Take two prayers, and call me when you have full blown AIDS.

I get a lot of inspiration for my blog articles from the Huffington Post Religion Section, and the comments left by the devout.  It’s a veritable font of religious idiocy that keeps  me informed of the latest spiritually inspired craziness.
Yesterday there was this doozie: 
Pentecostal Minister Convinces HIV Patient to Refuse Medicine Leading to His Death Bed http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/24/pentecostal-minister-hiv_n_3806693.html

This article prompted lots of comments. One of my favorites was from a Xtian who posted the oft repeated hackneyed internet parable about the drowning man who prayed for god to save him - refusing all human aid - only to drown. When he reaches heaven he asks god why he didn’t save him, and god replies “I sent the Coast Guard, a Life Guard and a Helicopter…what more did you want?”  The story was much longer of course.

The point being that god thing provided man with all medical knowledge and technology we have, thus failing to partake of it is man’s folly. Naturally it generated baaas approval from the religiously wooly. 

I asked for, and am still awaiting, the parable that explains why god infects and kills millions of children with the HIV virus he created. I won’t hold my breath.   But I digress…

Back to the article.  In reality the Pentecostal minister’s advice is totally in keeping with the basic premises of religion: delusion and false hope.

After all, only with religion do people refuse their critically ill child medical aid that could save his life in favor of "prayer healing," which invariably allows him to die. Only in religion is the fabled mass extinction of the planet's inhabitants, human and animal, acceptable behavior; the genocide of tribes by Hebrews good and necessary; the handling of deadly snakes reasoned; and instilling in children the fear of some eternal torture chamber for simple lack of belief reasoned.  Nothing like that kind of bizarre thinking exists outside of the "spiritual" world.

But there is a kernel of logic behind the minister's advice. If prayers are always answered and one dies by substituting prayer for medical treatment it was god’s will.  The shaman would no doubt justify it by proffering god answered his prayer with “No!”, and thus he would have expired from the disease even with medical treatment. With god, any crazy thinking is sound.  

Why should any of us be surprised that a religious fanatic shaman councils a fellow religious fanatic to ostensibly commit suicide by faith? I’m only surprised it was news worthy enough for publication. 

Religious Persecution: Christianity’s just desserts?

"I don’t see how you can turn your back on the persecution of Christians in foreign countries simply because others who have held their same faith at another place and time in history were atrocious."

Above is a paraphrased comment from a Christian bemoaning the persecution of Christians and condemning me for my reference to Christianity perhaps receiving its long over due and just desserts.

All right thinking people oppose persecution for any reason: ethnicity, race, religion (or lack thereof), sexual orientation, etc.  I am no exception.  But the fact of the matter is when people embrace a world view that has been the cause of pain, suffering, genocide and simply bad manners for some 1700 years, don’t expect me to cry a river when “karma” bites  believers in their collective asses. 

Here’s my reply:

Your "faith" is washed in blood and has been since its inception by your cult’s founding fathers. That you prefer to ignore that fact is simply a function of typical religious denial...or lack of education.

The persecution and killing of those who held varied views of Jesus' divinity; 1700 years of Jewish persecution thanks to Christian doctrine; misogyny tantamount to the all out persecution of women; the eradication of indigenous peoples and their culture all over the planet; condemnation of the natural condition of homosexuality which relegates gays to 2nd class citizenship even today; US fundamentalist Xtian clergy who encourage African nations to eradicate gays - and African Xtian clergy who are supporting their killing while imprisonment of gays in other countries is endorsed by good Christians following their Lard's words.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

You dare cry "persecution" while you wash your hands of these Christian inspired and propagated acts as  though they are ...what … one offs?  Bullshit.

Call it "karma", or "what goes around comes around". Or "you reap what you sow" or "those who live by the sword - die by the sword." -  one doesn't have to believe in boogie men and dead man-gods to see the truth of those sayings and apply them to the faithful upon whom wrath has fallen.

”It’s unfair to hold a grudge,”  you might say “for the actions of others long ago.” But how different is it from the actions of your god who in your scripture condemned Jews for generations because of some Jews' supposed roll in your man-god’s death. Or your god’s condemning all humanity with an eternal curse, because of some supposed disobedience by the supposed first man and woman millions (Oh, that's right..thousands) of years ago. Talk about grudges.

I don’t endorse retribution by persecution. I deplore it.  But perhaps the anger and actions taken  against Christians are directly due to your perverse religion's bloody and unjust history.  Perhaps it is simply a matter of the offending culture taking proactive measures to prevent its resurgence. After all, history has a way of repeating itself.

“God is Good ALL the time!!!!!” - the scariest Xtian platitude.

If you’ve ever frequented a Xtian fundie page on Facebook, or been witness to a Xtian troll on an theist website, you are likely familiar with the phrase above.  Of all the simple minded Xtian platitudes, this one probably irks me the most. It’s also the title of a song sung by some nutter named Don Moen (you can hear it online if you care to inflict it upon yourself).

One would think “I’ll pray for you.”, or “You’re going to hell.” would set me off, but nah, that stuff is passé.  They are simple minded meaningless statements that are easily countered with “You do that, and I’ll think for you.”; and         “Well, you’re going to Hades so be sure to have coins to give Charon the ferryman over the river Stix.”  But the “God is good” or “God is Good ALL the time!!!!!” absurdity has a much deeper implication.

One simply needs to read the bible to see how horrific a god their god thing can be. I won’t detail the hundreds of verses that recount the hideous acts attributed to their god, we are all familiar with many of, if not all of them.  Let’s just say unless you accept as good the killing innocent children; tribal genocide; destroying the entire human species save eight people; and establishing dozens of grotesque laws calling for the horrific deaths of people for minor infractions, biological realities, or imaginary wrong doings … then there is no way on Gawd’s green earth you could call their god good, much less good all the time.

Their god even says it is the cause of all the ills of the planet:
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." Isaiah 45:7 (KJV)

I wonder who they are trying to convince with their “good” praise?  Themselves? Their fellow sheep? Or are they trying to convince and placate a petulant unpredictable god who they admittedly “fear,” by telling it it’s good to destroy, kill, hack, chop and impale it’s way through an imaginary history, and inflict punishment disproportionate to any crime? 
 
What troubles me about the “God is Good ALL the Time!!!!!” idiocy is this: it implies the religiously afflicted has not read the bible or is in denial of the horrors perpetrated at their god’s behest; or worse, that he has read it and has accepted such horrors as  “good.”   

Good that Moses destroyed the animals, men and women and innocent male infants of neighboring tribes; good that god demands a woman’s hand be cut off for grabbing the testicles of her husband’s attacker; good that people deemed to be witches or sorcerers be killed; good that it sent bears to maul and kill forty-two children; good that in spite of his knowing in advance of his creations disappointing misbehavior, god nevertheless created them and then killed them with a flood.   And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

If the book in question had been a biography of a real being, that person would be condemned roundly as a psychopath worthy only of condemnation and disdain.  Only the most depraved person would call said person “Good.” 

There is no point in trying to engage in discourse with such Xtians as nothing can get through this force field of self imposed …what?... delusion?  idiocy? denial?  worship of evil?  They wouldn’t engage long enough to even hear it, much less lend it a considered ear.  They too enamored of the imaginary power, too far gone. That we share a planet with these people is just plain scary  - and THAT, is what makes it troubling beyond all other platitudes.   

Yes, Vernon, there IS a heaven…

  Dear Mr. Hump,
Some of my bunkmates claim there is no heaven.  They say it’s all made up, like Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and Jesus.  I asked my Dad about it.  He told me if I read it in your blog then it’s true.  So, Mr. Hump, I’m asking.  Is there a heaven?

Hopefully,
Vernon McGillicutty
9 years old
Camp Hiawatha,  Steep Falls, Maine


Dear Vernon,
Alas, your friends have fallen victim to the age of reason. They don’t believe in anything except that which they can see.  They think that nothing can exist that they have not yet experienced. They have shut their minds to the endless possibilities that life holds in store. In time, with experience, they will be shown the truth…as will you.  

Yes, Vernon, there is a heaven.  It exists as surely as Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream, topped with rainbow sprinkles and butterscotch goo ... and you know that exists.

Not believe in heaven?  One might as well not believe the first time they slip their hands under a girl’s bra, or the first time they get laid.

No heaven? If so they will never experience the feeling the first time they drive their brand new ‘66 Mustang 2+2 down the main strip on Saturday night.

No heaven? Then one may as well never experience returning from war to the warmth of home, hearth, family, friends and the girl they love; never experience the joy of being united as one in marriage with one’s kindred spirit; nor experience the joy of the birth of ones children; nor feel the relief and freedom of retirement in a grass and forest covered paradise, or the coolness in the shadow of a shady maple on a hot summer day while inhaling the scent of fresh cut grass, sipping ice coffee and throwing a ball for the dogs; nor see the first smile cross the lips of one’s grand child while you make a fool of yourself making silly noises.

No heaven? Thank dog it exists.  It exists here, now, later, and forever as long as you live on a planet full of wonderment, beauty, and love … and as long as you know where to find it - and when you’ve found it.

4th of July Inspirational Words from the Camel

Never give up the fight; never surrender an inch of freedom to religious fanaticism or worry about hurting their delicate sensibilities.
Keep practicing faithicide, science and reason will prevail.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July

“God Created Marriage!” Seriously, how hard is it for Christians to just READ some history?

This may not be the best kept secret on the internet, but I despise Michele (“Let my Husband Cure your Gayness”) Bachmann. Despise is probably too genteel a descriptor for my true feelings. To put it in perspective let’s just say I hate her 100 times more than I hate Nancy (“No Blink”)Pelosi, and Chucky (“Where’s the Camera?”) Schumer. For those of you who may not know, or forgot, I am an Independent and a moderate. Thus, I eschew both of the extremes. But I digress.

The Supreme Court got two decisions right the other day: striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) signed into law by Bill (“Lemme Stain Your Dress”) Clinton; and allowing the lower court decision to stand on California’s Prop 8 – the attempt by Mormons, Cat-Hole-Licks, and other assorted nutters to outlaw gay marriage in California. A good day for civil rights.

Quick on the heels of the decision the religionists, understandably apoplectic, took to FOX News, and other right wing media outlets to decry the Court’s rulings.  Of particular note was Michele Bachmann’s laughable and totally fallacious religious testimony. According to Mrs. Bachmann:
”….[the Supreme Court] attacked something that they have no jurisdiction over whatsoever, the foundational unit of our society, which is marriage. That is something that God created. That is something that God will define. The Supreme Court, though they may think so, have not risen to the level of God."

Hmmm… God created marriage? What god would that be? It wouldn’t take more than five minutes to research the history of marriage, which goes back to prerecorded history. Evidence indicates that as long as 20,000 years ago the concept of monogamy, a precursor to formal marriage, was formed.

The ancient Hebrews did not have a religious ceremony to bond couples; it was strictly a secular/societal/tribal convention for continuity of the tribal unit. So too was marriage among the American Indians, early Egyptians, ancient Greeks and Romans. Indeed virtually every ancient, pre-Jewish/Christian society had some form of marriage…all of which was a contract for societal, financial, or political reasons. *

The first mention of marriage as a religious rite was late by civilization’s standards. The Hebrew prophet Malachi disdained divorce and said it pisses God off. Period. But again, for societal/legal purposes, as were so many of the early Hebrew edicts. “From the early Christian era (30 to 325 CE), marriage was thought of as primarily a private matter, with no uniform religious or other ceremony being required.” *

Paul in 1Corinthians 7:10-11 (1st century CE) and in Matthew 19:6 (written in the late 1st or early 2nd century CE) mentioned a bond endorsed by god, albeit, there is no documentation of a formal religious marriage ceremony. If marriage is something their Judeo-Christian God created, evidently no one told the Egyptians, Babylonians, Canaanites, Romans, Greeks, Vikings, Mayans, Sioux, Eskimos, Chinese, and thousands of pagan religions and societies.

Bottom line is this: anyone with ½ a brain and the instinct to use it, who isn’t a mind captive to the Christian religious rites that are Johnny Come Lately to the institution of marriage, can discover the roots of marriage; that marriage pre-dated Christian ritual and involvement, and even the Hebrews. That it had no religious root. That it was practiced by pagans, for millennia for sound social reasons. If it was created by a god, then it would have had to have been a pagan one that predates even El, Baal, or Molech.

No, Michele, and Christian nutters in general - your god didn’t define marriage any more than it created the universe. It was and continues to be a secular institution. It changes, evolves, and develops as do so many societal mores and institutions. That’s why the Hebrew’s polygamy is no longer practiced in the West. Or why one doesn’t have to marry their dead brother’s wife. But you are too stupid, too vapid, too religiously afflicted to take the time to do a little research; or prefer not to because it contradicts your delusion.

Now, go … gnash your teeth, cross yourself, handle your prayer beads, invoke a imprecatory prayer against Obama, and get the heck outta the way… societal advancement stops for no mind slave.

*   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage#History_of_marriage

Doing death defying stunts for God. Oh ... and the money of course.

Tonight Nik Wallenda will take his high wire walk across the Grand Canyon. Nik has a lot of balls.  He also is a Christian.  He credits god with his skill, credits god for his successfully performing other death defying stunts.  He thanks god for his success every time. To quote Nik from a recent Huff Post story:   "Everything we did was for the glory of God."

Really?  Hmmm... seeing as how the family business has supported some three generations of Wallendas, one might think they did it for their livelihood. After all, they don't do these things for free. Nik is going to have a major pay day tonight.

But OK, for the "glory of god"...  fine.  Too bad his preferred god doesn't seem to return the favor to the Wallendas, what with three of the family dying in falls and one permanently paralyzed.  I imagine the religionists such as Nik will say that was god's way of testing their faith. Or without god more of them would have died or been paralyzed for life.  What a god.

On the other hand Nik is pragmatic. In a Christianity today story, he said: "There's a lot of people that have amazing relationships with Christ that lose their lives in a car accident. Does that mean they didn't have a good enough relationship with Jesus? No. Life happens and God created us all in his image, but we're all our own people. We're not robots. We make decisions."
Now there's a dilemma. He thanks god for his surviving these stunts, but admits Jebus doesn't always come through in a pinch.  Sounds almost like he's saying: "I believe in God, and that he'll protect me, but hey...shit happens."  Might as well put a rabbit's foot and four leaf clover in his back pocket for that matter. At least a big furry foot could help break the fall.

I hope he makes it across safely tonight.  If he does it will be because of his very unique skill, understanding of physics and wind currents, and decades of practice, not because some imaginary boogie man who killed his family members as "part of a plan" decided he didn't want Nik to perform for him and his angel fans in heaven. Nevertheless, he'll do what the religiously afflicted always do... credit his boogieman with his success  because he is just a worthless sinner. 

On the other hand, if he doesn't make it I doubt his family will blame god.  Indeed, their god will get the credit for his death being "part of a greater plan."  The platitudes of god having called Nik home to that eternal circus in the sky will be proffered for all believers to to tear up over and nod in delusional approval. It's always a win-win for their imaginary god being.  And on it goes...foolishness fed by ancient nonsense.

Break a leg, Nik