An_Atheist_View's Xanga

Worlds at War

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:58:16 GMT

I just want to recommend a fairly new (published in 2008, anyway) book that's out now called Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle Between East and West. I got it on a whim, the "since the economy is going to kill you soon, so you might as well read something interesting before you die" kind of whim.

It turns out the book is highly critical of religion, which couldn't be gleaned from the jacket description, meaning for once I had a serendipitous experience and actually got a random book I agree with. Anthony Pagden, the author, a professor at UCLA, had this to say in the preface:

Although I make no pretense to be merely telling a story,
nor have I made any attempt to hide my preference for
an enlightened, liberal secular society over any other,
nor to disguise the fact that I believe that the myths
perpetrated by all monotheistic religions - all religions
indeed - have caused more lasting harm to the human
race than any other single set of beliefs, this is not another
history of how the West came to dominate the East and
with it most of the known world.

- Preface xix

Yeah, there are some run-on sentences, but those are found in academically-written books all the time. You'll be fine. The book isn't exactly light reading at 540 pages proper, but it's not like it's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire or something, relax.

P.S.
I am so having a party on December 20, 2012.
I'm calling it Last Party Ever, for obvious reasons if you know anything about the Maya calendar.
Boy, are people going to be pissed when nothing happens on the 21st.

Obama is wrong about Pennsylvanians

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:26:39 GMT

Barack Hussein (how unfortunate is that name?) Obama, Jr. has gone too far this time. He recently, as you know - because everyone in every country knows this now - , said that some Pennsylvanians are "bitter" and "cling to guns or religion" because of lack of jobs.

That is bullshit.

Pennsylvanians, I'll have him know, usually cling to both guns and religion. And believe me, it wouldn't matter if they had great jobs. They loves them some firearms and myths, believe you me.

Just thought I'd clear that up.

NOT DEAD YET

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:39:49 GMT

It's been awhile, hasn't it? Oh, I'm not dead, not yet. I just had a few experiences since the last time I wrote here. Grand changes in my life I have to share with you all. Life changing experiences that lift high my soul to the heavens and refresh it. My friends...

I have found Jesus.
He is my personal lord and savio-
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
No, ha, ha, no, I'm kiddin' ya.
Oh man, can you imagine?
I'm still an atheist.

Now I'm back and ready to complain about the religious right! It's going to be fun, I'm sure, so please continue visiting.

TOPIC DISCUSSION:
So! How 'bout that Huckabee? Think he's got a chance?

Colbert Quotes

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 00:47:44 GMT

I love self-mocking humor, but Stephen Colbert's portrayal of an egotistical idiot of the O'Reilly style is fantastic. He claims to be a Catholic, but it's obvious from his sarcastic comments that he's not a believer. Whether or not he's an atheist I can't say, but he is certainly not a devout Catholic. The following are some quotes from his new book I Am America (And So Can You!) that are relevant to this site:

"America used to live by the motto "Father Knows Best." Now we're lucky if "Father Knows He Has Children." We've become a nation of sperm-donors and baby daddies. But there's more to being a father than taking kids to Chuck E. Cheese and supplying the occasional Y-chromosome. A father has to be a provider, a teacher, a role model, but most importantly, a distant authority figure who can never be pleased. Otherwise, how will children ever understand the concept of God?"

"All dogs go to heaven? Sorry, kids. It's only the dogs who've accepted Christ."

""Jesus is just all right with me." - The Doobie Brothers. But are they all right with Jesus? Drop the reefer, boys, and pick up a Bible!"

More later, but there's a whole chapter on religion. You should buy the book.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:20:20 GMT

Just a head's up. I'll be posting excerpts from Stephen Colbert's new book I Am America (And So Can You!) that are relevant to atheism and/or religions. It's good stuff, let me tell you. But for now I'm too tired.

I Told You All!

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 01:34:54 GMT

Remember some months ago I predicted that many would come to see Barak Obama as the Antichrist?

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you insanity in Google search form:

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=Obama+%2B+Antichrist&btnG=Google+Search

That's right. I told you.

I knew that since the Senator was becoming popular quickly for appearing to be a nice guy (a Satanic quality) that various Christians would consider him a threat. Unless he was Republican, I mean. Then he'd be a gift from God.

But Obama simply can't be the Antichrist. The Antichrist is supposed to unite the various factions of the world to work together, more or less, for peace. Obama, no matter how much you like the man, can't do that because no one can do that because my lack of gods look at the world are you serious people be hatin' left 'n' right you can't be serious about unification under an evil dictator what is this a bad comic book my lack of gods I'm disgusted with this.

But yeah, I told you so.

Christ-like Compassion, Anyone?

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:31:31 GMT

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0730247320070813?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

Excerpt:

---

Religion and culture behind Texas execution tally

Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:14AM EDT

By Ed Stoddard

DALLAS (Reuters) - Texas will almost certainly hit the grim total of 400 executions this month, far ahead of any other state, testament to the influence of the state's conservative evangelical Christians and its cultural mix of Old South and Wild West.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 05:02:02 GMT

STORY TIME, Prt. 2

I was pretty amused, at first, to hear that he thought I was a Satanist. It explained why he was avoiding me and acting oddly when he had to be nearby. For a split second after explaining that I wasn't a devil-worshiper (and explaining Satanists, for the most part, don't actually worship demons) I was just relieved at having the mystery cleared up.

And then I remembered the other co-workers avoiding me too. And my boss.

My boss.
Whose husband was a pastor.

Quickly, I became concerned. My job was clearly in jeopardy now. Eventually, it was all cleared up and the rumor-spreading guy who originated the misunderstanding seems very sorry.

The pastor-husband of my boss was telling some of his Pentecostal flock a little sermon one day while I was close by. In it, he remarked how "other churches, not so much this one, can occasionally give into rumors and say they're being spread so other people can pray for the person the rumor is about."

Yeah. "Not so much" his church, though.

I almost said something. I would have, but it's a decent job. And I'm not looking for a fight at the workplace.

Workin' Overtime

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 04:05:42 GMT

STORY TIME

Yeah, my job is keeping me plenty busy. Not to mention the life I actually have outside of work. It is with a heavy heart I never update this thing anymore. But - interesting story to tell:

Where I work there are a few very, very Christian co-workers. Pentecostals, so... well, when "speaking in tongues" (mumbling made-up words) is taken seriously by people... I can't take them seriously.

So one of my co-workers says to me one day, "I hope you don't mind working with Christians, AAV, because there are a lot here." To which I truthfully replied, "That's okay, I've worked with people of many different faiths before. I've even worked with Satanists."

The next week or so I find that many of the staff are looking at me oddly or avoiding me when possible. One day I find out why. I was running an errand with the same co-worker who had asked me if I minded working with Christians. He was semi-evangelizing... doing a interesting job of telling his personal "relationship" with God while trying subtly (or so he thought) to get me to reveal my opinions on his experiences. He knows I at least went to a Christian school in my youth and I know my way around the Bible (I had cited Leviticus one day for fun in a slightly sarcastic way).

So he says, "So you must have had some tough experiences at your school, huh?" I give him a look that I'd hoped conveyed something like "What, I went to a Christian school and I'm not religious... so I automatically had to have a life-altering, terrible thing happen to me there?"

What I said was, "Er... no."

He then replies, "Oh, well I thought since you're a Satanist..."

I thought at first I hadn't heard him correctly. But I had. And you read that correctly.
He thought I was a Devil-worshiper.
And now so did half the staff, including my boss.

And it got even better....

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:38:14 GMT

The Onion makes fun of creationism.