Godless Woman

Poll: Muslims, atheists most likely to reject violence

2011-08-04T07:13:00.000-04:00

I found this poll via @almightygod on Twitter. The poll was conducted by Gallup and according to their interviews "Muslims and atheists were most likely to reject violence". This poll doesn't surprise me at all since we all know that atheists only eat babies.

Here is the poll at a glance:

Do you agree that "violence which kills civilians is never justified"

79% of Muslims agree with this statement
56% of atheists agree with this statement
39% of Catholics agree with this statement
38% of Protestant Christians agree with this statement

Would it be justified for "an individual person or a small group of persons to target and kill civilians"
89% of Muslims disagreed with this statement
76% of atheists disagreed with this statement
71% of Catholics disagreed with this statement
71% of Protestant Christians disagreed with this statement

Christians' battle against Sex : Lack of Quality Sex Education

2011-07-31T09:33:00.001-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

As many of you know from reading this blog I grew up in a very conservative church and home. So, imagine my surprise when I was in 5th grade and my mom let me attend a sex education lecture at my public school. For the lecture the school had the girls go to the library and the boys go to the gym. During the lecture a school nurse told us about our sexual organs, the guys sexual organs, mensuration, STD's, and safe sex. Almost all of this information was completely new to me. Although, based on the questions my classmates asked and their general demeanor during the talk, it was pretty clear that most of them had heard about all of this. When I got home that night my mom and I talked about what I learned in that meeting and then we started reading a christian sex education book. I tried to remember the name of the book, but can't right now. The book talked about how my body was going to start changing, which meant that I needed to dressing modestly, and then of course it pushed abstinence. It didn't cover STD's, or safe sex practices. At church there were times during Sunday School that the youth pastor's wife would take all the girls to a different room than the guys to explain how God wants us to save ourselves for marriage. She would also take it up a notch and say if we had sex before marriage most Christian guys wouldn't want to marry us because we weren't virgins anymore.

My sex education background is very typical among conservative religious circles. With this kind of education parents shouldn't be surprised when their teens have sex and end up becoming parents themselves before they graduate from high school. Let's look at this form of sex education from the teenagers view. They are told by every adult that is in their lives that they aren't supposed to have sex until they are married. As a teenager waiting until marriage is an extremely long time to wait. On top of this they have at least some peer pressure, even if they are going to a Christian school and hormones that are going crazy. Then if they decide to have sex they have very little information about safe sex, plus they likely don't have any friends they can turn to that know anymore than they do about safe sex practices. So, it isn't all that surprising that teens have sex and don't use proper safety practices.

This is the first blog post in a series that I have been working on about all the craziness that conservatives inject into every aspect of sex. The next post will be about abortions and all the new laws that make abortions almost impossible in some states.

Herman Cain: We can ban Mosques

2011-07-23T06:37:00.001-04:00

In order to be a viable Presidential candidate you should need to have a basic understanding of the constitution. Based on Herman Cain's comments, in the following interview, it is clear that he doesn't understand the constitution or Islam.

I am afraid these comments will actually get him more votes in some circles of the Republican party, but in a general election this would be used by Obama to obliterate him. There are also plenty of stronger candidates running against him so there is a very slim chance that he will be the Republican parties candidate for President. However, he might find another position to run for or use the publicity of running for financial gain. Which is why these comments shouldn't be ignored. A person that is this bigoted has no business profiting from his stupidity and insulting rhetoric.

Stolen religious relic found

2011-06-17T06:16:00.000-04:00

Image via MSNBC/AP

Christians say that their prayers have been answered! A religious relic that was stolen on Monday June 13th was returned to them. I guess that is why God hasn't helped the children that are dying of starvation this week or those that are struggling with cancer he was busy trying to find a religious relic. It also explains why he didn't save this firefighter that died while battling a church fire.

However, I don't understand how a god that made the whole universe in 6 days took 4 days to find a religious relic that was being proudly displayed in a living room. This seems like it should have been an easy task for him to do while doing everything else that a loving wonderful god should be doing. Also, if god is now working on lost and found cases maybe he could focus on the missing children or he could work to find fugitives before they have the chance to commit more crimes against innocent people.

Confessions of a News Junkie

2011-06-13T12:21:00.001-04:00

Image via Wikipedia
I have been a news junkie since I was a junior in high school. Everyday I read at least twenty five news articles, listen to at least an hour and a half of news from National Public Radio (NPR), watch one to three hours of news from Al Jazeera and enjoy three news programs (Anderson Cooper 360°, The Rachel Maddow Show, and NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams) via their podcasts. I feel that it is very important to know what is happening from a variety of different news sources. I started paying attention to the news as a Junior after an English teacher that I had started each class with a few students presenting a news article that they had read recently. We never knew who she was going to call on so we were expected to be prepared everyday. By the end of the school year I had fallen in love with current events and was reading and watching everything that I could.

Through all of these sources I have learned quite a bit about a wide range of topics that I might not have learned about any other way. I think that more junior high and high school teachers need to stress to their students the importance of current events. There are a lot of benefits that students can enjoy by staying informed in what is happening in the world and their own communities. First, it could assist them with college interviews or essays. Second, they could learn about volunteer and job opportunities in their community. Third, by staying informed they will have more topics that they can talk with others about. Fourth, and maybe most important to students, they could save money by learning about special sales and lower gas prices. Fifth, after they turn eighteen it is important for them to pay attention to politics so that they can be an informed voter.

About six months ago I found out that Al Jazeera English is streamed live 24 hours a day online and via their iPhone app. I like this channel quite a bit because they cover stories from around the world in more detail than the national news stations in the United States. Also, since I don't have cable this is the only 24 hour news source that I have found.that is streamed live online and on the iPhone. Also CNN streams press conferences, political speeches, criminal trials, and breaking news videos which can be quite interesting some days.

Gingrich's Goofs

2011-06-11T04:46:00.001-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Newt's campaign is loosing staff at an alarming rate. Many of them worked for him in key states like Iowa and New Hampshire. The staffers that have talked to reporters said that they were trying to direct Newt's campaign, but he wouldn't follow their advice. Others said that they were afraid that their reputations would be damaged if they stayed with him any longer.

Since the beginning of his campaign he hasn't successfully gotten off the ground. First, he spoke out against the Paul Ryan budget proposal and then did a flip flop when he began to feel some heat from his own party for his stand. Also, he didn't do himself any favors when he said: "So let me say on the record, any ad which quotes what I said on Sunday is a falsehood." Then the last straw for his senior staff seems to be his fourteen day luxury cruise instead of actually campaigning.

When he can't even run his campaign how is he going to run the country. Many though are saying that Newt doesn't want to become president he is just trying to get his name out there in an effort to get more money through speaking engagements and political pundit jobs. Well, if Gingrich really wants to become president maybe some of those that were working for Trump's campaign are available. They gave Trump some excellent advice and if Trump's reality show hadn't been renewed I am sure he could have been our next president.

The Vatican on The Today Show

2011-06-07T22:20:00.000-04:00

Image via Travelers Journal

I was catching up on some podcasts and was surprised to see that the Today Show did a couple of episodes from Vatican City recently. Vatican City, depending on who you ask, can bring up a wide variety of emotions thoughts. My first thought, was WTF then I grabbed my notebook and began writing about the church, Pope, and city. Most of the time when I begin jotting down my thoughts on a topic I write down a few bullet points and then turn it into a tweet or a Facebook status, but these notes quickly filled several pages in my notebook and could have filled much more of it if I hadn't decided that I should switch to my computer for the rest of my notes on this frustrating topic.

Even as a believer the catholic church angered me for the obvious reasons which include, but aren't limited to, their stance against the use of condoms, the lies that they spread about AIDS, the sex abuse that they allowed to go unpunished and tried to cover-up, and their extreme wealth that could help so many worthy causes. The biggest problem that I have with the catholic church is the lies that they have spread about how condoms aren't effective in stopping the transmission of the AIDS virus. In developed countries we know that condoms are effective in stopping the spread of AIDS, but in developing countries where sex education is very poor these lies are deadly and unconscionable. For years scientists have known that condoms can prohibit the spreading AIDS, but because the church is opposed to any form of birth control they have stooped to lying about condoms and have therefore caused many more people to contract AIDS than would have if the church had only been truthful.

The Today show could have focused on many more worthier topics, but because there are so many catholics in this is a place that would interest many of their viewers. Even so, they could have just stuck to the facts and didn't need to make such an effort to show the pope so much undeserved respect. They were making such an effort to paint the pope as such a holy person, I was actually surprised that they even brought up the fact that there was a sex abuse scandal. However, they didn't go into how the church has done everything that they can do to cover-up the scandal which led to more children being abused. In closing, I know that the Today Show has covered the scandal quite throughly in the past and that they probably didn't want to make these episodes a rehash of the information that they and other news programs have reported before or upset the Vatican after they had been given so much access to the pope and the city.

My Imaginary Friend Made Me Do It!

2011-02-26T10:00:00.044-05:00

The ~~myth~~ story that this blog post is going to discuss can be read in Genesis 22:1-19. This is the story of Abraham being told by God to kill his son Isaac and then God calls it off just before Abraham is about to plunge his knife into Isaac. I heard this story for the first time when I was eight year old. My Sunday school teacher told the story with a felt board and paper people. Including, Abraham with a knife ready to stab his son Isaac who was tied to an alter. By telling this chilling story with pictures it really came to life and terrified me. I couldn't help but wonder what Isaac was thinking as his father raised the knife to kill him and was dumbfounded when he acted as if nothing had happened when God stopped his father from killing him. If I had been in Isaac's place I would have ran straight to the police or whatever the equivalent was back then as soon as I was untied from the alter.

As the Skeptic's Annotated Bible points out, God knows everything, therefore, he would have known that Abraham would trust him. So, he didn't really need to put Isaac through this horrible experience. Also, I would think that this whole experience would show Abraham and Isaac that God is extremely wicked and doesn't deserve to be worshiped.

When my Sunday school teacher finished the story she explained to us that Abraham's actions showed that he had great faith in God's plan for him. At eight years old I thought the story was extremely scary and wondered if my mom would kill me if God told her to. Now, as an adult, I feel this story shows just how cruel the Christian God is. When I hear people talk about how wonderful God is all I can think about is this story, Noah and the Ark, and some passages about children. The Christian God is more evil than any character in all the books I have read or any movie that I have seen.

Which Bible story scares you the most? Have you ever had nightmares from a sermon or Sunday school lesson?

Here are some people making fun of the story, enjoy.

Tragedy in Libya

2011-02-25T09:39:00.000-05:00

I am a major news junkie. I am almost always watching Al Jazera's live online streaming broadcast. I don't have cable so this is the only free online news broadcast that I am aware of. I also read as many articles as I can. Reading and watching the news has helped me learn about a wide variety of subjects as well as stay informed about current events.

Lately, like many others, I have been closely following the protests in Libya. At first, I thought that this protest would be like the ones in Tunisia and Egypt, but this protest has been much more violent. The protesters were peacefully protesting, but Gaddafi reacted by using live ammunition against them. When that didn't stop the protesters Gaddafi has ordered the army to bomb the protesters, foreign mercenaries to shoot anyone they see, and he has tried to turn citizens against each other, by saying the protesters were part of al-Qaeda and drug addicts that needed to be arrested and brought to court.

World leaders need to do more than just make speeches declaring that Gaddafi needs to stop the violence. More governments should follow the lead of the Swiss government and freeze Gaddafi's bank accounts in their country. Also, more humanitarian aid needs to be able to safely enter into Libya and treat those that are too injured to get across the border with Egypt where there is a makeshift hospital that has been setup. Also, it would be nice to see them setup a no-fly-zone to stop Gaddafi from being able to bomb or shoot the protesters from the air, although I realize that this would be hard to enforce and could make evacuating people harder. I hope this comes to an end very soon, way too many innocent people have died.

Reactions

2011-02-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

What reactions have you experienced when you tell someone you are an atheist? Are people shocked, angry, annoyed, or have you been lucky enough to have someone excited? Whatever reaction you have received I would love to hear your story.

I have experienced just about every reaction I listed. When I told my family they were shocked, angry and upset. I grew up going to a very conservative baptist church. So,I knew that my mom would be shocked and sad, but I was surprised, to some degree, when she got angry. Excluding weddings and funerals, my dad only went to church when my sister and I were singing and even then we had to beg him to come. So, when I found out he was upset and even a bit angry with me I was flabbergasted. Looking back now I think he got angry because my mom and sister were so upset that they were making the house miserable for him. Also, he may have thought that I was going to become a criminal and that I was no longer going to visit them. With time, my family realized that my decision to become an atheist wasn't something that I was going to change just because they didn't like it and that this decision didn't make me a horrible person. Currently our relationship has returned to normal other than the fact that we don't discuss religion.

In stark comparison to the reaction I got from my parents a few of my friends actually laughed and congratulated me. There were a few friends that I felt the need to apologize to, because when I was a Christian teenager I had witnessed and invited them to church so many time that I am not sure why they were still my friends. They were gracious enough to forgive me and I am really glad that they never did become Christians.

Again, I would really like to hear your stories. If you haven't told anyone you are an atheist, but would like to leave a comment, share how you think those closest to you would react if you did tell them.

The Joys of Godlessness

2011-02-14T07:00:00.007-05:00

I was given a suggestion by a fellow Twitter user, a long time ago, to write a post that discusses the positive points of godlessness. When he gave me the suggestion I started writing this post, but it ended up sitting in draft form until today.

Since coming out as an atheist I have felt so free. Free from the doubts and fear about whether I was saved and going to heaven or even if I was part of the right religion. I also feel free to study evolution without feeling guilty for thinking that the facts make sense, even though they go against the Bible.

I also have a lot more free time now since I am not doing daily devotions, praying, going to church or participating in church activities. I have spent a lot of this free time reading articles on astronomy and evolution. Two subjects that I am now fascinated by. Also, I now have more time to use Facebook and Twitter. Through these social networks I have made a lot of cool friends. Friends that challenge my ideas and teach me new things through the articles that they mention and blog posts that they write.

Please share your thoughts on atheism I love comments.

Intense Debate

2011-02-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

I am going to try Intense Debate again. Last time I used it I had too many problems, but I have been hearing that they have fixed a lot of the bugs that I was experiencing. So, I am going to give them another shot. If you have any problems commenting please e-mail me.

Atheist In Good Times and Bad!

2011-02-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

Image by LeoLondon via Flickr

When I saw this cartoon I remembered how I used to pray that God would bring trials to the lives of those that didn't believe in Him. So, they would lean on Him and realize how powerful He is. Now I am very happy that their lives didn't get worse because of my prayers. I can't believe that I used to think that trials would make anyone become a Christian.

As an atheist I would never turn to a deity during a tough time. Instead, I am going to do things that are going to solve the problem. Praying or going to church would be a waste of time. Nor would I give my hard earned money to a church in hope of getting help from a god.

If you are a Christian and think that tough times will make an atheist turn to your deity think about what you are saying. You think that your god, who is all powerful and all knowing, needs to bully nonbelievers into believing in him. If a human acted like that we would call him a psycho. Why can't he sit on the couch with me and answer my questions? If that was to happen, after I asked lots of questions and performed tests to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I would consider believing in him.

Weekend Reading

2011-02-12T12:00:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share with you some articles and blog posts that I have enjoyed. I hope you enjoy them as well.

1. NASA drones to check out 'rivers in the sky': Scientists hope to monitor atmospheric streams and better predict weather (MSNBC)

2. How Dinosaurs Handed Down Their Fingers: Experiments on chicks suggest that birds inherited a shifted set of digits (MSNBC)

3. A Fake Mission to Mars --It's as real as it gets: 'Astronauts' set to land on Red Planet as part of 500-day mock spaceflight (MSNBC)

4. Let's Talk About the Final Frontier (Cosmic Log)

5. Let Me Tell You About My Atheism (Atheist Revolution)

6. Tips: Prevent Twitter Marking You as a Spammer (The World Wide Web Blog Found via @athinkingman)

If you have any articles or blog posts that you found interesting please post them in the comment section. I am always interested in learning new things.

Book Review: Eighteen Acres

2011-02-12T07:00:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace and highly recommend adding it to your reading list. Wallace was the communication director for George W. Bush during his presidency and for his 2004 re-election campaign. She also worked as the senior adviser for the McCain-Palin ticket. Even though she worked for republicans the book doesn't on republican talking points. Instead, the book focuses on the lives of the people that work in the White House.

Eighteen Acres gives the reader a backstage pass to the nation's capital. Wallace's experiences working in the White House shine throughout each chapter making the book seem very realistic. Additionally, the book is sprinkled with humor which takes this novel from good to spectacular.

The main characters are three strong women. The first woman President, Charlotte Kramer; the President's chief of staff, Melanie Kingston; and a rising star in the White House Press Corp, Dale Smith. President Kramer is married, but their relationship has deteriorated over the years and now they only speak when they want to talk about their kids. However, during public events they pretend to have a very solid marriage. Melanie Kingston is an amazing chief of staff, but the long hours have cost her her personal life. Dale Smith, is having an affair with the President's husband which is a hard secret to keep while she reports on the presidency. Wallace did an amazing job creating each character and weaving each of their stories together to make a very exciting book.

So, get your hands on a copy of Eighteen acres, make some hot chocolate, curl up in a comfy chair and spend a Saturday reading this amazing book.

Let Your Heart Lead the Way

2010-09-29T01:15:00.010-04:00

I have debated a long list of Christians. Some of the debates took place through e-mails, others were on Facebook and more recently they have been on Twitter. The debates can be as short as a few Twitter messages or as long as a few months of lengthy e-mails. While the beginning and middle of the debates vary the end is usually the same. They will explain to me that they understood my points, but that they know in their heart that God is real.

The idea of letting your feelings make big decisions is crazy. A scientist couldn't get his new medication pass the FDA by only saying, "I know in my heart that his medication will work great and isn't dangerous." The FDA would ask for evidence to back up this statement. A lawyer couldn't free his client by simply stating, "I know my client is not guilty because I can feel it in my heart." The judge, like the FDA in the previous example, would also require evidence. Our lives should be based on evidence not the warm and fuzzy feelings that we experience.

When the Bible was written people didn't know much about the brain which is why the Bible is filled with the idea that you think and believe things with your heart. This lack of knowledge has also lead to phrases like "I love you with all of my heart" to be part of our language. An all knowing god would have known about the brain and would not have misled his followers about the body he created. Although, there are so many things wrong with our bodies I can see why an all-powerful god wouldn't want to brag.

I know that many Christians say that everything around us proves God exists. However, through scientific discoveries we can explain how our earth came to be and shows that God isn't necessary for any of it. I know this doesn't mean that we can say with 100% certainty that there is not a god. However, there is enough evidence to feel comfortable living as if there isn't. Just as Christians live as if the all the other gods don't exist.

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours" -- Stephen Roberts

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due!

2010-09-26T02:22:00.010-04:00

Try and wrap your mind around this insane cycle: God creates a problem, sends someone to fix that problem, and then demands that he is praised for that problem, which he created, being solved. If your brain hasn't exploded here is another thing to think about which god should be thanked? If you are thinking that is a stupid question because your god is the only true god, you need to realize that almost every religion believes that. You can't all be right, but you can all be wrong.

Growing up when I would do well on a test I usually wouldn't share it with anyone at church, because it irritated me when they would say "praise the Lord!" Each time I heard that I had to remind myself to smile and agree with them, because I really wanted to tell them how hard I worked to do well on that test. Also, I would think about how God has so many other problems to work on that are far greater than my exam. There were even times that I prayed to ask God to help those in 3rd world countries instead of helping me with my test, because I knew that I had studied really hard and was going to be fine. I had been taught that God could do an infinite number of things at a time, but I guess I figured that if he didn't have to help me he could do the rest of the things he had to do just a little better.

When I was a Christian I always made a point of thanking people for the things that they did before I thanked God for sending them to help me. I did that because I knew how much I hated when people would pray out loud and thank God for fixing problems that I fixed or someone I knew fixed. As an atheist I wonder if there are religious people that have really low self-esteem because they hear others thanking God for things that they did leading them to think that everything they do is just God working through them and that they are incapable of doing anything on their own.

I remember hearing sermons about how if we didn't thank God he might think that we don't appreciate him and he might just stop helping us to teach us how much we really do need him. Jealousy, anger, and spitefulness are all basic human emotions. These however, are not emotions that an all powerful god should have.

What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You

2010-09-24T09:18:00.002-04:00

Many teens think it is cool to be ignorant. They don't see the need to go to school because they have no desire to go to college or get a job that requires a college education. They also make fun of the students that take their education seriously. Unfortunately though, this isn't just limited to teens there are many adults that are knowingly ignorant. I feel that everyone should be lifetime learners. There are always new discoveries being unveiled and everyone should want to know as much as they can about each one.

When I told my friends and family that I was an atheist I e-mailed them information that explained why I no longer believed in God. I knew that none of them would deconvert, but I wanted them to understand my position better. I was disappointed though when almost all of them told me that they weren't going to read the information that I sent them because reading it could poison their minds and hurt their relationship with God. Their explanation didn't really shock me, I grew up in the very conservative church that my mom and sister still attend and I knew first hand what the church said about atheists and atheistic literature

Evolution is a topic that most conservative Christians just write off as false, without actually learning anything about it. After I became an atheist the first thing I wanted to learn about was evolution. Now I cant get enough of evolution, biology, and zoology. I have talked to a few young earth creationists recently and have told them about various animals and how they have evolved into the animal they are today. Except, I didn't use any evolution buzz words (for example: evolved, natural selection, or a specific time table). Then when they were interested the the animal and thought it was pretty cool how it adapted for its environment I would explain that what I just told them about is an example of evolution. They would then answer back that it can't be since evolution is false, so God did that. I hope though that I have gotten them thinking about evolution in a whole new light and maybe they will do some research on their own.

Since becoming an atheist I have been learning as much as I can to make up for all the lies I was told growing up. I know that the leaders of the church weren't intentionally lying to me, they were just repeating what they had been told. I am here to break the cycle of ignorance, are you?

When Tragedy Strikes

2010-09-24T01:49:00.001-04:00

I have never understood how people facing a horrible tragedy, such as a death of a family member or a terrible car accident, could say "this is all part of God's plan." If God is all-powerful and all-knowing couldn't he get his plan accomplished without killing or hurting people? In kindergarten I was taught that you can't kick and scream until you get your way, instead you have to use your words. So, today I am going to use my words to explain how there isn't a deity that is controlling all the tragedies that happen to everyone.

Growing up I heard over and over that God places obstacles in our life to test us and to bring us closer to him. Think about that statement for a second, this all-knowing all-powerful deity places problems in our lives to make our relationship with him stronger. Doesn't this sound a lot like how seven year old boys treat the girls that they like? If an adult tried to strengthen his relationship with another person this way they would either be in a mental institution or prison. So, why would a God that is supposed to be so much smarter than we are act this way?

One reason why some think that God allows tragedies to happen is because of the fall of man in the garden of Eden. The fall of man doesn't make any sense though when you really look at it. Let's say today a man robbed a bank we would just arrest the man involved in the robbery and not his son, who had nothing to do with the robbery. This idea of punishing children for the sins of the father however was normal when the Bible was written, but an all-knowing God should realize that this is absurd.

The idea that a tragedy is all part of God's perfect plan is echoed through out the Christian community quite a bit. This idea is back by the idea that God is omniscient. If you take one look at the Bible, that says God wrote it through men, it is clear that God isn't omniscient at all. The Bible is riddled with contradictions (http://tinyurl.com/2u9dljw), inaccurate scientific information (http://tinyurl.com/37zk4aw), and absurdities (http://tinyurl.com/6xvpgw).

With all of this information and more I feel that everyone goes through hard times just because accidents happen, people get sick, and so forth, but with the help of our families and friends we will get through hard times.

Think Atheist Book Club

2009-03-15T21:20:00.003-04:00

I am not sure how many of my readers are members of Think Atheist, but for those that are or may be interested in joining they have just started a book club. The first book on the agenda is The God Delusion. The preface and the first chapter are slated to be discussed Sunday, March 22nd.

I have already read this book, but I am planning on reading it again. The first time that I read it, when I started, I wasn't ready to call myself an atheist. By the end though I had my answer. This was a life changing book for me and I am excited to read it again now that I have been an atheist for 2 years.

Naming Computers and a Server

2009-03-10T22:20:00.003-04:00

We currently have a naming scheme of atheist metaphors for our computers. It all started when I named my laptop Teapot after Bertrand Russell's teapot analogy. Then we decided to call our new computers Unicorn and Monster after The Invisible Pink Unicorn and The Flying Spaghetti Monster. Then the computer that we run Myth TV on is going to be called Hank after the story Kissing Hank's Ass. All we have left to name is a server that needs to mesh well with this theme, but I can't think of another name that would fit in. So, I am turning to you guys I know you are brilliant and will help me. Thanks a million!

Dawkins Lecture

2009-03-03T01:14:00.007-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

As many of you know I went to see Richard Dawkins speak at the Wharton Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing yesterday. The title of his lecture was "The Purpose of Purpose". When we arrived we were greeted just outside the door by fundies passing out fliers which basically just had a bunch of the same worn out crap that they think proves their invisible man is real. I might share some of this in a later post; some of the wording is good for a few laughs. Anyway, after that we made our way into the building and up to the center of the second to last row in the huge auditorium and waited for Dawkins to start.

His lecture began with how natural selection isn't bullshit and how even though some think Intelligent Design is correct, they are most certainly wrong. To elaborate on this point, he played the following video by Ray Comfort.

After the laughter died down, he then went into how animals in the wild are survival machines and basically everything they do is so that they survive and pass on their genes. He then pointed out how humans are different and we do things that actually hurt our chances of passing on our DNA, such as adopting other peoples' kids or using contraception. We have goals beyond just surviving and passing on our genes. He then explained that this is due to the fact that our brains have evolved to be flexible, and therefore we are able to change our goals away from just survival mode. He also showed that we weren't the only ones to change our minds about our goals. Sheep dogs have done the same thing, which is evident when you see that the way that they herd sheep and the way that wolves hunt their prey are identical.

He then gave examples of ways that we have subverted our goals in the areas of hunger, sex, parental roles and a few other areas. After that there was a short question and answer period. There really weren't any really hard questions or questions that I felt were particularly insightful.

Overall I felt that this was a great lecture and was very happy that I had the chance to go. The only thing that I have to complain about was the fact that the audio wasn't delayed properly so we heard a major echo effect that, coupled with Dawkins' thick accent, made it difficult to hear parts of the lecture.

I hope that those of you that have yet to see Dawkins live will get the chance to do so when he is in your neck of the woods.

New Cat

2009-02-26T13:34:00.005-05:00

We adopted another cat from the Humane Society. This time it was a 1 year old female and we named her Phoenix (thanks to dreid for the name suggestion). She is very playful and her and Apollo are getting along great. I know that isn't the greatest picture, but she will barely sit still for a moment. We now have 3 cats which I am being told by my husband that means I am on the border of becoming "the crazy cat lady". I don't really mind the title, but we are going to be giving Gemini to my brother-in-law because when we took her there on vacation she seemed to really like being the only cat in the place. It will be sad to see her go, but I know that she will be happier.

Now for a bit of advertisement for the Humane Society. If you are ever looking for a new pet go to the humane society. Depending on your location they may have more than just cats and dogs so keep that in mind if you are in the mood for a more exotic pet. Now more than ever the shelters need your help. Most of them are over populated because of the economy which just puts more stress on the animals. So please if you can afford to take in just one animal do it, every single animal deserves to have a home.

God in Public Schools

2009-02-25T13:33:00.003-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

My head is hurting after reading this article form One News Now. Here are some of the highlights.

"God has become THE four-letter word in most public schools in the United States," says Whitehead, founder of The Rutherford Institute. And he explains in a commentary why that has come to pass: "An elite segment of society that views God as irrelevant has come to predominate."

Hint they are public schools! That means that many people of all different faiths are going to attend them and they all have the right to an education free of bullshit. Don't try to pull that crap about being silenced you guys still are more than welcome to gather in churches and enjoy a host of other special privileges because of your imaginary friend.

"What's happened is [that] the elitists -- the people who run American society, from the public education system to certain governmental institutions and figures -- have basically decided that God is irrelevant to public discussion," says Whitehead during an interview with OneNewsNow.

There is this thing called separation of church and state, ever heard of it? Also, God is talked about a lot in public discussions, watch the news, or read a newspaper it seems like they are always talking about God, religion, churches or a miracle of some sort.

Now for the best part some of the comments:

If God is a four-letter word in public schools, perhaps the schools should spend more time teaching spelling and less time teaching "intelligent design."

It is the parents' duty to educate children about religion, not the schools. In a melting pot country where many religions are practiced and where even those who call themselves Christians do not always agree, it is counter productive to the things school is supposed to teach: reading, writing, math, science, history, civics, etcs.

Maybe it's the fact that there can be no state-sponsored religion. If we teach about God, then we have to teach about Allah, Shiva, Zeus, and Flying Spaghetti Monster too. Isn't it more efficient to let parents handle teaching their kids religion at home?

"Whitehead believes that what exists now in America is akin to the old Soviet Union and China, where it is religious believers fending off the state." Sounds to me like he needs to crack open a history book. Are believers being killed en masse? Are they being driven off of their land by a governmental force? Aren't they free to meet openly in public, when and where ever they want? This is nothing like China or the USSR.

Thinking

2009-02-25T11:01:00.002-05:00

Image via

I have been thinking about getting my own domain and running wordpress. In addition to a blog I was thinking the new site could also have a forum, photo and video galleries, as well as a section that has my reading list with a way for viewers to submit books that maybe I have overlooked.

So, what do you guys think? Is there anything else that I should add to it?