Author Archives: Jacob Fortin

Kentucky Gov. announces $150 mil creationism theme park

Posted on by

The creation museum is apparently only the tip of the iceberg for Answers in Genesis, which is partnering with Ark Encounters LLC to create a gargantuan 500 foot “replica” of Noah’s Ark which will contain live animals, as well as a Tower of Babel, and a Middle Eastern village.

The for-profit company wants to receive a tax incentive from the state, and it sounds to me like they have good changes of getting it. If they do, it means taxpayers will be shelling out almost 40 million dollars worth of incentives to these morons.

They claim the theme park will generate roughly 250 million dollars worth of revenue, and create 900 jobs. Considering how well the Creation Museum has been doing, they might not actually be off the mark on this (ignorant rednecks still have a bit of money left it seems). Kentucky will have the distinction of having not one, but two ghastly locations where humans and animals are living in “Flintstones-like” harmony.

The folks behind this play-land of ignorance want to try and build the most authentic ark possible. I have to imagine once they actually start trying to fill it with live animals, it might be hard for people to ignore the fact it’ll be significantly overcrowded with just a few species in there. Odds are if they try to make it authentic, it won’t be very well ventilated, and it’s sure to stink like shit after just a few hours.

So nicely done, Kentucky, and for working so diligently, I award you the title of “most embarrassing state in America”. Competition is fierce, I know, but you always manage to find some way to outshine them. Congratulations!

How empathy works

Posted on by

I talk about how humans grow and become moral through experiences of empathy. I contend it’s these “mirror neurons” behind this. We feel what others do (by virtue of how we are built), and so to be more moral and empathic, we need to ensure we are not completely separated from the process of communicating and interacting with one another. I’m talking to all of you Internet junkies out there watching this awesome video!

How to respond to religious ignorance

Posted on by

Someone posted this on Reddit/r/atheism (for those of you unaware of the existence of this site, go there immediately), and I thought I might take a few seconds to respond to his request:

I went to a Catholic high school and kept the fact that I was atheist a secret most of the time because I wanted to avoid any religion debates. My closer friends knew and didn’t care but mentioned it once when we were eating lunch with some other of our class mates. The response I immediately received from one of the guys was basically “How stupid are you? You’re atheist? Why don’t you go home right now and kill yourself. You already have nothing to live for.” I did not know how to respond and I let him just ramble on. I never tried to defend myself and I regret not saying anything. I still don’t know how I’m supposed to respond to another “Go kill yourself” type statement. I’ve always struggled with depression and I honestly don’t know why I shouldn’t kill myself. Does anyone have a reasonable response to say to that kind of person if that were to ever happen again? This happened a few years ago, I’m in university now and probably won’t ever encounter that kind of person again but it still makes me nervous thinking about it.

What’s a good way to respond to a religious person telling you to kill yourself because you are atheist?

My first instinct would have been to tell him to go fuck himself, but it seems as though you might be a bit more sensitive than me, so that probably wouldn’t have worked out.

I’m constantly surprised by how cold and callous Christians can be in regards to the wellbeing of others (despite their assertion they are somehow morally superior). Sure, I’ve made fun of plenty of religious people in my day, but I certainly wouldn’t tell anyone to take their own lives for what they believed or didn’t believe. I would have lambasted this ignorant bastard for making light of what is still a huge problem with today’s teenagers. Suicide is no fucking joke. Too many talented, promising and sensitive young men (for it’s still mostly men) extricate themselves from this adventure we call life before they fully bloom.

I would have also asked him how his belief in fairy tales makes him an “expert” on the subject of “purpose”. No doubt he’s young, not terribly educated, and completely unaware of the world beyond his tiny purview. Has he even bothered to find out the majority of the world does not believe what he does, or lives how he lives?

When you’re young and inexperienced, it’s easy to have tunnel vision. You feel depressed and admittedly have perhaps seriously contemplated suicide. That’s not unusual as the chemistry of your brain is undergoing some radical changes. Atheists don’t have any sanctions against taking one’s own life, but I think the realization we only get one kick at the can should inspire all of us to live it to its fullest. Remember life is about having new experiences, and sharing those with people who care about you, and because you don’t live in a world controlled by religious dogma, you really can explore it in any way you deem fit.

Perhaps the real lesson here is there’s nothing you can really say to ignoramuses that will make them change their minds, but why would you want to? I feel sorry for anyone who thinks believing in magic is the best way to appreciate the beauty of this incredible Universe we live in.

British Christians feel marginalized

Posted on by

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of a million Christians crying in agony as society increasingly becomes secular and grows out of its infantile need to believe in fairy-tales. As Christmas rolls around, believers are upset it has been “re-branded” to no longer have much liturgy associated with the holiday:

Even Christmas is being “re-branded” as a secular festival because councils, politicians and businesses are “ashamed” of its true religious meaning, he said.
Lord Carey’s remarks came as he launched a national campaign to promote the right of Christians to express their beliefs in public and at work.
“This attempt to ‘air-brush’ the Christian faith out of the picture is especially obvious as Christmas approaches,” Lord Carey said. “The local council switches on ‘winter lights’ in place of Christmas decorations. Even Christmas has become something of which some are ashamed.”

Do you not feel this whole complaint is insanely ironic, considering the fact the winter solstice was hijacked by desperate Christians trying to stop this pagan holiday. Now that society has re-appropriated it and made it more inclusive, they are literally losing their shit over it.

Lord Carey was launching national “Not-Ashamed Day” today (Weds 1 Dec), under which Christians are encouraged to wear crucifixes and demonstrate their pride in their religious beliefs.

Yes, you should totally wear your crosses so that we can identify which members of society still cling in desperation to primitive myths. Just accept the possibility guys like me might just rip you a new asshole for being so superstitiously ignorant.

Pakistan woman sentenced for blasphemy

Posted on by

A few podcasts ago, Ryan and I discussed the case of the world famous “blasphemer”, Asia Bibi of Pakistan, who faces the death penalty for insulting Islam. She’s recently been trying to get a Presidential pardon, which was just rejected by a Pakistani “court” yesterday. The high court barred the President from even attempting to let her off the hook for having supposedly said some hurtful things about a man who’s been dead for over 14 centuries.

There you have it, people: justice is served! It looks like they really want this woman to pay severely for hurting the feelings of those poor defenseless Muslims. Sure, you could argue she has a family, and all of this boils down to over-sensitive religious ass-hats who care more about their imaginary friend than the misery of this poor woman, but if they don’t do something radical now, none of them will get to enjoy all those delicious virgins up in heaven!

Vatican Cardinal thinks atheism is “irrational”

Posted on by

A man who dresses in red robes and calls himself by a special name believes individuals who reject the notion of unsupported supernatural claims are irrational. Walter Brandmuller may never have played Dungeons & Dragons, but if he did, he might realize there is nothing particularly special about his title; definitely not enough to pretend to know anything about objective reality. When, however, has that stopped these clowns from pretending they do?

He’s written a book, presumably based on his expertise in fucking nonsense, and claims belief is rational. Why? Because miracles happen of course!

The cardinal addressed the topic of miracles, recalling what happened in Calanda, a small town not far from Saragossa, Spain, where there was a youth named Miguel Pellicer whose leg was amputated. Two years later and despite the difficulty in walking, the youth undertook the journey to the Marian shrine of Santa Maria del Pilar in Saragossa.

Wow, what an incredible event. It must have been documented by some pretty serious scientists, right? Oh, it happened almost 400 years ago, way before the invention of modern medicine… Well, that’s pretty convenient, isn’t it?

“In reality, the target of the atheists is not so much God but the Church, the Pope and the Vatican,” said the prelate. He added that the Church has been attacked since the beginning of the Christian era, the Pope for 2000 years and the Vatican since its existence.

To be fair, how can atheists “attack” something which doesn’t exist? You don’t see me running around with a baseball bat trying to fight evil leprechauns, so I’ve had to set my sights on something that actually is real, and that’s the history of abuse, murder, torture, moral bankruptcy and child rape of the Catholic Church. I’m so sorry my disdain for your evil organization makes you feel so upset, Wally. Tell you what: hand over all the pedophiles you’re still harboring, abandon your dangerous rejection of condoms in Africa, and fight for women’s rights instead of making them reproductive slaves and maybe I’ll leave you alone.

On second thought, fuck it.

Young Americans leaving churches in droves

Posted on by

Every once in a while, I manage to find articles written by religious leaders that I find refreshingly honest. It doesn’t happen very often, mind you, but when it does, it gives me hope these deluded fools will eventually realize their religion is on a serious death spiral.

The latest bastion of honesty comes courtesy of a retired Baptist Minister, Rev. Howard Bess who confesses the reasons young people are leaving churches has a lot to do with how poorly religious institutions are doing when it comes to attracting young folks.

He’s outlined 3 main reasons for this, and I can’t say I seriously disagree with any of them:

  • Churches are no longer intellectually challenging. More and more of our young people are college-educated and in the future even more must and will accept the challenge of post-high school education. They are thinking people who are expanding the limits of their curiosity and knowledge.
  • Churches are no longer leaders in moral and ethical discussions. Young people have grown weary of churches that cannot get past issues such as homosexuality and abortion.
  • Churches are no longer visionary. They have remained focused on saving souls for the next life and offering rituals tied to perpetuating theologies that no longer seem relevant to many young people. Churches are no longer significant players in shaping the life of our communities.

He offers a few solutions to these problems, but it’s likely to fall on deaf ears. How can churches resolve issues of intellectual deficiency, moral bankruptcy and outdated ritualism when these are the very foundations of religion? Let’s grow out of this childish religious phase in our history, shall we?

Finally, proof God is real!

Posted on by

You hear that ladies? All you need to do to be hot like Selma Hayek is to put your hands in holy water and pray for God to give you gigantic Latino breasts. I have seen the light, folks. Hallelujah!

Christians are crybabies

Posted on by

I’m sure most of you have heard Christians trying in vain to defend themselves regarding the tenents of their faith, arguing just because they believe in the supernatural, doesn’t mean they are idiots. It’s true stupid beliefs don’t automatically make you dumb, but to be fair, they doesn’t exactly make you look like a genius, does it?

The “War on Christmas” as Christians like to call it, is starting to heat up. American Atheists put up this billboard in New Jersey, and already you can hear the whimpers of religious sheep who feel as though non-believers are unfairly attacking their faith.

Mary Elizabeth Willaims from Salon.com feels as though the big meany message of “you know it’s a myth” is unnecessarily targeting Christians and labeling them as idiots:

How about acknowledging that traditions and rituals can be a means of honoring ideologies that are far more subtle and complex than a chorus of “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”?

Or to put it another way, how about considering that faith and reason are not always in direct opposition, or that anyone who believes in anything is not automatically a myth-embracing moron?

To be fair, I don’t see the billboard accusing anyone of actually being a moron; that’s just you projecting, Mary. And no, faith and reason aren’t compatible at all, since one is the rejection of evidence in favor of a pre-determined conviction while the other is fact-based.

Sorry we have to be the “bad guys” and point out Christianity didn’t invent the practice of celebrating the winter solstice. If believers feel being honest about what we believe is offensive, then perhaps they should subscribe to ideas which have at least some basis in objective reality. We’re sick and tired of their bullshit myths, and we’re not going to take it anymore!

Religion is for fatties

Posted on by

You know the stereotype that religious people are mostly poor, uneducated and overweight? Well, it looks like there might be something to it. A new book entitled “Born Atheist” compiled two different studies on religiosity and obesity, and unsurprisingly, found the fattest states also turned out to be the most religious.

The CalorieLab 2010 obesity report, based on statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicates the most overweight states, in order, are Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina and North Carolina. All the way down at No. 50, the leanest state is Colorado.

Compare this result with a 2008 Gallup poll of more than 355,000 adult Americans on how important religion is in people’s lives. The top 10 religious states are Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and, finally, Kentucky in a tie with Texas.

The only oddball state was Colorado, which is the leanest state but is still moderately religious. My theory is with all those mountains around, it’s hard to stay chubby.

UN votes to have Gays lose Protection against Execution

Posted on by

Seems like every other day, the UN proves just how much it’s willing to cater to the demands of irrational and prejudiced nations. The latest scandal involves 79 countries that have taken upon that have taken upon themselves the task of “eradicating” homosexuality. The step backwards in human rights was the amendment of a resolution against unlawful executions that removed gays from this prohibition.

…this year, the new version was passed minus the reference to gay rights. This was because a group of mostly African and Asian countries, voted to remove it. 79 countries that voted to remove the reference to sexual orientation from the resolution, including Uganda, Afghanistan, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Most Western countries, including the US, voted in favor of keeping the reference to sexual orientation in place. The US abstained from the final vote to approve the resolution, with American diplomats telling the UN that the US was “dismayed” at the decision.

I feel like the world is currently experiencing a slide when it comes to gay rights, and I place the blame squarely on religion. Is it a coincidence the majority of the countries who voted for this bullshit resolution happen to be extremely religious? Not in the slightest.

The Anti-Christ gives an interview

Posted on by

I know, this is almost too painful to watch, but there’s something fascinating about watching this obvious train-wreck. For starters, how fucking polite is this piss-ant Anti-Christ? If I wore a crazy executioner’s mask with a fedora, I would have totally nailed the part.

NOTE: Best line: (when asked if he likes power) “It’s delightful”

Pay up, you deadbeats

Posted on by

Churches in the US are hurting. Not only is tithing at an all time low, now, in an effort to fill their coffers, many have decided to try and expand in hip new directions in order to make more money. A few Churches have created coffee shops and even gyms as a way of attracting new faces. Of course, with all this additional income, the much sought-after tax exemption of some churches are being contested, including one in Nashville, Tennessee that refuses to pay over 400k in taxes for their various side businesses, which includes a gym, bookstore and café:

The Tennessee State Board of Equalization, which decides tax exemptions for churches, contends those are commercial enterprises, so the portion of church property they occupy can be taxed.

The 2,300-member Christ Church insists that’s an outdated view of how churches operate, and those enterprises should be considered part of ministerial outreach.

What a load of bullshit. A gym is part of their “outreach”? Maybe if the gym was free and people were forced to pray with every bench press, but as it stands, it’s clearly a for-profit business. I already loath the fact these ass-clowns already get tax exemption for tricking idiots out of their hard-earned money. Now they want to open up countless side businesses and still benefit from tax exemption?

Pay your fucking bills, you deadbeat losers!

Father loses custody battle due to agnosticism

Posted on by

I often get asked by friends “what’s the big deal about not believing in God?” I happen to live in a fairly secular country where, for the most part, my lack of religious faith isn’t a problem. I think, however, these friends could benefit from travelling to different countries where this isn’t the case.

Turns out you don’t need to go too far to find people’s lives being affected by their lack of faith in a negative way. Craig Scarberry lives in Indianapolis and has 3 kids. Like most divorced dads, he shared custody with his ex-wife. Well, he did, until a judge found out he was an agnostic, and suddenly his time with his kids was cut to only 4 hours a week and every other weekend.

Searching to find out why, he found Judge George Pancol wrote, “the father did not participate in the same religious training as the mother, and noted that the father was agnostic. It goes on to say that when the father considered himself a Christian, the parties were able to communicate relatively effectively.

But surely, you ask, there are secular organizations that could try and help him out in this matter. Well, not so much:

The Indiana Civil Liberties Union says it has not been contacted regarding this case. Scarberry told Fox59 he tried to involve the ICLU but he was told the organization did not intervene in custody matters.

Pope says condoms are “ok” in some situations

Posted on by

No, you aren’t dreaming or suffering from hallucinations; in a new book, the Pope has admitted that condom use may not be the big scary soul-sucking bogeyman the Vatican has claimed it is. Of course, it’s not like the Pope promised to distribute condoms to AIDS riddled Africa anytime soon, even though their own moral blindness on this issue has caused the death of untold millions.

The Pope gives the example of the use of condoms by male prostitutes as “a first step towards moralization”, even though condoms are “not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection”.

He says that the “sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalization of sexuality” where sexuality is no longer an expression of love, “but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves”.

I’m so sick of this bullshit the Catholic Church fights to ensure that sex is merely an expression of love. They want everyone to have their kind of sex: missionary, for procreation only, and not with anyone of the same sex. Sounds pretty dull, am I right?

As for his statement that condom use isn’t the best “solution” for the evils of AIDS, what the hell else is supposed to work? Telling people they are going to hell for slamming their private parts together doesn’t do the trick. You need to stop living in a fantasy land and realize human beings are built to fuck like bunnies, and plan accordingly, jackass.