God Confusion

Break from Blogs

2011-11-17T17:01:00.000+10:00

I haven't posted lately on my blogs. For several months, I've been blogging about Asperger's/autism and atheism/ex-christian. I could say a lot more on the former. I think I've purged most of what's bothering me about the latter for now.

Have some other projects I'm working on at present. Not sure if/when I'll post more.

More details here.

http://www.aspergerschild.org/1/post/2011/11/break-from-blogs.html

Bible Rescue

2011-10-25T21:12:00.001+10:00

I unzipped Xavier's school bag to discard his half-eaten lunch (as per usual). A thick book was in his bag, much thicker than he is used to reading. I could see the words 'Big Rescue' in large font. I pulled it out and flicked through the pages. It was a bible. I checked the front. Yes, it had 'Bible' in small letters - The Big Rescue Bible. There was a rectangular white label with Xavier's name stuck on the cover.

'Why have you got a bible?' I asked Xavier.

'The religious ed teacher gave it to us,' he replied. We didn't pull him out of religious ed, because we thought he might as well learn that some people are religious, including his extended family.

I examined the bible closer. It was brand new. The cover had little cartoon pictures of bible stories - Jesus on a donkey with people waving palm leaves, a big green fish spewing Jonah onto land, Goliath aiming a spear at boy David, a big fireball from heaven barbecuing a stone altar, armies with chariots, swords and spears.

Xavier might have been familiar with some stories from religious ed. I didn't go out of my way to tell him details of bible mythology.

The front pages of the bible was several colour pages with cartoons appealing to kids. It was promoted as a big adventure story where God saves the day. There were glossy pages of brightly coloured cartoons dispersed at intervals. A big step up from the black and white cartoons on the thin pages of a Good New's Bible I had as a child. The rest of the bible was typical small, dense black text on white paper.

Leo got home from work. 'Why has Xavier got a bible?' he asked. 'Sell it on eBay' he said.

'No, I'd rather not be responsible for indoctrinating someone else's children,' I said.

Apparently the bible was to be returned the following week.

'Oh, so you don't get to keep it?' said Leo.

'Just as well it didn't end up in the rubbish,' I added. 'Would you like me to highlight the bits where they kill each other and eat children?' I asked. 'Then you can ask what's up with those bits.'

'Nope. Don't bother,' said Xavier. Awww!

Creationist Pseudoscience Fraud

2011-10-24T12:14:00.006+10:00

Creationism is pseudoscience - that is false science. It uses scientific sounding words and masquerades as science, yet is contradictory, dishonest garbage.

From Wikipedia:

"Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status. Pseudoscience is often characterized by the use of vague, exaggerated or unprovable claims, an over-reliance on confirmation rather than rigorous attempts at refutation, a lack of openess to evaluation by other experts, and a general absense of systematic processes to rationally develop theories."
Creation 'science' is listed as an example of pseudoscience.

That's creationism for you. Creationist websites and books and all their followers spout unscientific claims, blinkered by their religious beliefs, ignoring scientific evidence. Even more absurd, is they steal scientific words, change the meaning to suit themselves and come up with an outrageous fairy tale they then have the audacity to call science.

I read several creationists websites looking for silly quotes. It was akin to trawling through sewage.

As a person that has studied science in depth, I can see how one that doesn't know much about science could be confused by these websites. They're very bold in their claim that evolution scientists are liars. Add to that any other branch of science that has findings that conflicts with the bible including dating of ancient civilisations by archaeology, radioisotope dating (physics and chemistry), genome ancestory (using genetics) and rock layers (geology).

Succession of fossils in rock layers

Anything that doesn't fit their narrow black and white beliefs gets dismissed as a lie, or otherwise 'interpreted' in a completely unscientific manner to suit themselves. They misconstrue science - twisting it to present it dishonestly. They come up with a story and which someone with any real science knowledge is laughing too hard to try to swallow. Then they reaffirm that they are right and scientists are wrong when they haven't even proven a thing!

Evolution is not stepwise with humans as the pinnacle

All About Science is a creationist website fraudulently posing as science.
Young Earth Creationists like Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis are the most hilarious.

They say the dates for early civilizations that existed before biblical times couldn't possibly be right, so they come up with some concoction to put the civilisations and pyramids after Noah's flood (and there is no geological evidence for a single worldwide flood).

They believe Earth was created only 6000 years ago. Apparently, God wasn't happy with his creation, so destroyed most of it in a global flood 2000 years later (which is the reason for fossils and mountains, they say). Everyone was supposedly speaking the same language until a hundred years later when God confused their languages at the tower of Babel.

After realising that all the species of animals could not have possibly fitted on Noah's ark, they've come up with a story of 'created kinds' where animals evolve partially. All species of cats from a cat pair that stepped of the ark (there are around 36 living species of wild cats), but cats are not related to dogs. Some creationists claim that baby dinosaurs and unicorns (mythical creatures) went on the ark. It's interesting how creationists are using partial evolution (although incorrectly) now in their bid to 'disprove' evolution.

Carnivore Evolution showing how closely related dogs and cats are

They use deception (lying for Jesus). Creationists point out each other's lies. Old Earth Creationists pointed out the deception of Young Earth Creationist's radioactive dating project. They claim that genetics contradicts with evolution, citing Mendel's early studies with peas - another lie. Mendel and Darwin's early works complement each other and led to the developments in modern genetics. Genome studies and a huge fossil record confirm evolution.

Simplified evolution tree

More detailed evolution tree

Creationists are easily fooled by external appearances. They see humans as being the pinnacle of creation and very complex. They are hung up on how something more 'complex' could evolve from something more 'simple'. Genome studies have shown their thinking to be erroneous, as many 'simpler' looking animals and plants have genomes (genetic information) far larger than humans. The amoeba has the biggest genome so far, so looking like a 'simple' blob has fooled creationists.

Don't be fooled by appearances - Amoeba has bigger genome than us

Jeremy Wells, a Moonie who set out to get his PhD so he could 'destroy Darwinism' uses deception. He confuses social 'Darwinism' (social 'science') with evolution (science). He claims that Haeckel's fraudulent drawings of embryos are to teach evolution (meanwhile side-stepping how similar embryos of different animals really are). How Wells got awarded a PhD, I cannot fathom.

Dolphin embryo showing hind limb buds (not much different from human)

Wells and other creationists use Darwin as a scapegoat for Hitler's racism and eugenics, but twisting his quotes for their dishonest means. Meanwhile, they ignore that the 'great' Christian reformist Martin Luther and his anti-Jew writings inspired Hitler to murder. Creationists also ignore the way slavery and racism was justified with the bible for centuries. It was believed (and some still believe) that black people have the cursed skin of Cain.

Platypus

Echidna - only other known monotreme & closest relative to platypus

Creationists like to claim that animals like the platypus present a problem for evolution. They make out the playtpus is part-duck, part-reptile and part-beaver - a chimera as a joke from God. This is another lie. The platypus and its cousin, the echidna (spiny anteater) are monotremes - they poo, wee and lay eggs out of the same hole like reptiles. The platypus genome reveals that it is a mammal that split earlier than placental mammals and marsupials (pouched animals) from reptiles. The bill and venom are chemically, genetically and physiologically nothing like a duck's bill or snake's venom - these evolved independently.

Monotremes (platypus and echidna) branched off earlier than other mammals

Vertebrate Evolution showing monotremes (playtpus).

Creationists have no good answer to how monotremes and marsupials (140 species) came to be almost exclusively in Australia. A few marsupial possums are found in South America. Again, so they can disagree with evolution and because they are fooled by appearances, they claim that reproduction is a 'minor issue' and that marsupial animals have a placental pair and are of the same 'kind' that converted to marsupials in Australia after they moved their after Noah's flood. They ignore the scientific evidence that marsupial mammals are not closely related to placental mammals that might look similar at first glance.

Evolution of marsupials started when South America and Australia were joined

Creationists are easily fooled by external appearances

Creationists like to call their stories 'theories' while dismissing evolution as 'just a theory.' Creationists are dishonest in that they twist the meaning of scientific definitions of words like theory and mutation. They treat evolution like an unproven hypothesis. A hypothesis, when proved by a huge body of evidence, gets called a theory. A scientific theory is pretty much accepted as fact, but it is continued to be called a theory, as it must always be open to be proven wrong. Creationist's 'theories' (crackpot 'hypotheses') is no challenge to real science, that's why most scientists can't even be bothered dialoguing with creationists.

Unfortunately, the evolution is not taught correctly in schools, particularly in the Bible Belt of the US. If taught correctly, evolution is easy to understand. Instead, schools in the Bible Belt are backwards like this:

Christians Divided

2011-10-17T22:47:00.010+10:00

Christianity is the most fragmented religion in history. It borrowed heavily from Judaism and pagan religions. The different sects and denominations of Christianity evolved from disagreements over the centuries. Christianity replaced polytheistic religions in much of Europe. It split into Catholics and Orthodox, before Martin Luther and other heretics split from the Catholics to form Protestants ('protestors').

Further splits from disagreement about doctrine resulted in thousands of different denominations from groups such as Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, Anglicans splitting into further independent groups (many of which claim to be 'non-denominational').

Another division in Christianity in modern times is with regard to science. Creationism and evolution can be thought of as opposite ends of a spectrum. There are groups of Christians all the way along the continuum.

Starting from the 'creation' end, we have the Young Earth Creationists. YEC's believe in a literal interpretation of the bible and adhere to the beliefs of people hundreds of years ago, before modern science. They insist Earth is only 6,000 years old, and that God created the universe and life in 6 days. They fiercely oppose evolution and and all science that conflicts with a literal interpretation of the Bible, so reject geology, archaeology and much of chemistry, physics and biology.

They reject the findings of archaeology and linguistics that there were civilisations and languages older than the bible. They claim that dating methods are unreliable. They adhere to old unscientific beliefs, such as fossils and rock layers coming from Noah's flood. They insist dinosaurs walked with humans and that all humans spoke the same language until the tower of Babel.

They claim that animals went onto Noah's Ark in their own 'kinds' (roughly equivalent to scientific families) and then kinds changed into species (ie evolved within limits). It appears they started coming up with their evolved from 'created kinds' after it was pointed out that millions of species could not possibly fit on Noah's Ark.

Creation 'orchard' - evolution within created 'kinds'

Their supporters have shrunk, just like supporters of a flat Earth and Earth in the centre of the solar system (geocentrism) are near extinction. Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis is an example of a YEC. I've written a post with that includes silly creationist quotes in my post, Stupid and Ignorant Christian Quotes.

Moving along the continuum, we encounter the Old Earth Creationists. There are different groups of OEC's including Gap, Day-Age and Progressives. The main feature is they accept the scientific findings of geology and other sciences that Earth is very old (billions of years rather than thousands). They reject biological evolution, but accept that dinosaurs died out way before humans lived.

Intelligent Design is creationism in not so good disguise (for political reasons), appealing to people to believe in an unidentified creator because of apparent design in nature. A common tactic of anti-evolutionists such as ID is to badmouth Darwin by distorting the truth (ie telling lies).

Theistic Evolutionists are Christians accept all modern science, including an old Earth and evolution but say God did it. They take a liberal view of the bible and don't see science as a threat to their faith.

None of the above are scientific theories. They are religious interpretations.

Each group disagrees with other groups.

Young Earth Creationists accuse Old Earth Creationists of compromising the bible.

Old Earth Creationists point out that YEC's have used deception to make their claims that scientific radiometric dating is unreliable.

Theistic Evolutionists see YEC's as blinkered as flat-earthers dismissing science.

YECs and OECs say TEs accept death and destruction before Adam and Eve.

This sums up the OEC's best

Personally, I see problems with all of these views. I've read information on creationists websites, and my conclusion is that the YECs use the most deception to defend their literal view of the bible. They're the most deceptive and most deluded bunch. The lengths they go to with their highly unscientific 'explanations' is actually quite humorous. They are horrified that humans are considered animals by scientists.

Intelligent Design supporters also use plenty of deception. They are contradictory, as they claim 'design' proves a supernatural designer (not named, but assumed to be God) despites plenty of evidence of 'unintelligent design' such as human tails and cancer (which creationists assert is the result of sin after the 'fall').

And yes, TE's need to ask themselves why they need a savior if death and suffering has always been in the world. Time to dispense of the ancient book of mythology written by superstitious people altogether.

I wrote this to point out how religion divides people using the example of Christianity. I can't be bothered getting into creationist arguments, which go no-where.

Stupid & Ignorant Christian Quotes

2011-10-16T18:44:00.017+10:00

Some quotes from Christians that I found rather amusing. These are mostly from religious forums and creationist websites.

"If God doesn't exist, how is it possible that 1 metre is exactly 100 centimetres and that water boils at exactly 100 degrees Celcius?"
An atheist retorted: "Indeed and how is one mile 1760 yards and one yard is 3 feet and one foot is 12 inches...maybe God was high that day?"

"God loves diversity....God made racists...God wants some pure whites, some pure blacks, some pure forms of each race."
The author of this quote insisted that God wanted diversity, and that people would all become the same if 'whites' and 'blacks' interbred. 'Race' is an old word for 'species' and doesn't apply to contemporary humans, as we are all the same species biologically, regardless of skin colour. 'Race' is a social construct based on perceived cultural and physical differences.

"It is true that we all descended from Adam and Eve, but the 'fact' that Eve was black is a myth. No one knows about her color but she was made from Adam's rib and all ribs are white."
So does that mean Adam was brown because made from mud?

"My wife was unable to bear children...After I gave my life to the Lord we found out she was pregnant...4 months later my son was born...God could have installed a 5 month fetus into her womb with no problem at all."
hmmmm - paternity test maybe? Or just basic sex education needed?

"Many are infertile simply because of the sin that is in their lives. Women of the Old Testament sought God to open their wombs. In this day and time, no one wants to seek God for such things. They put their trust in doctors and IVF."
Maybe they get better results with doctors and IVF than with prayer to open wombs that apparently God slams shut.

"The deluded, ignorant followers of Darwin believe that man is actually a type of animal."
Humans are animals - they are mammals like dogs, cats and dolphins are mammals. Many believers are repulsed at the thought that they are an animal. For most of history, Christians have treated animals as objects to be dominated.

"Humans are not apes."
Actually, humans are classified as apes. Christians were upset years ago when a Linnaeus, a devout Christian Creationist grouped humans with other apes when he devised taxonomy classifications (before Darwin's time). Modern genetics proves that we are most closely related to other apes. Genetics also shows how all plants, animals, micro-organisms and animals are related. Humans are in the family Hominidae (great apes) along with Orangutans, Gorillas and Chimpanzees.

"Has anybody seen sexual contact of Male+Male or Female+Female among animals? NEVER. It is not natural."
Obviously this person has their head in the sand and is not aware that over 1000 species have been observed to engage in homosexual and bisexual behaviour, including dolphins, penguins and bonobos.

Also, animals hump animals different to their 'kind' (the word creationists use for related groups of animals so they don't have to account for all species of animals on Noah's Ark).
Humans have been sexually assaulted by other animals too, including by dolphins, turtles and donkeys.

"During the Cambrian Explosion virtually every phyla known to man just suddenly appeared."
If 10+ millions years is the same as 'suddenly', I'd hate to think how long an hour is.

"God is indeed a spirit and not a person...because I am the person, that makes it personal."
Is drinking whisky a personal relationship with spirits?

"The reason men have nipples is because it is aesthetically pleasing. Part of God's design was that each gender should be pleasing to look at."
Guess they don't realise that all fetuses start off developing same way until hormones kick in to stop further nipple developmental in males. Genitalia starts of intersex too.
Still, creationists intersex and extra nipples are defects caused by sin.

"Put a brain on the table...and ask it to say something...how can the brain produce intelligence, personality, and speech?...the voice box do not create words nor form ideas voice and sound is spiritual."
Not sure if this person is high or lacks intelligence.

"Indoctrination is only erased by praying combined with study. Once the truth is revealed the indoctrination becomes a thing despised and...brings us closer to the real God."
How to become indoctrinated.

"I hear Satan whispering...I hear Satan whisperers a whole lot on these forums..."
I see crazy-talk.

"If we did evolve from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?"
That's kind of like asking "if Americans came from Europe, why are there still Europeans?"

"Some scientists believe an asteroid hit the Earth millions of years ago and caused the ice age. According to what Jesus said, it was Satan that hit the earth, not an asteroid."
Can you see why this chap likes preaching in church and would make a lousy scientist?

"Medicine is a very vivid proof of the lie of evolution....Medicine can do absolutely NOTHING to add one single day to anybodies [sic] life."
Not sure what they're trying to say here, but it sounded rather silly. Plus I'm sure many would agree that medicine added to their lives. After all, most Christians have no problem going to the doctor, using medicines, having surgery and IVF.

"Humans have a sense that no other animals have. This was instilled in man and was not due to evolution. Have you ever had the feeling you were being watched?"
Don't forget God watches you having sex and taking a crap.

"If apes gave birth to the first humans, don't you think that at some point in the history of man it would be documented that a human gave birth to an ape?"
Is there any hope that creationists will ever get the basics of what evolution is, instead of spreading stupid lies?
As far as 'throwbacks' to early ancestors is concerned, humans have been born with excessive hair (hypertrichosis) and tails.

Hypertrichosis has been observed in males and females

"So when evolution suggests blacks are closer to monkeys than whites, what's that?"
Evolution says no such thing - lose the indoctrination and get an education. Grant vandersee also pondered which 'lame book' mentioned unicorns.

"As far as I know evolution claims the human race is ever evolving. How do you explain that many peoples found in the 19th and 20th century had not evolved at all in 2000 years or more, while other peoples had constantly 'evolved.'"
This Christian is an extreme right-wing white-supremacist American that keeps harping on that white Americans are better than dark-skinned people. To my amazement, a lot of people agree with his views. He confuses biological evolution (no current humans are more evolved than others as all one species) with extent of civilisation in societies.

"...I saw an atheist post....that sumerians predated Adam...some folks will believe ANYTHING they read in a science journal or even on a 'scientific website' but they won't believe the Bible which has been proven historically accurate and brilliant...the written word of GOD Almighty. The ones that buy into this rubbish, such as atheists and evolutionists have no proof of these scientific studies... because a 'scientist' cannot see the real truth...Because evolutionists are only concerned with evolution...their sole purpose is to discredit God...Anyone with a brain knows that Adam and Eve predates humanity."

Anyone that actually uses their brain should know that archaeology is the science that predates many civilisations before the bible, not evolution. If the Jews came out of Egypt, the Egyptians predate the time the Hebrews invented Adam and Eve.

Abraham was said to be the first Hebrew, around 1850BCE. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew after the Hebrew language developed. Several civilizations existed for thousands of years before this, with their own flood stories etc.

Several civilizations found older than when bible written

"...the Ark described in the Bible was a huge vessel. Not until the late 1880s was a ship built that exceeded the capacity of Noah's Ark."
Guess having the right tools would help. So would using steel instead of wood.

"...Noah didn't have to search or travel to far away places to bring all the animals on board. The world map was completely different before the flood...there may have only been one continent...the animals simply arrived at the Ark as if called by a 'homing instinct'...and marched up the ramp, all by themselves."
The first world map wasn't even constructed when the flood was supposed to have taken place. Were the animals divinely constipated as well, so Noah didn't have to shovel crap all day and night for nearly a year?

"Widespread legends of encounters with dragons give another indication that at least some dinosaurs survived the flood. The only way this could happen is if they were on the Ark."
Using dragon mythology to 'prove' bible mythology.

Many creationists claim dinosaurs lived alongside people

"From Darwin on down, evolutionists have preached that the Negro race was lower on the evolutionary scale, much closer to the apes than the Caucasian."
Nope. Another lie spread by anti-evolutionists, who accuse Darwin of being racist, meanwhile deflecting the racism in the church for centuries (eg Martin Luther).

"At Babel, God did not separate the nations according to language. He used language to separate them according to paternal ancestory! This has monumental significance and is the key to understanding human genetic history. Paternal sorting would lead to specific Y chomosome lineages in different geographical locations."
This creationist goes further than just claiming that the Tower of Babel in the Bible is where people got different languages. They twisted human genetic migration studies and linguistic studies to come up with Babel babble pseudoscience nonsense. They claimed ancient civilisations were dated wrong and that the flood came before pyramids were built. To the creationist, everyone is wrong that contradicts with the bible.

A - How linguists say language evolved. B - creationists insist on Babel babble.

Martin Luther - the Ugly Truth

2011-10-09T12:52:00.011+10:00

Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) is often referred to as the father of Protestant Christianity. He was a German priest that was a heretic against the Catholic church and led the Protestant Reformation (protestant comes from 'protest'), the first big split from Catholicism since the Early Christianity split into Orthodox Christians and the Catholic Church.

Protestant Christians (those other than Catholics and Orthodox) come from Catholic roots, not straight from Early Christianity as many like to claim. Early Christianity evolved from Jewish heretics.

The Reformation (green) are Protestant Heretics from Catholic church (red). Orthodox split earlier (blue/purple)

The recently invented printing press allowed Luther's views to be distributed easily throughout Europe.

While Luther is celebrated for diversity in Christianity today (all the different denominations in Christianity such as Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists evolved from heresy), few Christians promote anything else about Luther.

Evolution of Protestant Christian denominations since Reformation

Catholic corruption over indulgences is often cited as the reason for Luther's protests. Yet, Luther cited the doctrine of free will as his central reason for the Reformation. Luther wrote there is no free will. Modern Christians typically have a doctrine of free-will.

"...with regard to God, and in all that bears of salvation or damnation, (man) has no 'free-will', but is a captive, prisoner and bondslave, either to the will of God, or to the will of Satan."

"we do everything of necessity, and nothing by 'free-will'; for the power of 'free-will' is nil...'

Luther translated the bible into German. Christians claim that the Catholic bible has books added. The fact is, the Protestant bible has had books subtracted. Luther had issue with many of the books of the bible. He separated Old Testament books he took issue with into a separate section called the Apocrypha. He also put New Testament books into a separate section. He expressed doubts about the books of Hebrew, James, John, Relevation and many others.

He wrote:

"...the epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw, because it contains nothing evangelical...If nonsense is spoken anywhere, this is the very place."
"The history of Jonah is so monstrous that is is absolutely incredible."
"I feel an aversion to it [book of Revelation], and to me this is sufficient reason for rejecting it."

When Americans demanded a plain English bible because the King James Version (which also contained the Apocrypha until 1666) was in Old English and difficult to understand, printers made the decision to leave out the rarely used Apocrypha to save money. Luther separated out books which printers later removed. The Apocrypha has stories such as Daniel who made a dragon explode by feeding it pitch and hair.

Luther had an obsession with the Devil or Satan and demons. He considered women, snakes and reason to be of the devil. Women were not considered to be as clever as men and were to stay home and keep house. Some quotes:

"Snakes and monkeys are subjected to the demon more than other animals. Satan lives in them and possesses them."

"The Devil can so completely assume the human form, when he wants to deceive us, that we may well lie with what seems to be a woman, of real flesh and blood, and yet all the while 'tis only the Devil in the shape of a woman."

"Men have broad and large chests, and small narrow hips, and more understanding than women, who have but small and narrow chests, and broad hips, to the end they should remain at home, sit still, keep house, and bear and bring up children."

"A large number of deaf, crippled and blind people are afflicted solely through the malice of the demon."

Luther was against reason and objected to Copernicus (1473-1543) who first figured out the Earth moved around the Sun, which contradicted the long-held belief that Earth was the centre of the universe.

"People give ear to an upstart astrologer [astronomer Copernicus] who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon. This fool wishes to reverse the whole science of astronomy."

Luther scoffed when Copernicus demonstrated Sun is centre of our solar system (bottom), not Earth (top)

"To be a Christian, you must 'pluck out the eye of reason.' "
"Reason should be destroyed in all Christians."
"Reason is the Devil's greatest whore."
"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has."

Luther encouraged believers to sin.

"God does not work salvation for fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin vigorously...sin must be committed."

"Be a sinner and sin boldly...as long as we are here in this world we have to sin. This life is not a dwelling place of righteousness."
"Your sin cannot cast you into hell."

Luther hated the Jews and wrote a dirty little hate book called The Jews and their Lies.

Hitler admired Luther and used Luther's antisemitic writings to support his cause. Hitler saw the Jews as an infectious disease to be destroyed, just like Luther. Luther wrote about the Jews:

"[Rulers] must act like a good physician who, when gangrene has set in proceeds without mercy to cut, saw and burn flesh, veins, bone and marrow. Burn down their synagogues....force them to work, and deal harshly with them...if this does not help we must drive them out like mad dogs."

"If we wish to wash our hands of the Jew's blasphemy and not share in their guilt, we have to part company with them. They must be driven from our country."

"What shall we Christians do now with this depraved and damned people of the Jews?...I will give my faithful advice: First, that one should set fire to their synagogues...Then that one should also break down and destroy their houses."

"The Jews deserve to be hanged on gallows, seven times higher than ordinary thieves."
"We ought to take revenge on the Jews and kill them."

The antisemitic writings of Luther were used by Hitler

Luther condoned the deaths of 100,000 peasants who revolved in 1525 because of their miserable living conditions. He urged the slaughter of peasants who protested:

"They should be knocked to pieces, strangled and stabbed, secretly and openly, by everybody who can do it, just as one must kill a mad dog!"

Are these the words of a man esteemed for bringing about reform in religion? Or an evil man that aided in the murder of thousands of innocent people?

Most Christians are not aware of the ugly history of their legacy.

If you don't believe in Leprechauns

2011-10-04T22:02:00.006+10:00

Here's an amusing extract of an atheist's reply to a theist. I've matched up selected statements and fixed up any spelling mistakes I noticed.

Theist: Let me tell you now. I'm not going to convert you.
Atheist: You're right about one thing: you're not going to convert anybody with that.

Theist: If you don't believe in God. Why do you believe in Love?
Atheist: If you don't believe in Leprechauns, why do you believe in mischief and rainbows?

T: How can good and evil exist, if there is no God?
A: How can light and music exist, if there is no Apollo on his golden chariot?

T: Yet whenever you choose to ignore God, you lose that ability more and more. People marry because of love.
A: Yet whenever you choose to ignore vampires, you lose that ability more and more. People hide under the covers because of fear.

T: Tell me why you hate God. Do you hate all that is good and love?
A: Tell me why you hate elephant-headed Ganesha, the four-armed Lord of Beginnings. Do you hate His domains of art, science, intellect and wisdom?

T: God exists. Seeing Him isn't something I need to believe, because He is with me. When you believe in God, He will be with you.
A: Xenu, my Galactic Overlord, exists. Seeing Him isn't something I need to believe, because He is with me. When you believe in Xenu, He will be with you.

T: What do you, as an atheist, have to live for? Absolutely nothing. Do you think the Devil will allow you so easily to believe Him?
A: What do you, as a non-believer in Thor, have to live for? Absolutely nothing. Deniers of the Hammer-Wielding, Fiery-Haired One will say anyway that none of this is true.

T: Ask God to help you understand. Is it so hard to hate a God who is love? Who is nothing like anything you've thought or have been led to believe by the Devil.
A: Ask the Blue Fairy to help you understand. Is it so hard to hate a Fairy who is love? Who is nothing like anything you've thought or have been led to believe by sneaking chupacabra.

T: There is absolutely no reason to say God doesn't exist, when He has always been with you. Have you ever thought as a child about God?
A: There is absolutely no reason to say The Invisible Girl doesn't exist, when Susan Storm has always been with you. Have you ever thought as a child about superheroes? In blue spandex?

T: You might have felt alone but you've always known He was with you. And it's probably not the idea you have of Him you've thought of, but it was Him.
A: You might have felt alone but you've always known the Ghost of Elvis was with you. And it's probably not the idea you have of Elvis you've thought of, but it was the Sideburned One Himself.

T: You may need help, and that's ok, but what I'm saying is, don't let others give you a false idea about God.
A: You may need help, and that's ok, but what I'm saying is, don't let others give you a false idea about Yahweh, the Bronze-Age deity Who slaughters children, commands rape and slavery, and hates the shrimp He created. Good luck on your awakening!

read the full version

More on Leprechauns
from Hubpages' religious forums

#1
Atheist: Not believing in the sky fair or leprechauns, fairies in the garden or flying pigs is a religion? I thought that was called common sense! One does not need to have a religion to not believe in bullsh*t like religion!

#2
Theist: God has the solution! That is why God is still invisible, mankind has not come to the end of himself yet as a species. [Nimrod] tried to build a waterproof tower about the clouds to thwart another flood, in the meantime unknown to him, God had already solved that problem with his rainbow. (Say, what??)

Atheist: LOL! Perhaps, Leprechauns and gods are one and the same, its just that rainbows with pots of gold at the end along with your god of the bible seem to always disappear in light of chasing reality.

#3

Theist: Faith is believing in things unseen. Anyone can believe in what they see. No eye has seen, no ear has heard.

Atheist: Yes, I know the difference between believing in leprechauns and unicorns and gods; faith . Yeah, I get that. And, had you been indoctrinated into a leprechaun belief system instead of a religion, you would state emphatically that leprechauns existed as it is "believing in things unseen"

#4

Theists: Atheism is just like any other religion. Atheists use faith. Thinking there is no God is a theory of Science but not a proven one. Atheism is the religion which is bent on believing the impossibility of nothing. By their ignorant efforts, they are actually serving the devil for he indeed is the father of every false belief.

Atheist: Atheism isn't a belief system any more than a-leprechaunism is a belief system. It's a mistake many religious people make to think there is some coherent world-view call atheism. There isn't. There's just the following of the default way people learn, by using rational thinking and a skeptical position with respect to acquiring knowledge.

Unicorns & Dragons in the Bible

2011-10-01T14:29:00.011+10:00

Why do creatures from pagan mythology frequently appear in the bible?

Many people, including christians are ignorant of this. Examples from Twitter:

Oh, the irony. A reply to the first tweet said: "Yep, it's called BIBLE." Grant Vandersee is a classic example of a militant christian fundie. He spouts off indoctrinated nonsense from IDiots, blind in one eye and can't see out the other.

Unicorns are mentioned in the bible nine times. Some believers claim this is a mis-translation (so much for the inerrant word of God). Others say that unicorns were a real animal, now extinct. The people who wrote the bible seemed to believe in unicorns and so did the people who translated it.

Kentucky's proposed creationist museum park featuring Noah's Ark is expected to feature unicorns and dragons, much to the embarrassment of other christians.

Unicorns in the bible seem to have gradually changed to other animals then phased out with new translations over time. Get ready for magic - poof - unicorns change into oxen before many other changes before doing a vanishing trick.

The unicorn was a mythological creature with the head of a horse with a single, spiral horn from the forehead, the beard of a goat, the tail of a lion and cloven hooves. The unicorn was said to be too fierce to capture but it would be as gentle as a lamb if a virgin exposed her breast and waited for a unicorn to suckle.

Virgin with lion and unicorn

What about dragons in the bible? Leviathan the multi-headed fire-breathing sea-serpent - the bible says God was only one capable of killing it and fed it to people. Behemoth the beast with tree-trunk legs that grazed on grass. Apologists try to say Leviathan and Behemoth (creatures of Jewish mythology) are real animals living today or since extinct.

Some say these creatures are dinosaurs even though dinosaurs died out way before humans lived. And how many dinosaurs have 7 heads? (like Leviathan and the Apocalyptic dragon that had an appetite for newborn babies).

The Catholic bible has a story of Daniel and the dragon (these verses are eliminated from the protestant bible). The dragon was bothering the village people, so Daniel fed it a mixture of pitch and fat which apparently made the dragon explode!

Dragons, unicorns, human giants and Leprechauns are creatures from folklore. Interesting that the bible incorporates mythology which followers claim is fact. The bible even features symbols and mythological creatures from Alchemy, such as the Phoenix. Ironically, believers of the bible burned Alchemists and cats in medieval Europe because of superstitions they were associated with witchcraft.

The bible starts off with a story of a talking snake that persuaded a rib-woman to eat magic fruit which made all babies born evil. How can this not be a book of mythology? How do believers expect anyone to take them seriously?

Artist depiction of biblical dragons

Bible Inappropriate for Children

2011-09-30T08:09:00.001+10:00

The bible is inappropriate for children. Few believers have actually read the bible and stick to a few cherry-picked verses.

The bible is packed with bizarre, graphic, disturbing, wierd and wacky stories. One of the wackiest is where God tells a man to cook with his poo.

The violence in the bible is appalling, including violence against children.

Then you've got all the messages that women are inferior sex-objects.

'The "Holy" Bible is the worst book of fiction ever written. It should be classified Horror/Fiction, not suitable for under 18 and have a warning stuck on the cover WARNING: Reading this book will result in serious brain damage caused by the God Virus' - Robert Tobin

Civil Dialogue with Christian

2011-09-28T21:49:00.008+10:00

Often trying to have a conversation with a person of a different worldview can be a frustrating experience. A bit like this:

Sometimes things are a little better, but extreme caution is needed or someone gets hurt:

I gave up debating on Hubpages' religious forums, because it was often like the hippos trying to knock each other's teeth out. I decided to start this blog instead to give my opinion and invite dialogue.

I was hesitant when I left a comment on Aguasilver's hub on abortion. Previously, I'd been like the cat that got its nose pricked by the hedgehog. I remembered Agua as one of the most outspoken (and I thought irritating) christians on the forums. To my surprise, we had a productive dialogue about sensitive issues that usually have claws out and prickles flying.

I've edited out unnecessary parts to shorten (was over 2,500 words!) and added some links. Agua's comments are in italics.

Did you end up having to abort the baby from the ectopic pregnancy?

Unfortunately yes we did lose that child, though the baby was non-viable as it was outside the womb.That's what ectopic means.

Technically, terminating ectopic pregnancies is still an abortion. That's why the issue of abortion is not black & white. I don't agree with people that have multiple abortions because they are too slack to prevent the pregnancy in first place. But I do see there are cases where people have their pregnancies terminated (eg ectopic), and they don't need to be judged for it.

Then we agree, I recognise that there are certain circumstances when we have to kill to protect the greater good, but we should never kill for convenience. Let me state that my objections to the killing of viable babies is NOT a religious conviction, i.e. it is not because any doctrine tells me all abortion is wrong, it is from personal experience and much thought about the issue. There are scriptural verses that support the anti abortion lobby, but using them against frightened and confused mothers is not their intention. Such life and death decisions have no place in politics or doctrinal debate.

Seems we agree on this issue, clarified in your replies, although I thought your religious convictions seemed to come thru very strongly in this hub. I don't like any killing for convenience. As a child, I hated how the neighbour drowned kittens because they couldn't bothered getting their cats desexed. I agree that this is an issue that is not black-and-white and should stay out of politics & religious debate.

Glad we have some common ground! I guess my religious nature would come though in most things I do, or at least I hope it does! - but what I mean is this is not a subject that I would think to try and preach about to non believers, the subject is too emotive and any decisions taken need to be an evaluated response, not a reaction, no matter which way that reaction shaped the issue.

I don't like how animals are killed for food, yet I eat meat. Animals eat each other too. I think there's several topics that are not black and white. eg intersex

People born with physical intersex confusions would be a different matter, not sure where we go with that one, which is why I leave it to you!Scripturally the bible tells us we are born male or female, but makes no distinction as to what degrees we may lean towards that designation.

I've been researching the topic of intersex (biologically in-between male & female). I've written a blog post - the emphasis is on the stigma of labels.

Hi.... Just read your blog, interesting.

I've just written an Intersex hub - thought I may as well, since researched it.

Now our brains are very complicated things, and personally I think we (as a society) need to recognise that 'different' is not always 'disabled', but does always need special attention, in order to harness the particularly unique qualities that some 'different' folk happen to have.People of 'different' brain powers frighten 'normal' society, because they tend not to fit into boxes that are recognisable and safe.Hope that explains where I am coming from a bit more!

Yep, people seem to fear and despise minorities (ethnicities, disabilities, autism, atheism etc)

Perhaps because minorities are now the most vociferous and also in our politically correct world the most able to influence the majority, we seemingly bend over backwards to empower, unreasonably in my opinion, anybody who plays the minority card, and we live in a weird world where the 'rights' of the majority are often subjugated to the 'rights' of the minority.

Perhaps the minorities are vociferous because they are tired of being made invisible and being despised for no good reason. Take intersex people - they are considered by society to be defective and typically have surgery in infancy to align themselves with society's opinion of what their genitals should look like - a penis considered too small is removed and then they are raised as a girl with secrets and shame regarding the biology they were born with.

I can accept that minorities are 'tired of being made invisible and being despised for no good reason' but I am afraid that is life, always has been and unless we legislate in a totally controlled society (fascist/communist state) always will be...No matter how much folk may desire a perfect world where everyone is treated fairly and equally, reality tells me that with nearly 7 billion folk walking the earth, anyone who stands out for better or worse is going to be marginalised by society at large. Anyhow, we went a bit of topic there, which being that my opinion is that unborn babies who are terminated for convenience are probably the most abused 'minority' and I think we should give the unborn some right to life....even if they are going to be different and persecuted.

'I'm afraid that is life, always has been' - do we concede defeat, or do we educate to get rid of deeply held stigma based on ignorance? I don't think it's too much off-topic - all of these topics are about ethics and morals and how we choose to treat human beings and life in general. Where does stigma come from? Deep-rooted beliefs that some people are just no good? I've enjoyed the civil dialogue, btw. Usually I find your views quite rigid black & white.

I think the chance of educating folk out of ignorance is remote at best, optimists would call me a pessimist, I would say that having studied folk from all levels of society in many countries over a 40 year period, realism is that the masses breed ignorance faster than education can stem it's tide, and that is BEFORE we look at religious zealots of all colours clinging to their self imposed prisons of inerrant but wrong doctrines. Ignorance also comes in well educated people, we need people who, by exposure to reality, have been forced to rearrange their mindset to accommodate the truths they have seen and experienced. Being perfectly honest, most of the folk who form minorities today would have died or been killed even 100 years ago, it's Darwinism at it's finest, survival of the fittest. So we can be proud of the fact that society has (at least in the 'First World') gained a tolerance that we no longer cull those to weak or perceived as defective.

Yes, 'educated' people can be ignorant - I mean educated about these issues. Don't confuse evolution (science) with "Darwinism" (social 'science' - pseudoscience). "Darwinism", a social sciences construct has twisted a few science concepts and created used it for evil purposes. Is society ever going to sort itself out? I doubt it, but then a lot of things are better than a few hundred or a few thousand years ago, when people would be burnt at the stake for promoting the healing properties of plants, and women were treated as property (and still are in some cultures). Is religion going to fix things? Not if it sticks to unbending 'morals' that continue with hate and stigma because of ancient texts. There's always going to be some nasty part of society - I read an appalling article how a mother killed her baby and ate its brain during a psychotic episode. Religionists might say possessed by the devil. Either way, this kind of horror happens. It happens in all of the animal kingdom. Do you mind if I post our conversation to my blog?

You are welcome to do so, hopefully not as a parody of what a mad fundy looks like, but I leave it to you to decide! Drop me a link!

I'll link it and let you know. Thought it was a productive conversation.

Agreed, it was productive, we exchanged viewpoints, no slanging match, found common ground and (at least from my perspective) I discovered new ground to be covered. Thanks

Don't think we're this cosy, but at least fur and claws are not flying

Hearts are gross

2011-09-11T13:45:00.000+10:00

My 8-year-old son Xavier asks all kinds of questions, such as 'where did humans come from?'. I can answer many of them, as I read a lot, but some I have to look up if he's really interested. He's a thinker and the questions he asks don't seem to relate to anything we're doing at the time.

One day, when I picked him up from school, our conversation went like this:

"Mum, why do love-hearts look nothing like real hearts? Real hearts are gross."

"I agree. Real hearts look gross and only slightly resemble love hearts . I'm not sure where the heart symbol comes from, but I do know that people believed for thousands of years that emotions like love came from the heart."

"But they don't, do they?"

"No, thanks to science, we now know that emotions and thoughts come from the brain."

"Brains look gross too."

"Yes, they do."

"So brains are more important than hearts?"

Ancient Egyptian art - weighing heart as afterlife judgement

"Hearts are important too in order to stay alive. You can get your heart replaced though, but not your brain."

"So hearts and brains are both important?"

"Yes. The ancient Egyptians used to make mummies by wrapping dead people in bandages..."

"I know."

"...well, when they were preparing them, they took some organs out and pickled them, and kept the heart. They threw the brain away."

"That's funny. Why'd they do that?"

"They believed the heart was the most important part and where emotions come from. They thought the brain was useless so they threw it away."

"Why did they keep the heart?"

"Because they believed in an afterlife, that an invisible part of the person lives on forever. Religious people believe that. They call it a soul or spirit."

"Weird."

Human heart from autopsy

Where did humans come from?

2011-09-10T23:00:00.008+10:00

Xavier is not your typical 8-year-old. He has an inquiring mind and asks endless questions. He's logical and grounded in the concrete world and is naturally skeptical of religion. He's blunt, arrogant and argumentative. He's thirsty for knowledge and is an able reader. He can also tantrum like a 2-year-old - just like many kids with Asperger's.

I enjoy our conversations, which often take place in the car when it's just him and me. He's a natural scientist, curious about electricity, lightning, magnetism, geology, planets, earthquakes, tornadoes, cavemen and much more. Maybe that science degree and teaching diploma came in handy, after all? Or maybe it's handy his mother enjoys learning too.

Our conversation yesterday went like this:

"Mum, where did humans come from? How did life come about?"

"Humans haven't always been around. Many animals went extinct millions of years before humans even arrived on the scene. Planet Earth has been around billions of years."

"Yeah, but where did humans and all the animals come from?"

"Well, no-one was there to see. Scientists look at the evidence to figure out what happened. Scientists study living things, rocks and fossils..."

"...like dinosaur fossils..."

"...yes, like dinosaur fossils....fossils are from things that once lived trapped in rock. Scientists have figured out Earth is very old and everything is related to each other and animals that used to live no longer life today."

"So different types of birds were flying around?"

"Yes, and birds come from dinosaurs. Humans are animals too, although many religious people don't like to be told that."

"Why not?"

"Because they think they are better than the animals and are to dominate them. Humans come from apes...actually humans ARE apes. All animals gradually change over time. They come from animals that no longer exist anymore."

"Like dinosaurs."

"Right. Horses that lived millions of years ago were different to horses today. If you go backwards, all furry animals come from a simpler fish-like animal that had a backbone that lived in the sea. Lots of changes over a very long time developed into all the different types of animals we have today - those small changes is called evolution."

"Why do people say god made them, then?"

"Because a few thousand years ago, people wrote the bible and said god made Earth and all the plants and animals in 7 days. Until a few hundred years ago people believed Earth was only 6000 years old. The bible says god made a man out of dirt and a woman out of his rib."

"That's ridiculous!"

"They thought fossils were from all the animals drowned in Noah's flood - a story in the bible where god told Noah to build a giant boat without modern tools and take animals on board to survive a flood. They thought big bones like dinosaur bones were from giants."

"Why did people tell these stories?"

"Well, people in those days didn't know the kind of stuff we know these days, thanks to science. They were trying to understand their world. They didn't know that bacteria can make people sick and that volcanoes and earthquakes were from Earth's crust moving."

"What did they think then?'

"They didn't understand lightning and floods and volcanoes - they thought the gods were angry."

"That's silly! What - more than one god?"

"Well, before people believed in a single god - and different religions have different versions of god - they believed in many gods - god of the earth, god of the sea, god of the sky, god of the sun...if they didn't keep the gods happy then they believed they wouldn't get rain for their crops or that the gods would punish them with volcanic eruptions etc"

"How did they keep the gods happy?"

"They did strange things like kill people and animals and offered it to the gods."

"That's so gross - and weird."

"Well, that's what people did back in ancient times - they were superstitious and believed in gods and magic."

"I like science."

"I like science too. How about we go to the library when I pick you up from school so you can find out more about how life came about on Earth?"

"Okay. Cool."

Evangelicals question the existence of Adam and Eve.

Heaven

2011-09-09T22:16:00.005+10:00

Heaven as described in the bible doesn't sound like a very appealing place - like a palace in biblical times with weird creatures.

The christian version of heaven has no sex, no eating, no animals, no family (assuming non-believing family went to hell). What would there be to enjoy?

Islamic heaven has virgins waiting (not sure how they'd be virgins with everyone at them). Pastafarian heaven has strippers and beer.

Here's a dialogue from a religious forum about heaven:

Christian: I believe my soul will go to heaven also, and I will live forever

Atheist: That's fine. I'm curious as to what you would do in heaven. How would you pass the time?

Christian: I will be singing beautiful praise and worship songs to God. Fellowshipping with everyone, and having the most glorious time of my life!

Atheist: People often see things in different ways. My reaction was a shudder of horror. Eternity never ends and even the most wonderful, fabulous, party would become hell.

Comments by non-believers:

No sex in hell? Nooooo! Well, if this is true, heaven may become hell immediately.

I couldn't imagine non-stop worshipping of some psychotic despot for eternity. That, too, is hell.

The problem is to decide which hell they'll be sent. Will it be Christian hell, Islamic hell or some other hell? I visualize myself standing before the many gods that believers have created for themselves, all of them arguing and fighting over which hell I will be sent.

via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Jesus covers a multitude of sins

2011-09-09T21:58:00.002+10:00

via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

God created in our image

2011-09-09T21:45:00.010+10:00

via Saturday Morning Breakfast Channel

If other animals were religious, their gods would take after themselves too.

Comment: "If I had created him, he would not be so condemning."

At least the religions that preceded monotheistic religions had female gods too!

Evolution and unintelligent design.

From a religious forum:

Question: Will natural selection eliminate those too rigid in their beliefs to adapt?

Comment : Any species that refuses to evolve becomes either extinct or, if it is very lucky, it finds a niche in some mountain backwater where nothing else wants the territory, like the platypus.

Me: did you know the platypus and echidna both poo, pee and lay eggs out of the same hole? And the male platypus has venomous spurs.

Comment: That sounds exactly like our fundies :)- if they talked out of the same hole they would BE our fundies especially the venomous spurs :)

Child Preachers - Exploited Kids

2011-09-05T21:07:00.007+10:00

Child preachers seem to a multiplying phenomena in religion, particularly in the bible belt of the US and in countries like Brazil. Kid preachers are nothing new - they've been showcased for several decades - boys and girls.

Kids that are barely out of nappies take to the stage to perform. Are they anointed by God or mimicking what they've seen all their lives? Much of what they say doesn't make sense. They have stereotyped preacher mannerisms - they're clearly excellent imitators.

Here's a sample of a few of them:

Kanon Tipton is/was the world's youngest preacher at 4 years of age. He follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. When asked why he preaches, he said to be like dad.

He first got up to babble with the microphone at 21 months of age, which went viral on YouTube. Now he strings some phrases together, which don't actually make a lot of sense - sounds like he just regurgitates phrases he's heard over and over.

Samuel Boutwell was preaching outside abortion clinics when he was 7. He was a pawn in a political debate, even though he admitted he didn't know how babies were made.

Terry Durham was ordained at age 6. He wanted to be a preacher like his grandmother. His 'ministry' takes him internationally, where he sometimes preaches dozens of times per week. Some of these children rake in over $80 million per year.

Child preachers are big business in Brazil. They preach all year, don't play with other children and they say they have been chosen by God. They typically have a 'miracle' birth story or a prophet telling their parents their children were appointed to preach. They don't have training in theology, nor do they have life experience.

Marjoe Gortner was a child preacher in the 1950s (he's first in the first video clip above). In his teens, he took off with a woman and became a hippy. He returned to the preaching circuit for a while as an adult, while living a double life, as he didn't believe what he preached.

A documentary, Marjoe was released in 1972 where he revealed the tricks of the trade in his profession, such as faith healings. It was all an act, a cult of personality. He was a show-pony trained to preach and play musical instruments. He had to perform a wedding ceremony before he was 5, and if he didn't learn his lines, his mother held his head under water or put a pillow over his face.

He revealed how he had been exploited by his parents and used to con people into giving money. He pulled in around $3 million as a child, back when the average salary was around $3,000.

He admitted religion was addictive and he loved the feeling performing gave him - like a rock star. After an unsuccessful film career, he faded into oblivion.

Evangelists are like salespeople. The most successful are those that manipulate without the person realising they're being conned. They have charismatic personalities. They know how to use voice and mannerisms effect.

David Berg learnt the tricks of the evangelical trade off his pentecostal preacher mother. He went on to form the abusive cult, The Children of God, where children were abused in every way possible.

What will become of other child preachers? Are they acts with exploitative parents like Marjoe and the Jackson Five? Is this child abuse as indoctrination because they're not mature enough to analyse what they're doing?

Murderer in the Congregation

2011-09-02T23:01:00.009+10:00

You may have heard of the House of Horrors Murder that took place in New Zealand a few years ago. Jason Somerville murdered his neighbour and his wife then had sex with their corpses before burying them under his house. He showed no remorse.

I first met Jason and Rebecca through my parents. They were involved with my family’s church. Jason struck me as creepy and Rebecca seemed simple. I remember seeing her with what looked like a week’s worth of baby sick down the back of her sweatshirt. They were unkempt and smelled bad and were unemployed most of the time.

Their children were removed from their care by child services. I don’t know the exact details, but I heard it was because of neglect and for their own safety – something to do with Jason. The church was trying to get their children back.

Jason owned a house, which surprised me as they didn’t seem to have skills and income. I heard a rumour that he sued the government for his own neglect as a foster child and was awarded a substantial payout. Apparently their house was shockingly filthy with faeces on the floor.

My mother is a Pentecostal Christian. She gravitates towards the homeless and druggies and alcoholics. She hopes to convert them to Christianity. I think dad gets a bit nervous with these kinds of folk staying - I think he wonders if his house is going to get cleaned out.

I remember being left in the car with a woman that said she wanted to drown herself in the lake. I didn’t know anything about mental illness back then. Many Christians believe that depression and other mental illness is demonic possession only cured by exorcism.

There seemed to be issues in the congregation. The church split in two, apparently because too many people wanted to be the leader – all the big egos that thought they heard the voice of God. My family has estranged members. My family don’t want to speak to me because I know longer believe in God. My brother-in-law hasn’t spoken to my parents for years, even when they went to the same church.

The church didn’t seem equipped to help troubled people. It seems conversion to Christianity and exorcism is not enough. A couple that attended my parent’s church ended in a murder-suicide. There were affairs, broken marriages, teen pregnancies. I knew of a secret abortion.

These kinds of issues happen in other churches too. I recall my sister being shocked that her bridesmaid ran off with a married man. They convinced themselves it was ‘God’s will.’

Andrea Yates became famous for drowning her five children. She was a devout Christian that believed she was possessed. She thought her children were not developing normally, so she thought she was doing them a favour by sending them straight to heaven.

Fundamental believers have beaten their children to death. Children are psychologically abused by religion. Abortion doctors have been murdered by Christians claiming to do justice on behalf of God.

People do all kinds of unthinkable things in the name of their God. Men will kill their daughters and sisters if they are not virgins, even if they have been raped. Thousands of women and girls are murdered each year by their families in 'honour' killings.

Muslim terrorists believe they have virgins waiting for them in heaven. There are Christian terrorists too.

The Quran is a violent book. So is the Bible - there are many gruesome accounts of children being murdered in the bible.

Christianity in Europe has a violent history. The church tortured people for not believing in God, owning a cat, healing with herbs and for saying that the Earth was not flat and the sun does not go around the Earth. Those that had sex before marriage or were homosexual could get their internal organs ripped to shreds by various torturous contraptions or be burnt at the stake.

I’ve noticed something interesting. An atheist is excommunicated from a religious family, time and time again. But it doesn’t matter if someone what crimes someone has done as long as they convert to their religion. A murderer and rapist is welcomed if they ‘repent’ and believe that Jesus has saved them. The bigger the crime, the more glorious the salvation story.

Yet the atheist is considered to be scum. Homosexuals are viewed as even worse. Atheists are seen as worse than sex offenders.

Scapegoat in my dysfunctional family

2011-08-24T23:04:00.019+10:00

After my mother indicated she was 'done' talking to me, I phoned my father. I was familiar with females in my family over-reacting and sometimes being nasty. I'm the family scapegoat, that gets the blame for everything wrong in the family. I've been told I'm insane, crazy, the worst daughter in the whole family, possessed by the devil and other unpleasant things.

My father is the most rational one in my biological family. I was upset my mother was making the decision I don't talk to my father.

The first thing he said was 'You attacked Sarah?!' I hadn't attacked my niece, Sarah. Sarah's mother (my sister) had attacked me. I explained to dad, but he wasn't convinced.

Extracts of our dialogue went like this:

Dad: "You've been writing personal stuff on for everyone to see - you shouldn't do that."

Me: "I use a pen-name and I don't identify specific details about where we live etc, so what's the problem?"

Dad: "Your mother says you're writing disgusting stuff - it's got to stop. I don't know what's wrong with you."

Me: "Have you actually read my stuff or do you just believe everything mum says? Mum is the only person that is negative about my writing. I've had lots of supportive comments and emails."

Dad: "You spend too much on the computer. It isn't normal. You need to get out and make friends. I believe your mother when she says you're writing bad things about the family. I can tell from your voice you're not happy. You need to find a hobby you really enjoy. What's something you really like doing?"

Me: "Writing. I like writing. And I'm really enjoying it. I'm getting heaps of encouragement and support from people that read my writing. And I sound upset because every time I deal with family it's upsetting. My own family doesn't want to know me and I haven't done anything wrong."

Dad: "You've changed. You didn't make much of an effort when you saw us last time. One thing I've noticed is that you can't get on with anyone."

Me: "I'm autistic, dad. I have Asperger's and so does Xavier (my son). We have difficulty with social interactions."

Dad: "That's no excuse. You can't even get on with people at work - you're always having problems at work."

Me: "I get on with people at work. My supervisor is a pain-in-the-neck because she's a control-freak and a micromanager, but otherwise I'm happy at work and get along with people fine."

Dad: "You have no respect for people older than you and people in charge of you. You need to be humble. I don't understand you at all. I still can't believe you attacked Sarah. What does Leo say about all this?"

(I ask my husband, Leo. He doesn't want to talk on the phone. He says loud enough for dad to hear: "You need to accept her for who she is. Otherwise, you're no different from the Jehovah Witnesses." That would have hit a nerve, I'm sure.)

Me: "Mum's made it clear she doesn't want anything to do with me. My sisters don't want anything to do with me either. I haven't done anything wrong. I'm being truthful and honest. It's clear you believe all their poison. I thought you could see both sides, but I was wrong. I'm really disappointed with you, dad."

It was the first time I felt really disappointed with my father. I'd been let down by the females in my family plenty of times, especially mum. They can't agree to disagree. No, I get sent crappy emails calling me names. My eldest sister sent a long letter that was a non-stop rant accusing me of being immature and crazy. I've been subjected to verbal abuse from Mum too many times to count.

My family don't even like me as a person. They insist I changed and they don't like it. When I was a child, I was an obedient puppet controlled by my parents. I smiled all the time so people would like me. I never swore, stole or ran away from home. I never got drunk or slept around (I didn't even have a boyfriend or go to parties). I worked hard at school and got good grades. I went to church with my family. I wasn't allowed to voice my opinion.

There are double standards in my family. I'm not allowed to criticise anyone, or I am told I have no morals and I'm disgusting. When I emailed about about difficulties at work because of a nasty supervisor, my mother emailed back saying I had crucified her. My youngest sister decided I was a crackpot and disowned me.

Meanwhile, it's okay for my family to talk at the dinner table about the young person in the church that has 'gone off the rails' because they got pregnant or is 'living in sin.' How their parents are ashamed of them and the parents are shamed because they didn't keep their kids in line.

My family are christians. Their worldview is so black-and-white that they cannot tolerate anyone that thinks differently to them. My rejection of christianity makes me extra despicable.

I'm the black sheep, the odd one out. They don't understand me, so they despise me. I believe in fairness and honesty. I loathe hypocrisy. It is hypocrisy to call me abusive names and then think it can be excused by saying 'I love you.'

My family seems more interested in keeping up appearances. Trying to show the world what god has done in their lives. My father seemed to forget that they have been estranged from their son-in-law (my brother-in-law) for nearly two decades - even when they went to the same church.

Perhaps it slipped his mind that he moved to the other side of the world because he hated his father. Perhaps he brushed aside how my mother argued with her mother before I was born so Nana didn't see me for a long time.

As the family scapegoat, I've endured emotional abuse over the years. It started getting bad when I started finding my own way 20 years ago. I decided to go to university to study science instead of bible college. My mother wanted me to go to bible college and marry a pastor. I got screamed at over petty things back then. I had no idea why my mother was behaving like this.

I got depressed. It was too exhausting to keep smiling all the time. I experienced cognitive dissonance from being taught essentially bigoted views from christianity, yet thinking it was so unfair. For a while, I was a perfectionist, like my father. Whatever I did, it was never good enough. I'm hypersensitive to controlling and critical people.

The scapegoat is the most psychologically healthy person in a dysfunctional family, yet ironically they cop abuse and get called crazy and insane. The scapegoat can be confused by their family and wonder if they really are crazy. The scapegoat typically seeks help as anxiety and depression are the cost of growing up in a dysfunctional family. The toxic family members deny anything is wrong.

Dysfunctional families have secrets that they want family to keep hidden. Members in the dysfunctional family gang up on the scapegoat - it makes other members of the family feel united and more powerful.

I felt sad my family are so stuck in their ways and choose their religion over their own daughter/sister. It's not healthy for me to stay in contact with them, as nearly every interaction results in me being judged or criticised or abused.

A healthier worldview sees beyond black and white

I'm not sure what happens with estranged families. Am I not to attend funerals? Do I get cut out of the will?

My mother emailed saying she's had a wake-up call. Her co-worker was killed in a car accident the day I phoned dad. She says she'd rather have words than silence forever. I'd rather have silence than anymore toxic words.

My mother is hot and cold, up and down. My family says they support me, yet their behaviour and attititudes are the opposite. I've tried so hard to build a relationship with them all these years. I'm not convinced anything will change.

I'm very fortunate that I have a husband that understands me. That means a lot. Leo and Xavier are the most important people in my life. Leo said after the phone call: "If Xavier turns out to be gay or runs off to join a cult, I know we would not reject him. Religion has a lot to answer for."

via lessons learned in life:

When someone says "you've changed", it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes it means you stopped living your life their way.

Child Abuse in the Name of God

2011-08-17T15:27:00.003+10:00

How many innocent children are abused in the name of God?

Christian fundamentalists (who believe the bible is literal and inspired by God) spanked their child so severely, that she died. Her sister barely survived 7 hours of being beaten with a rod. Apparently, she was beaten to death for mispronouncing a word in a homeschooling session.

What does the bible say about 'discipline'?

Proverbs 13:24 "Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them."
(get that, the bible says you hate your children if you don't whack them with a stick).

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 commands that children that disobey their parents are to be stoned to death. Christians like to say that the New Testament 'fulfills' the Old Testament, yet Jesus said the old law (in OT) still applies. The bible has plenty of accounts of violence against children.

Many children are not beaten in the name of God, but are still abused psychologically and emotionally. David Tchappet grew up in the Closed Brethren, a sect of Christianity. He was told he would go to hell if he left the sect. His family disowned him when he escaped and had sex with his girlfriend.

Some children are abused sexually as well.

Elissa Wall was forced into an illegal marriage at age 14 by 'prophet' of the Fundamental Latter Day Saints, Warren Jeffs (who is now in Jail). She'd had no sex education at all, as pages of books were ripped out with anatomy and she was ordered to obey her husband.

Brent Jeffs was sexually abused by his uncle Warren Jeffs while in the FLDS. He was then abandoned, like many teenage boys because there were not enough females to distribute in the fundamental Mormon practice of polygamy.

Kristina, Celeste and Juliana were born into a bizarre Christian cult called 'The Children of God' that was started by David Berg, the son of a pentecostal, evangelical preacher. Berg and his partner Karen Zerby were the leaders of the cult.

Members believed they were the bride of christ and therefore they were having sex with Jesus. They believed in free sex with children and each other as part of the love of God. They'd pray in tongues while having intercourse, imagining the golden seeds of Jesus's sperm were raining down on them.

Ricky Rodriguez, the 'prophet child' of the Children of God was also abused from the earliest age. After he escaped the cult, his online video rant preceded a violent murder-suicide.

Merry, Berg's grand-daughter, was subjected to exorcisms, where she was whacked in the head. When she vomited, they said she was vomiting demons.

Extract from Ricky's suicide note:

"I've come from an extremely abusive cult and...I've been trying to figure out what 'normal' life is like. Emotionally, it's gotten harder every day I've been out. I've become more and more angry at all the sick perverts who to this day are not the least bit sorry for the thousands of little kids that they have repeatedly raped, molested and methodically tortured for many years. To me, these people are the worst of the worst, and unfortunately, my evil mother (Karen Zerby) is the head of it."

Good Christian Wife

2011-08-17T00:46:00.009+10:00

My eldest sister lived at home until she married someone in the church. Her fiance lived at home too. She was 21-22 and he was around 27-28 when they married. Like my parents, both my sisters assumed traditional roles in marriage. My younger sister has not conformed to the christian expectation of producing offspring (my mother is waiting in hope).

When my sister was engaged, I went home for university holidays. I noticed a chunky book sticking out from under her bed, so I picked it up.

It was a book about christian marriage, more specifically the christian wife's role in a marriage. I felt guilty as I opened it. I didn't read the chapter about sex, because I had been brought up christian and I received the message loud and clear that sex was not even allowed to be thought about (because Jesus said lust was the same as committing adultery). I'd never had a boyfriend or been kissed prior to meeting my husband.

I read a few pages in another chapter before putting it back where I found it (and feeling terribly guilty that I read some of a book I wasn't supposed to). It went something like this:

"Make sure dinner smells delicious for when your husband arrives home from work. Shortly before he comes home, make sure you are at your best to greet him. Brush your teeth, floss, brush your teeth again and follow with a good mouthwash. This will ensure fresh breath to give your husband a welcome home kiss.
Wear a nice dress or be adventurous and greet him in new lingerie (make sure it's your husband that has arrived home, not a door-to-door salesman)."

I feel violated

I wanted to get married, but even when I was a christian, I found the whole 'wives must submit to their husbands' thing hard to stomach. I didn't like the idea of being a man's playmate and servant either.

Also, the bible portrays women as whores and says unwed women that are not virgins are to be stoned to death. Not so for men. Double standards in the bible and with fundamental christians.

I thought this Facebook status was clever:

Husband buys his son an iPAD, daughter an iPOD, himself an iPHONE & his wife an iRON. She wasn't impressed even after he explained it can be integrated with the iWASH, iCOOK & iCLEAN network. This triggered the iNAG service, which totally wiped out the iSHAG function!

Do it yourself!

Upsetting the family

2011-08-10T22:03:00.006+10:00

I've upset the 'famdamnly' again.

Here's a conversation I had on Facebook yesterday with my teenage niece, Sarah (who is raised in a bubble of church, christian school and christianity):

Sarah: (arguement wether God exists) teacher: can u c God? student: no. teacher: can u touch God? student;no. teacher: therefore there is no God. Student: can u c ur brain? teacher: no, student: can u touch ur brain?, teacher: no student: therefore u hav no brain.
Me: you can see your brain if you cut your skull open so not a very good argument
Sarah: i which there was a smiley that rolls its eyes o.O
Me: I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a joke or not
Sarah: um neither am i. hehe. can u plez just stop being that little bit negative bout wot me and our family believe in!:)
Me: well, I don't want to get in trouble with your mother for 'poisoning your mind,' or encouraging you to think for yourself
Sarah: um yea bout that, itz all my decision who i live 4 and who exactly came up wof poisoning my mind? ;0
y thanx 4 the encouragement 2 think 4 my self becoz, i, myself am livin 4 God no matter who don't lyk it :D
btw i'm not angry wif u aye?
Me: I don't mind what you believe. Even if I'm the wicked auntie going to hell :)

I don't want to interfere by trying to deconvert my family. I certainly don't appreciate any attempts by my family to indoctrinate my son.

Today, I got text messages from Sarah's mother, Ruth (my sister):

Ruth: stop hastling sarah you need you obviously have mental problems if u can't be nice why do you bother u need your head examined u r so negative stop your nonsense time 2 grow up sis stop attacking people@
Me: Thanks a lot. I wasn't hassling her. So sad you keep her in brainwashed bubble. Grow up yourself.
Ruth: stop being an imature cow and brain washing inocent people
Me: You're the one acting like a cow. I did nothing wrong. Glad I'm out of your brainwashed religion. So loving - not. feel sorry 4 ur kids esp Sarah
Ruth: feel sorry for your son having a nut case of a mother
Me: Now i know how you really feel about me. ur religion breeds ignorance & hate.
Ruth: u need help seriously u r very unstable
Me: The only one who is crazy is you. Piss off if nothing decent to say
Ruth: im sorry if i offended u i luv u but u upset me

I didn't reply.

Sarah's older brother Paul insisted on going to mainstream high school rather than continuing with christian school and he has a girlfriend and they both use bad language on Facebook.

At least Paul gets to see an alternative to the christian bubble. Sarah will probably end up married off to someone in the church and assume a submissive role like her mother and my mother.

I half expect Sarah & Paul to be made to block me on Facebook. Their father refused to speak to my parents for over a decade, even though they all went to the same church. I still don't know if they are not speaking.

I put a message on Sarah's wall:

Just in case I'm not allowed to speak to you anymore, just letting you know that uncle Leo & I love you & Paul & we wish you the best in your lives, no matter what anyone says.

Richard Dawkins' caustic style

2011-08-07T11:01:00.005+10:00

This video is from a 'beyond belief' discussion.

Neil deGrass Tyson points out that Richard Dawkin's caustic style is not effective.

Tyson is an American astrophysicist and science communicator who describes himself as agnostic. He has argued that intelligent design thwarts the advance of scientific knowledge.

Dawkins is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author who has described himself as a 'fairly militant' atheist. He is very outspoken to the point of direct insults. Some atheists seem to idolize him. Others think he's a jerk.

He recently upset feminists with a comment he left on PZ Myers' Pharangula blog:

Dear Muslima

Stop whining, will you. Yes, yes, I know you had your genitals mutilated with a razor blade, and … yawn … don’t tell me yet again, I know you aren’t allowed to drive a car, and you can’t leave the house without a male relative, and your husband is allowed to beat you, and you’ll be stoned to death if you commit adultery. But stop whining, will you. Think of the suffering your poor American sisters have to put up with.

Only this week I heard of one, she calls herself Skep”chick”, and do you know what happened to her? A man in a hotel elevator invited her back to his room for coffee. I am not exaggerating. He really did. He invited her back to his room for coffee. Of course she said no, and of course he didn’t lay a finger on her, but even so …

And you, Muslima, think you have misogyny to complain about! For goodness sake grow up, or at least grow a thicker skin.

Richard

Richard was being sarcastic, pointing out Rebecca Watson (Skepchick) was overreacting. While I agree that she was, I think Richard went overboard.

Some creationists have commented that they think he assists their cause by repelling people with his aggressive stance. Maybe they've got a point?

Should human rights be extended to animals?

2011-08-06T22:59:00.012+10:00

The Great Ape Project (GAP) is an international movement that aims to guarantee human rights to our closest relatives, the great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and bonobos). This means they are not to be killed, except in self-defense, are not be kept in zoos and are not to be tortured or used for research purposes. Prominent atheist activist Richard Dawkins is a supporter.

Bonobos and chimps share more than 98% of human DNA and share characteristics such as intelligence, social bonds and communications, therefore GAP seeks to have them granted legal personhood. Many supporters also think other intelligent animals such as dolphins should be granted personhood.

Steve Jones, professor of genetics at University of London says human rights are a construct that can't be imposed on animals. "Where do you stop? Say that apes share 98% of human DNA and therefore should have 98% of human rights. Well mice share 90% of human DNA. Should they get 90% of human rights? And plants have more DNA than humans."

I agree with Steve Jones. Human rights are a human social construct.

Where do you draw the line from when an animal is granted personhood or not? The use of tools? Well, that includes some birds, some fish and otters. Grieving for a lost family member? I've had a pet rat that seemed depressed after her sister died. I see various emotions in all kinds of animals.

Chimps and bonobos eat meat. They kill and eat other primates. Chimpanzees have been observed murdering other chimpanzees and a bonobo has been observed eating her dead baby. Bonobos have sex with their young. Chimps have taken and eaten human infants. How can human morals be applied to animals where animal behaviour is taboo to humans?

I humans should treat ALL animals ethically, not just the more intelligent ones. The cute dolphin gets attention but the 'bad' shark gets bad press. Yes, sharks can kill and/or eat people. So can crocodiles, lions, hippos and chimpanzees. Humans are in the food chain too - usually as predators, but sometimes as prey.

I am against animals suffering. I would rather have my pet euthanised than suffer horrific pain. I support protection of threatened species. I am against trophy hunting of animals for parts.

If animals are to be eaten, then they should be killed in a way that minimises suffering. My husband purchases rats that have been humanely euthanised to feed his pet snake.

I don't like that animals eat each other. Animals eating each other is the cruel reality of nature.

Some people eat cats and dogs, which is taboo in many cultures. Some eat horses, also taboo in many countries. Apparently horse meat is more tender than beef. Wild horses in Australia which have pest status supply an export market for human consumption.

Recently Australia banned exports of cattle to Indonesia because of allegations that cattle were been inhumanely slaughtered.

Animal welfare is important ethically but has nothing to do with science.

Many religionists balk at the reality that humans are animals, primates and apes. The biblical instruction was that mankind was to dominate all the animals in the world and go forth and multiply. People in the bible also slaughtered animals to burn as sacrifices for God.

Humans have multiplied so much that their activities have huge impact on animals: stripping out forests to build farms and houses; gobbling more food than they actually require to live.

Humans have an attitude that they are the most important animal on earth. I think GAPs goals are short-sighted, as they only value the 'intelligent' animals that are 'most like humans'. I don't see how this is much different from the biblical worldview.

"That chimps share 99% of our genes is an oft-quoted statistic, but we also share 33% of our genes with Daffodils. Should we amend the Geneva Convention to indict over-zealous gardeners? The percentage of genes that we share with another species is not relevant to the fight for animal rights (a fight I support). There are many very, very good reasons to protect animal welfare, but genetics isn't one of them."
comment by Craig from Montreal, Canada

Santa Daddy & Sky Fairy

2011-08-02T21:28:00.006+10:00

My 8-year-old son has Asperger's Syndrome. Xavier is very cut and dried about whether God exists or not. 'God's not real, because I can't see God,' he said. 'People that believe in God are silly.'

'What about Santa?' I asked. 'Is Santa real?' Xavier's dad, Leo had kept the childhood myths going as long as possible.

'Yes and no,' he said, thoughtfully. 'Yes, because I get presents. No, because I haven't actually seen Santa, just men dressed in Santa suits.'

'What about the tooth fairy?'

'Yes and no. I get money, but I haven't seen the tooth fairy.'

He's not going to admit he doesn't believe in Santa & the tooth fairy.

Breivik - a twisted mind

2011-07-30T21:23:00.005+10:00

Breivik in Masonic dress

A profile is emerging of Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik who has claimed responsibility for the recent massacre in Norway. His 1518 page manifesto paints a picture of a right-wing extremist that was anti-Islam.

Breivik referred to himself as 100% Christian that chose to be baptised into the Protestant Church of Norway at age 15. He also says that he is not overly religious but has moderate religious views. He sees himself as more of a cultural Christian, rather than religious Christian.

Christians have distanced themselves from Breivik claiming he is blasphemous for claiming to be Christian. Some have accused him of being an atheist and a Darwinist. His manifesto mentions the word 'athiest' twice and 'christian' over 150 times.

Breivik may not fit many Christian's definition of a 'true' Christian, but what is true is that Christians squabble over who is a 'good' or 'bad' or 'true' Christian.

Breivik wrote that he hadn't prayed in a long time, but when he prayed to God during his bomb tests, everything seemed to fall into place for him. He opposes those who regard the Bible as a work of fiction.

Breivik sees himself as a modern day crusader in the Knights Templar, a medieval Christian military order that fought against Muslims. Knight Templar are connected to the Freemasons, which Breivik was associated with.

Freemasons require that members profess a belief in a deity - any kind will do. Atheists are not permitted to be Freemasons. The Freemasons use the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.

The Knights Templar are specifically Christian. Their red cross symbolises martyrdom - a great honour to die in combat, with reward in heaven.

Breivik shot Norwegian teenagers at a Labour party camp. He saw leftists as being too tolerant with multiculturism and allowing Muslims into Europe.

Plenty of media articles have circulated claiming Brievik is mentally ill, a madman and insane. It is clear from his preparation and his writing that this was a premeditated attack with careful planning. He used steroids to bulk his body up and he trained with target shooting. He lived on a farm so he could test fertiliser bombs.

I'd be surprised if he doesn't get the official label of antisocial personality disorder (also referred to as a sociopath or a psychopath).

He knew exactly what he was doing, so he could not have been psychotic. He has no remorse for his actions and believes his actions were justified.

His grandiose ego suggests a narcissistic personality - a twisted view of his own self-importance and superiority. He's probably enjoying all the media attention (which is one reason I hesitated writing this).

The media reinforces stigma about people with mental illness being violent and dangerous by portraying Breivik as mentally ill. Very few people with suffering from mental illness will commit a crime such as murder. A person ill with psychosis may commit a random act, but not a planned attack festered on for years.

Breivik's actions were a result of his extremist political views.