has been wonderfully hectic. As a family we push on each day knowing many struggles await, but also many joys. Every day we experience trials that we convince ourselves are important when actually they are trivial.

On October 13th the express train to family happiness was derailed. My wife's father died. He was a great man, a great father and someone I found inspiring.

Richard had health problems. His heart had been a real issue for over 30 years. He also had a degenerative back and diabetes. While it might seem logical that inevitably would make his passing easier to accept, it was actually quite the opposite.

There are plenty of kids who have a good relationship with their father, but few of them have had the experience of Richard's children. Most children form a relationship based on the way their father takes care of them, in this family the kids were forced to take care of their father. They had to help him with anything physically demanding. This not only included big tasks and feats of strength, but the little things like putting on his socks in the morning. It was these kind of intimate everyday tasks that made the family bond extraordinarily strong.

Richard was a kind and gentle person. Earlier in his life he had issues with drinking and other vices. What makes him inspiring is his total abandonment of those vices for the benefit of his family. I never knew him in his early days, but for the past 8 years he has treated me like a one of his own. Even when I first started dating his daughter he made me feel welcome. The past didn't linger in Richard's mind, he was completely dedicated to being the best husband and father he knew how.

The period between death and burial is hard for anyone. For me, it was especially awkward. Spending 10 hours in a funeral home surrounded by people you barely know is tough for an atheist with social anxiety. It was my duty as a husband to be there for my wife. At 7 months pregnant grief is not only amplified, but potentially dangerous.

I spent an entire weekend listening to others tell the family that Richard wasn't suffering anymore and that he was in a better place. Heaven. A place I don't believe exists. I say that freely here, but didn't dare rebuke those insisting on it's existence at the funeral parlor. I'm godless, not heartless.

Heaven, eulogies, funerals and burials seem strange to me. The whole western culture surrounding death is such a sham. Its a two-fold problem. The business rakes in $10,000 plus, per funeral. Also, they insist with certainty that there is an afterlife and that your loved one is in heaven. I feel confident that no paid preacher has ever told a family their loved one has gone to hell. My problem isn't with the idea of an afterlife, it's with the claim of special knowledge of the afterlife. Not one person has ever been raised from the dead so no one can claim to be certain. Fictional characters in the bible don't count. So anyone who tells you that they know heaven exists is deluded or hoping to exploit you for money. Funeral parlors fall in the latter category. It takes a real scumbag to ask for obscene amounts of money from a vulnerable family.

A cultural change needs to take place in the way we seek comfort in times of grief. Richard was a wonderful human being. Its important to recognize his influence on his children, who are also wonderful. It's also important to incorporate his good qualities into my own life and to pass on those qualites to my son. That's a real, tangible eternal life. His spirit lives on through the generations. His goodness gives me hope. Hope that I can achieve the same positive generational influence in my life. That hope is comforting enough for me.

Richard's Obituary

Godless Grief Blog

Congress has enough babies. "Pro-life" activists should stay at home.

2011-10-08T22:23:00.001-04:00

A subject as touchy as abortion is hard to approach. Most social issues are subject to some form of logic. People still disagree about things even when logic is applied, logic is not infallible. In the case of abortion however, logic is almost impossible to apply.

This particular article is inspired by a specific "pro-life" campaign called Babies Go To Congress. The stated mission of the campaign is to seek funding to help build new crisis pregnancy centers and to "rescue real women and couples from the violence of abortion."

The BGTC website doesn't use the term "pro-choice" opting for the more divisive term "pro-abortion". This is a standard tactic of "pro-lifers" and one of the biggest reasons I think their stance is ridiculous and offensive. No reasonably sane person is pro-abortion. Pro-lifers believe that any stance besides their own is sinful and that their position is immune to any form of scrutiny or skepticism. This is a trait that is most highly visible in cults and that commonality is not a coincidence. To accuse anyone who doesn't completely embrace their philosophy of being pro-abortion shows just how out of touch with reality these people are.

Personally, I think abortion should only be considered in extreme circumstances.

If giving birth could be fatal to the mother.
If a baby will be born deformed
If a baby will be born severely handicapped
If a mother is very young and in the very early stages of a pregnancy
If the baby was conceived during sexual abuse

This is not based on logic, just personal feelings. Which is why abortion is such a hot button issue.

The BGTC campaign completely ignores these situations. Here's another fabulous quote from their website.

"After all, who can turn away smiling mothers, with happy babies in hand, who share their stories of the love and support they found at their local pregnancy help center?"

That quote is completely delusional. There are many women that consider abortions that will never be "smiling mothers, with happy babies in hand". For an accurate representation they should have taken a percentage of terribly deformed, handicapped children with them to congress. Also, they could have brought some pictures with them of all of the mothers that died during childbirth because they opted not to have an abortion. It would have been an honest representation, but not a smart one if you are trying to secure funding for a "pro-life" pregnancy center.

Beautiful babies and happy soccer moms are great for sitcoms, but this is the real world. Terrible things happen to good people and there are times when no decision will bring about a happy ending. There is very little logic that can be applied to abortion arguments, however, it's not logical to say there are no situations where choosing an abortion will provide better outcome.

Abortion is a nearly unipolar topic. There are plenty of people who feel that abortion should never happen regardless of the situation. However, there is no one who thinks that every pregnant woman should get an abortion. In fact, the "pro-choice" crowd is very diverse. They all believe that a woman has a right to choose, but they all have different feelings about what situations are acceptable grounds for an abortion. This lack of consensus leads to a lack of unity. This is why you very rarely see "pro-choice" activists. Differing opinions should be the norm in a free society, but in this case it's actually a weakness on the side of "pro-choicers".

There are very few reasons to be "pro-life". The most prominent reason is religious demands. Since the bill of rights protects us from the establisment of religion, there has to be some other force behind the "pro-life" movement. The only one I can think of is ignorance. "Pro-life" activists who aren't religious are literally ignorant, blind to all of the terrible situations young women can experience. Those same ignorant secularists are the lifeblood of the movement. Without a secular motivation to mask their religion the "pro-lifers" wouldn't have a case at all.

I'd like to leave readers with some words of encouragement concerning this debate, but I can't find any. I hope that some strong groups form to combat campaigns like "Babies Go To Congress" but it seems unlikely given the aforementioned unipolarity of the issue.

I'd also like to mention that I am a father. I have a 7 year old son and my wife is 7 months pregnant. I understand the magnitude of abortion, but I also understand that there are situations where the magnitude of pregnancy is even greater.

Typical Pro-life picket

Fred Phelps (Cult) picket

The image on the left is of a typical pro-life picket. Usually outside of an abortion clinic. The image on the left from a picket by Fred Phelps, pastor of Westboro Baptist Church. Considered by many to be a cult. Are they that different?

The Big Nothing

2011-10-02T23:00:00.000-04:00

Number of confirmed healings by faith-healers - ZERO

Amount of physical evidence supporting creationism - NONE

Amount of active ingredient that homepathic remedies contain. NONE

Number of people who have passed the $1 Million JREF Challenge - ZERO

Number of doomsday prophesies that have came true - ZERO

Amount of confirmed ectoplasm collected by paranormal investigators - NONE

Number of confirmed cases of alien abduction - ZERO

Number of confirmed ET UFO sightings - ZERO

Number of confirmed bigfoot and chupacabra sightings combined - ZERO

Number of legitmate studies that show vaccines cause autism - ZERO

Number of legitimate studies that show positive health effects of magnets - ZERO

Number of dowsers who have passed true double blind studies - ZERO

Number of times Uri Geller has telepathically bent a spoon - ZERO

Number of police cases confirmed to be solved by psychics - ZERO

Number of stars that have been stationary since the beginning of astrology - ZERO

Angels Are Assholes

2011-09-20T21:38:00.000-04:00

These bitches are collecting animals for a blood sacrifice.

Full Episode of Angels Among Us at CMT.com Click Here To Watch

This post is inspired by a new show on CMT called "Angels Among Us". The first episode was a "tribute" to the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. This premiere chronicled the stories of two people who survived the terrorist attacks. They believe that angels took them to safety. You've heard the stories before, someone claims they were about to die when they have some sort of abstract experience at the end of which they are safe. It's a nice story.....or is it?

If you take these accounts to be true, then perspective is of ultimate importance. From the survivors' perspective, God has sent angels to rescue them. This is bound to give them feelings of importance. Why would God spare them if they didn't have some purpose to fulfill? Sometimes the closer you are to something, the less of it you can see.

So what's the perspective like when you take a step back? 2,977 people were killed that day. That's 2,977 people that angels didn't save and God didn't spare. So do the experiences of these two survivors amount to a miracle? It seems to me that if angels exist and choose to allow all except 2 to die, 9/11 is even more of a tragedy.

If I had loved ones who died in the attacks I would be furious at this show. If God and his angels decide who lives and who dies, I'd want to know why my family wasn't good enough to be spared. According to the angels the Pentagon and the World Trade Centers only had one good person a piece. One each that deserved to live.

With this kind of thinking, statistical anomalies become miracles. It's a fallacy that permeates all of society. I have a co-worker who believes in God. She's not religious, but believes that she wouldn't be alive if not for God. There have been two times in her life where she was gravely injured but managed to survive. To her, this is evidence of God's power. The problem with this kind of "cause and effect" logic, is that it's too localized. Attain more data and you can see that 80% of people die when they sustained similar injuries. If God is all powerful, this means that he only sees 20% of people as being fit for His mercy. In the case of the 9/11 attacks, that percentage is astronomically lower.

So are those who claimed to be saved by angels lying? Probably not. Stress can cause the body to produce many chemicals. Some of these chemicals are very capable of producing hallucinations. Given the extreme nature of their circumstances, I'd be more surprised if there weren't any survivors who had these hallucinations.

So there are basically two logical stances on this subject.

1. Stress induced chemicals caused hallucinations.

2. Angels are assholes.

You choose.

The Pride of Athiests

2011-09-03T20:00:00.001-04:00

The local Pride celebration is gearing up here in Roanoke, Va. To me, Pride serves a great purpose in the LGBT community. That purpose is two-fold. It gives gay people a place to celebrate with like-minded people, also, it tells the community "we're here, and we ain't hiding!"

Years ago gay people were generally considered disgusting. The "moral" majority mostly imagined dirty criminals meeting in dimly lit motels for one night stands. Usually conservatives associated gay people with heavy drug usage and disease. Of course this was true for some homosexuals, however it was true for many more heterosexuals. Like every stereotype though, these images were based on fear and hate regardless of the truth.

People and politicians (which aren't people) still campaign against the LGBT community, but their plan of attack has been forced to change. Now the images of homosexuality are more likely associated with these big, flamboyant celebrations where people free themselves from social constraints and embrace who they are.

Pride is a powerful thing. A group of people proud to be who they are force society to view them in a different light.

This doesn't mean that Pride has eliminated discrimination. But it has gone a long way in changing the views of the majority. The LGBT community has came a long way since the days of Harvey Milk, even if there is more work to be done.

Atheism could learn a lot from this community. There is a lot of "old-timey" Christianity in southwest Virginia. Every day I experience prejudice in some form. I've been nearly cast out of family holiday gatherings because of my beliefs. I'd venture to say I'm not the only atheist experiencing this discrimination in my town.

Unfortunately, the atheists here have no organization. There's nowhere for me to go celebrate my godlessness with my fellow heathens. Atheists are thought of as anarchists, misanthropists and nihilists.

I think it would do a great service for atheists to have something like a Pride celebration. We need something that allows us to publicly swear off the stigma that is associated with atheism. The community I live in needs to know that I'm a loyal husband, father, friend and employee.

I recently had an evangelical visit from two old ladies down the street. They came to tell me all about the local Methodist church where I could experience the "glory of God". I was pleased to let these two ladies know I was an atheist. I was surprised by their reaction, their faces didn't show anger, but sorrow. One of the ladies put a hand on my shoulder and said with sympathy, "What happened to you to make you angry with the Lord?" I literally laughed out loud and explained that nothing had happened and that I was completely happy with my atheism.

This is why atheists need some event to flaunt their godlessness. If we can unite, and show that we're valuable citizens that are happy with their lifestyle, our stigma could change.

Plus, those Pride folks just know how to have fun.

The Fallacy of the Meaning of Life

2011-08-22T22:37:00.000-04:00

Does life have a meaning? The only thing we know for sure is that life exists. That is to say, life has as much meaning as anything else that exists. Does a rock have meaning? Does life have more meaning than a rock? In a broad context, neither the rock or life have meaning.

Obviously a rock is not the same as a person. People invent, laugh, cry, smile and love. However, from a universal perspective, the rock is just as influential as a person. Eventually, our sun will swell up to a diameter that encompasses the earths orbit. This is billions of years in the future, the earth will cease to exist, life will cease to exist. The matter that forms rocks will be melted into the Sun which will eventually explode and collapse into a black hole. Then all of the matter will leak out from that black hole in the form of radiation. At this point the rock and the person will have the same meaning. There will cease to be any indication of the thoughts and emotions that constitute intelligent life. Like the rock, our atoms will be broken down into an infinite density and radiated back throughout the cosmos.

So the question itself is flawed. There is no need for life to have meaning. Yet some humans feel that their insecurity means life must have meaning. And if it does have meaning it must, by extension, be divine in origin.

I believe there is a difference between "meaning" and "purpose". While life in general has no meaning, life most certainly can have purpose.

Humans are distinct from other species of animal because of their desire and capacity to accumulate knowledge. One generation's achievements are built upon by the next. This is the one thing that all cultures share. Even the most primitive of cultures are more advanced than their previous generations. If they use spears, their ancestors only used rocks.

The desire to progress technology and science is not the only way in which cumulative knowledge provides a purpose in life.

Everyone has said at some point, "If I knew then what I know now...." Obviously we can't ever go back in time, but we can pass on our knowledge to others, specifically children. It doesn't have to be our own children, just so long as an important thought is passed on from one generation to the next. Even if you don't like children you have something to offer. The phrase "contribution to society" is synonymous with passing on important information to future generations.

Living your life to the fullest is enough to give it purpose.

The pursuit of happiness is a lifelong science experiment. Like all experiments, we are at the mercy of the results. In science, a successful experiment is one that teaches us something regardless of results. If your experiment yields a lack of results, you still learn something about the subject.

In a person's pursuit of happiness, every hardship, setback, or failure is another piece of data. This is data that you pass a long to everyone you have a connection with. Those people pass it along to others and so forth.

So no matter what you choose to do with your life, it is possible to have a positive effect on those around you. The happier you become, the more people will try to emulate you, your experiments and your data.

The inverse is true also. The unhappier you become, the more people will try to avoid the experiments that have yielded negative results for you.

Being happier doesn't give your life more purpose, its the effort to be happier that gives your life more purpose.

Most importantly, there is no deity needed for a person to live a happy, fulfilled, and purposeful life.

Life exists, its up to the individual to give it purpose.

New Feature

2011-08-20T21:39:00.002-04:00

As (I hope) you can all see, I've added a facebook page for this blog. Its feed is on the right. If you want to keep up with this blog or just get some skeptic/atheist insights that are too short for a full blog post, please like us on Facebook.

A Facebook debate on the nature of morality.

2011-08-12T01:36:00.000-04:00


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The MacGuffin and Skepticism

2011-08-01T21:06:00.001-04:00

In honor of the 70th anniversaries of Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon

"What the fuck is this?" asks Humphrey Bogart

The MacGuffin is everything, yet the MacGuffin is nothing at all. Alfred Hitchcock popularized the term around the time of his 1939 classic The 39 Steps. Hitchcock explained it as a "mechanical element that usually crops up in any story. In crook stories it is almost always the necklace and in spy stories it is most always the papers."

One of the most famous examples of a MacGuffin is in the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon. The Maltese Falcon was a fictional ancient artifact worth untold amounts of money. In the film people were willing to kill or be killed for the falcon. So the Maltese Falcon was extremely important to the characters in the story, but not to the writers. The writers could have simply substituted Canadian Goose without losing any aspect of the story.

Another film having a 70th anniversary run this year is Citizen Kane. In this example the MacGuffin isn't an object but a word. As the title character dies at the beginning of the film he gasps out the word "rosebud". The rest of the film chronicles a journalist trying to decipher the meaning of the word, which he fails to do. The film could have been exactly the same if a dying Charles Foster Kane mumbled "salad bar" instead.

So how does this relate to skepticism?

Woo-woo is a synonym for MacGuffin. Every purveyor of the supernatural has something they are willing to sacrifice for regardless of the evidence.

I love the JREF’s encyclopedia of claims, frauds, and hoaxes of the occult and supernatural. But, to a skeptic, it could easily be called the encyclopedia of supernatural MacGuffins.

Dowsing, astrology and cold reading are three diverse forms of woo-woo right? Not so much. Dowsing works for well drillers most of the time because there is water pretty much everywhere under the earth's surface. Astrology is usually right because it makes broad assessments that apply to pretty much anyone. Cold reading works because almost everyone has a deceased relative whose name starts with the letter M.

So if a Macguffin is something that can be easily interchanged to serve the same purpose in a story, then woo-woo is just a real-life MacGuffin.

I rest my case judge.

The Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural can be found here. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/encyclopedia.html

The Maltese Falcon: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/
Citizen Kane: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/

Incarceration Is The New Evangelism

2011-07-23T17:03:00.000-04:00

I work a full time job as a supervisor of a parking lot cashier team. It's such an exciting job that sometimes I wonder why the Discovery Channel hasn't made a show about us yet. Sarcasm aside, sometimes I do get to witness something interesting at my workplace. This is one of those instances.

Sometimes a customer simply can't pay their parking fee. I don't fault the customers because all kinds of hassles come up during travel. So we write down their name and address and they will hopefully pay us when they can.

It seemed routine when a customer pulled up with nothing but a story. He said he had been traveling out west and his wallet had gotten stolen. That's not an uncommon occurrence unfortunately so I didn't give it much thought. So he handed the cashier his driver's license so we could copy his information. The cashier interjected, "you mean you have your license but your wallet was stolen?". I had to admit that was a good point. So I looked at his license and it had a P.O. box instead of a address. I know that there's nothing illegal about that, but it did make me suspicious.

So after the customer left I turned to my private detective, Google. I had a ton of results of course, but many of them were links to stupid criminal stories, about people who get caught in moronic ways. There was a man who shared a name with the customer who had robbed two banks in the same area. Later he went back to one of the banks to try to wire transfer thousands of dollars, which he had stole from them. One of the tellers recognized him and called the police, thus making him a stupid criminal. This bit of news was featured on Letterman and in the National Enquirer. Surely this couldn't be the same guy right?

I went back and filtered my Google results to include my customer's home town. Instantly Google informed me he had also lived in the town where the robbery took place. A coincidence maybe? I found a myspace page and confirmed that it was my customer's by the profile photo. He also had a blog on myspace, where he talks about......that's right......his time in jail.

It was him, I had confirmed it. I had accepted an I.O.U from an infamously stupid criminal. Which I suppose makes me an infinitely stupid supervisor, but there was no other option at the time.

Fortunately I read his blog a little more. His time in prison was a total success. Not only had he been punished for what he had done, but he had turned his life over to Jesus. Since I'll take any I.O.U backed by a messiah, all my fears were calmed.

Don't buy this bullshit for a second!

Its been several days with no contact from the born-again Christian, maybe Jesus told him not to pay us after all.

This brings me to the point, don't trust a ex-con. At least not because of their so-called religious awakening. It seems to me that the success rate of evangelism in jail is much better than in the real world. Especially among people who will get out one day.

For someone who has completely ruined their reputation, what better way to get it back? I can't speak for the rest of the world, but people in the U.S. are quick to accept a religious experience as real. For those who are jailed Jesus is about survival, not salvation. It has got to be hard to settle back into society after a long period of incarceration. But if you are "born again", you are instantly accepted into a community that is thriving with resources.

So I guess I'm saying that criminals use religion as a crutch. I'm not sure why this gets me upset though, since everyone else uses it as a crutch also.

Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene

2011-07-16T16:34:00.000-04:00

Thanks JREF

2011-07-16T16:01:00.002-04:00

James Randi

A big thanks to the folks over at JREF for letting me contribute to their website. Anyone who reads my blog should already be reading the SWIFT blog at Randi.org. To donate to the JREF click here

To donate to my site just check out some of the ads.

What I like about Rev. Fred Phelps. The creator of Godhatesfags.com and founder of Westboro Baptist Church

2011-07-09T18:21:00.001-04:00

This handsome devil is Fred Phelps and he probably fucking hates you.

Reverend Fred Phelps is an interesting fellow. His main attribute is being a hate-spewing piece of shit. He used to be a lawyer, but was disbarred for false accusations against judges. Being disbarred was just a minor setback for Phelps. He went on to found one of the most famous churches in the world, Westboro Baptist. You have to be a family member to attend a Westboro service, but don't worry, you can still here their message at their website.

So what does Phelps do after becoming a preacher? He becomes notorious for hating everything. If you are homosexual, he hates you. If you are a soldier, he hates you. If you support soldiers or homosexuals, he fucking hates you. If you are a dead homosexual or soldier, you can't read this, but he still hates you. In fact, he'll protest outside your funeral and make a web counter that marks off every day you've been burning in hell. In the case of Matthew Shepard, Phelps and his clan picketed the funeral of the slain boy with signs that read "no tears for queers" and "fag Matt in hell".

So you are probably wondering how I could like anything about such a inbreeding bunch of self-righteous ass nuggets.

The Westboro Church is the most honest group of Christians of which I'm aware. Every other church preaches love and acceptance, but when they are alone they discuss their hatred of anyone who is different. When Phelps says God hates fags, he means it. When Pat Robertson says we have to love everyone, he means that all gays should be locked up and rehabilitated, and if they can't be fixed they can be killed. The bible is not a piece of tolerance literature. Fred Phelps knows this and lives his live in a true biblical sense. Other churches water down their message so they are more attractive to the public. More attendance equals more money in their minds. In that sense, Fred Phelps is more selfless than most famous ministers.

There is one other thing I like about Phelps and his minions. They are very easy targets for atheists.

I don't agree with Westboro Baptist Church on any topic. I am completely for homosexual rights, including marriage. When a soldier dies, I believe their funeral deserves more respect than what's given for a civilian.

Honestly, Fred Phelps is the absolutely lowest of the low. He's the scummiest primate on earth. If I did believe in hell, I'd wish there were a special place reserved for him. I hope one day that he goes to a homosexual's funeral and gets beating to death painfully by a fabulous and flamboyant group of gays. The day Fred Phelps dies, the world will be a little bit better. Its just a shame that we can't identify the other shitheads that don't have the nuts to admit their hatred.

My review of Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist" (2009)

2011-07-08T02:33:00.003-04:00

Directed by Lars Von Trier

Starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg (Unrated - NC17 level content)

4 stars (out of 4)

This movie runs about 1:45 and out of that length approximately 5 minutes are explicitly graphic. Those who rate this movie low only focus on those 5 minutes. As a complete body of work this movie is far more morbid in a psychological sense.

I'd like to give a good summary of events in this movie but its nearly impossible, I'm still not sure what's going on and I just watched it. I'll do my best. On the surface, this movie is about a couple who lose a small child in what seems like a meaningless tragedy. The wife is extremely distraught so her therapist husband decides to have her face her fears. He does this by taking her to a cabin in the forest of Eden where she spent her last summer with her son. Upon arrival deeply buried emotions begin to surface and manifest as extreme confusion, anxiety, and eventually anger. All other emotions are spent, with anger being the only one sustaining her existence. She then begins the torture and mutilation of both her husband and herself. He prevails in the struggle for survival but to call him the winner would be a drastic overestimate of his condition.

Beneath the surface this film is a pessimistic story of Adam and Eve. The characters are only credited as He and She and (besides the child) are the only faces seen throughout the movie. Its no accident that they end up in a place called Eden. This is the story of an anti-Eden, a place where there is a complete absence of humor, joy, innocence, bliss, peace and tranquility. He has unexplained visions throughout the film that are grotesque yet poignant. One can only presume the meaning, but I feel that they have to do with the temptation of Eve (She). Her victory over grief and anxiety comes at the expense of morality and I feel that she fell into the temptation of anger and self-loathing due to her part in her child's death. She did not kill her child but there is a huge plot twist near the end that I don't want to spoil, but it will certainly make you feel less sorry for She.

I think this movie is an artistic masterpiece. Its visually stunning and not just in the explicit parts. If you are offended by obscenities then please don't watch this, but if you can reconcile your conscience, you will find this one of the most thought-provoking movies you've ever seen. Lars Von Trier has created a film with unflinching violence in the vein of Gus Van Sant's Elephant. Watch this film without predetermined moral judgment and it will change you.

Jesus - ESPN's #1 Fan

2011-07-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

Kimo Leopoldo carries his cross to the cage at an early UFC event.

     If Jesus does return, he'll likely be found hosting Sportscenter on ESPN. Jesus loves sports, its not mentioned in the bible, but he must love sports since he's constantly helping athletes win. Just last night (7/2/11), Dominick Cruz beat Urijah Faber to retain his UFC bantamweight title. After his win he declared "I thank God every day. Without God I wouldn't even be here."

     The odd thing for me is that God has such a rooting interest in sports. Every winning team thanks God for their win. This means that God wanted the other team to lose. You see, God works hard answering prayers all day long. So at the end of the day he lays on the couch, has a Bud Light, and watches sports. Its a good thing he doesn't gamble since he's so clearly involved in the outcome of games.

     Its not just team sports and fighting that God is interested in watching. He also loves parlor games. I've been playing pool for a long time. I'm a fan of professional pool players. Not long ago I discovered several professional trick shot players had a ministry. They used their ability as a way to evangelize. I wrote an E-mail to one of them, Eric "The Preacher" Yow, a trick shot artist who has appeared on ESPN. In my e-mail I asked him why he insisted on giving God credit for an ability that he had clearly worked hard on for his entire life. I got a response from Mr. Yow, "I'll be praying for you". Clearly my attempt to spark debate had failed. I wonder what he hoped to accomplish with that single-sentence response.

                                                          Eric Yow's Trickshot Madness

     Its clear to me that athletes are taught to bring religion into their training from a young age. There are laws protecting students from organized prayer in schools, however, it still happens regularly in sports. This needs to be stopped. As an atheist, I believe children should be allowed to make their own decisions in life and should not be religiously influenced by coaches and teachers. Even if I were a Christian parent I wouldn't want my child to think that he is meant to win because of divine intervention. To think that God has any interest in sports is absurd. Praying for safety is one thing, praying for wins is just plain wrong. Its unclear how this affects athletes win they reach a professional level. It seems to me that it has led to a sense of entitlement among religious athletes.

     If you have children in school, protect them from religious influence, even your own. If you want to be sure that they grow up strong in their beliefs, then give them the best education you can and allow them to reach their own conclusions. Don't allow a coach or a teacher to make your child pray. Oftentimes its unofficial prayer, but the kids know they'll be chastised if they don't participate. Its up to parents to make sure that no child is discriminated against, in any way, because of their religious point of view.

     I believe, and hope, that the next generation of parents will protect their children from influential adults. Its important that authority figures aren't allowed to abuse their privileges. If we can change just one generation, then the future generation of professionals may tone down the religion. I don't need my sports heroes to also be religious philosophers.

The Sunset Limited - Believersaurus vs. Crocagnostic

2011-06-30T23:55:00.000-04:00

Here's a film based on a play by Cormac McCarthy, the writer of "The Road" and "No Country for Old Men". This is a sharp turn from those two novels/movies, but it does have in common a grim view of the human condition.

The film has only two actors, Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones. Their names are never given, they are only credited as "White" and "Black". I'll give you one guess which actor is black and which is white. The trailer gave me the idea that this was to be a classic battle between an atheist (Jones) and a believer (Jackson). In truth, its more of a "minimalist vs. nihilist" battle.

      The balance in this film is skewed for the first hour of the film. Sam Jackson controls the screen as he pounds religious anecdotes into the brain of his visitor while also regaling him with stories of his time in prison. Oh I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that Sam Jackson's character is a ex-con who beat other inmates until they were physically and mentally disabled while he was in prison?: Well he was in prison for murder so I guess the other violence shouldn't be surprising. He was healing from knife wounds sustained in a prison fight when, you guessed it, GOD spoke to him. Then he started a prison ministry, got released, and now lives his life helping junkies in his nearly empty city apartment. So while Jackson's character is winning the battle for the first hour, he's not exactly giving christians a good name.

      Throughout all the rants Jones only occasionally defends himself. Just before the film starts, his character was jumping in front of a train, the Sunset Limited. He thought there was no one watching but Jackson appeared out of nowhere to save him. Jones gives a momentary thought to the idea his savior is actually supernatural. An angel perhaps? Jackson finds this funny and soon the idea is squashed. I suppose Jones' character stays quiet for so long because he feels like he owes Jackson. They have some dinner and Jones occasionally posits some elegantly scientific reason why his life is completely meaningless. You start to slowly realize that Jones' character isn't just an atheist, but he's a depressed, self-loathing nihilist. He's the kind of person who believes that intelligence and happiness aren't compatible. This leads to the best line of the movie by Jackson, "If I’m understandin you right you sayin that everbody that aint just eat up with the dumb-ass ought to be suicidal."

   Like a slow crescendo Jones builds up steam to the point of mechanical breakdown. He unleashes one of the darkest and most depressing monologues that cinema has ever known. At this point Jackson is crying and shaking his head in frustration. Both men give up. White leaves the apartment to presumably to continue his quest for Hara-kiri via train. Black spends some time yelling at god and asking him why he wasn't given the strength to save White, while reassuring god that he won't hold it against him.

     This movie is good. Jones and Jackson are probably the only two actors that could pull this off. At times, Black is so animated that you think you're watching an action flick. This film never left me bored, which is pretty good for a movie with two actors who never leave a room.

    What I didn't like was the portrayal of atheists/agnostics. We're not all self-loathing defeatists. Its possible to find happiness and meaning without the need for a big man in the sky. However, the representation of christians wasn't so great either. I don't believe all christians are murderous ex-cons who use religion as circumstantial evidence of their supposed reformation.

     I have realized its better to think of this movie without a broad interpretation. Its just two unique individuals discussing their own unique views on life. If you can accept this movie at face value, you will enjoy it, no matter what your beliefs.

All my thoughts on god. Your welcome Dishwalla.

2011-06-26T19:46:00.000-04:00

      I think its possible there is/was a god. The laws of physics break down mathematically at the beginning of the universe. That fact will most likely never change. This means the possibility of a god will always exist. Even if we gain a complete universal theory of physics, that possibility will remain. I've heard some proponents of M theory claim that the "big bang" could have been caused by the collision of two universal membranes. If a theory like this was ever proven it would still only create more questions.

      If scientists get to a point where every equation in the universe has been solved, it will still leave the question of why there is an existence at all. The universe isn't necessary. Life isn't necessary. There could be nothing, but there is something. That is why atheism will never be universally accepted.

      Here's what I don't accept. I don't believe there is a god who is actively involved in any aspect of the universe. I don't believe there is a god who has been active since the big bang.

      I don't know if there was a god before that, but since he/she doesn't currently have any effect on life, I don't care.

      The undeniable truth is that there are laws of physics that dictate everything that has happened in the universe from the big bang until the present. While there still may be unexplained things happening in the universe, I don't believe there are unexplainable things happening in the universe.

      I consider myself an atheist. I make all my decisions in that frame of mind. I believe injecting religion into society has nothing but bad repercussions. Making important decisions for your family based on faith is a recipe for disaster.
     God is not an impossibility, but he/she's certainly not a necessity.

Welcome to "Dusty is Godless"

2011-06-26T17:06:00.000-04:00

If you are going to start a blog, you better have something to say. The topics of atheism, skepticism and rational thinking are something about which I could write endlessly. Day after day people promote the abandonment of critical thinking in favor of myth and superstition. In this blog, I plan to chronicle some of the most egregious examples of this phenomenon that I encounter. I live in the Appalachian mountains of southwest Virginia, a place saturated by religion, myth and superstition. I also plan to allow user submitted posts. I will screen posts submitted by readers but I will still allow them even if I don't completely agree with them because I feel its necessary to familiarize one's self with dissenting opinions if you claim to truly promote critical thinking. If you are reading this, thank you for taking your time and I hope you will come back soon.

Dusty

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