Time for another Godless Business podcast!  This week we were joined by two new panel members: Tammy (a real live woman, so we are told), and a mouse. We recorded this episode from The Nerd Bunker – a secret location full of uber-geeky equipment that is normally inhabited exclusively by men with beards and pocket protectors.

An the menu tonight we have listener email and talked the usual rubbish.  If you have any complaints, or wish to praise us on out fine work, please send an email to podcast@godless.biz.

Bon Appetit!

References

• George Carlin – Religion is bullshit
• Thanks for the Earthquake Jesus
• National Secular Society’s Make The Pope Pay Petition
• Geert Wilders
• Stephen Fry and Chris Hitchens in The Catholic Church Is A Force For Good In The World debate
• Australia’s Catholic Flocks Look Abroad for Shepherds
• Holyland, the Bible World in Orlando
• Christopher Hitchens and the new 10 Commandments
• DPRJones and A Brief History of the King James Bible
• Codex Sinaiticus
• Wedding for Goat Accused Rapists in Mozambique
• Rise of Atheism, the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia

Join

• Subscribe to the iTunes podcast.
• The Facebook group
• Email us at podcast@godless.biz
• Send us hatemail at hateus@godless.biz, curlupanddie@godless.biz, getalife@godless.biz or tellsomeonewhocares@godless.biz
• Follow us on Twitter

Photo of the comet Hale-Bopp above a tree. This picture was taken in the vicinity of Pazin in Istria/Croatia during a short easter holiday. The tree was illuminated using a small flashlight. To the lower right of the comet the Andromeda Galaxy M31 is also faintly visible. By Philipp Salzgeber. Philipp Salzgeber released the pictures under CC-BY-SA-2.0-AT, see bottom of http://salzgeber.at/astro/.

Some more leftover bits from episode 1.2.

Talk about life coming from comets, science trying to create new life, and Americans wanting to move in and “fix” Darwin…

A new show being recorded this weekend, to be released early in the week as usual. Then Andrew and Nige are off to Melbourne for The Rise of Atheism convention. We should also be recording an interview with another special guest while we are up there too. Super-happy fun-time!

References

• Professor’s alien life ’seed’ theory claimed
• Amino acids found in comet
• Miller/Urey experiment
• US evangelists to save NT’s ‘filthy’ soul

Join

• Subscribe to the iTunes podcast.
• The Facebook group
• Email us at podcast@godless.biz
• Follow us on Twitter

On Tuesday, along with two others, the Queen of Jesus Christ (real name Antoinette) was convicted of starving her 16 month old boy to death.  Why?  Because he would not say “amen” during mealtimes.  The insolence of kids today!

Poor Javon spent a week without food or water before his heart gave up and stopped.  The Queen of Jebus responded by commanding her followers to pray for the boys resurrection while she talked to him, danced his with his lifeless body, and tried to give him drinks – bit that for that my dear.

After a few weeks of this and obviously not getting anywhere, the boy’s body would have turned black and started to smell- so they stuffed him into a suitcase and moved in houses – stashing the suitcase and its gruesome contents behind the shed.

At the time of Javon’s death the house also contained three other children (who made damn sure they said “amen” after every mouthful) and a family friend.  She obviously Queen Jebus does not think much of her friends since she committed to a mental asylum after she spoke to outsiders about the toddlers death.  I dunno, maybe it was the “God weed”  that made her talk crazy like that (this manics pet name for marijuana, which she encouraged everyone in the cult to smoke regularly).

This monumental idiot is so delusional she thinks the only defence required in a court of law is a hand written application for the non-profit status of “1 Mind Ministries” (here dumb ass cult).  I think they over estimated the number of minds involved.  It also happened to be the document that describe her as:

“…as a chosen daughter of the most high God and a queen of Jesus Christ.”

Whatever, you fucking whack job.  Bailiff!  Lock her up!

According to cult members, Quee… no, Antoinette ran a very strict household.  Members where only allowed to wear white, blue, and khaki (hey – don’t ask me), they were only allowed to leave the house in pairs (echos the oppression of Muslim women), and were told to destroy all identification and cut contact with relatives and friends (lest they talk you out of this bat shit crazy insanity).

Antoinette still believes prayer will raise the decomposed and suitcase encased corpse that once was her baby boy back to life.  She says she

“…I don’t care if it makes me sound crazy.”

Oh believe me, it does!

Of course there is absolutely zero evidence that the boy will be resurrected, especially now at least a year after the fact.  There is no evidence god speaks to Antoinette through marijuana.  There is no reason to think wearing only white, blue, and khaki will make god happy.  There is no evidence for anything in this massively shitty personal catastrophe.

So what’s the harm in believing things for which there is no evidence?  It allows all manner of things and prevent none.  Just ask Javon.

References

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35676266/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Imagine, if you will, that there are two people in a room.  At first no one is speaking to the other.  No one has made a claim which they need to back up with a logical argument, or (shock/horror) even evidence.  No one at this stage bears the burden of proof.  Then one of them pipes up:

“This table is made of wood.”

Not a massive claim, I know, but a claim none the less.  A claim which is easily verified by the other person observing the table and concluding it is indeed made from wood.  There is evidence to support the gentleman’s claim and the claim is accepted.  Now let’s suppose he adds:

“The wood came from Noah’s Ark.”

Now this is a hell of a claim, with many ramifications for it presupposes Noah’s existence and a global flood.  Notwithstanding, should we accept his claim on face value, or request the evidence that leads inescapably to this conclusion?  If no evidence or even a logical argument can be presented to support this claim, why accept it as truth?

Same goes for a God.

If you claim there is a mystical invisible entity residing outside of space and time, then please provide evidence this is actually the case.  If you further claim that this entity took human form and killed himself to wash away something called “sin” with his blood – well you certainly have your work cut out for you.

Keep in mind it is NOT up to the sceptic to disprove your claims.  Take, for example, this conversation:

You: “There are no diamonds in the trunk of my car”

Me: “OK”

That’s it.  Why should anyone investigate the claim any further?  Do it make any difference to anyone if there really are not diamond in your car?  Do I have any reason to suspect otherwise?  In a recent conversation the response to this question was:

“What if you were a thief and believed I did have diamonds in the truck of my car?  Then you might get mad and assault me.”

What the author of this comment failed to realise is that the thief holds a belief for which there is no evidence.  He is in error and acts upon his illogical and unsupported beliefs with horrible results.  To anyone familiar with religions, this should sound very familiar.

So why do so many theistic arguments go along these lines?

Me: “I can see no evidence of god”

Theist: “You’re not looking had enough”