tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65931402175001672592024-03-13T16:41:14.234-07:00atheist punkMental diarrhea from a working class atheist punk.Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-69527359044221607532013-02-01T09:29:00.001-08:002013-02-01T14:22:57.057-08:00The BSA Just Might Go Gay! (Still not sure about those atheists though)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQr5yM1uw9MC_Y20TkLeIMcQL6luh8lyMihKdLo5EYd3nyNhZznJEPuSyOuzyk6UnWzmxLmWfuv1VTXnRfXi_gL_fBKrXyMZSHBTgr-UOj6E9w9gu-yiLqZNjQjOIlX61kW8QnBA-brGN/s1600/iphone-Muscle-Man-in-boy-Scout-uniform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQr5yM1uw9MC_Y20TkLeIMcQL6luh8lyMihKdLo5EYd3nyNhZznJEPuSyOuzyk6UnWzmxLmWfuv1VTXnRfXi_gL_fBKrXyMZSHBTgr-UOj6E9w9gu-yiLqZNjQjOIlX61kW8QnBA-brGN/s320/iphone-Muscle-Man-in-boy-Scout-uniform.jpg" width="213" />.</a></div>
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In a recent story from the <a href="http://www.religionnews.com/2013/01/29/boy-scouts-shift-on-gays-wouldnt-change-rules-on-atheists/" target="_blank">Religious News Service</a> the idea of allowing openly gay men (as leaders) and boys (as members)
may finally come to fruition. Personally, I think it's about time. I
did how ever find it amusing and disturbing that the BSA are still crazy
scared of the godless... So you can go against gods word and get an
invite to the party, but if you don't believe in god to begin with
you're fucked. </div>
The logic of the religious is baffling. I'll be GLADD when the Girl Scouts follow suite. Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-58368277402773710512012-12-12T11:49:00.000-08:002012-12-12T12:06:53.183-08:00DOMA Dogma<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This started out as a response to a fuckwit on the interwebs on a DOMA thread a few months ago. It got set aside (along with a ton of other first drafts) after my dad was in a pretty bad car wreck in August. I've gone over it, adjusted it to a more "open letter" format and decided that I liked it enough to post it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> Let me just start by stating clearly and emphatically that I am an anti-theist. Most religions at the very least, in their most innocent forms promote scientific ignorance and offer an apocalyptic end game as a means to reach paradise. At its worst it subjugates women, criminalizes freewill and supports bigotry, xenophobia and hate. It allows pederasts to move freely among congregations, hunting and devouring innocence. That being said, I would NEVER vote for any measure that would remove your right to be religious. You are afforded that right in the constitution. Where you are mistaken, is in its application. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> Freedom “of” religion also includes freedom “from” religion. DOMA, by defining marriage based on religious text clearly violates the 1st Amendment. Offer me context as to where the definition came from and I’ll listen. Continue with your weak sauce fallacious arguments, and all you’re doing is continuing to sound like a parrot. The “war on marriage” is tantamount to the “reefer madness” propaganda in the 20’s leading to the criminalization of cannabis. Make no mistake, groups like the Family Research Institute, Family Research Council, American Family Association, National Organization for Marriage are fervently anti-gay based strictly on religious principals and would if they could, re-criminalize homosexuality (yeah, I said RE-criminalize) DOMA represents step one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> The sanctity of marriage, you’re kidding, right? Religiosity seems to have little impact on divorce rates. An article I found in the <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/study-christian-divorce-rate-identical-to-national-average-31815/" target="_blank">The Christian Post</a> gives statistics and poll research showing that now more than ever, God isn't saving marriages. So if being religious isn't keeping religious people married, why are they so concerned about keeping homosexuals from getting married.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> I say (an excerpt from one of my previous blogs) </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">“Feel free to ban people in mixed race marriages, same sex marriages, marriages of people from other religions from your church. It's your little club, be as picky as you want to be. Marry only the people you feel are an accurate representation of the dogma you’re pushing. The validity of that marriage ends at the threshold of your building... Want some legal rights? Get a marriage license. The license won't discriminate based on race, sexual orientation, gender, religious preference, income, blah blah blah blah blah. Two consenting adults (at least one being a legal citizen) can apply for and receive this license in very much the same way it’s done now, just without the discrimination, and will be afforded all the <i>legal </i>rights the licensees are granted. See, both sides win! People of religion can remain bigoted, hateful and ignorant inside of church. But outside, we're all the same (citizens and human beings) and should be afforded the same fucking rights. How is this even up for debate still?”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> The United States is for all intents and purposes for this argument a democratic republic, not a theocratic republic. The 1st amendment makes this clear. As to the intent of the founding fathers, Jefferson is fairly clear about his ideas in his letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The text reads "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State." Also, in 1797, the United States Senate ratified The Treaty of Tripoli- article 11 reads- As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen [Muslims],—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan [Muslim] nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries. You're not protecting "Democracy" you're pushing theocracy. Get your shit straight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> In regards to my level of tolerance for religion and faith, I'll offer you some insight into my personal views. To be "tolerant" of intolerance when intolerance clearly and directly impedes, prevents and/or takes away the rights of other human beings based solely on religion or religious doctrine is idiotic and presents no clear path to better the human species. Rest assured, I'll concede your right to worship any god or follow any religion that tends to agree with your own indoctrinated world view. But be clear- "The right to swing your fist ends at my nose." (Oliver Wendel Holmes Jr). When you overstep that right, I will politely demonstrate to you with my own fist, just how important that quote is. What American Christianity is experiencing is not an attack on its beliefs. They are experiencing the defense of every one else's. We are not trying to pull the right to the left, we are pushing the right back to the center. If it offends you to hear that your beliefs sound fucking ridiculous to me, consider how offended I am when you do the same. Before you get pissed, maybe do a quick recheck, because that shit you're selling <i>is</i> pretty fucking ridiculous</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> So, I'll ask again, present an argument for denying homosexuals the same rights afforded to heterosexuals without delving into religion or theology and I would be more then happy to listen. But since this isn't the first time I've had to do this dance, I’d probably shit my pants in shock if you could. </span><br />
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Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-87089170377336665562012-05-10T11:50:00.000-07:002013-01-31T18:47:37.720-08:00Punk You Ass Hole<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Blame it on the music. Punk has been fueling my desire to burn shit down and question just for the sake of questioning for as long as I can remember. I was 12ish (the fall of 1987) when a friend of mine handed me a cassette tape- The Dead Kennedys "In God We Trust Inc" on side A and The Misfits "Walk Among Us" on side B (I was to learn later that I only had half of Walk Among Us). Punk wasn't the only music I was listening to at the time but it certainly flipped a switch in my brain like no other music had before. If I have ever had anything close to a religion, it's been punk music.</div>
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This is what hard core punk looked like when I was a kid. No tattoos (I have plenty now) no fancy clothes, no mohawks, just something to say and shitty instruments. I miss this level of sincerity, the commitment to the message. It's still out there, but you have to weed through the fashion to find it now. Religious Vomit is one of my all times favorites. The Dee-Kay's in their prime had a message that still resonates to the core of some of the current sociopolitical movements. Here's a few of my favorites that still ring as true today as the day they where released.</div>
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Bad religion, You Are The Government from the Album Suffer released in 1988.<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UkmHk2CEAOs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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T.S.O.L., Abolish Government/Silent Majority from the T.S.O.L. E.P. released in 1981</div>
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Black Flag, Rise Above from the Album Damaged released 1981</div>
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Agent Orange, America from the Blood Stains E.P. released in 1980</div>
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Most of these songs are more then 25 years old, and most of them still carry the feeling I would like to convey to my kids. The feeling that action must be taken, that the time for politeness is done. Shit has got to change and we have to get with it! My wife and I still go to shows, but the perspective has changed. It's more about how I can make a positive change in my immediate surroundings, how do I make my street, my neighborhood, my city better. Changing the world is for the youth. Giving them the tools to do it, now that's right up my alley! When I was my daughters age, we read fanzines and went to shows to share ideas with like minded kids, it's way different nowadays! The funny thing is the way they share ideas and information is vastly superior to the way I did it 25 years ago. They get world perspective, 24/7 at their finger tips. They get the raw data and process it themselves. They are so much better geared to fight the revolution that is clearly on the horizon (and by fight, I'm more than certain that they will figure a way to do it with less bloodshed then ever before.) These were<i> my</i> songs, the seeds that grew into the ideals and views I still hold dear to this very day. Enjoy. </div>
Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-25342904828722558312012-05-01T11:28:00.000-07:002012-10-10T11:15:00.758-07:00National Day of Prayer (or as I like to call it "Pretending to Masturbate" day) Well, it's that time of year again. Time to bow our heads, clasp our hands together and murmur to which ever deity you currently worship to pretty pretty please with sugar on top and a big fat fucking cherry magically make this place, country, world, or your paycheck better.<br />
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Welcome to National Day of Prayer 2012, Thursday May 3rd. It's been going on since the early 50's and if you believe the rhetoric coming out of the current "christian nation" regarding the state of this country and its downward spiral into godlessness it apparently hasn't done one bit of good. If they have been praying over the last 70 years for the good ole U.S. of A. to become a more prosperous nation and to smite all of these godless, homosexual, liberal, socialist, communist, lazy, hippy, immigrant, traitors, why the hell hasn't it worked yet? What did Einstien (attributed quote, I couldn't find citation) say about doing the same thing over and over again, expecting the same results?<br />
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Because prayer is like pretending to masturbate. <br />
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What the fuck is this guy talking about?? Give me a second, I'll get us there. You see, at least with masturbation there is a real and positive outcome. Regardless of how self gratifying the act is, it still accomplishes what it sets out to do. Pretending to masturbate on the other hand (pun totally intended) is still a self gratifying act, but accomplishes <i>nothing. </i> I equate prayer to exactly that. It's a way to feel connected to something greater then yourself, while pretending to do something to help the world around you. It is quite simply lazy.<br />
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So, to all my agnostic, atheist, free thinking, skeptic, bright, anti-theist, irreligious, secular, or humanist <i>NON</i> participants in Thursdays pretend circle jerk, I offer you this alternative public physical gesture. This can be done whether you're male or female. If you should happen upon any participants of National Day of Prayer, try this.<br />
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1. With your arm outstretched in front of you, make a fist.<br />
2. Rotate your fist outward (clock wise for your right hand, counter clock wise for your left)<br />
3. Bring your fist (thumb should be on top) to the level of your belly button.<br />
4. Begin making an up and down motion (pointed slightly away from you) with your fist, bending at the elbow.<br />
5. Continue to make up and down motion (feel free to vary your speed and range of motion) while hoping out loud for a problem to go away. Things I like to say are "I hope these starving kids in the world get some food", or "I'm voting for [insert Republican nominee or bible based measure here]." Sing a song, or just make a simple proclamation. Try "Jesus Loves the Little Children" or shout out over and over "Mohammed is the man"...<br />
6. Continue for as long as you'd like.<br />
7. When you are ready to conclude your praying, on your final upstroke, extend your fingers out as if you were tossing dice and yell "Hallelujah" or "Amen" (R'amen would be acceptable for my FSM friends.)<br />
or just moan<br />
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If you haven't been arrested or verbally accosted by now, you should thank whoever you've just "prayed" with and politely excuse yourself. You have now participated in National Day of Prayer 2012. Pat yourself on the back and continue doing whatever it was you were doing before you affected some great and positive change in this world by pretending to masturbate.<br />
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Instead, maybe check to see if there are any National Day of Reason rallies near you. Or maybe you could call a family member and tell them you love them, volunteer for some community work, check in on an elderly neighbor, donate food to a food bank, or clothes to a secular charity. Do anything at all, but just do something. And instead of one day a year, shoot for once a month or one day a week. What ever your schedule permits. I know we all have lives to live, jobs to work, kids to raise, spouses to love, pets to care for, we are all busy people. But we should all try to make some time to help out those less fortunate, to make a change for the better on our own streets, communities, cities, states, country and planet.<br />
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Not because we want to go to heaven, not because we are afraid of hell. But because roughly 237 million self identifying christians in America think that pretending to masterbate is really going to make a difference.Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-10552798315892732302012-04-11T13:23:00.000-07:002012-05-10T12:13:41.775-07:00Finding My Balance I think the scariest part of self identifying as "atheist" for me comes when it's time to face the people I love who are religious. The ability to balance my own personal lack of respect for "god stories" and the people subscribing to them has been an effort of Olympic gymnast magnitude. It's been difficult for me to reconcile my own duplicity in this. The stranger (either on the interwebs, or on the street) doesn't get a warning shot. If the topic of religion is broached, I'm going in guns blazing. God help (pun intended) these people proselytizing in public or door to door. And I refuse to apologize for this. Yet when my brother-in-law or my mother-in-law wants to say a blessing at a restaurant I might give a little sigh and not participate, but I would never unleash the barrage of verbal vitriol reserved for a fellow human being that I simply haven't had the chance to develop a relationship with.<br />
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Why is this? How can I justify my own conceivably hypocritical behavior while condemning those acting the same way, but out of "faith". From life long friends, to family- I have religious people I love. Every one of them participating in their faiths to varying degrees of commitment. I have open, continuous dialogue with some (my brother for instance) to a certain unspoken, sometimes uneasy agreement that it just wont be discussed with others. But this still doesn't answer the why. <br />
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I would like to think that it's because I have gotten to know these people. That the reasons I respect and love them far outweighs the absurdity of their beliefs (and to be truthful, I do still think they are being absurd.) It seems as if I have always had a line in the sand, a threshold of tolerance I have decided was acceptable for me. The older I get though, the more it feels less and less like a line in the sand and more like a wall at a border. The denizens have now become citizens regardless of their religious affiliations. <br />
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This is where I have apparently become a tad bigoted. I can admit to and own that. Most people that feel strongly enough about their faith to share in a public forum are going to be the same people that would intrude upon my life and my rights by inserting their ideologies and moralities into policy or law. And while I openly admit to thinking that <i>my </i>ideologies and world views <i>are </i>superior to theirs, its only in one simple aspect. I don't want to take away a persons rights to believe in a supreme being, or the right to live their lives according to whatever doctrine they follow. I am okay with you being scared of the spooky all powerful creator being in the sky who will dictate the rest of your eternity, I'm just not okay with you telling <i>me</i> (or anybody else) I have to buy in as well. <br />
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The last paragraph should be prefaced with it is my belief that there is <i>never </i>an acceptable time for those rules to be imposed upon <i>anyone </i>else, including their own children. "The right to swing my fist, ends where the other mans nose begins." is I believe how the quote goes. The fact that the breadth of christianity accepts and participates in the mutilation of infant males sexual organs, but throws a fucking tizzy over a zygotes right to life blows my mind. And there is the conflict. <br />
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So am I to tell other people they can't express their belief that homosexuality is morally wrong? Or that abortion should be banned because of your interpretations of a few verses in the bible? To be frank, I'm nobody and I'm not. I'm simply saying that laws shouldn't be made excluding homosexuals from rights afforded to heterosexual based on ancient religious texts. And that if you morally oppose abortion, then don't get one. Can you see the distinction?<br />
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But I'm getting away from it a bit. It's difficult to remove my disdain for religion from the people practicing it. If I could only meet this Jesus guy, so I could tell him how much of a total douche he/his dad is (this is not an admission of acceptance to the biblical Jesus being god.) Or explain to Mohammed that it's okay he's gay, he doesn't have to hate women because of it. But I can't, so I'm left to deal with the follows, and the leaders of these unscrupulous religions.<br />
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So do I feel bad when I call somebody out over their religious beliefs? No. I don't have the time to get to know every believer in the world and decide whether or not they're a fucking shmuck. I know they are a believer, and more often that not, that's good enough for me. Will you get a chance to prove me wrong, should our paths cross? Yeah, just don't expect to convince me by telling me how well you follow your doctrines. Does that make me feel superior to them on a personal level? Nope. Do I feel like I'm smarter? Nah, I'm probably somewhere in the middle of average as far as measurable intelligence goes. My family and my friends who are believers get a pass. My life, my rules. Does that make me a hypocrite? I'm sure that's up for debate.<br />
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I find my thoughts and ideas constantly evolving, (a big difference between myself and somebody of faith) mostly I try to stay tolerant and positive. Those closest to me do a wonderful job of pointing out when I'm being a complete and total prick, and I appreciate that. I am in my own eyes a humanist first. Atheism only describes a certain aspect of me. I would also consider myself a very proactive anti-theist. I'm just like most other people. I want to live my life freely. To find happiness and love, to try and make a positive impression on my children and the world around me. I just do it without believing in any gods. I have always had a hard time keeping my mouth shut. Blame it on that damned punk music!!Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-30106311760400717672012-02-10T13:44:00.000-08:002013-04-01T16:41:56.102-07:00Who Are All These Moderates?? The topic of moderate Christians (theists) has been coming up pretty regularly on the Facebook page I help admin, with some pretty interesting takes on it. A good deal of the religious posters are generally pretty pissed off by the lack of sensitivity and the level of blasphemy in some of the memes. To be certain- the page is blatantly and obviously atheist in nature, no trickery or shenanigans to get the poor Christian just wandering the inter-webs caught in our trap [laughs deviously while my rubbing my hands together]. But the Christians being offended is by far not the shocker. It seems as though there is a fairly adamant faction of non-believers, agnostics, skeptics, and atheists that are (to put it mildly) repulsed by the notion that religion is up for scrutiny. Okay, I'll admit I'm relatively new to the party, but WHAT THE FUCK???<br />
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Most of the arguments seem to focus on two themes- respect and tolerance. As in I (we) owe the theist who arrives on the page respect, or that our content in general should not disrespect <i>anybodies </i>beliefs as these beliefs are very personal things. I call bullshit. Your <i>beliefs </i>don't deserve the slightest amount of respect from me. I've got a prewritten response I use when the subject of respecting other peoples beliefs come up. I've had to use it often over the last few days. It goes like this- Personally, I've have no respect for woman haters, child fuckers, honor killers, suicide bombers, genital mutilators, creationism pushers, and choice robbers. If you're going to identify with the types, expect me to show you little respect. If you are going to excuse or dismiss these abhorrent behaviors by simply telling me that you don't participate but argue that these perpetrators have some magical right to not be scrutinized, then I have little respect for you as well.<br />
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My biggest issue with the "moderate" theist. Their ability to blend in to the religion when it does good things, and disappear or defend it when some crazy shit happens. Let's use Catholicism for instance. A good, moderate catholic might feel that homosexuals <i>are</i> against gods will.<i> But-</i> who are they to say homosexual shouldn't be allowed to get married? Seems pretty reasonable, right? But when the Pope tells Africans who are living among the highest percentage of HIV infected people in the world, that condoms may make the epidemic worse? The moderates either shrink into shadows (cuz that shits nutty, folks) or worse, scream out against the people calling the pope a fucking moron, exclaiming "People should be <i>tolerant </i>of other belief systems and show him some <i>respect!" </i> Are you fucking serious? Lets take a look at the born again Christians. Maybe a church runs a food kitchen for the homeless- pretty sweet! The moderate believer may volunteer 10, maybe 20 hours a month in the kitchen. I commend the effort, sincerely. Now what about when a state tries to pass a bill allowing creationism to be taught alongside of evolution in a public school science class? Those mean and nasty atheists are at it again, bringing up that 1st Amendment (by the way, I know- we have that thing all confused.) Again, poof- where did all those moderates go?? Or- comments like "How dare we <i>disrespect </i>your creator, can't we be more <i>tolerant </i>of your batshit ideas?" I could go on with examples, but if you're not seeing it now chances are more aren't going to help. <br />
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I know these are generalizations, and that every person in every different religion may not act the same way every time. I don't know about you but I live in a world that starts with generalizations, and filters down further and further until I reach specifics. Is your neighbor Judy, a moderate Mormon who was totally and outwardly against Prop 8 and the churches funding of the propaganda? I don't know. If she did, I'd give her a big "Hell yeah!" I would still wonder why somebody who could reasonably conclude that it's none of the churches business, is still be involved in the church.<br />
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There was a blog I read regarding the hard wiring of the brain in its early stages of development that disables some cognitive reasoning abilities. This rewiring allows very intelligent people to be able to understand complex ideas, but also the ability to compartmentalize religious beliefs away from this ability. Imagine Albert Einstein really, truly, believing that if you stepped on a crack you would break his Momma's back. There may very well be some correlation between indoctrination, and a moderates ability to defend his or her religion against scrutiny.<br />
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So do me, and yourself a favor. Start policing your own shit. For all those "moderates" who claim they are the good ones and who are unjustly getting persecuted- reign in the nut jobs. Throw a fucking blanket party, and be done with it. Either step the fuck up and say something or shut the fuck up when I do. I'll give you my word on one thing. When (and if ) you do, I'll gladly focus my attention on any one of the other interests I have. I am an anti-theist. I'm also pretty much a humanist and I try to be realistic about the world around me. You're not gonna catch me holding my breath waiting for you, the "moderate" believer to get your religions shit together.Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-67321508496160549542012-01-25T10:42:00.000-08:002012-10-10T10:51:23.639-07:00A Declaration<ul class="uiList" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
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<b><span style="color: #aaaaaa;">The following is a portion of email correspondence between my brother and I. It's written sort of ranty, I know, but that's how it came out when I originally wrote the email last September. Let me preface this by saying that my brother and I have a wonderful relationship despite some fundamental differences on this very subject. He is an intelligent man, an good father, and wonderful husband. I found myself reading these the other day, and felt compelled to share this one. It was my first vocalization, my first declaration to my brother that I had in fact decided to call a duck a duck (the duck being myself) </span></b></div>
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<li style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span> Look, I'm an atheist because actions speak louder then prayer. Because aligning myself morally with groups that preach misogyny, bigotry, homophobia, xenophobia more than reason, logic science and tolerance seems medieval at best. I'm not saying that all people who adhere to any sort of religious dogmas are "evil" or "ignorant". I am saying that for those people who are not, I find it amazing that they WOULD! My success is my doing, so are my failures. People can do wonderful things without religion. In any other aspect of humanity, if we took things we knew 2,000 years ago and still did them today, we would consider those people fools at best. If a parent took a child to get bled by leaches to cure a fever instead of giving the child Tylenol, WOW there would be some fuss! But let a President of The United States of America say that he's prayed, and going to war is what god told him to do, we (figuratively as a country) wave flags, sing God Bless America and load the guns... Strictly as literature the Bible (which ever version you read) is an incredible work. Same as the Qu'ran, the Torah, the Book of Mormon, the Tipitaka and so on. Can we really take these things seriously and literally anymore?? I would hope not. Do a little pokin around on the interwebs. Everyday, every single day, religions rules and dogmas are the cause for murder, mutilation, and torture committed against men, women and children. EVERYDAY! Please don't come back with "serial killers" or atheists who have committed crimes against humanity. The statistics are overwhelming. These institutions (not the occasional nut jobs) are preaching from a perceived position of authority claiming that homosexuality is abhorrent and unnatural, that women are lesser humans, and should be treated as such and that nonbelievers should be killed. They protect pedophiles in their midst, and they teach that when the world ends (however it does) it's a good thing because eternal life is waiting for them! They fight scientific progress with rabble rousing and fear. How many of these ideals are conducive (in your opinion) to humanities success and survival? I won't bug you anymore with this. I love you, and I love your family as well. Not much could ever change that. Maybe we should go play 9, drink some beers and not talk about anything important. </li>
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Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-35785706890568381792012-01-17T12:46:00.000-08:002012-10-10T12:26:51.775-07:00School Is My Second Favorite Place To Get My Christ On! (part 2) Just a quick update. The meeting with the school counselor went fairly well. I was satisfied with the attention that was given to the events, and I feel like they took me seriously. Come to find out, the school counselor is the son of a baptist minister. Awkward... ha ha ha. My son has said that the harassment has stopped inside the classroom, but he still catches some shit in the halls. I was told the President of the Christian club talked to the members about tolerance of other peoples beliefs (funny, huh). His teacher pulled him aside the next day after class and feigned shock while apologizing, (not admitting complicity, obviously). I'm watching the situation like a hawk, and I'm looking forward to Thursday and parent teacher conferences. Thanks for all of your support on this one (all though the grammar Nazis can simmer down a bit).Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-44700921002609152352012-01-17T12:09:00.000-08:002012-05-10T12:43:40.464-07:00The Evil Atheist Majority Feeding Christians to Lions<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Can I get an amen? no, okay. I'm getting pretty tired of reading about and hearing from politicians and christian leaders that say the persecution of their religion is the single most dangerous enemy to this country. I'd like to take a look at some percentages, some definitions (I know, <i>facts </i>have never been a real big thing with religion in general.) and see if we can shed some light on the atrocities committed by atheists against the poor christian minority....</span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Defintion of minority</span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1 a: the period before attainment of majority</span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> b: the state of being a legal minor</span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2 : the smaller number of two groups constituting a whole; <em>specifically </em>: a group having less then the number of votes necessary for control</span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">3 a: a part of the population differing from others in some characteristics and often subjected to differential treatment </span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> b : a member of a minority group. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> With nearly 78% of adult Americans* self identifying as Christian, I can't see how Christians can consider themselves a minority by any stretch of the imagination (unless they are speaking strictly about their individual brand, of which if you are christian and protestant you are in the majority no matter how you slice it). Until you get to the third definition. Here, there is some wiggle room. Are Christians different from the population? Yes, they seperate themselves by their religious convictions. Are they often subjected to differential treatment? That's the tricky part. The nuances of the words leave room for personal interpretation (is anybody shocked that Christianity will take a word, a verse, or an idea and bend it to fit their agenda?). And by taking that interpretation out one more step, Caucasians are <i>also </i>a minority! Lets move on, take a look and consider persecution. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Definition of persecute </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 1 a: to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve , or afflict; <i>specifically :</i> to cause to suffer because of belief.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2 : to annoy with persistent or urgent approaches (as attacks, pleas, or importunities) : pester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Another tricky definition. The way I read the definition it seems to work for their argument. But can you see how the war on terror could be easily construed as persecution of radical militant Islam? And yet red blooded Christian Americans would see this as doing gods work. In the case of the second definition I feel as if I am constantly being persecuted by, and persecuting my 12 year old son. Circle gets the square? I don't know, but it does appear that Christianity (even it's most moderate of practices) could be defined as being persecuted as well as doing some persecuting of its own. I'd personally like to think that the idea of religious persecution hasn't been watered down so thin as to equate requests for human beings to act reasonably in regards to fellow human beings to the atrocities for instance; committed during the Spanish Inquisition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can we take a look at how Christians should biblically embrace persecution? I'd sure like to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all those that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If you're </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">not </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">being persecuted, your doing it wrong according to the Christian handbook. Wanna see some more? Me too! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matthew 5:10-12 10 "Happy are those who have been persecuted for the sake of rightcheousness' sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. 11 "Happy are you when people reproach you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. 12 Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Isn't being a martyr fun!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I've only pulled two out but it's in the bible so it's gotta be true, right Christians? Now, please stop your bitching and whining. This is your lot in life while you enslave yourselves to superstitious mumbo jumbo. I realize these are New testament verses, and that the fire and brimstone mother fuckers still want to go all old testament on everybody. But those fundies are a whole different breed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This goes out to the Fox news watching moderates who get seriously butt hurt when somebody tells them that it's not okay to have a prayer banner in a high school, or that homosexuality does not destroy family values, (and gay marriage doesn't lead to dog fucking) that science cures and educates, while prayer fails time and time again. To the adults of average intelligence who stopped believing in Santa Clause, but still deeply believe that an invisible all powerful entity is responsible for all of their success, and that they are only being tested by this entities plan with their<i> personal</i> failures and tragedies. Accept the choices you've made by abandoning rational thought or take responsibility for yourself. How does the saying go? Jesus may forgive you, but the rest of us think you're an asshole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> While Christianity constantly tries to circumvent the rights provided ALL citizens of this country Constitutionally, to impose its certain brand of bigotry on 1/5 of the the total population all the while screaming about some perceived injustice because somebody stood up and said "No, that's not right." or because of being called out on blatant bullshit. All I want is to be left to live happily, morally, and with dignity. Without having <i>any </i>religion foisted upon me. I say stay sedated, warm and blissful in your ignorance if it suits you. I won't deny you your shackles. But I will not stand by and watch you attempt to shackle the rest of us. The rumble of discontent gets louder and louder with every generation.</span><br />
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*<a href="http://religions.pewforum.org/reports">http://religions.pewforum.org/reports</a> </div>Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-19141708848069110772011-12-21T14:19:00.000-08:002012-05-10T12:39:50.769-07:00School Is My Second Favorite Place To Get My Christ On!<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">The following is a draft of an email I wrote last Friday. It's in regards to my son and some issues he's having in one of his classes. Still unsure if I'm going to send it, but I'm certain that I'm going to go down and speak with his counselor after the "winter break" is over. He's complained on a couple of occasions to me about these particular kids giving him grief, and I've tried to offer him ways to deal with their ignorance. I wanted him to feel empowered and unafraid of the criticism he may face by having other than mainstream beliefs (regarding anything.) But it was apparent to me Friday when I got home from work that these occurrences are weighing heavier on him then I can tolerate. It's a fine line I walk as an outspoken atheist and a father (an issue I've touched on in previous blogs.) I don't want to intentionally expose my children to abuse of any sort. Is 12 years old to young to be critical of religions? Personally I think it's not. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">To give this context, these events are happening in a history class and during the first trimester religions of the world were being learned about and discussed. </span> I'll keep the blog up to date with developments as they come in. Any how, here's the email. <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Mrs. Xxxxxx, </span><br />
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I feel it necessary to contact you directly regarding events that I have been made aware that are occurring in your classroom. My son feels that he is being bullied by other students in class. He has informed me that students are verbally abusing him because of <i>their </i>religious beliefs. He has been continually mocked for having other than Christian beliefs, as well as recently (today, in your classroon) being told he is not "allowed" to celebrate Christmas because he doesn't believe in god. He feels (as most bullied children do) that standing up for himself will only cause further abuse. My sons personal views (meaning his views as a person, not his views to be held secret) should bear no weight on history as it's taught.</div>
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Being a history teacher I'm sure that you are aware that none of the modern day Christmas traditions have anything whatsoever to do with Judeo-Christianity. That the 25th of December has no historical evidence of being the birth date of Joshua the anointed one. That Christmas trees come from pagan traditions, that one of the real and historically accurate reason the 25th of December is used was to cover up the and "Godify" the Roman holiday Saturnaila. Being an educated person, I'm sure you're more then aware of these elementary historical facts. I'm sure you can understand why a reasonable person would be upset to find out that their child was being chided in a public school by fellow students (who openly identify as christians) for participating in a holiday that is more secular and pagan then christian. And how, if things like this were happening in a classroom run by a reasonable and educated adult could a situation like this <i>not</i> be quickly resolved? There's no way it would continue for three months, right? I'm afraid it has and that's why I felt it prudent to contact you.</div>
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I'm certain that you must have been unaware of the instances were my son was berated or belittled because of his personal views (again, I mean personal being his views as a person, and not views to be kept secret.) Because if you were, I would have to think you would have made an attempt to at the very least curtail such nonsense. Mrs. Xxxxx, I find it interesting that my son is aware of your own religious affiliation. I find it interesting in the way that I can't for the life of me see how that is relevant to teaching history. It would almost have to be because you were asked directly by a student, right? It couldn't be because you own personal convictions have seeped into your lesson plan, have they? The former would imply a simple honesty that I could completely respect. The latter would imply a reprehensible lack of judgement on your part. Which is it Ma'am? </div>
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I expect this to be the last time my son will bullied in your classroom. Now that you are aware (I will provided names of the offending students if you require) I'm certain you will be vigilant in your protection of <i>all</i> the children left in your charge. Thank you for your time. </div>Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-14932600230381232082011-12-13T12:12:00.000-08:002012-10-10T10:55:30.347-07:00Death and taxes To tax or not to tax, that is the question! Here's my take. Don't tax em. Easy now- Keep reading... The purpose (as I understand it) of not taxing religious institutions is to ensure the First Amendment and the separation of church and state stay legit. I'm cool with that, I firmly believe that the government should stay out of the matters of religion, and religion should stay out of the matters of government. S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E.... Now, if the pendulum swings one way, it swings back as well. To maintain a tax exempt "religious" status, the religious establishment should void all abilities to contribute any financial support to any sort of political campaign or candidate. The individual members of church should be able to donate to what ever crazy ass idea they see fit, they just have to do it personally. This should clearly include any and all non profit, inherently religious organizations as well. There, the government doesn't tax you and you don't get to donate billions to what ever whack job politician (Perry and Bachmann come to mind really fucking quick) law, or any other sort of policies that would also affect any other person in the country. Go to church and pray you get what you want.... <br />
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This goes for marriage as well. Feel free to ban people in mixed race marriages, same sex marriages, marriages of people from other religions from your church. It's your little club, be as picky as you want to be. Marry only the people you feel are an accurate representation of the dogma you're pushing. The validity of that marriage ends at the threshold of your building... Want some legal rights? File for a domestic partnership license. The license won't discriminate based on race, sexual orientation, gender, religious preference, income, blah blah blah blah blah. Two consenting adults (at least one being a legal citizen) can apply for and receive this license in very much the same way its done now, just without the discrimination. See? both sides win! People of religion can remain bigoted, hateful and ignorant inside of church. But outside, we're all the same (citizens and human beings) and should be afforded the same fucking rights (how is this even up for debate still?) <br />
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Big ideas, I know. Vague on the details? Yeah... I'm a fucking construction worker, not a lawyer. Hard to grasp the principals of what I'm driving at? Only if your brain is stuck in neutral. As much as I despise all the turmoil that religion causes in this day and age, I don't believe you can just make it go away. You can't ban it, can't eradicate it like a disease, you can only try and educate. Only when people realize that that there is an option, that their lives don't have to be committed to fairy tales and myths, that they can do good things just for the sake of doing them, only when people realize that they don't need religions anymore will the religions go away.Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-78952082916809565842011-12-09T11:50:00.000-08:002012-10-10T11:00:15.544-07:00Holy shit, I just found out I'm a National Alliance Christian!!!! Not really (more like not in a million fucking years.) But a conversation I was having with an acquaintance a few days ago shed some light on the insights of a casual Christian. We were discussing the OWS movement and our differences of opinions and ideas when the conversation took a turn, and I was asked "What do Atheists do for Christmas?" Since it was still a fairly good natured conversation, I gave the run down on the traditions and followed up with "What do Christians do for the holidays since the 25th of December has nothing to do with the bible or Jesus and the common traditions practiced in America have all been borrowed or twisted from pagan celebrations? ;)" I've included the winky faced emoticon to show that I was still trying to maintain a level of snarkyness in the exchange. I got the run down of her families traditions, as well as being told that she wouldn't hold my lack of faith against me, and that she has "been who I am"..<br />
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I just about went out of my mind. Let me reiterate, this person is an acquaintance. We have some mutual friends. The comment reeked of arrogance (In my opinion) and was preceded by me being told that she believes faith is a very personal thing and shouldn't be pushed on anyone. Pissed off I fired back that if she was a Christian, it was in fact her duty to spread the word and convert others to Christianity. Which was in direct contradiction to her admitted belief that faith should be a personal thing and not pushed on anybody. If somebody doesn't believe in or agree with a theology as a whole, why subscribe? <br />
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Which brings me to my headline... If I can identify myself as being a member of a belief system or group while only holding some or few of the general ideas in high regard, I decided to hit Google up and figure out all the groups I belong to! Turns out that based on The National Alliances general principals that say "We believe we are all part of nature and subject to natures laws" I agree with that, therefore by the rule of picking and choosing, I'm with the national alliance. Wait, they're a bunch of shit fuck bigoted assholes? No worries, I don't believe in all that. Now, the bible has it's ten commandments (old testament, check out that Moses dude.) One of the ten commandments declares- Thou shalt not kill. Yet all over the old testament god is asking his people to kill some other people! Soooo- I take that to mean that we shouldn't kill people, but sometimes there's a pretty good reason so it's cool. I believe the same thing, I'm totally both Jewish <i>and </i>christian!!! Turns out I'm also a communist, a socialist, a republican, a democrat, and a black panther. It's easy when I can lock onto a few ideas, and dismiss the ones I don't agree with or feel are off-putting. I am in fact, none of these things.<br />
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Don't get at me with the whole "we're not perfect, just forgiven" shit. That's not what I'm talking about. To reach and fall short is different then to disregard all together. And I still don't give a shit what you believe. Just be about it. Don't half ass it. Fer fuck's sake, if it's your eternal soul your so worried about why wouldn't you take it more seriously?? But please, please don't piss down my leg (or your own) and tell me (or try and convince yourself) that it's raining. If you're going to fly a flag you should also be prepared to defend that flag. If you can't or don't want to, you should get out of the camp.Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-68930518384307144272011-11-16T13:27:00.000-08:002012-05-10T12:32:29.426-07:00Work Is My Favorite Place To Get My Christ On! Once again I get ear fucked by Jesus at work. I was minding my own business, sitting at my desk (possibly checking my Face book) when my wonderful Office Manager pops her head in. Let me start by explaining something- my office is 264 sq ft room in the middle of a 20,000 sq ft warehouse about 300 yards away from the main office. Sheryl (that's what we'll call her) was diagnosed earlier this year with cancer. She had no qualms at all after the diagnosis about sharing her belief that her god (She's a fundy christian) would determine the outcome of her life and for a short while eluded to the possibility of refusing medical treatments to remove the cancer as that might interfere with gods plan for her. Any whoodle- Sheryl pops her head in my door, and starts with the small talk- How have you been? Is everything going good? Do I have plans for my upcoming vacation? I play nice, despite my outward appearance and my curse laden rants on this blog I'm a pretty polite guy! Next topical stop- her hair growing back. More polite small talk, now I'm just hoping I get outta this whole thing soon because I think I just got a text message... Then, out of nowhere- BAM! "You know Larry, I just thank the all mighty lord for taking this cancer out of my body, through him all things are possible". Que awkward smile for me. "Uhm, okay Sheryl" I reply. Then as she retreats back out the door and I think I just got grazed by the bullet- she pops her head back in. "Heavenly father deserves all the glory Larry, and that's who I give it to. Don't you agree"? Que still awkward, now horrified smile "uhm, sure Sheryl". I had officially been ear fucked by Jesus- again. <br />
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Look, I'm not trying to play the poor me card. Such is life in the work place, it's not always ideal. But here's the catch. If I was an office manager, and I walked up to ANYONE under me and through polite conversation tossed in a little "Hey, how bout that whole god thing you believe in being a big ole joke? A fairy tale, a myth, malarkey." or "I'm calling shenanigans on your bible, whats up?". Would I be seen as some insensitive prick? I think so. Maybe I'd be written up, suspended or fired. Who knows. Thing is, I would never do that. My personal life is a matter I prefer to keep to myself. The fact I am an atheist bears absolutely no weight on my ability to do my job (and to do it well I will add). It just pisses me off that the stigma attached to atheism and my attachment to that word could very well be detrimental to my employment. I have bills to pay, kids to feed, and a life to live. Advantage- bullying Christians (and they know it). You should have seen the gleam in her eyes, it was more then a little frightening.<br />
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Here's the thing, you guys have churches for that kind of talk. Really, I see em all over the place! Chances are you go to one a few times a week. Unless we car pool to that church together, assume (by all means in this regard) that I think your a fucking idiot and I'm personally offended by your lack of couth. Now, if I happen to walk into your church feel free to bombard me with all the bullshit you can sling. I asked for it, I came to your place. If I walk into your church and start telling you what I think about your beliefs, then I'm the total asshole and I can accept that. Please realize that your house, and your church are really the best places to keep your religion. I don't want to take it away from you, as that right has been afforded to you by the Constitution. Just keep it the fuck out the schools, the government, the work place and especially my office.Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-79518867235613678702011-11-04T11:05:00.000-07:002012-10-10T11:06:19.781-07:00Fuck You Michigan Wow, woke up this morning and read the news- Michigan passes "Anti-bullying Bill" with a loophole so big, the entire Christian nation can fit through. WHAT THE FUCK? By now, you may have caught on to the fact that I have a hard on for the LGBT community (pun intended). I have some very good friends and family who I can't stand to see discriminated against because of their sexual orientation (it's not a fucking "preference"). But this Bill goes much further then just the LGBT's. Simply put, this bill affords anyone the right to bully anyone else if they can justify their speech with moral or religious convictions and or beliefs. Now take a breath, this bill is <i style="font-weight: bold;">not </i>unconstitutional. It is worded in a way that it doesn't endorse any specific religion, nor does it name any specific religion or moral conviction that it prohibits. Pretty much stating that "Hey, what ever form of hate you have is cool, as long as you're sincere about it." I'll provide a link to the bill at the bottom, as well as the section in question. <br />
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I know what your thinking- "This guy is getting all steamed up again over some shit that doesn't have anything to do with him. That bill passed in Michigan, not in California!" Bullshit, this bill stinks worse then Prop 8 and that one passed here in my home state (which by most maps is considered a "blue" state.) Imagine your daughter being harassed by the<b><i> PARENTS</i></b> of a fellow student, being called a whore, and being told that she was going to burn in hell because she was wearing lip gloss. How about your son being told in class by the teacher or principal that he's an idiot for thinking that god doesn't exist (or simply believing in a different one) and that he should repent and accept the lord into his heart to avoid eternal damnation. Hey Mormons- truth is, most born agains and a good percentage of the other Abrahamic factions don't think you're Christian..... So even your kids could get bullied for being different. While I find the irony of that somewhat comforting after the money their organization dumped into the Prop 8 campaign, I will not stand for any child being abused and bullied (not even your Christian kids, which coincidentally aren't protected either.)<br />
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The way the bill reads, sincerity is the key to protection. We all should be aware of what Leviticus tells about homosexuality and its consequences (I'm not going to argue the semantics of the scripture, lets just agree that it is generally misrepresented.) Are death threats now tolerable as long as we sincerely have a moral or religious conviction to them? How about hate speech in general? The Ku Klux Klan roots their racism and separatism deep in the bible. How about it being okay for your kid to be called a nigger or a chink or a spic by a teacher, administrator, a fellow student, a fellow students parent, or even the yard supervisor? Sick, sick shit.<br />
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Bullying is about power. This bill clearly shows that the Republican Majority (wanna guess what churches they're going to, or which god they're listening to?) in Michigan has the power. Realistically, who is going to suffer because of this bill? Is it going to be the Christian kids? I admit that it's possible but I'd bet my paycheck that it's not likely. As a parent I have an obligation to protect my children. As a human being, and a member of a neighborhood/city/state/country/planet I have an obligation to protect ALL children. This bill does just the opposite as it's written. One simple line shits on the entire premise of the bill by providing the only excuse this country needs to oppress, dehumanize, humiliate, or other wise cause emotional/physical distress and suffering to another human- Religion.<br />
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My advice? Contact Senator Gretchen Whitmer (I've included her email, and phone number)and tell her thank you for standing up for <i style="font-weight: bold;">YOUR </i>children. Write your own Congressperson and Senator and let them know how much this bill disturbs you. I hope you do. Otherwise, what are you going to do when it's your kid that's being bullied legally by their teacher? This legislation could easily become law in what ever state you happen to be reading this in.<br />
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<a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billengrossed/Senate/pdf/2011-SEBS-0137.pdf">http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billengrossed/Senate/pdf/2011-SEBS-0137.pdf</a><br />
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SenGWhitmer@senate.michigan.gov 517-373-1734</div>
Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-51815844131459513382011-10-25T14:23:00.000-07:002012-10-10T08:18:48.087-07:0010 reasons I wanna smack some fucken sense into you theists If it seems like a lot of this list is directed towards Christianity (when I use that term, I'm including ALL the factions of Christianity. Not just the Fundies.) That's pretty fucking astute of you! It's my list, and I'll write it how I see fit. Thing is, I don't have very many Muslims knocking down my door trying to convert me. I do however steadfastly believe that the fundamental tenets of Islam as they are being practiced today are disgusting and disturbing as well. I've also yet to meet a person from any of the Hindu religions that apply to these reasons.<br />
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<b>10</b>.- You think you're doing me a favor by telling me how god has worked miracles and blessed you in your life.<br />
Listen, I can appreciate that you have some great shit going on, but you have not been blessed by god with a kick ass T.V. It's annoying and it discounts the hard work and effort (Not to mention a shit ton of other circumstances that come into play.) it takes to successfully achieve goals we set. You can't even agree on which god is the "real" god, so who's really getting the blessing anyway? Keep it to yourself, and I promise I won't tell you how hard I had to work to earn the shit I got. Okay? Thanks.<br />
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<b>9</b>.- God Bless you.<br />
NO, I'm not going to thank you when you say "god bless you" after I sneeze. I'm also probably not going to mention or acknowledge any of your awkward bodily functions. It's an antiquated saying. Demons aren't entering or exiting my body through my nose. It's a sneeze, nothing more, nothing less. A jab (albeit mostly unintentional) most of us atheists tend to take with minor disdain, all the way up to a full blown "fuck you" attitude. Trust me, I'm not some PC asshole but how would you feel if I told your kid when he sneezes- "god is a lie." Rude, huh? Let's just leave my burps, farts, sneezes, wheezes, coughs, and any other unusual noise emanating from my body alone.<br />
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<b>8</b>.- Christian rock. Are you serious?<br />
The bible is <i style="font-weight: bold;">filled </i>with scripture regarding the dangers of emulating the things of the world, and yet how do you explain Stryper? Stay out of our loud, dangerous, hedonistic music, and we won't pogo in your church! How bout some christian sex, christian drugs, and christian rock and roll, sounds pretty fucking boring. You don't get to talk shit about AC/DC while trying to convince me X-Sinner is somehow okay.<br />
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<b>7</b>.- Halloween and Christmas.<br />
Speaking of things of the world, stay outta these Holidays! Jesus is <i>not </i>the reason for the season. The reasons are an amalgamation of a shit ton of <i style="font-weight: bold;">pagan </i>traditions! Some of these traditions are totally harmless, some are more then just a little "They did WHAT?" The same goes for Halloween. I know this spins off of number 8 a bit, but I want to make it clear- having a "harvest festival" on Halloween is lame. Get in or get out. Just quite telling me how immoral I am when every time I turn around you're doing the same shit, just renaming it...<br />
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<b>6</b>.- Trying to convince me that the United States of America was founded on Christian values.<br />
While I agree that this country <i>was </i>founded on inherently christian values, I'm sure we'll disagree on what those are. Entitled white men condoning slavery and misogyny sounds pretty Christian to me, but I'm sure most cookie cutter christians would have a fit at the thought (maybe not though). The majority of the founding fathers where decidedly and openly not "Christians." Do some homework, and shut the fuck up about it.<br />
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<b>5</b>.- Religious people wondering why I'm so angry.<br />
Right off the bat, they're right. I am angry. I'm pissed off that in this day and age 1/3 of this country (93.6 million*) believe the bible to be <i style="font-weight: bold;">literally correct.</i> Another 146.5 million* believe it's the inspired word of god. Now personally I don't give two shits about what kind of crazy stories you decide to live your life by. It's when those beliefs dictate policy, procedure and inevitably law in my country, state, county or city that I begin to have a problem. Nearly 75% of the population dictating law based on archaic writings with no regard for modern medicine or science? WOW. To quote a line from a favorite song of mine "Majority rule, don't work in mental institutions." But mention that a country in the Middle East that is predominantly Muslim wanting to implement Sharia Law (that shit is just as bad kids)and watch the Christians go nuts! Yeah, I'm pretty pissed and I'm betting you still don't know why.<br />
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<b>4</b>.- Telling me that Atheism sounds like a religion as well.<br />
I'm not going to get crazy about this one. Just think about this- how bout we come up with a word for not being a plumber, lets call it notaplumber. Now lets call not being a plumber an occupation. Are you still with me? I am notaplumber. See, now I have a job not being a plumber. Asshats. What about my tax exempt status for being a religion? Fuck yeah you can call it a religion if I get the same tax exemptions! Wait, what's that? Oh, it's not a religion after all. Fuck you very much.<br />
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<b>3</b>.- Your kids telling my kid he's stupid for not believing in a god.<br />
This one makes me want to smack some sense into your kids too! Please stop filling your childrens' sponge like little minds with threats of damnation, suffering, and pain. With ideas of intolerance, bigotry and hate. Then you wrap it up in a nice big ole' blanket of love and forgiveness? Fuck that. Plain and simple. Kids can be mean and spiteful without tossing in some of "gods love." My kid certainly isn't stupid for asking questions or thinking it's silly that he came from some rib woman in a garden way back when.<br />
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<b>2</b>.- Praying, but more specifically praying for ME.<br />
The irony must be lost upon you. If you don't care enough to offer some sort of <i>real </i>help, then please don't insult me by offering to do what equates to nothing. Need some help moving this weekend? How bout I pray those boxes get to your new place. There, done. Now can we drink some beers? I usually give a pass to those who don't know me well enough, but I will (when I can) let people know I don't buy into it. It just sucks to have to play polite about this shit at work where I know it would be detrimental to expose my beliefs (or lack there of). I think I'll try to handle my issue or dilemma with a little bit more enthusiasm, than with psychic messages to some omnipotent being who has made it clear in his story book that he's doing shit his way no matter what. My dad used to ask me "Son, if you wish in one hand and shit in the other, which hand do you think is gonna fill up first?" Change wish to pray and now you begin to know how I feel.<br />
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<b>1</b>.- Faggots, Queers, Homos, Dykes, Lesbos, Transgenders-<br />
Your hate mongering, homophobic books and teachings inspire and elicit insidious acts. Cruelty, violence, intolerance- these are the brass tacks of your ideals. Your religions of love quickly turn to hate as soon as you find out who is sticking what, where. Bullying is psychologically devastating thousands of teens and young adults. Want to know where kids are learning this cowardly tactic? Church, home, and school. Gays and lesbians aren't brainwashing your children, YOU are. Look, I'm not saying that you still can't hate gays. You have a right to be as ignorant and bigoted as you want, right? But try and remember that god (of any variety) isn't allowed to make policy or law in this country. Check out the 1st Amendment in that same Constitution you're always screaming about when it comes to your guns! Picking and choosing what is important as it pertains to your agenda is typical. Christians do it to their own bible all the time. Please stop confusing your beliefs with facts. Get on board with equal rights, or I'm buying a lion.<br />
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* <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/27682/onethird-americans-believe-bible-literally-true.aspx">http://www.gallup.com/poll/27682/onethird-americans-believe-bible-literally-true.aspx</a>Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-63734178204279046302011-10-12T13:47:00.000-07:002012-05-10T12:29:27.173-07:00The joys of being a Atheist/Punker/Dad <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lets just say that I love it! It is however, becoming more and more apparent to me that I need to temper my opinions with a greater sense of fairness. You see, my son is just starting to get to a point in his life where he is seeing things in the world as being connected. We have these awesome conversations after I get home from work about what he's doing in school. Being 12 years old and in 7th grade, he's really just getting introduced to the cool stuff in science, and to broader ideas in history. These subjects just happen to be high up on my list of things I think are really cool, and he's taking to them with an enthusiasm that makes my chest swell! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Here's where it gets tricky, and I sometimes over think myself. Am I smothering <i>his </i>interests by unintentionally projecting my own ideas and opinions onto him? Most of the time I don't think so, but it's something I have to be constantly aware of. If I where a practicing Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Protestant or Baptist (I think you can see where I'm going) I wouldn't have to worry about it at all. I would be parenting out of which ever holy scripture went along with my chosen deity. That just seems like some lazy parenting to me. Going that route would also relieve me of any personal responsibility to what kind of person he becomes, right? I was just passing along the information! Maybe my kid must not have been good enough to deserve the grace of [insert deity here]! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The flip side of that coin is I also have to be very aware of how I share my opinions with him. I will always try to be honest with him, but I try to make sure that he knows when I'm sharing my <i>opinion </i>and encourage him to look into it and make up his own mind. It's a trip to watch documentaries or talk about current events with him and hear him tell me what <i>he </i>thinks. Sometimes he blows me away with the insight he has! Sometimes he's so naive and idealistic I just wanna ruffle his hair and tell him I love him! The bottom line is I have to ALWAYS be aware of what I'm putting out there for him to absorb. It is a pain in the ass to espouse free thinking while trying to maintain any type of a monocratic nuclear family! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> My son is openly atheist. But I allowed him to come to this on his own. Trust me when I tell you that for a few years, that was not easy to do. He was raised in a secular environment. This wasn't done intentionally as much as it was just done. It wasn't until 5th grade that he was indoctrinated into Christianity. A friend from his school attended the local non-denominational Calvary style church and frequently invited my son to attend. I utterly and completely despise these vile, despicable piece of shit parents who use their own children to lure in other children so they can proselytize young, trusting, defenseless minds (this is the reason why I feel like I need to be hyper-diligent about sharing my<i> opinions</i> with my kids). For weeks after his mother broke the news that our son had decided he was now a Christian, I had to resist the urge to find these parents and kick some ass.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cooler heads prevailed, and I spent the better part of the next two years biting my tongue to respect his new view on life. I never stopped being honest with him when he asked me if, and eventually why I didn't believe in his god, yet all the while being careful not to make him feel belittled or dumb. That's tough to do when it comes to a subject like this, we're not talking favorite football teams here! It took a while, but he eventually got tired of hearing that his dad was going to hell if he didn't accept Jesus as his own personal savior. He would ask me "Dad, why do you want to go to hell"? and I would ask him if <i>he </i>thought I was a bad person, and if </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>he </i>thought I should go to hell. It opened up some really good dialogue. Seems his biggest fear was burning in hell (no shit) and not fully understanding what it was I believed. He's a bright kid, and constantly makes me proud.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> It's not all walks in park and root beer floats when you don't have a big scary place like hell to threaten you kids with. It's never easy to have to face a problem and agonize over the solution. I have to use critical thinking-GASP-and reason(tsk, tsk, tsk) to figure out how to be a good parent. Fuck, you know what else works? Parenting by example! Ya want honest kids? Be honest! Ya want your kids to be kind to other kids? Don't treat other people like shit! It seems pretty obvious, right? With those tools, a whole lot of love and the help and advice from my wonderful wife, why the hell would I do something as useless as praying my kids turn out to be good people. </span>Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593140217500167259.post-14980938750637974922011-09-28T11:44:00.000-07:002012-05-10T12:25:00.150-07:00Facebook and the atheist punk I've always been an opinionated asshole, that much I'll concede. I came out with my atheism fairly recently, and felt compelled to share links on my Facebook page that I thought where genuinely interesting. Articles that ranged from completely anti religion, to political, to science related, to just plain funny. Now, let me preface this by saying that while I recently "came out" with my atheism, I have never in my adult life subscribed to or adhered to <i style="font-weight: bold;">any </i>sort of religion. I didn't have some great awakening. I simply realized that if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I'm gonna call it a duck. The links I shared I would have found just as interesting before I changed my religious views status to "ATHEIST".<br />
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Holy shit I caught some hell! From my own brother, from good friends, even from my lovely wife(she's on board with most of what I'm saying, but wishes I wouldn't make such a stink about it). I've been told that my hobby must be religion bashing, and that atheism might be a religion as well (this on came today via comment on a picture I posted). I was accused of doing the same thing I feel so passionately against (proselytizing) and that I'm a hypocrite for it. All because I posted some stuff to my own wall to share.<br />
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I have friends and family that are religious. I see stuff all the time in the news feed saying "thank God for this and that" or "please pray for so and so." I have only on two occasions commented on them. Once to ask a relative about scripture that they had copied and pasted, because what was quoted from the bible, was nowhere near what the actual bible verse reads. Turns out I was correct on that one, and I was thanked for making them aware of the mistake. And on one other occasion I defended the constitutional rights of the Westboro Baptists to peacefully assemble outside of funerals of soldiers. Again, it was a copy and paste link to a news story that commended the local law enforcement for illegally detaining members of the church to prevent a protest. I actually felt bad about that one. I detest everything that group stands for, I just thought it was interesting that "Good Christians" where condoning behavior that was not very christ-like, and unconstitutional. <br />
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I am an atheist. I don't believe in any gods. While we can all argue semantics all day long, I am just as likely to convert you to my beliefs as you're likely to convert me to yours (this probability being infinitesimal). I however, am not <i>trying </i>to convert you. I am simply sharing ideas, (that may or may not be in line with my own) stories, and pictures on a social network. There is no repercussion stated or implied for not agreeing with me. That being said why the hell can't you choose ignore them if they don't sit well with you? Block me (because it's probably not the last time it's going to happen) if it is that offensive to you. Or, offer me an alternative opinion expressed without venom or animosity. Send me a link to an op-ed story, offer me a different perspective rather then personally attacking me. I'm not big on nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah arguments though. So be smart, be creative! Just don't be a dick.Lorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110533068776980592noreply@blogger.com0