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stonehart
Paranormal Adept
Top Ten indications that you’re over-obsessed with religion
10 – You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.
9 – You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that humans were created from dirt.
8 – You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.
7 – Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the male first-born babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" – including women, children, and trees.
6 – You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods consorting with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.
5 – You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of the Earth (4.55 billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is about a couple of generations old.
4 – You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs – though excluding those in all rival sects – will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering, and yet you consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
3 – While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor “speaking in tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" your choice of religions to be the correct one.
2 – You define .01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers, and consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% failure was simply the will of God.
1 – You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history – but you still call yourself a Christian.
10 – You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.
9 – You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that humans were created from dirt.
8 – You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.
7 – Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the male first-born babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" – including women, children, and trees.
6 – You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods consorting with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.
5 – You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of the Earth (4.55 billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is about a couple of generations old.
4 – You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs – though excluding those in all rival sects – will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering, and yet you consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
3 – While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor “speaking in tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" your choice of religions to be the correct one.
2 – You define .01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers, and consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% failure was simply the will of God.
1 – You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history – but you still call yourself a Christian.
Jabbermocky
Paranormal Maven
Phew! I'm not over-obsessed with religion -- that's a relief. I do wonder about you though mike.
Im passionate about scientific knowledge and the advancement of mankind, recognising superstitious nonsense has had a detrimental effect on this process is part of that
It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.-- Carl Sagan,
The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge, and there's no place for it in the endeavor of science. We do not know beforehand where fundamental insights will arise from about our mysterious and lovely solar system. The history of our study of our solar system shows us clearly that accepted and conventional ideas are often wrong, and that fundamental insights can arise from the most unexpected sources.-- Carl Sagan
Positive Atheism's Big List of Carl Sagan Quotations
Think of how many religions attempt to validate themselves with prophecy. Think of how many people rely on these prophecies, however vague, however unfulfilled, to support or prop up their beliefs. Yet has there ever been a religion with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science? ... No other human institution comes close.-- Carl Sagan,
Kim323
Paranormal Maven
Many of the cartoon stories in The Brick Testament mentioned in a previous post, though the physical dexterity of the project is, at first and for a couple of minutes, rather admired, it quickly becomes apparent that the project is, indeed, the work of a child mentally.
Further exploration of the site, and I'm no prude or shocked easily, will quickly tell you the profaneness of the whole thing.
This is compounded by the intellectual immaturity, to put it mildly, in the "interpretation" of the Old Testament stories referred to.
Just one, at random, is the story in the last three chapters of Judges. I won't go into detail. You can read it yourself (if anyone cares, for any reason!). I just want to say that the Old Testament stories as portrayed in vulgar form on this website, not only are profanely presented, but get the whole story, its context, etc., all wrong. They are also embellished to show the story in its worst light, are horribly out of context, oversimplified, etc.
The story in Judges, and this can be used to describe much of the Old Testament, is a story having to do with the political situation in Israel at the time, tribal dynamics, interrelationships between towns, very, very importantly the customs between people and groups, and on and on. What is profanely told as a "dismemberment" story accompanied by graphic "artwork" (which quickly becomes BORRRRINGG), is in actuality a story of morality, a cautionary tale, a moral tale. It also takes place in a certain period in Israel's history.
And I am accused of pomposity by one of the moderators by, yes, rather pedantically, pointing this out?
I remind you of what to me is another aspect of some of these posts. It is shown in post number 153 of this thread and has a brief (!) tongue in cheek commentary by me. However, the parallel I point out is worth thinking about, I think.
For a quick comparison, see this cartoon from the website brought into this thread:
The Brick Testament
That "funny" and side splitting cartoon reminded me of something else I've seen:
Early Nazi Posters
Scroll down to the 6th, 17th, and 37th posters from the poster at the top.
A bit more reflection on this is at post number 153. Kim
Further exploration of the site, and I'm no prude or shocked easily, will quickly tell you the profaneness of the whole thing.
This is compounded by the intellectual immaturity, to put it mildly, in the "interpretation" of the Old Testament stories referred to.
Just one, at random, is the story in the last three chapters of Judges. I won't go into detail. You can read it yourself (if anyone cares, for any reason!). I just want to say that the Old Testament stories as portrayed in vulgar form on this website, not only are profanely presented, but get the whole story, its context, etc., all wrong. They are also embellished to show the story in its worst light, are horribly out of context, oversimplified, etc.
The story in Judges, and this can be used to describe much of the Old Testament, is a story having to do with the political situation in Israel at the time, tribal dynamics, interrelationships between towns, very, very importantly the customs between people and groups, and on and on. What is profanely told as a "dismemberment" story accompanied by graphic "artwork" (which quickly becomes BORRRRINGG), is in actuality a story of morality, a cautionary tale, a moral tale. It also takes place in a certain period in Israel's history.
And I am accused of pomposity by one of the moderators by, yes, rather pedantically, pointing this out?
I remind you of what to me is another aspect of some of these posts. It is shown in post number 153 of this thread and has a brief (!) tongue in cheek commentary by me. However, the parallel I point out is worth thinking about, I think.
For a quick comparison, see this cartoon from the website brought into this thread:
The Brick Testament
That "funny" and side splitting cartoon reminded me of something else I've seen:
Early Nazi Posters
Scroll down to the 6th, 17th, and 37th posters from the poster at the top.
A bit more reflection on this is at post number 153. Kim
Televangelist Pat Robertson. As the host of the Christian Broadcasting Network's (CBN) "700 Club" Pat Robertson spreads his stupidity over nationwide TV every day. There is no shortage of stupid and evil quotes from him that he is quite proud to keep disseminating.
Probably his most famous act of religiously motivated evil stupidity is contained in his interview with co-idiot Jerry Falwell right after the September 11th terrorist acts in which he blames the ACLU, abortionists, pagans, feminists, homosexuals, and People for the American Way for pissing off God and allowing the terrorists attacks to happen. Here is the transcript of these two idiots making total fools of themselves:
The termites are in charge now, and that is not the way it ought to be, and the time has arrived for a godly fumigation.-- Pat Robertson, New York Magazine, August 18, 1986
Probably his most famous act of religiously motivated evil stupidity is contained in his interview with co-idiot Jerry Falwell right after the September 11th terrorist acts in which he blames the ACLU, abortionists, pagans, feminists, homosexuals, and People for the American Way for pissing off God and allowing the terrorists attacks to happen. Here is the transcript of these two idiots making total fools of themselves:
The termites are in charge now, and that is not the way it ought to be, and the time has arrived for a godly fumigation.-- Pat Robertson, New York Magazine, August 18, 1986
Pastor Fred W. Phelps
Pastor Fred W. Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church is being named The Retard of the Month for his bigotry against homosexuals, for his sexism, for his xenophobic statements against several countries, and for publicly showing disrespect and lack of sympathy towards victims of many accidents, natural disasters, murders and terrorist acts, including but not limited to the World Trade Center bombing on the 11th of September, 2001.
Christians generally oppose homosexuals acts, but this man takes his views to the extreme and actually advocates the death penalty for homosexuals acts. He and his congregation, mainly composed of family members, have organized thousands of pickets at various locations both in and outside of the U.S.A., in the last 10 years, preaching their hateful drivel against homosexuals and virtually anyone who disagrees with their insane religious beliefs or actions. During a demonstration, they display signs containing "GOD HATES FAGS", "THANK GOD FOR AIDS", "FAGS DIE, GOD LAUGHS", "AIDS CURES FAGS", "FAGS BURN IN HELL", "FAGS DOOM NATIONS", "GOD GAVE FAGS UP", "THANK GOD FOR 9/11" etcetera.
They believe the 9/11 attacks, the death of many American soldiers in Iraq, hurricane Katrina, the Columbia shuttle accident and the murder of the five Amish girls are punishment from God for the U.S.A.'s tolerance of homosexuals acts. As if all of this wasn't bad enough, the heartless bastards picket funerals of dead soldiers and homosexuals, thus showing no sympathy for the friends and family of the deceased. They have even considered picketing the funeral of the five slain Amish girls, although they cancelled the protest, not because they actually realized how wrong it is, but because they were given an hour of radio time on Mike Gallagher's program instead.
Protests are not their only means of spreading their hateful garbage. For example, the Westboro Baptist Church owns several sites including GodHatesFags.com, GodHatesAmerica.com, GodHatesCanada.com and GodHatesSweden.com. The titles of these websites alone are revolting to any decent human being. Shortly after the tsunamis in Asia occurred, they posted the statement on their main site: "THANK GOD FOR 20000 DEAD SWEDES, WISH IT WERE MORE". Here is another evil statement which can be found in their website F.A.Q.:
We sincerely hope and pray that all 20,000 Swedes are dead, their bodies bloated on the ground or in mass graves or floating at sea feeding sharks and fishes or in the bellies of thousands of crocodiles washed ashore by tsunamis. These filthy, faggot Swedes have a satanic, draconian law criminalizing Gospel preaching, under which they prosecuted, convicted and sentenced Pastor Ake Green to jail - thereby incurring God's irreversible wrath - Westboro Baptist Church
The "God Hates Sweden" website was created as a response to the imprisonment of another retarded fundie who publicly made bigoted statements against homosexuals in Sweden.
On top of all of this, Fred Phelps is a sexist as he believes women are not allowed to preach. His website quotes the following biblical passages as evidence:
"1 Tim. 2:9-14 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
1 Cor. 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
For his unbelievable display of idiocy and disrespect for the entire human race generated by religion, Fred W. Phelps is being awarded The Retard of the Month Award.
Pastor Fred W. Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church is being named The Retard of the Month for his bigotry against homosexuals, for his sexism, for his xenophobic statements against several countries, and for publicly showing disrespect and lack of sympathy towards victims of many accidents, natural disasters, murders and terrorist acts, including but not limited to the World Trade Center bombing on the 11th of September, 2001.
Christians generally oppose homosexuals acts, but this man takes his views to the extreme and actually advocates the death penalty for homosexuals acts. He and his congregation, mainly composed of family members, have organized thousands of pickets at various locations both in and outside of the U.S.A., in the last 10 years, preaching their hateful drivel against homosexuals and virtually anyone who disagrees with their insane religious beliefs or actions. During a demonstration, they display signs containing "GOD HATES FAGS", "THANK GOD FOR AIDS", "FAGS DIE, GOD LAUGHS", "AIDS CURES FAGS", "FAGS BURN IN HELL", "FAGS DOOM NATIONS", "GOD GAVE FAGS UP", "THANK GOD FOR 9/11" etcetera.
They believe the 9/11 attacks, the death of many American soldiers in Iraq, hurricane Katrina, the Columbia shuttle accident and the murder of the five Amish girls are punishment from God for the U.S.A.'s tolerance of homosexuals acts. As if all of this wasn't bad enough, the heartless bastards picket funerals of dead soldiers and homosexuals, thus showing no sympathy for the friends and family of the deceased. They have even considered picketing the funeral of the five slain Amish girls, although they cancelled the protest, not because they actually realized how wrong it is, but because they were given an hour of radio time on Mike Gallagher's program instead.
Protests are not their only means of spreading their hateful garbage. For example, the Westboro Baptist Church owns several sites including GodHatesFags.com, GodHatesAmerica.com, GodHatesCanada.com and GodHatesSweden.com. The titles of these websites alone are revolting to any decent human being. Shortly after the tsunamis in Asia occurred, they posted the statement on their main site: "THANK GOD FOR 20000 DEAD SWEDES, WISH IT WERE MORE". Here is another evil statement which can be found in their website F.A.Q.:
We sincerely hope and pray that all 20,000 Swedes are dead, their bodies bloated on the ground or in mass graves or floating at sea feeding sharks and fishes or in the bellies of thousands of crocodiles washed ashore by tsunamis. These filthy, faggot Swedes have a satanic, draconian law criminalizing Gospel preaching, under which they prosecuted, convicted and sentenced Pastor Ake Green to jail - thereby incurring God's irreversible wrath - Westboro Baptist Church
The "God Hates Sweden" website was created as a response to the imprisonment of another retarded fundie who publicly made bigoted statements against homosexuals in Sweden.
On top of all of this, Fred Phelps is a sexist as he believes women are not allowed to preach. His website quotes the following biblical passages as evidence:
"1 Tim. 2:9-14 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
1 Cor. 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
For his unbelievable display of idiocy and disrespect for the entire human race generated by religion, Fred W. Phelps is being awarded The Retard of the Month Award.
Christians, they love to talk about how loving, dutiful and compassionate they are, yet I have yet to meet ONE who does not practice hypocrisy to the highest degree. Their willful ignorance of the Bible combined with their two faced idealism to preach it, has made us sick, hasn’t it? For nearly two thousand years Biblicists have been lecturing people on the importance of adhering to the Bible’s teachings on ethics, manners, and morality. They quote Jesus and Paul profusely, with a liberal sprinkling of Old Testament moralism. The problem with their approach lies not only in an oft- noted failure to practice what they preach, but an equally pronounced tendency to ignore what the Bible itself, preaches. Christians practice what can only be described as “selective morality”. What they like, they cling to and shove down other’s throats; what they don’t like, they ignore vehemently. That which is palatable and acceptable is supposedly applicable to all; while that which is obnoxious, inconvenient, or self-denying is only applicable to those addressed 2,000 years ago. Their hypocrisy is so rampant that even the validity of calling oneself “Christian” is in question. I see so many people enjoy quoting the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and some of Paul’s sermons, but don’t even PRETEND to heed other, equally valid, maxims. I’ve mentioned pro-life and conservatism in other sermons. This one is going to sum up the rest of my beefs.
Christians Are Hypocrites
Christians Are Hypocrites
US President George W. Bush for his religiously motivated actions that effectively halt stem cell research in the United States. Stem cell research has the potential to deliver many medical advances that were previously impossible, possibly saving the lives of millions of sick people and improving the quality of life of many more sick people. The lives and welfare of millions of people are affected by by George Bush's insane belief in a magical sky-daddy. Mr. Bush knows that his actions will hurt many people but he does it anyway simply because he thinks that that's what his God wants him to do in order to get to heaven. In a sense he is no different than a suicide bomber, he's willing to kill many other people so that he can get to heaven.
Mr. Bush's actions continue a long legacy of Christian stupidity and interference into legitimate medical research. In the past couple of centuries Christians have rioted to prevent medical schools from using dead bodies to train medical doctors because they thought that autopsies might keep the dead from going to heaven. Christians have fought in-vitro fertilization which has allowed millions of infertile couples to bear children, and many of them are still fighting against sex education programs which include "safe-sex" techniques, such as condom use, which help prevent the spread of deadly diseases such as AIDS.
Bush Jr.
Mr. Bush's actions continue a long legacy of Christian stupidity and interference into legitimate medical research. In the past couple of centuries Christians have rioted to prevent medical schools from using dead bodies to train medical doctors because they thought that autopsies might keep the dead from going to heaven. Christians have fought in-vitro fertilization which has allowed millions of infertile couples to bear children, and many of them are still fighting against sex education programs which include "safe-sex" techniques, such as condom use, which help prevent the spread of deadly diseases such as AIDS.
Bush Jr.
Like father like son
A monthly feature of the EvilBible.com web site is the award of the Retard of the Month to the person or persons who have demonstrated an exceptional level of public stupidity due to religion. Nominees must be public officials or public figures. Suggestions for future Retards of the Month can be made by e-mailing Editor@EvilBible.com.
The Retard of the Month for May 2004 was:
Former President George H.W. Bush for saying "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
The following exchange took place at the Chicago airport between Robert I. Sherman of American Atheist Press and George H.W. Bush, on August 27 1987. Sherman is a fully accredited reporter, and was present by invitation as a member of the press corps. The Republican presidential nominee was there to announce federal disaster relief for Illinois. The discussion turned to the presidential primary:
RS:
"What will you do to win the votes of Americans who are atheists?"
GB:
"I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is important to me."
RS:
"Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?"
GB:
"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
RS:
"Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?"
GB:
"Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on atheists."
UPI reported on May 8, 1989, that various atheist organizations were still angry over the remarks.
The exchange appeared in the Boulder Daily Camera on Monday February 27, 1989. It can also be found in "Free Inquiry" magazine, Fall 1988 issue, Volume 8, Number 4, page 16.
On October 29, 1988, Mr. Sherman had a confrontation with Ed Murnane, co-chairman of the Bush-Quayle '88 Illinois campaign. This concerned a lawsuit Mr. Sherman had filed to stop the Community Consolidated School District 21 (Chicago, Illinois) from forcing his first-grade atheist son to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States as "one nation under God" (Bush's phrase). The following conversation took place:
RS:
"American Atheists filed the Pledge of Allegiance lawsuit yesterday. Does the Bush campaign have an official response to this filing?"
EM:
"It's bullshit."
RS:
"What is bullshit?"
EM:
"Everything that American Atheists does, Rob, is bullshit."
RS:
"Thank you for telling me what the official position of the Bush campaign is on this issue."
EM:
"You're welcome."
After Bush's election, American Atheists wrote to Bush asking him to retract his statement. On February 21st 1989, C. Boyden Gray, Counsel to the President, replied on White House stationery that Bush substantively stood by his original statement, and wrote:
George Bush states that atheists are not citizens or patriots
A monthly feature of the EvilBible.com web site is the award of the Retard of the Month to the person or persons who have demonstrated an exceptional level of public stupidity due to religion. Nominees must be public officials or public figures. Suggestions for future Retards of the Month can be made by e-mailing Editor@EvilBible.com.
The Retard of the Month for May 2004 was:
Former President George H.W. Bush for saying "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
The following exchange took place at the Chicago airport between Robert I. Sherman of American Atheist Press and George H.W. Bush, on August 27 1987. Sherman is a fully accredited reporter, and was present by invitation as a member of the press corps. The Republican presidential nominee was there to announce federal disaster relief for Illinois. The discussion turned to the presidential primary:
RS:
"What will you do to win the votes of Americans who are atheists?"
GB:
"I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is important to me."
RS:
"Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?"
GB:
"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
RS:
"Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?"
GB:
"Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on atheists."
UPI reported on May 8, 1989, that various atheist organizations were still angry over the remarks.
The exchange appeared in the Boulder Daily Camera on Monday February 27, 1989. It can also be found in "Free Inquiry" magazine, Fall 1988 issue, Volume 8, Number 4, page 16.
On October 29, 1988, Mr. Sherman had a confrontation with Ed Murnane, co-chairman of the Bush-Quayle '88 Illinois campaign. This concerned a lawsuit Mr. Sherman had filed to stop the Community Consolidated School District 21 (Chicago, Illinois) from forcing his first-grade atheist son to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States as "one nation under God" (Bush's phrase). The following conversation took place:
RS:
"American Atheists filed the Pledge of Allegiance lawsuit yesterday. Does the Bush campaign have an official response to this filing?"
EM:
"It's bullshit."
RS:
"What is bullshit?"
EM:
"Everything that American Atheists does, Rob, is bullshit."
RS:
"Thank you for telling me what the official position of the Bush campaign is on this issue."
EM:
"You're welcome."
After Bush's election, American Atheists wrote to Bush asking him to retract his statement. On February 21st 1989, C. Boyden Gray, Counsel to the President, replied on White House stationery that Bush substantively stood by his original statement, and wrote:
"As you are aware, the President is a religious man who neither supports atheism nor believes that atheism should be unnecessarily encouraged or supported by the government."
George Bush states that atheists are not citizens or patriots
V
Voyager
Guest
I couldn't connect to this site for about 15 minutes. Do you think the Christians are hacking this site?