Sean S. Kamali

Beware of Fake Facebook Fundraising Campaigns using “Likes” & “Shares”

2013-08-14T18:32:00.001-07:00

I have noticed a lot of Facebook memes (pictures) which claims with sharing or liking this picture Facebook will donate to the cause. This is absolutely false and Facebook will NOT donate money based on the amount of likes or shares that a photo receives. The photos often depict a severely injured, ill or abused child. People are exploiting these children by spreading their photos and the good nature of people who end up sharing these photos, in order to receive more likes (fans) for their pages.
Please do not share the photos - report them instead! Please share with your friends to raise awareness on this issue.

Morality

2013-02-18T00:17:00.000-08:00

Denver Simonsz

2012-12-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

A question for Christians: How would you bring a Buddhist to Christ? Buddhism also deals with questions about our existence such as suffering, life and death and morality. Say you point out the evidence for the 'historical Jesus'. The Buddhist could say Siddartha Gautama existed as a historical figure well before Jesus. He was supposedly conceived without sex, had many supernatural events occur during his life and additionally achieved enlightenment. Both Buddhism and Christianity give people meaning and supposedly improve lives. If you asked them to have faith, why would they? Think about it.

Will Barton

2012-12-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

As humans we consider one person having a belief which is based on no evidence as delusional and crazy. However, when millions of people share a belief with no evidence we are expected to consider it rational and worthy of respect.

Will Barton

Imtiaz Mahmood

2012-12-19T15:27:00.001-08:00

Basically each religion has different ways of being completely wrong about things than other religions, all tied up in a different set of fossilized tribal nastiness. But instead of being ashamed of these intellectual and moral deficiencies, they want them enshrined and celebrated.

Baldies fighting over a comb doesn't come close. More like stones fighting over hearts.

Imtiaz Mahmood

Tribute to Christopher Hitchens

2012-12-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American author and journalist whose career spanned more than four decades. Hitchens, often referred to colloquially as "Hitch", contributed to New Statesman, The Nation, The Atlantic, The London Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, Slate Magazine, and Vanity Fair. He was an author of twelve books and five collections of essays, and concentrated on the subjects of politics, literature and religion. A prominent staple of talk shows and lecture circuits, his confrontational style of debate made him both a lauded and controversial figure. Known for his contrarian stance on a number of issues, he excoriated such public figures as Mother Teresa, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Initially describing himself as a socialist, Hitchens began his break from the established political left after what he called the "tepid reaction" of the Western left to the Rushdie Affair. The September 11 attacks "exhilarated" him, strengthening his internationalist embrace of an interventionist foreign policy, and his criticism of what he called "fascism with an Islamic face." His numerous editorials in support of the Iraq War caused some to label him a neoconservative, although Hitchens insisted he was not "a conservative of any kind", and his friend Ian McEwan described him as representing the anti-totalitarian left.
A noted critic of religion and a self-described anti-theist he said that a person "could be an atheist and wish that belief in God were correct", but that "an anti-theist a term I'm trying to get into circulation, is someone who is relieved that there's no evidence for such an assertion." According to Hitchens, the concept of a god or a supreme being is a totalitarian belief that destroys individual freedom; and, that free expression and scientific discovery should replace religion as a means of teaching ethics and defining human civilization. His anti-religion polemic, God Is Not Great, sold over 500,000 copies.
Hitchens died on 15 December 2011, from complications arising from oesophageal cancer, a disease that he acknowledged was likely due to his lifelong predilection for heavy smoking and drinking. His death prompted tributes and eulogies from a range of public figures, including Tony Blair, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Lawrence Krauss, Martin Amis, James Fenton, and Stephen Fry.
Hitchens often spoke out against the Abrahamic religions, or what he called "the three great monotheisms" (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). When asked by readers of The Independent (London) what he considered to be the "axis of evil," Hitchens replied "Christianity, Judaism, Islam - the three leading monotheisms." In his book, God Is Not Great, Hitchens expanded his criticism to include all religions, including those rarely criticized by Western secularists such as Hinduism and neo-paganism. His book had mixed reactions, from praise in The New York Times for his "logical flourishes and conundrums" to accusations of "intellectual and moral shabbiness" in the Financial Times. God Is Not Great was nominated for a National Book Award on 10 October 2007.
In February 2010, he was named to the Freedom From Religion Foundation's Honorary Board of distinguished achievers.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "Christopher Hitchens was a complete one-off, an amazing mixture of writer, journalist, polemicist, and unique character. He was fearless in the pursuit of truth and any cause in which he believed. And there was no belief he held that he did not advocate with passion, commitment, and brilliance. He was an extraordinary, compelling and colorful human being whom it was a privilege to know."[183]
Richard Dawkins, British evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford and a friend of Hitchens, said, "I think he was one of the greatest orators of all time. He was a polymath, a wit, immensely knowledgeable, and a valiant fighter against all tyrants including imaginary supernatural ones."[183]
Sam Harris, American writer and neuroscientist, wrote, "I have been privileged to witness the gratitude that so many people feel for Hitch’s life and work—for, wherever I speak, I meet his fans. On my last book tour, those who attended my lectures could not contain their delight at the mere mention of his name—and many of them came up to get their books signed primarily to request that I pass along their best wishes to him. It was wonderful to see how much Hitch was loved and admired—and to be able to share this with him before the end. I will miss you, brother.

Dec 25th The birth of...

2012-12-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

Neil deGrasse Tyson

2012-12-02T10:56:00.001-08:00

“Recognize that the very molecules that make up your body, the atoms that construct the molecules, are traceable to the crucibles that were once the centers of high mass stars that exploded their chemically rich guts into the galaxy, enriching pristine gas clouds with the chemistry of life. So that we are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically. That’s kinda cool! That makes me smile and I actually feel quite large at the end of that. It’s not that we are better than the universe, we are part of the universe. We are in the universe and the universe is in us.”

― Neil deGrasse Tyson

Organized Religion

2012-11-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

Miracles

2012-11-23T22:20:00.001-08:00

Child Marriage

2012-11-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

Child marriage is indeed one of the most dangerous, inhumane and primitive behavior which modern societies due to the advancement of science and morality counts as a heinous act.

If we step outside of our comfort zone and enter the less fortunate areas in the world, where people do not have governmental systems to protect them or their minimum human rights, then we realize religious authorities become more dangerous to people than in modern societies. In societies like that believers still could behave as was demanded or suggested in the holly books. Few examples of that is slavery, oppression of women, stoning, witch burning and child marriage. In such areas under the influence of religious oppression change is much harder, especially where behavior of the role models advocates the same behavior we like to see it change. In the case of child marriage Muhammad the prophet of Islam married Aisha one of his wives when she was six and consummated at nine. The problem in this particular case will always be the creator of Islam doing something anyone who is literal about Islam would be allowed to do by their belief system even if it would be illegal by law.

The only reason we as humans are constantly advancing in our standards of living is our advancements in technology and science due to skepticism, freethinking and imagination.We have to realize the same way as we do not behave any longer as the holly books demands even as believers, we can and should be skeptic about everything we do and constantly look for better answers through science, the only accurate and worthy tool for understanding of our universe.

Science And Religion

2012-10-29T11:13:00.001-07:00

Creationist

2012-10-29T01:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

2012-10-28T00:40:00.003-07:00

Religion

2012-10-27T10:16:00.002-07:00

ISLAM

2012-10-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

Muslim Joke

2012-10-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

In order to test his son a Muslim father leaves a Quran, knife, some money and bottle of alcohol on a table and thought to himself:

If he takes the Quran he is going to be a good Muslin in the future.

If he takes the money he is going to be a good businessman in the future.

If he takes the alcohol he is going to be a alcoholic in the future.

If he takes the knife he is going to be a bully a thief in the future.

As he was hiding behind the counter the son comes home and puts the knife and money in pocket, drinks the alcohol and takes the Quran with him.

The father realized his son is going to become an Imam in the future.

Argument with Christians and Muslims

2012-10-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

I argued about the religious leaders like pope or ayatollah.
Their answer was they are not the real leaders. They are fakes.

I argued about the Taliban or the people who blow up abortion clinics.
Their answer was they are not true Christians or Muslims. They don't understand Christianity or Islam.

I argued about stoning people to death and slavery in their books.
Their answer was those were from different times. it doesn't apply to us anymore.

I argued about different Surahs and Verses.
Their answer was the translation is wrong or its out of the context.

I argued about the history of violence and the historical aspect.
Their answer was that historian didn't know or was an enemy and my religion is the religion of peace.

I argued about the scientific aspect of no need for a god.
Their answer was science is often wrong and doesn't have all the answers.

I argued about the big-bang and evolution.
Their answer was they are both theories and not proven and also a scam.

Superstition (Religion)

2012-10-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

One in five Americans has no religion

2012-10-11T01:36:00.000-07:00

The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.

The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.

Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.

Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

And yet Pew found that 68% of the religiously unaffiliated say they believe in God, while 37% describe themselves as “spiritual” but not “religious.” One in five said that they even pray every day.

John Green, a senior research adviser at Pew, breaks the religiously unaffiliated into three groups. First, he says, are those who were raised totally outside organized religion.

By Dan Merica posted on October 09, 2012 01:57PM GMT

Source:http://richarddawkins.net/news_articles/2012/10/9/survey-one-in-five-americans-has-no-religion#.UHaC8MXA_xQ

Stem Cell Discovery Secures Nobel Prize

2012-10-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Nobel Prize winner Sir John Gurdon talks to reporters on Oct. 8, 2012 in London. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka from Japan have both been awarded the Nobel prize for medicine or physiology for their work as pioneers of stem cell research. Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images.

In 1962, John B. Gurdon of the United Kingdom discovered that a cell removed from the gut of a frog contained all the genetic information necessary to create the whole frog. More than 40 years later, Shinya Yamanaka of Japan found that by introducing a few genes to a mature mouse cell, he could reprogram it into a stem cell, capable of developing into any cell in the body.

Gurdon and Yamanaka share this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in cellular reprogramming, 50 years after Gurdon's initial discovery. Their work in stem cells has led to a wave of advances, from cloning animals to allowing scientists to create embryonic cells without having to destroy embryos.

Resource:http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/10/-in-1962-john-b.html

Theocracy And Insult to History

2012-10-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

What you see in the pictures below are pieces left from Persepolis the capital of the Persian Empire.

As you see in the top picture everything is where it should be, but in the picture below that you see a prayer room for Namaz, which is an Islamic prayer and Muslims have to do five times a day. In order to do this ritual people have to take their shoes off. In the corner of the room you see a piece of Persepolis. Part of 2500 years of human history is placed there in order for prayers to put their feet on as a support for wearing or taking off their shoes.

Another insult from Islamic Republic to humanity, Iranians, nonbelievers, secularists and history, to show the superiority of Islam to any other ideology or religion and to set another example of what comes with theocracy.

Islamic Republic

2012-10-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

The Islamic Arab Conquest of Persian Empire

2012-09-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

The most influential tactic off spreading Islam in the early stages was through force of the conversion or death. As Quran states in these Surah's we can see how much Islam would be the religion of peace:

Quran (2:191-193) - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]... but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah."

Quran (2:216) - "Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not."

Quran (4:74) - "Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward."

Quran (4:76) - "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah…"

Quran (4:89) - "They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks."

Quran (5:33) - "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement"

Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them"

Quran (8:39) - "And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah"

Quran (8:65) - "O Prophet, exhort the believers to fight..."

Quran (9:14) - "Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace..."

Quran (9:29) - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."

Quran (9:41) - "Go forth, light-armed and heavy-armed, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah! That is best for you if ye but knew."

Quran (9:73) - "O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination."

Quran (9:88) - "But the Messenger, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with their wealth and their persons: for them are (all) good things: and it is they who will prosper."

Quran (9:123) - "O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness."

Quran (17:16) - "And when We wish to destroy a town, We send Our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein; thus the word proves true against it, so We destroy it with utter destruction."

Quran (25:52) - "Therefore listen not to the Unbelievers, but strive against them with the utmost strenuousness..."

Quran (47:3-4) - "Those who reject Allah follow vanities, while those who believe follow the truth from their lord. Thus does Allah set forth form men their lessons by similitude. Therefore when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners,"

Quran (66:9) - "O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Hell will be their home, a hapless journey's end."

Hard to believe there are even more Surah's like above examples.

One of the good examples of this barbaric and cruel behavior was the conquest of the great Persian Empire which at the time if not the most advanced in art, culture, science and more certainly was one of the best.

Arabs first entered Sassanid territory in 633, when General Khalid ibn Walid invaded what is now Iraq.

After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in 628, Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad sent many letters to the princes, kings, and chiefs of the various tribes and kingdoms of the time, inviting them to convert to Islam. These letters were carried by ambassadors to Persia, Byzantium, Ethiopia, Egypt, Yemen on the same day.

With regards to Persia, Muslim histories further recount that at the beginning of the seventh year of migration, Muhammad appointed one of his officers, Abdullah Huzafah Sahmi Qarashi, to carry his letter to Khosrau II inviting him to convert:

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to the great Kisra of Iran. Peace be upon him, who seeks truth and expresses belief in Allah and in His Prophet and testifies that there is no god but Allah and that He has no partner, and who believes that Muhammad is His servant and Prophet. Under the Command of Allah, I invite you to Him. He has sent me for the guidance of all people so that I may warn them all of his wrath and may present the unbelievers with an ultimatum. Embrace Islam so that you may remain safe. And if you refuse to accept Islam, you will be responsible for the sins of the Magi."

The Sassanid court ceremony was notoriously intricate, and it is unlikely that a letter from what at the time was a minor regional power would have reached the hands of the Shahanshah until years latter the copy of communications between Sassanian Yazdgird III (632 AD - 651 AD) and Omar Ibn Al Khatab Khalifat Al Muslemin, after the battle of Ghadesiyeh. The original copy of this letter from Yazdgird III (632 AD - 651 AD) is kept in the British museum of London. The date in which this letter has been written is after the battle of Ghadesiyeh.

From: Omar Ibn Al Khatab Khalifat Al Muslemin

To: Yazdgird III Shahanshah of Persian Empire

Bism-ellah Ar'rahman Ar'rhim To the Shah of the Fars

I do not foresee a good future for you and your nation save your acceptance of my terms and your submission to me. There was a time when your country ruled half the world, but see how now your sun has set. On all fronts your armies have been defeated and your nation is condemned to extinction. I point out to you the path whereby you might escape this fate. Namely, that you begin worshipping the one god, the unique deity, the only god who created all that is. I bring you his message. Order your nation to cease the false worship of fire and to join us, that they may join the truth.

Worship Allah the creator of the world. Worship Allah and accept Islam as the path of salvation. End now your polytheistic ways and become Muslims that you may accept Allah-u-Akbar as your savior. This is the only way of securing your own survival and the peace of your Persians. You will do this if you know what is good for you and for your Persians. Submission is your only option. Allah u Akbar.

The Caliph of Muslims Omar Ibn-Khat'tab

Response of the Persian King:

In the name of Ahura Mazda, creator of Life and Intelligence you in your letter wrote that you want to direct us towards your God, Allah, without having the true knowledge of who we are and what do we worship! It is amazing that you occupy the position of Caliph (Ruler) of Arabs, yet your knowledge is the same as a lowly Arab rambler, roaming in deserts of Arabia and same as a desert tribal man (mardak) you offer me to worship a united and single God without knowing that it has been thousands of years that Persians worship the mono God and they pray to him Five Times a day! In this land of culture and art this has been the normal path of life for years. When we established the tradition of hospitality and good deeds in the world and we waved the flag of "Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds" in our hands, you and your ancestors were roaming the deserts, eating Lizards for you had nothing else to feed yourselves and burying your innocent daughters alive (an old Arab tradition because they preferred male children to female). Tazi people have no value for God's creatures! You behead God's children, even the POWs (Prisoners of War), Rape Women, bury your daughters alive, attack the Caravans, mass murder, kidnap people's wives and steal their property! Your hearts are made of stone; we condemn all these Evil which you do. How can you teach us Godly Ways when you commit these actions? You tell me to stop my Fire Worship! We, Persians see the Love of Creator and power of inventor in the light of Sun and warmth of Fire. Lights and Warmth of the Sun and Fire makes us see the light of truth and warms our hearts to the creator and to one another. It helps us to be kind to one another; it enlightens us and makes us to keep Mazda's Flame, alive in our hearts. Our lord is Ahura Mazda and it is strange that you people also, just discovered him and named him Allah.

But we are not the same as you; we are not in the same level as you. We help other human being, we spread love among humanity, we spread Good throughout the Earth, we have been spreading our culture but in respect for other cultures throughout the whole world for thousands of years, yet you in the name of Allah invade other men's land! You mass murder the people, create famine, fear and poverty for others, you create Evil in the name of Allah. Who is responsible for this entire catastrophe? Is it Allah who commands you to murder, pillage and to destroy? Is it you the followers of Allah who do this in his name? Or is it both? You have risen from heat of the deserts and burnt out infertile lands with no resources, you want to teach people the love of God by your military campaigns and the power of your Swords! You are Desert Savages, yet you want to teach urban people like us who lived in the cities for thousands of years, the love of God! We have thousands of years of culture behind us, a powerful tool indeed!

Tell us? With all your military campaigns, barbarianism, murder and pillage in the name of Allah, what have you taught to this Muslim Army? What knowledge have you taught the Muslim that you also insist on teaching it to non Muslim? What culture have you learned from our Allah, now that you want to force-teach it to others? Alas, ...... that today our Persian Armies of Ahura have been defeated from your recently Allah Worshiping Armies; Now, our people have to worship the same God, the same Five times a day, but forced by the sword to call him Allah and pray to him in Arabic because your Allah only understands Arabic I suggest, you and your gang of bandits pack up and move back to your deserts where they are used to live. Take them back where they used to the burning heat of the sun, tribal life, eating Lizards and drinking Camel Milk. I forbid you to let your band of thieves loose in our fertile lands, civilized cities and our glorious nation. Don't turn these "beasts with hearts of stone" loose, to mass murder our people, kidnap our women and children, rape our wives and send our daughters to Mecca as slaves! Don't let them do these crimes in the name of Allah put a stop to your criminal behavior. Aryans are forgiving, warm, hospitable, and decent people and everywhere they went, they have spread seeds of friendship, love, knowledge and truth; therefore, they shall not punish you and your people for your pirate ways and criminal acts. I beg you to remain with your Allah in your deserts and do not move close to our civilized cities, for your believers are "Much Fearful" and your behavior is "Most Barbaric."

The attack of the Islamic Arabs led to the end of the Sassanid Empire in 644, the fall of Sassanid dynasty in 651 and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Iran.

The most astonishing fact is even though Iranians were forced to convert to Islam at the time, still the majority of Iranians are now Muslim and they name their children after the so called holly men or heroes who destroyed their heritage, culture, empire and their bright future.

Creationist

2012-09-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Just made this one.

Enjoy.