Fans of the site will know that I absolutely abhor the pathetic and anemic argument that is “Pascal’s Wager”. Here Hitchens compares it to a pathetic used car salesman trying to get you to buy his junker. Who wants a God who can so easily be fooled by the gambler?
Author Archives: Jacob Fortin
Blood is for atonement of sin, not surgery!
Every so often, you read a story about someone in desperate need of a blood transfusion refusing the life giving procedure because of their religious beliefs. The latest story comes from Smethwick, England where a 15 year old boy died after succumbing to his injuries following a tragic car crash in a store (yeah, you heard right). Joshua McAuley is dead now because his beliefs (or more accurately, the beliefs his parents indoctrinated him with).
It seems hospital officials are on the defensive, tripping over themselves claiming the issue of overriding the wishes of parents and minors in similar cases has to be handled delicately on an individual basis (as in, there’s no official policy). No one seems to quite know what to do about situations like this; the Friendly Atheist seems a little confused about what the right move is, and Unreasonable Faith just asks his sizable audience to discuss the matter.
I have a solution I think would work out quite nicely: if a minor wants to forgo receiving a blood transfusion due to his religious convictions, he should be able to explain exactly WHY he believes such a thing is wrong (try to avoid pointing out the flaws with the idea of a person with severe blood loss trying to explain anything at all and just humor me, alright?). You see, the real problem is kids like Joshua may think they have acquired their beliefs through their own personal research and introspection, but like every other religious convert, he was conditioned into believing things that were quite obviously untrue. The reason Witnesses refuse blood is because their interpretation of the Bible specifies blood is only to be used in the atonement of sin, and that’s it. The fact it actually does something much more useful in your body (oh, like carrying oxygen to your cells for instance) is just an inconvenient detail they can’t be bothered to learn. Because Joshua was too ignorant of reality to see the benefit in actually bothering to learn real facts about the natural world, he thought his eternal soul would be in jeopardy if he tried to save his own life with the blood of others. Now he’s just another sad statistic about the dangers of faith.
No one in Arizona is racist, I swear!
It still surprises me how some people still think that Arizona’s draconian Anti-Immigration laws aren’t racist. I hear the same cavalcade of pathetic explanation trying to justify the blatantly immoral actions of the state to essentially criminalize being a darker skin color. If you still don’t believe me, then allow me to show you exhibit A, a school in Prescott, Arizona at the center of another race related controversy. The principle at Miller Valley Elementary School wants a mural depicting children taking environmentally friendly transportation to be “lightened”, since the most prominent children in the picture are not in fact white.
[Principle] Lane said that he received only three complaints about the mural and that his request for a touch-up had nothing to do with political pressure. “We asked them to fix the shading on the children’s faces,” he said. “We were looking at it from an artistic view. Nothing at all to do with race.”
City Councilman Steve Blair spearheaded a public campaign on his talk show at Prescott radio station KYCA-AM (1490) to remove the mural.
In a broadcast last month, according to the Daily Courier in Prescott, Blair mistakenly complained that the most prominent child in the painting is African-American, saying: “To depict the biggest picture on the building as a Black person, I would have to ask the question: Why?”
The children in the mural were actually selected from real students who go to the school, and the parents and children all loved it. Unfortunately for them, racism and bigotry are alive and well in Arizona. The artists who made the mural reported during its creation, they were subject to hecklers who screamed racial slurs at them. It looks like most people aren’t even bothering to cover up their obvious hatred of anyone who doesn’t have white skin. Congratulations Arizona state on once again making me want to vomit with rage!
UNCG Atheists fight to remove prayer in city council
The UNCG Atheists/Agnostics/Skeptics are still fighting the good fight and trying to get the city council of Greensboro to remove their official prayer during meetings.
FRC lobbied US congress against gay death penalty denouncement
We know the Family Research Council are a bunch of lying bigots who hate homosexuals, but they’ve really been taking it up a notch lately. Just last week they released a bogus ‘study’ claiming if Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed, straight soldiers would be at a heightened risk of being raped by gay soldiers. Now comes word the FRC didn’t only lobby Congress against DADT legislature and same sex marriage, but against a bill voicing America’s disgust at Uganda’s death penalty for homosexuals.
It’s time for the Southern Poverty Law Center to reclassify the Family Research Council as an official hate group, not merely anti-gay as they are now listed. According to the FRC’s official lobbying report for the first quarter of 2010, they paid two of their henchmen $25,000 to lobby Congress against approving a resolution denouncing Uganda’s plan to execute homosexuals. The resolution passed in the Senate on April 13th, but remains languishing in the House almost four months after being referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee. Did the FRC’s lobbying kill it? As we learned last week with Malawi, international pressure CAN sway even the most virulently anti-gay government.
Below are three screencaps of the 20-page Family Research Council lobbying report supplied to me by Duncan Osbourne at Gay City News. Among the other items they lobbied against are the overturn of DADT and DOMA, which is to be expected. But it’s almost astounding, almost, that they would lobby the members of Congress against denouncing the death penalty for LGBT people.
Maybe if Christians would just leave everyone the fuck alone, I wouldn’t piss on them so much. But stuff like this just highlights how involved fundamentalists are in the political process and how they’ll do whatever it takes to force their exclusionary and divisive beliefs on everyone. Honestly, I just don’t understand why religious people are so obsessed about who’s sticking what in which hole. There’s a great documentary out there I recommend everyone watch called Outrage which basically makes the argument many of the most vicious opponents of homosexuality are closeted men. Considering how many people fighting this stuff have been caught with their members in the chocolate cookie jar, it doesn’t surprise me.
Christians want the freedom to shut Comedy Central up too
In possibly one of the most ironic cases of life imitating art ever, Christians are now saying because Mohammad can’t be made fun of on Comedy Central, Jesus should be off limits too.
A coalition of religious and conservative leaders is trying to stop a proposed Comedy Central cartoon that puts Jesus Christ in a modern-day context – before it even gets started.
The newly formed Citizens Against Religious Bigotry said Thursday that it believes the “JC” series would be offensive. They accuse Comedy Central of a double standard in mocking Christian figures and beliefs while recently refusing to let “South Park” depict the Prophet Muhammad for fear of offending Muslims.
“You don’t have to be a Christian to be offended by this,” said Brent Bozell, head of the watchdog Media Research Center.
Yeah, you really do. Newsflash, retards: every day, people are doing stuff you may not approve of or personally agree with. But they’re still allowed to do it because we live in a free society. Here’s a novel concept for you douchebags: if you don’t like a TV show, then don’t fucking watch it.
Saudi Arabia’s morality police still fighting sin
There are some signs the morality police in Saudi Arabia (officially known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice) are starting to get some pushback from the people they’re charged with keeping holy. Last week a woman reportedly beat on one of their agents after he tried to punish her for hanging out with a male friend, unmarried. And there are current reforms underway which may lead to the founding of a co-ed school, where men and women will be allowed to learn and mingle sans stuffy Islamic asshole cops. Not that crazy of an idea to us, but over in Saudi Arabia it’s causing a huge fuss amongst the conservative fundamentalists.
But even with progress, it’s important to note things are still pretty fucked up over there. The woman who attacked the religious vice cop is liable to end up getting lashed and put in jail and Flying Spaghetti Monster knows what else. And a recent show on MTV has the morality police investigating several youths to see if they were guilty of ‘openly declaring sin.’ Their crimes?
In the program – called Resist the Power! Saudi Arabia – a girl named only as Fatimah told how she disguised herself as a boy to ride a bicycle in the streets of Jeddah.
The 20-year-old also railed against the traditional women’s dress – a black robe known as an abaya.
She said she made her own abayas in bright colours, which she sold to friends.
A young man, Aziz, talked about his attempts to break the strict segregation of the sexes in Saudi life – to meet his girlfriend for a date.
“We are not free to live as we like,” said the 24-year-old.
The four part documentary, which was screened in the US, also followed a Saudi heavy metal band who struggled to find venues that would allow them to play.
Riding a bike, going on a date, playing music … all sins in Saudi Arabia that can lead to serious jailtime. Ain’t religion the best?
Should science programs be ‘impartial’ to religion?
Morgan Freeman is doing a series of TV shows for the Science Channel called ‘Through the Wormhole’, which discusses advances in discovery that astrobiology, string theory, quantum mechanics, and astrophysics have been making in our understanding of the universe. And while there are some signs Freeman himself isn’t exactly the most religious person in the world, he still had to pander to the religious crowd while promoting the show on NPR. Here’s what the first caller in to the radio program asked Freeman:
VINCE: My question, Mr. Freeman, is how impartial is the series overall to different views of science and religion?
Mr. FREEMAN: Well, you – I don’t think you can make a series like this and have it partial, because we have to entertain all thoughts, all of the theories around a certain subject. The whole idea is to bring in all of the different theories and thoughts. Particularly if you’re talking about something like creation, you know, you can’t just go in and say this is such and this is such and this is such. Actually, nobody knows. So we get – try to get a rounded perspective on it.
CONAN: The – having seen that episode, even if in a beta form, and I think the only parts I didn’t see were some, obviously the full narration, but there were some illustration system, some graphics that weren’t inserted as yet. But nevertheless, there were – those who take a literal reading of the Bible will not find that view even mentioned.
Mr. FREEMAN: Or very encouraging. No, no, no, they will not, but still, we have to accept that if you take the Bible literally, then the world is only about 6,000 years old. So we have to do that with care, of course, but ask the questions. So mostly what the series does is ask the questions. I don’t think it produces any answers.
CONAN: It does not come to a firm conclusion on the point, Vince, I can assure of that, without giving away the ending.
Mr. FREEMAN: Okay.
Wrap your head around the question again: how ‘impartial’ is this science series when dealing with science and religion. What? I would hope the show is partial to SCIENCE since science is real and religion is kooky garbage. It’s nice to hear Freeman say literalists are not going to be happy about the ideas discussed, but holy crap. If religious people are still stuck on garbage like the age of the earth, how are you supposed to remain ‘impartial’ as far as they’re concerned while voicing advanced theories on the nature of the universe as a whole?
The Taliban is scary
Why do I hate religion? Because it’s the easiest thing in the world to convince poor, uneducated young men that killing yourself for your imaginary friend is a great idea! What other kind of fervent, uncritical ideology allows such obedient faith zombies to flourish?
The MMR Vaccine / Autism story from start to finish
We’ve covered a lot of the MMR vaccine / autism controversy on the Good Atheist, but I don’t think it’s ever been laid out from start to finish in as concise a format as in this comic from Darryl Cunningham. From major conflicts of interest to falsifying data to the unethical treatment of children (which included colonoscopies and lumbar punctures amongst other unnecessarily shitty tests), there’s 15 pages of information that’ll piss you right off. Thank SpaceGod Andrew Wakefield and his bogus study have been discredited. If you ever want to see the effect a few bad apples can have on our society, look no further than this guy, who’s work has literally led to the resurgence of measles and is one of the major roots of the current anti-immunization movement (a movement many atheists and skeptics subscribe to, sadly enough).
Christian teachers use holy water on atheist colleague
You’d figure schools would be the place where atheists would be the ‘safest’ … after all, these places are supposed to be bastions of knowledge and education. But lately it just hasn’t been that way. From Texas re-writing its textbooks to students harassing atheist teachers, there’s a full on movement a brewin’ to make schools a battlefield between belief and non-belief. Sometimes these battles are disturbing, sometimes they’re funny, and sometimes they’re stupid. This particular tale about a spat between Christian and atheist teachers in Florida probably leans more towards the funny / stupid side of the spectrum:
Two Florida teachers allegedly poured holy water on another teacher because she is an atheist, WPLG-TV in Miami reported. The station said Leslie Rainer and Djuna Robinson have been removed from their classrooms. The veteran and self-proclaimed Christian teachers work at Blanche Ely High School.
In April, they were reassigned after another teacher, Schandra Rodriguez, who is an atheist, said they poured holy water on her during an incident at the school on March 11.
“Miss Robinson obtained a little bottle with some perfume in it in jest, and the students will all confirm she never went close to Miss Rodriguez. Miss Rodriguez was on the other side of the classroom and that was basically it,” said Johnny L. McCray Jr., Rainer and Robinson’s attorney.
The accused teachers said it was a joke. Rodriguez, however, said they did it because she is an atheist.
Rodriguez is still teaching at the school, and some said it’s not fair.
“If we are going to ban talking to students about God, then the atheists should also be banned from telling kids there is no God,” said the Rev. Kirby Thurston.
The only thing these teachers were banned from doing was acting like atheists are unholy creatures on par with vampires and demons. It kinda sounds like a bunch of people getting butt-hurt over nothing, but I guess I’ve never had a job where co-workers promote the idea I’m evil because of my beliefs (or lack thereof), so who am I to play this down?
Remember the Sabbath, or God will be angry!
Another great video by the Thinking Atheist. It reminds me of the scene in Religulous when Bill Maher talks to a Jewish entrepreneur who develops all kinds of ludicrous technology intended to trick God into thinking his “people” are observing the Sabbath. Hey morons, if your petty deity really wants you to avoid even striking a match on this day of rest, do you really think a digital timer turned on the day before is going to fool him? Is it possible you don’t even take your own beliefs that seriously?
Malawi gay couple faces jail sentence for engagement
I’m still amazed any rational, intelligent person can doubt as to whether or not religion still causes all sorts of harm in this world. I think the problem is few people actually bother to find out what is going on in parts of the world where religious fundamentalism is still prominent. There are countries around the world where the toxic effects of religion are being felt by innocent men and women. The latest story of misery and dread comes from Malawi, where two men were arrested after they took part in an engagement ceremony.
For their crime of loving one another, they face about a decade of hard labor, and considering they refuse to apologize or back down, they’ll probably end up serving the full sentence. Why are they taking a stand? Because the plight of other gays is at stake, and when countries like Uganda try and pass “kill the gays” legislation, there are some with the moral fortitude to put the wellbeing of others ahead of their own:
Gay sex is still illegal in 37 countries in Africa. A recent poll by the Pew Research Centre found that 98% of people in Cameroon, Kenya and Zambia disapprove of homosexuality. But encouraged by legal advances in South Africa, a new wave of activist movements are making a stand and pushing the boundaries in Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and other countries in ways unthinkable a generation ago. Gay and lesbian lifestyles are also much more visible.
This assertiveness is apparently being met by a ferocious backlash from religious fundamentalists and politicians determined to preserve the status quo. It has been described as a proxy war between US liberals and Christian evangelicals, both of which pour in funding and support to further their cause.
As far as religious fundies are concerned, homosexuality is an abomination, and no amount of broken lives (or in some cases, deaths) will stop them from continuing to advocate their seething hatred of gays. As far as they are concerned, their invisible sky-daddy has commanded same sex attractions are morally wrong. It doesn’t matter if someone is born that way; why would they worry about something as inconvenient as reality interfering with their beliefs? It’s never been a problem before.
Kenyan man sacrifices own son for God
Probably one of the scariest and most disturbing stories in the Bible (yeah, I know it’s hard to find one which isn’t fucked up) is of Abraham and Isaac. Commanded by God to kill his son, Abraham ties up the boy and is about to plunge his dagger in his chest when he is stopped at the last minute by Metatron (that’s a real angel name) and instead sacrifices an innocent animal in his stead. It’s some dark shit, people.
This story is generally debated as to it’s relative allegorical meaning, but I don’t think you have to look too hard to figure out what’s going on here: it’s not uncommon for jealous and ancient Gods to demand human sacrifice to appease their “anger” . In modern, civilized society this kind of act is exceedingly rare, but thanks to the delusion of religion, every so often, religious nutjobs kill their own children thinking God commanded them to do so. The latest case of religious infanticide comes all the way from Kitale, Kenya, where a father, convinced God was speaking directly to him, killed his own son as a blood sacrifice. He then sprinkled his blood around the house in some ludicrous and macabre ceremony. Your “what-the-fuck-o-meter” should be going off right about now.
He’s being held in custody and the locals have asked the “Ingrafted Fellowship Church”, which he’s been a member of for less than a month, be investigated to see if they are a cult (newsflash guys: all religions are cults, although admittedly, some are crazier than others).
Another sad tale of woe and misery brought to you by the “power” of religion! Isn’t it grand?
Pedophile Nigerian senator justifies himself through Koran
If you’re a Muslim and you find the idea of child brides offensive, how do you respond to Senator Yerima’s claim since Mohammed married a 9 year old (Aisha), this justifies his recent “marriage” to a 13 year old girl? Muslims believe their prophet led a blameless life, and if the Koran is really supposed to be a guide for how to live one’s life, then he isn’t wrong in his assertion. This is precisely the problem lawmakers in Nigeria are having; there exists a culture of pedophilia because devoted Muslims in the country see nothing wrong with this practice. If it was good enough for Mohammed, they figure it’s good enough for them, no matter how disgusting and despicable the rest of the civilized world feels about it. It’s another example of the evil shit that happens when morons follow the edicts of a 6th century madman.