A fan of the show wrote to me, and her letter was so honest, open and inviting that I could not help but record a radio show, even though it’s now 3 am.
The quest for youth, beauty, and long life makes freaks out of people. Chief among these ‘insane ones’ is Suzanne Somers, who takes a whopping 60 fucking pills every day to try and stay young. That’s not including her estrogen and progesterone cream she applies, as well as her daily vaginal injections. Yes, that’s right folks, she pokes her own vagina with hormones in the hopes of living forever.
She also tries to appeal to women’s insecurity about age. She tells the audience at Oprah’s show their husbands will undoubtedly leave them if they fail to do everything they can to stay young forever, and this can be done, apparently, with her insane regiment. She wants to live to 110, but I think she’ll find if she’s just as concerned then as she is now on her physical appearance, it’s going to be one hell of a miserable few last decades….
No thanks, Suzanne, stick to selling juice makers and other stupid shit on the shopping network, and stop telling dumb women to use dangerous supplements. As for Oprah, I’m not surprised you’re dumb enough to listen to these celebrities and morally bankrupt enough to profit from it.
If you’ve ever called yourself an agnostic, then you should head over to the Radical Atheist’s blog. He’s written an article on how agnosticism is compatible with atheism. Here is a quote from the article:
I see no inconsistency in being both agnostic and an atheist. I’m an agnostic in the methods I use to discern truth (small a) and appreciate reality. I’m an atheist in my opinion on theism. I do not contend that gods absolutely do not exist. That would contradict my opinions on absolutes. But the probability of something like any god existing, let alone any specific god, without leaving any unmistakable physical evidence of its existence that unequivocally points to the god, is so infinitesimally small that it is barely possible.
I agree with him that agnosticism is more of a frame of mind than a real belief. For practicality’s sake, it seems foolish to me to think sitting on the fence is an adequate response to the question of the existence or non-existence of God. I can respect a person who says they are open to the idea (in some small form), but until solid evidence is shown that there are gods, choosing to have no opinion seems to me a way of validating the improvable assertions of theists.
Funniest line in the whole video: “His fighting is anything but orthodox…”. Hilarious.
It always surprises me how little religious people actually understand atheism. I believe it has something to do with the fact they can’t possibly imagine why anyone would choose to reject the notion of God. It must be doubly confusing if your entire life is defined by your faith. It’s this fundamental lack of understanding that’s behind the latest claim from Jake the Evangelical, who says atheists can’t possible have any passion since they don’t believe in anything.
His article is the standard fare for most of these undereducated yokels; Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is somehow false, atheists deny everything that exists, and for some reason, every freethinker literally worships the ACLU. If it weren’t so insanely wrong and plain ignorant, I might have actually found these claims to be amusing. But the truth is these guys have a strong influence on their poorly read and grossly uneducated crowd, and they continue to spread falsehoods about what it means to be an atheist.
In my time writing for this site, I’ve always tried to put myself in the shoes of others. I try to understand how deeply religious people might feel about others who threaten their world view. Atheism for guys like Jake is the biggest threat to the authority of their church. It’s why they feel the need to continue to spread falsehoods and outright lies to undermine us.
I’m an atheist, and anyone who has ever heard the podcast or who has read my articles knows I’m a passionate man. I’m especially passionate when redneck morons go around making asinine claims like ‘Darwin was wrong’ or atheists are nihilists who are bent on destroying the fabric of society. It hasn’t occurred to these morons that we are happy, moral people who don’t require a Bronze Age deity to tell us what to do. We have faith in the goodness of others, and in the power of human beings to choose their own destiny. I think you’ll find many of us are passionate about truth far more than Jake the Evangelical is.
I’m tired of magazines continuously talking about how faith is good for your health, or how it makes people feel better. You almost feel like there is a salesman at work, trying to coax you into going to church. I’ve already written on the notion being religious makes you live longer. So does cutting off your testicles. I don’t know about you other fellows, but I’d rather die with a smile on my face.
Time is now the latest mainstream magazine to feature an article on the health benefits of religion. The writer argues the brain is hard wired to be spiritual, and it only makes sense use religion to obtain the health benefits spirituality supposedly bestows. Chief among his arguments is people who meditate have better health and improved concentration. Even if that were true, there’s no reason to believe simple non-religious meditation would have the same effect. There’s a fundamental flaw in thinking that meditation is a religious affair. It’s really just sitting down, concentrating, and breathing correctly. Wow, who knew that would help boost memory, eh?
The article goes on to cite studies that show conflicting evidence regarding the power of prayer, despite the fact every serious peer reviewed study found there was no benefit to prayer (or in some cases, actual harm). The author suggests hospitals should work more closely with religious organizations to provide patients with their spiritual issues. I don’t deny for someone who is religious, having the attention and support of a religious community must indeed be great. But it would be irresponsible to assume both faith and medical science always work in tandem. Just ask patients who need the life saving research of stem cells whether or not mixing religion and science is a good idea. Ask Kara Neuman whether the mix of these two often incompatible pursuits is smart.
Even if religion was better for your health, it certainly doesn’t seem like it’s better for our world. How much conflict, bigotry, and hatred stems from religious belief? I wonder if a child being rushed to the emergency room after a suicide bomber attack would benefit from his rabbi being there…
Here’s something that will make you smile. A professor is claiming he can prove the existence of God using what he calls ‘hard core science’. Yea, I know you’re all impressed with his nomenclature, but there’s more. He also claims quantum physics can prove the birth of Jesus, and the resurrection story. It seems like everyone under the sun loves to use quantum mechanics to justify their crackpot ideas.
The only person in the entire story who made any sense was Bishop Eddie Long, who stated, quite correctly, that science cannot prove the existence of God since the whole thing is supposed to be about faith. But don’t tell Franky boy that; he’s already working on a book about it. I’m sure it’ll be a page turner…
Scientologists love to attack psychiatry. They believe it is responsible somehow for all of the evils in the world. They deride all prescription drugs, which they view as fundamentally changing someone’s personality. This coming from a group whose main intent is to make money, and to mentally enslave people strikes me as ironic, to say the least.
According to the moron in this video, Bin Laden is a patsy of a much more dangerous individual. The real threat is psychology, used to brainwash terrorists and to turn them into killers using prescription drugs. They claim that Bin Laden would have not tried to kill Americans if he hadn’t been conditioned by a al-Zawahiri, who they believe is a psychiatrist. In truth, he’s a surgeon, but this minor inconvenience is completely ignored by these clowns. They prefer the comfortable bubble of delusion.
I’m sick and tired of everyone under the sun trying to make insane claims that cannot be proven. There are all kinds of groups who love to blame their specific scapegoats for the events of 9/11. Scientologists running around trying to put the blame on mental health practitioners is nothing short of insane. Not only are they terribly uneducated about the history and purpose of psychology, they are also incredibly delusional to think their own stupid beliefs were not influenced by psychology. L. Ron Hubbard used primitive psychological techniques in his own greedy religion, and declared it heretical specifically because he feared mental health practitioners would strongly disagree with his dangerous use of mental control and brainwashing techniques.
Scientologists are enemies of reason, decency, science in general, and in particular, enemies of people with dangerous or deadly mental health issues. They preach vitamin use for autistic kids, schizophrenics, and people suffering from chronic depression. Last time I checked, Flintstones chewable vitamins didn’t do shit.
These guys need to be brought to task and called out for making insane claims that endanger the health of individuals. It is the duty of all media organizations to take a hard stance against obvious liars and charlatans. These assholes certainly fit the bill, wouldn’t you say?
Imagine you’re Muslim, and you want to show people that your religion isn’t the violent, backwards faith the mainstream media portrays. Starting your own English TV station centering on your religion is probably a reasonably good start. Bridges TV was such a project. It featured shows such as Democracy Now, a cooking show called Veggie Table, and the saccharine sounding Talking Peace.
In a twisted bit of irony, the founder of the TV station, Muzzammil Hassan, is currently under police investigation for beheading his wife. It appears the TV station will be folding as a result of the news.
I actually thought the idea for a TV station was a good one; clearly, the religion needs a new PR person, and it was refreshing to see Muslims on the boobtube who weren’t reading a terrorist memo, or talking about eradicating the Jews from the earth. But just like Hassan, the Muslim faith has two faces; one of piety, submission, and adherence to religious ritual, and the other a violent, implacable ideology that is glaringly incompatible with modern values.
It would be silly to assume the behavior of Muzzammil Hassan reflects the general attitude of all Muslims, but it would be irresponsible to discount the role his faith had to play in the murder. The problem with Islam is it has struggled to modernize, and there is a large contingent of believers who would rather die than see that happen. Until they all can be brought into the fold of society’s mores, then we will continue to see tragedies of this sort unfold.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article calling for Catholics to abandon the church in light of the recent news Pope Benedict XVI was behind the cover up of child abuse scandals. Obviously, I didn’t actually think any Catholics would hear me out. I mean, I am a filthy heathen after all. I’m finding it difficult, however, to stay silent for long about the general attitude some Catholics have about the revelation that corruption runs at such high levels. Here is a journalist who claims some things are best if they stay hidden (the article itself is called How much truth is too much truth).
Rob Dreher is an ex-Catholic, but after studying the facts, it was too difficult for him to go on. It’s why he states he is intentionally ignoring any bad news that might come his way about his new church, The Orthodox Church in America. He had to – the church came under investigation in the autumn of 2005 for embezzlement of church funds.
Rob believes society needs powerful institutions in order to function properly, and the most important thing is to not allow cynicism and mistrust erode people’s faith in those institutions. His call for ‘selective blindness’ not only baffles me; I find it personally insulting to be told human beings are simply unable to make decisions for themselves, favoring instead the guidance of corrupt church leaders.
Rob chose to remain blind because he knows exactly what happens when you start probing deeper into organized religion; you find nothing but unscrupulous individuals who abuse their authority for personal or financial gain. What a surprise! Well, I believe human beings need transparency in their lives. Why should religion benefit from the veil of secrecy? This abuse of power has gone on far too long.
I’ve got a bit of advice for Mr. Dreher: I know as a Catholic, the concept of truth isn’t exactly something you worry about too much. After all, you have other people to tell you what the truth should be. But do you honestly think keeping the dark secrets of the Church is the only way to save it? If your institution was so fundamentally good, is it not your responsibility to ensure it remains that way? Are you so afraid of the truth you would rather innocent children suffer for the continuation of an otherwise corrupt and morally bankrupt organization? I find it tragic you choose to deny reality so adamantly to the point where you would fail to investigate and prosecute the offenders. It’s even sadder when people try to defend this cowardly view.
This week, Ryan and I discuss the atheist bus campaign that is attracting a lot of attention in the UK. We’ll also be discussing the case of Kara Neuman, who died as a result of her parents’ religious beliefs.
Remember this guy? He keeps appearing all over the place, trying to pimp his book, The Atlas of Creation. It’s really just a glorified picture book with a shitload of inaccuracies, lies, and just plain old ignorance.
I normally try and ignore the words and pronunciations of unmitigated fools and liars, but the amount of bullshit coming out of this Adnan Oktar is simply too much to bear. Here is one of his interviews for the Tehran Times, no doubt a highly respectable newspaper…
“Darwinists attempt to equate the violence and terror they themselves nurture and grow with Muslims. But this is inconsistent, because I have exposed it as a ruse. Darwinism is the root of terrorism, whereas Islam is the antidote to it. Islam is a religion of peace and love. Allah says in the Qur’an that it is better for you if you forgive, even those who commit murder.”
Muslims are generally unaware where the troubles are coming from. People in the world as a whole are unaware of the essence of the matter. When I investigated it I saw that Darwinism lay at the root of all this suffering, trouble, violence and pain as there would be no materialism without Darwinism. Darwinism is essential for materialist philosophy and without materialism there can be no communism, fascism, imperialism, savage capitalism, nor immorality nor terror. These are all inter-related, but because people are ignorant of that, they fail to grasp the importance of the intellectual struggle against Darwinism.
So, basically he claims the Theory of Evolution is somehow responsible for imperialism, communism, and fascism. How can he prove this insane claim? Well, he can’t, obviously. He just says he’s “done some research”. Any man who wears a white leisure suit and has such a finely trimmed beard has to be a serious scientist, right?
I’ve always hated how these religious guys try and pass the blame for the action of their fellows on other people. This jackass is claiming the terrorists are somehow motivated by atheistic materialism. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense now, does it? Look at your own religion, Oktar. It’s not exactly the paragon of peace and stability. If you bothered to actually do research you’d find much of the violence in the Middle East is caused by doctrinal schisms in the Islamic faith, and not by any actual influence from the secular West. Stop blaming others for the shortcomings of your religion, and try being honest about something for once in your life.
This piece on CNN.com has me fuming. It’s a profile of psychic Roxanne Usleman (if you plan on visiting this link, do yourself a favor and turn off your sound) who is giving consultations to high powered clients looking for a insight into their uncertain futures. It’s another example that it isn’t only lonely and uneducated women who spend hundreds of dollars on these fraudsters.
CNN does what every typical mainstream media organization does when dealing with these scumbags: they take no official position on whether or not the claims of psychics can be verified, despite how easy it is. Do any of them even bother to do a little research? Of course not. If they did, they would realize there has never been a recorded instance of a psychic doing anything other than making superficial remarks based on techniques used by mentalists.
Roxanne is probably delusional enough to think she has some sort of power, when in reality her only skills include the ability to tell people exactly what they want to hear. I don’t even find anything wrong with the idea of charging people to give them advice. Consultants are a necessary part of the business world, but at least they have more experience than a woman who spends her days holding your keys in order to get a read on your life. These parasites come out of the woodwork and use our own desperation against us. It’s why they always gather around whenever there’s money to be made from insecurities, disasters, or painful moments in our lives.
It’s irresponsible of any media organization to wash over the fact that these individuals possess no known powers, other than keen observation. This woman charges over 125 dollars an hour. Does anyone think during an economic recession it’s a wise idea to hand over all that cash for what amounts to nothing more than a stale performance?
When I was a kid, the show everyone was talking about on Monday morning was the Simpsons. There was no doubt in my mind it was my generation’s quintessential program, and it practically defined our sense of humor. My friends and I would often quote lines from episodes if the situation was appropriate.
Of course, the show isn’t what it used to be. The characters are now stale; the writers have lost their fundamental understanding of them. Still, the legacy they built isn’t something that can be easily taken away, which is why the shameless promotion of Scientology by Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, is a fucking slap in the face. It was easy to hate this pyramid scheme cult when they had their spokesperson jumping up and down on couches with a creepy smile on his face. It’s another to record Bart Simpson for a cold calling machine to invite people to attend an auditing service.
Scientology is the ultimate in greedy religion. Audits are ways of extracting money out of people. It’s the equivalent of Amway really, except instead of selling you shitty soap, they’ll brainwash you so badly that you’ll let your autistic son die of a seizure rather than admit his condition exists. Yeah, I’m referring to you, John Travolta. Idiot.
I hope Fox takes action on this. Beloved cartoon characters shouldn’t be used to promote anything more harmful than a crappy candy bar, especially not sick cults whose paranoia regarding mental health can only be described as borderline psychotic.
After attempting to wrangle enough questions from listeners, we were finally able to do a mailbag episode. We cover everything from de-Baptisms in Atlanta to the historical ‘evidence’ of Jesus.
