It’s no small irony that when Republicans talk about smaller government, this same crippled beast seems to have no problems handing gobs of cash to institutions they have no business helping. Take the recent appropriation of 60 billion dollars for Hurricane Sandy. The Republican controlled House has voted to allow some of the money to be used to rebuild houses of worship, a clear violation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is asking their fellow atheists to contact their Senators today to prevent this disaster from becoming a law. Of course, the cynical side of me thinks this is all a giant waste of time, and the quagmire of American politics makes it impossible for rational and helpful legislation to go through, so perhaps the same tactic can be used to stop the government from forking over money that should be spent on rebuilding people’s homes, rather than the places that typically siphon all their fucking money away.
Consider this: while a non-profit can also apply for a grant if their property was damaged, at least these organizations have some degree of accountability. We can see where the money goes. That’s not true of religions. They get a free pass to spend their money any way they want, and trust me when I say there isn’t one of these places that isn’t swimming in corruption. The system practically invites it!
This video, hilariously titled “Dan Barker gets OWNED by Muslim Hamza Tzortzis”, showcases perfectly the kind of pathetic, nonsense arguments you get into when talking to these apologists. Tellingly, the video does not offer a chance for Barker to reply, so I thought I might do him that solid. Let’s take a look at his argument, shall we?
Asinine Assumption #1: We know God exists, so arguments for God isn’t “God in the Gaps”
Buying into a belief system doesn’t make it true. For something to be “proven”, it needs to pass a number of rigorous tests. The first, and most important, is falsifiability: the ability for an idea to be disproved. This is perhaps the most difficult concept for god-pimps like Hamza to understand. In their limited world view, they simply accept, with no real evidence, that their all powerful creator simply exists and his very nature defies all attempts to categorize him. Such a conceit must be rejected immediately without effort: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and a book inspired by an illiterate child rapist fails to impress.
Asinine Assumption #2: The specific wording of your God matters
When this guy starts blabbing on about how the word ‘the’ in ‘the merciful’ must inherently mean that God is superior to human beings, I just have to shake my head in profound disbelief at the childish nature of this kind of thinking. What the fuck does that prove?
Asinine Assumption #3: Islam invites differences of opinions, considers these a ‘mercy’
Either he’s deliberately being deceitful, or he’s decided to ignore the fact that Islam is still fighting its own theology with other variations of the faith. There has been very little ‘mercy’ in the way Sunni treat Shia, or Shia treat Sunni. And let’s not forget the efforts of the Taliban to destroy the cultural heritages of other faiths. Clearly, he’s in the minority opinion that his religion invites diversity.
Asinine Assumption #4: The Qur’an is a scientific book
This is a common trope of all religions: they claim their obscurist, vague book describes in detail real scientific phenomenon that would have been impossible for desert people to know. For instance, did you know that
1. Humans were created out of a clot of blood.
2. The Sun revolves around the Earth.
3. The Moon is further away than the stars.
4. Your sperm is produced in your spine.
5. Bees eat fruit, not pollen!
6. Birds fly because god wills it.
7. Mohammad flew into the heavens on a winged horse called Buraq.
8. Fresh water and salt water cannot mix.
Need I go on?
Asinine Assumption #5: We believe things based on testimony
If there’s one thing you can rely on, it’s the fact that human beings are the worst, least trustworthy witnesses around. Not only is memory a total wash: it’s notorious for fabricating things. In science, we actually plan for the human element, doing our best to take ourselves as much out of the equation as possible. The idea that knowledge is based on testimony is a religious idea, not a modern one.
Asinine Assumption #6: Islam has no problem with non-believers or apostates
The classic mistake most of these religious apologists make is that they assume their liberal interpretation of their religion is shared by others. That’s simply untrue. The fact remains the vast majority of Muslims do believe non-believers are doomed to hell, and apostasy is a crime punishable by death. Several Muslim countries have these laws in the books, and only international pressure has allowed the stay of executions for unlucky individuals who dare question the ‘truth’ of Islam.
Sorry, I’m a little confused now…who exactly got OWNED here?
How ahead of his time was Christopher Hitchens? Well, when he released his book, The Missionary Position in 1995, the notion that Mother Teresa was anything less than a saint was believed by the entire world. Even after his follow-up documentary, Hell’s Angel, it still seemed as though her reputation as a do-gooder would never truly be tarnished.
Slowly, over time, her insanity and cruelty has been exposed. In fact, a new Canadian study by the University of Montreal is shedding even more light on Teresa and her grim institution, appropriately called “Homes for the Dying”. These are squalid hellholes, with little to no hygiene, no pain medication, or even food. This was contrasted by her own medical care in American hospitals, where she enjoyed only the finest treatments available at the time.
All of these facts have been available to the rest of the world for a long time, but I suppose every once in a while, old information becomes new again. In this case, it’s how twisted and cruel this evil little dwarf was. With hundreds of millions of dollars wasted on these torture houses, one researcher thinks some good can still come out of all of this:
Larivee however signs off on a surprisingly positive note and says there could also be a positive effect of the Mother Teresa myth. “If the extraordinary image of Mother Teresa conveyed in the collective imagination has encouraged humanitarian initiatives that are genuinely engaged with those crushed by poverty, we can only rejoice,” they signed off.
I think the net result of Mother Teresa’s existence has been more suffering, more ignorance, more death and pain than would have otherwise have occurred if the old bitch had been run over by a bus in her youth. The fact that any delusional religious rube still quotes her as an example of charity truly cheapens the very meaning of the word. We would have all been better off without her.
Are you having trouble evangelizing to people who seem to know more about the Bible than you do? Don’t worry, child actor Kirk Cameron has the solution for you. He’s re-posted an old article from his master entitled “How to Witness to a Closed-Minded Person“. As you may have guessed, it’s about as compelling as an episode of The View. Here’s his advice for how to talk to people who think God and his magical play-land are bogus as shit:
I simply say, “I know that you don’t believe in those things, but if Heaven does exist, will you make it in — are you a good person?” The word “if” is the key that will unlock the door. I deliberately emphasize it as I say it, because it’s non-threatening.
“If God was to judge you by the Ten Commandments on Judgment Day, would you be innocent or guilty?” What he is hearing isn’t exactly what he wants to hear, but the accusations of guilt aren’t coming from without. They are coming from within his own heart, and that has the effect of stopping his mouth of justification, and helping him see that he has sinned against God.
I love how Christians think the 10 Commandments are some kind of incredible moral achievement. There really are only two laws that make any sense to us today – the provisions not to steal and not to murder – but even these two so-called laws have exceptions: if someone is trying to kill you, we have no objections to lethal force, nor do we have a huge problem with starving people occasionally stealing a loaf of bread. See, our legal framework, which we’ve spent decades refining, wasn’t written by some asshole on a mountain. So, failing to properly obey the Sabbath, coveting your neighbor’s possessions, or saying an offhand “Jesus Christ!” isn’t even on our fucking radar in terms of immorality, nor should it be. I don’t recall the Commandments speaking against rape, torture, genocide, infanticide, sectarian conflict, or even forcibly taking the property of others. In fact, all of these behaviors are actually ENDORSED by the Bible!
We live among a hedonistic generation that drinks iniquity like water. Nothing else matters except quenching the thirst for sex, porn, parties and pleasure. As the Scriptures say, “God is not in their thoughts.” However, a biblical presentation of the gospel injects God into his thoughts and makes him think seriously about his own eternal salvation.
We live in such a hedonistic time that selfish little god-haters are spending their time trying to improve the world and make it less ignorant. Your Biblical God, the same genocidal maniac who commanded his chosen people to smash little babies against rocks, is most definitely NOT in our thoughts, and there’s nothing in your little book of fairy tales that even comes close to making salient points about morality in these modern times.
Now if you were expecting any other arguments from this failed actor, I’m sorry to disappoint: it seems the only trick Ray has learned is to try and make people feel like guilty pieces of shit before offering them the olive branch of his little provincial deity, who fears ‘salvation’ for unquestioning belief, and eternal damnation for healthy doubt. What a swell guy! Tell me again how this megalomaniacal, murderous God loves me. I just can’t hear enough.
This week, we “pontificate” on the Pope’s replacement, and we also talk about the new HBO documentary “Mea Maxima Culpa“, on the sexual abuse of children at the hands of the Catholic Church, and the cover-up by the Vatican.
If there’s one thing that seems fairly universal, it’s the fact that going into outer-space changes you forever. Just listen to the testimonials of all these astronauts and tell me that the humbling experience of hovering over the Earth isn’t a life altering experience. Seriously, I think every human being should be given the chance to feel as infinitely small as possible, if only to grasp the true scope of the Universe.
This week, Ryan and I break the big announcement from the Vatican, and speculate as to why the Pope is running home with his tail between his legs. With things at TGA slowly starting to get back to normal (whatever that is), we’ve got a big show for you at over an hour.
I have an admiration for train wrecks, and I can’t imagine a greater tragedy than this rap video tastefully titled “Jesus is my Nigga”. It’s appropriately sung by a bunch of out-of-touch white dudes with very limited musical skills. Luckily, the whole thing is such a complete mess that it winds up being entertaining in the end. Still, I want to know: was there not some moment where a young person took these grandpas to the side and told them how insanely bad this idea was? Did everyone hope this would lead people towards their sadistic death cult or something?
This week, I recorded a short show with Ryan, a sort of off-the-cuff show on a huge variety of topics, ranging from the economy to right wing terrorism. We’re wrapping up the DVD this week, which explains the short show, but things will be back to normal next week.
What do you get when you combine shitty inspirational synth music with a bigoted, ignorant Christian teenage girl? You get the ironically titled “Rated T for Tolerance”, a strange Orwellian name that belies their own contorted views of reality.
Now some of you might think that this video falls under “Poe’s Law”, but as I’ve said in the past, when it’s impossible to tell the difference, what does it matter? She’s representing the views of millions of assholes, so as far as I’m concerned, she’s in their ranks.
This week, a sad announcement about Carisa and me, but also a new hope for the future among this heartbreak: the announcement of ‘The 300′, a group I’m creating to finally bring solvency to TGA, and ensure the growth of a full fledged organization. Interested people can email me or leave comments on the site, or on Facebook.
This week, I interview Josh Sobel, who is trying to fund an interesting and exciting Kickstarter project. Please, go to the site and donate any amount you can. Let’s help our fellow atheists achieve their very reasonable goals!
If you’ve listened to my shows recently, you know how big a fan of Pinker I am, including his most brilliant work “The Better Angels of our Nature: Why Violence has Declined”. If you haven’t read this lengthy beast, this talk actually covers the basics really well. A must listen!
This week, my guest is veteran activist Margaret Downey, who shares her ‘deconversion’ story, her fight with the Boy Scouts of America, and her recent projects. After this interview, you may want her to adopt you!
Margaret Downey
– Freethought Society President [1]
– Founder of the Thomas Paine Memorial Committee [2]
– Margaret Downey Fanpage [3]
– Video of her Thomas Paine presentation in schools [4]
After building a makeshift recording setup, I was able to interview Professor of Native Archeology Dean R. Snow to talk about the legend of the Great Peacemaker, the structure of Native society, and how things might have played out differently if not for the European Invasion.
NOTES:
Dr. Dean R. Snow, Professor of Archeology at Penn State. Author of “Archeology of North America”,
Difficulty finding reliable material on the subject that wasn’t marred by attempts to mythologize and aggrandize Native History. Is that fair?.
Part 1: The Great Peacemaker
An attempt is made on his life, by a family relative at a young age
He is persecuted by his own people who do not understand him.
Claims to be speaking on behalf of a greater power to establish new laws and ensure a new peace after a time of strife.
In order to prove his claim, he performs a series of superhuman feats.
Was there an element of Native society that in fact precipitated the spread of illness? Were longhouses inadequate to the task of natural quarantine barriers?
The meaning of Hiawatha or Hayonwhatha, Ha-yon-wha-tha, is “he who seeks his lost mind and knows where to find it,” or possibly a more spiritual rendering might be “he who seeks his ideal and knows where to realize it.”
The Great Peace seems to coincide with Samuel de Champlain’s arrival and subsequent war with the Natives. Was this a civilizing pressure? And external threat they could rally around?
Dr. Snow’s Books:
1. Archeology of Native North America[1]
2. The Iroquois (Peoples of America)[2]
