Why people laugh at creationists

The following are 15 short videos are copyright-free for educational purposes. Feel free to mirror any or all of these videos with or without accreditation wherever ignorance abounds.

For ease of viewing, the 15 videos are grouped in threes. In other words, each of these players contains tree videos.

This is part of a superb series of videos exposing the funny stupidity of creationists and why they deserve to be laughed at. In each case the creationist statements are shown to be outrageously stupid by even the most rudimentary knowledge of science. -- Thunderf00t


Episodes I–III


Episodes IV–VI



Episodes VII–IX


Episodes X–XII


Episodes XIII–XV

Release and Reclaim

Low tide at the retreat
LEAVING YOUR RELIGION?

. . .or still feeling the effects?

It's not the end of the world. Join us at a recovery retreat.




"RELEASE AND RECLAIM"
A workshop for letting go of religious indoctrination and reclaiming your life.



Led by Marlene Winell, Ph.D., psychologist, and author of
Leaving the Fold, A Guide for Former
Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion


WHEN: FRIDAY, Feb. 29, 7PM until SUNDAY, Mar. 2, 3PM.

WHERE: A beautiful house near the beach in Alameda, California, minutes from Oakland Airport.


Front of the houseLeaving one's faith often creates intense feelings of confusion, grief, anxiety, and anger. The effects of authoritarian religious training can last a long time and run deep; full recovery can be difficult if the issues are not clear and you feel alone in the struggle.

This workshop is designed to support you in the process of healing and growth. The weekend is a powerful group experience of sharing personal history, examining key issues, and exploring new liberating concepts and skills. In addition to discussion, we will use experiential methods including art, guided visualization, movement, and role-play. There will also be time for shared meals and relaxation as we build a lasting support system beyond the weekend. A resource list of readings and websites will be available.


COST: $320 for the workshop, $125 for room and board.

A deposit of $100 will secure a space. $25 discount given for full payment by Feb. 10. Financial need considered and options available.

TO REGISTER or for more information: Send an email to recoveryfromreligion@gmail.com
or call 510-292-0509.
Register soon to save a place. Group size is limited to 8.


Dr. Winell at the beachAbout Dr. Winell: Marlene Winell is a consultant/educator with a practice based in Berkeley, CA. She has worked in human services for 30 years and has a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies. Her work on religious recovery is based on personal history, research, and clinical experience. www.marlenewinell.net mwinell@gmail.com 510-292-0509.



Comments from previous participants:

"A wonderful retreat. I will never be the same."

"Loved it. The exercises combined with the discussions really created a dynamic experience for me. The openness and the welcoming atmosphere made it easy and comfortable for me to share my thoughts and emotions."

"I see this as a powerful healing experience for most anyone recovering from fundamentalism. There are so few opportunities for people to talk face to face about the suffering that Christianity can cause or about the insensitive cruelties perpetrated in the name of God. Having others validate the experience creates a sense of confidence and clarity. I wish someone was doing your work and making fundamentalism recovery known in every city in the country! I would love to see you training therapists around these issues." - Dr. Valerie Tarico, author of The Dark Side

A group discussion"Wonderful weekend! The tools, especially the monster/child/adult metaphor, and how to integrate and deal with it were very helpful. I enjoyed all the others: a talented, loving, real and compassionate group of people…I have been enriched."

"This retreat is a great way to connect with others and reaffirm that you are not alone in your healing process."

"Enjoyed your sense of humor. Really felt your connection with us."

"You understand, you love us through it, you give us real tools to use, you accept non-judgementally, thank-you!"

"Marlene is skilled, intuitive and informed. She has a gentle but firm way of guiding a person through the healing steps and skill building needed for coping with the negative aspects of religious upbringing."

"Very empowering. I want to feel empowered rather than helpless and so many other programs (12 steps) make you feel helpless. I would come again without hesitation."
"Retreat is worth it. Lots of guidance and nurturance will be provided if you can just get yourself to the retreat. Get yourself to the retreat and much else will fall into place."

"Marlene Winell is a gifted workshop leader. I recommend this workshop to anyone who may be feeling alone in their struggle to sort out the religious abuses and indoctrinations of their life experiences. You'll find here a great community of support for your process." - Debra Thornley

"Marlene provides a supportive, nurturing environment to validate and affirm each participant, regardless of their stage in religious recovery."

"If you were once serious about your faith, but felt betrayed and left desolate by its empty claims, this is the retreat for you. We've all been there too." – Michele Lyerly, author of From Rapture to Revelation

"I thought the variety of activities was wise. It pushed people out of their comfort zones in different ways. Head, body, and heart . . I have a tendency to stay too much in my head."

Fifty seven years of atheism

By Bob Patterson

I'm frequently asked why I pursue promoting atheism. I'm told that atheism is a negative and wouldn't it be better to promote something positive?

Au contraire! Atheism is a very necessary and positive force in opposition to irrational superstition.

Let me elaborate.

The world is a finite place. The "blue ball" is only 7918 miles in diameter. The world population is over 6.6 BILLION people (6,600,000,000). The earth is said to be about 4.5 billion years old. Man, as we know him, may go back at least a million years from our chimp ancestors, but has only matured to technology in a mere smattering of years in geological terms. The technical achievements of man is staggering, in such a short time. I remember the first 4-bit memory chip in the 60's; it could count to ten! I was impressed! From the time of the Wright Brothers' first flight (1903) until we put man on the moon (1969) was a mere 66 years! Man did the work and man alone deserves the credit.

As an atheist, I see religious belief as nothing more than superstition perpetuated by those who are monetarily rewarded and assisted by those either looking for a reward or avoiding a hideous punishment. Atheism is simply a lack of belief that a god exists. Atheism is NOT a belief system or a religion. There is no way to logically prove that something doesn't exist. One would have to explore the entire universe to say something did not exist. As an open-minded freethinker (I hope I am) I would once more become a 'believer' if the following questions were to be answered and verified. I will NOT acknowledge 'faith' as evidence of anything except self-induced delusion. Neither will I accept unverifiable stories about magic or miracles as evidence.

There are about 2500 recent gods and more than 10,000 ancient gods; How do I know your god is the real god? After all, other religions claim that their god is the real god.

Where is God? Define God? If God is real he should be able to be defined. The earth is an infinitesimally small object in a vast universe. Isn't that an unnecessary waste of space if humans exist as pawns to entertain this emotionally unstable deity who drowns and murders those who fail to satisfy his need for praise and recognition?

What kind of intelligence does God have? If God is real, he must have mass or matter to have intelligence. I cannot conceive of intelligence in the vacuum of space.

What does it take to communicate with the big guy? I have talked and listened (but not since 1951) and have never gotten a response. I submit those who claim to hear from God would do well to schedule some couch time with Dr. Phil.

Many claims are made on the big guy's behalf, yet war, disease and much suffering still persists. What about birth defects? How long are we supposed to wait before he does something?

Is there any difference between a god who can cure disease, but doesn't and one who claims to but cannot?

Is there really any difference between your god and the Wizard of Oz?

Is it as embarrassing for you, as it was for me to be asked to pray in public?

Isn't it confining to be taught that these kind of questions are 'off limits'? I submit that no question is off limits.

Isn't it true that your god has no more basis in fact than Santa Claus, the tooth fairy or harry Potter?

Isn't it as embarrassing for you, as it was for me, to have to admit to believing this 'stuff'?

Isn't the fact the Catholic church has paid out BILLION's of dollars in pedophilia cases convincing enough to think if a god was involved, he'd have intervened by now?

The basis for all religious dogma is faith, not facts, which is why every religion is different. Shouldn't that make one skeptical?

Most every crooked scam in the world is a confidence game based on the victim having 'faith' in the scam artist. How is religion any different from this?

Man is the only animal with an imagination that allows him to create religions and gods.

All religions are NOT alike, some are much worse than others.

Christianity is a 'designer' religion by Constantine and was forced on the world through the Roman occupation. When Christianity flourished in Europe, the period was called "The Dark Ages."

Man is (or should be) his own complete self. The desire for an invisible sky daddy is an admission of immaturity. Having a god may also be a means of not having to accept full responsibility for one's self.

The credit for man's great achievements should belong to man alone. Religion's desire to remain in the dark ages is only beneficial to the gurus who benefit from it. Humanity should free itself from religious superstition. It cannot do that if good men refuse to speak. I know too many 'closet atheists' who are afraid to admit it.

That great Statesman and orator, Jesse Ventura once said: Religion is a crutch for those too lazy to think for themselves". Only George Carlin could top that!

Life after Death

By Kent

I believe in life after death. So do you. The death of once living animals and plants nourish us. That is why we eat. When plants and animals are eaten, they are transmuted into whatever life form consumes them. Even when flora and fauna are not eaten, their decomposition returns nutrients to the soil or sea. These nutrients are eventually taken up by some form of life and reincarnated. This is the way of the world. Living things die so that other living things may live. Life follows death.

I don’t, however, believe individual consciousness transcends death. How could it? Consciousness depends on, and cannot be separated out from, our biological living bodies. Yes, our sense of self –which is as close as I can get to understanding what people mean by the word soul– usually endures throughout our lifetime. It survives sleep and periods of unconsciousness. But it is always affixed to our bodies. There is no way for our sense of self to continue once our corporeal senses are dead.

When most people speak of life after death, they use sense words like seeing and hearing. They say things of the dead person like, “She is watching her daughter grow from a better place.” But seeing requires eyes and hearing requires ears. With what eyes is a dead person watching? With what ears is a dead person hearing? None. So clearly people who speak of life after death in that way can’t really mean what they are saying. They must mean something else. But what that something else is, I couldn’t say. And neither can they–at least I have never heard or read anyone explain what is really meant when vision or hearing is attributed to a dead person.

Seeing requires a viewpoint. One must be located somewhere in

space. One cannot be everywhere or nowhere and be able to see any- thing. Vision is a physical interaction with light. Therefore, to see, one must be a physical entity. One cannot be nonphysical, spiritual only, and see. The same is true of all our senses. So disembodied souls are senseless.

I believe in life after death whenever dead plants or animals are transubstantiated into the body of a still living being. And so do you. That is why you eat. I don’t believe in the continuation of individual consciousness after death. Do you?

A response to Christians regarding my thoughts on the god delusion

By Bill Jeffreys

As I said in my previous article, it's very difficult to leave the cult of Christianity once you're vested. The shift in thinking that needs to occur is not an off / on switch. It's more like a fluid event driven type of change. Certain things have to fall into place before we are able to look outside the box of Christianity or any other religion.

In my experience, some type of cognitive dissonance needs to occur first. Some type of internal conflict, predicated by an external event, like a child dying or a major conflict at church, or a failed Christian marriage has to happen in the life of the religious person. Some form of "emotion verses belief conflict".

Christianity teaches that with God all things are possible. It makes very clear statements that if you do these things, or ask in Jesus' name it will be done. I could list multiple verses to support this, but why waste my time.

The problem starts when the Christian has to put these "truths" to the test for themselves. They have to have an emotional investment in whatever the issue is. If they don't have an emotional investment in the issue then they will just skim over the problem with more delusional thinking and practices. Usually, the diluted rationalizations that follow, regarding why God didn't answered my prayer, or change my circumstance, don't satisfy the Christian as they probably did in the past.

Once the Christian is in conflict and they can't find peace, then they are usually willing to listen to reason. Until this occurs most Christians or religious people just re-enforce their belief system with more false data (Christian apologetics) to compensate for the conflict.

The ones that can't, or won't see reason, usually alter their beliefs to fit the conflict, or change churches, pastors, doctrines, theology, get filled with the Spirit or whatever. If these methods don't work then they often fall into depression, increase their addiction, start negative self-talk, blame others or blame God. In short, they really blame themselves.

I've worked with people who, after having tried everything, felt or believed that they didn't measure up with what God wants, what the bible teaches or their church SOP (standard operating procedure). They often believe they don't have enough faith, otherwise why wouldn't God heal them, or help them? If they can't let go of the delusion, they keep wallowing in their misery trying to apply some theological formula or Biblical method over and over hoping the results with eventually be different.

Pastors often complicate the process by, drawing out the person's conflict, with Christian platitudes, or well meaning but misplaced Christian counseling. How many times has the pastor or well meaning Christian said, “You are angry at God, have a secret sin, are unforgiving or you are lacking in faith so read the Bible and pray more?” As if these are the reasons your life isn’t getting better or why you have doubts. The truth is, Christian counseling can be beneficial, because it's often based in a secular theory, but when mixed with delusional spiritual beliefs it can prolong the process of leaving the Christian cult.

Of course some people, having never been vested in Christian beliefs, are able to leave when confronted with rational arguments and accurate facts about the Bible's questionable history. These people were never really brainwashed to begin with. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them; I was the former. I was the one who was vested in his beliefs. At 12 years of age, I had an emotional salvation experience and gave my life to Christ. After high school I went to Bible College, was ordained and licensed as a pastor and then continued my education at a seminary in Portland Oregon. I completed a counseling degree, which was heavily influenced with Christian Theology and Doctrine. It took me about 7-8 years, after my seminary experience, to completely disavow my Christian believes and de-convert for good.

As a side note, the nominal Christian, like many of the Catholics I’ve known or moderate/liberal Christians, don’t really look to deeply into their religion hence they don’t care to question the Bible, the church, or their theological beliefs. They are often happy with the false comfort they derive from believing in a god, heaven after life, and hell for bad people like Hitler. They usually have learned to compartmentalize or adapt their religious thinking so as not to interfere with their daily life.

Since leaving Christianity, I have had to relearn to view the world, relationships, life, work, etc, in a different, and sometimes completely new way. It’s a far more rewarding journey then my latter experience. I wish all those Christian’s, who feel it is necessary to tell me God loves me, or that they are sorry that I had a bad experience with Church or other Christians, well. I mean you no harm other than the destruction of your delusional religious thinking.

Sincerely,
Bill Jeffreys

P.S. I am opening up a new counseling practice here in Portland, Oregon with the goal of assisting people who want to leave their religious dogmas and practice a rational approach to life.

Thinking of the god delusion

By Bill Jeffreys

I was thinking about god recently. I was wondering why Christians, like I use to be, don't see the hate, genocide, rape, murder, contradictions, false writings, and so forth in the bible? Why don't they look at the origins of the bible and see how messed up the process was, or how many other gospels and thousands of spiritual writings were circulating before the council of Nicaea, under Constantine who authorized the New Testament, or how the gospels weren't even heard of by ancient people for hundreds of years after the supposed death of Christ, or how the Apostle Paul never cites the gospels in his letters to the churches.

I used to think of Jesus as loving and forgiving and my personal best friend. I never looked at his anger, or his killing and damnation of unbelievers. Just look at the book of revelation. Jesus comes back with a sword and plagues to murder people and send them to hell forever. He tells his disciples that they must hate their parents if they are to follow him.

He sends people to hell because they don't accept him as god. Ok, why not just erase them if they are so offensive. Who says people who don't believe have to spend FOREVER in burning agony because they don't say, Jesus I am a sinner and please be my magical sky god?

It's hard to look at this if one is in the cult of Christianity, but I eventually did and it was like waking up in a stranger's home. I was shocked to realize where I was in life.

I finally understand why people cherry pick the bible, or Koran to support their view of god. I finally understand why I viewed Jesus as loving and my personal best friend. It's because we all want purpose, love and the need to feel that we are special. So rather than do the hard work of becoming authentic, rational and take responsibility for ourselves, we put our faith in something we can't see, hear, touch, feel or get accurate information on. We place in Jesus, god, Allah or whomever, all attributes we want to feel good about. We simply do this to feel good, have control over our lives and feel superior to others, aka special. We followed ridiculous rules and values thinking that we are pleasing our magical sky god and he/she will be happy with us. Knowing that we are making our god happy makes us happy. Well, not always, but that's another discussion to write about.

When we finally look at the facts with an open mind, we can no longer ignore the other facts of the bible or Koran. You know the ones that show god as a jealous, angry genocidal mythical being. We can no longer ignore the errors and contradictions in the bible or other spiritual books. We are forced to put away childish thinking and be responsible for the choices we make. We are forced to realize there isn't a second chance after this life. This is what we get, fair or not, for better or for worse. No one is going to rescue us and give us unlimited love and pleasure.

I really think some people just can't handle the truth. That is why they get so angry and sometimes violent when questioned about their beliefs. That is why they search for beliefs that make them feel good (what makes people feel good is unique to the individual) while ignoring the facts that contradict their beliefs. How can anyone believe in something that there is no evidence of or proof of? You could easily substitute the tooth fairy for god and support its existence with the same reason people use to support god or allah. All we need is an old collection of writings that say the tooth fairy exists.

As a professional counselor, I commend people who aren't afraid to examine their beliefs and make changes that support the evidence. It's much harder to live with the reality that this is our only life and we have to do the best we can with what we have. That takes much more courage then putting faith in an invisible god.

You must be a Christian if...

By Brother Jeff

1. You believe that an ancient Book of Myths filled with contradictions, absurdities, atrocities, myths, fables, and plenty of nonhistorical "history" is somehow magically the inerrant, infallible "Word of God".

2. You believe that a Magical Being magically brought the universe into existence by speaking a powerful magical spell from Nowhere approximately 6000 years ago.

3. You believe, concerning the origins of mankind, that a Magical Being magically made us by fashioning a doll from a mound of scooped up dirt, which he then somehow magically brought to life via His Spook who is also somehow magically Him.

4. You believe that Three Magical Beings are somehow magically One Magical Being, and that the Three Magical Beings who are One Magical Being are somehow magically Each Other.

5. You believe that mankind "fell from grace" and deserves to be BBQed eternally because two primitive people who lived in an awesome garden located somewhere in the Middle East listened to a lying talking snake and ate some forbidden magic fruit from a magic tree.

6. You believe that this Magical Being who magically created the universe and us is "all-knowing" even though He lost track of Adam in the awesome garden and that he is "all-powerful" even though He has trouble with iron chariots.

7. You believe that you possess some sort of magical inner spook that is the "real" you. You believe that this inner spook can be magically transformed by a Sky Spook and even lived in by an Invisible Sky Man via that same Sky Spook.

8. You believe that because the first two magically created people disobeyed the Magical Being due to the influence of a lying talking snake and some magic inner spook-killing fruit, that all men are born with their inner spooks killed and in need of a magical transformation courtesy of a Sky Spook.

9. You believe that an Invisble Man who lives in the Sky is going to kick a talking snake's ass by sacrificing Himself to Himself and then Magically Undeadening Himself. You believe that if we believe that the Invisible Man is Magically Undead, that a Sky Spook who is also somehow magically the Invisible Man will Magically Undeaden our inner spooks and magically live inside of us and at the same time will "seal" our inner spooks as His so that it is kept safe from the diabolical attacks of the Talking Snake and his evil spooks.

10. You believe that this enormous universe which consists of approximately 125 billion galaxies was created specifically for mankind, and that human history reflects a cosmic battle between an Invisible Man who lives in the Sky and an evil spook who enjoys manifesting as a talking snake. You believe that humans are divided into two groups - those who serve the Invisible Sky Man and those who serve the Talking Snake.

11. You believe that since we "fell from grace" because of some magic fruit and a lying talking snake that we need redemption, and that to accomplish this the Magical Being sacrified Himself to Himself to save us from Himself. But, you also believe that the Magical Being's sacrifice somehow magically doesn't count unless we believe it and accept it.

12. You believe that a Magical Being somehow magically became a man, and that this Manly Magical Being murdered Himself and then Magically Undeadened Himself three days later via the Sky Spook version of Himself so He wouldn't have to toss us into an eternal flaming torture chamber because of the unfortunate incident involving the lying talking snake and the magic fruit.

13. You believe that a Sky Spook who is somehow magically the Magical Being raped a woman named Mary who somehow magically remained a virgin after being raped, and that this glorious union produced a child who was somehow magically the Magical Being embodied.

14. You believe that after the Manly Magical Being magically Magically Undeadened Himself, He somehow magically blasted off and flew up into the clouds to live in the Sky Kingdom with His Father who is also somehow magically Him.

15. You believe that at literally any moment you could find yourself magically floating up into the clouds to join an Invisible Magically Undead Sky Man in a long-awaited event known as "The Rapture". You are so convinced of the imminent nature of this absurd event that you have placed a bumper sticker on your car that reads, "WARNING: In the event of Rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned." Assuming that you are not driving a convertible with the top down most of the time, the issue of how you would float through the roof of your car has never concerned you. You have just left it up to the magic of the Magic Sky Man.

16. You believe that the sky can somehow magically be rolled up like a scroll, and you believe that a Sky Dragon can somehow magically toss a third of the stars down upon the earth, and that the earth will somehow magically survive this assault.

17. You believe that the universe is magically being held together by an Invisible Man who lives in the Sky.

18. You believe that the Magic Sky Man is preparing to ride His Sky Horse down from the Sky Kingdom very soon. You find yourself filled with joyous anticipation at the thought of the senseless torture and slaughter of billions of non-Christian people who will then be tossed into a flaming torture chamber forever to be BBQed without mercy and without any hope of reprieve because when these horrific events occur it signals the end of the line for the Talking Snake and his evil minions (including those pesky rational, thinking people) and the beginning of a wonderful magical eternal life for you up in the Sky with your Three Invisible Friends who are somehow magically One Invisible Friend.

Also see, "You might be a True Christian™ if..."

What is Christianity?

By Brother Jeff

This is my glorious parody of this page (http://www.carm.org/seek/christianity.htm). Glory!

Kryasstianity is a religion based upon the teachings and miracles of Jesus. Jesus is the Kryasst. The word “kryasst” means anointed one. Kryasst is not Jesus’ last name. Jesus is the anointed one from the Magical Being who came to this biblically flat world, fulfilled the Old Testament laws and shit, Croaked in the Spook on the big giant stick, and Magically Undeadened Himself physically. He performed many magical miracles which were recorded in the Gospels by the eyewitnesses. He is magical in nature as well as human. Thus, He has two natures and is therefore somehow magically worthy of worship and prayer.

Kryasstianity teaches that there is only one Magical Being in all existence, that the Magical Being magically made the universe, the flat Earth, and magically created Adam and Eve. The Magical Being magically created man in His magical image. This does not mean that the Magical Being has a body of flesh and bones. Image means the likeness of the Magical Being’s character, rationality, etc. Because we are made in the image of the Magical Being, every person is worthy of respect and honor. This also means that we are not a product of goo to you evilution!

The Magical Being magically created Adam and Eve and put them in the magical Garden of Eden and gave them the freedom to choose between right and wrong. They chose to sin. Sin is doing shit that pisses the Magical Being off. For example, the Magical Being cannot lie; therefore, lying pisses Him off. The sin of disobeying the Magical Being that Adam and Eve committed resulted in them being expelled from the magical Garden of Eden as well as suffering the effect of death.



As a result of their sin, their children and all of us inherited a sinful nature. In other words, our offspring are not perfect in nature — we don’t have to teach children to be selfish. They know it naturally. That which is sinful cannot produce that which is not sinful. We all piss the Magical Being off by our very nature!

Kryasstianity teaches that the Magical Being is a Trinity (Farter, Son, and Holy Spook, not three Magical Beings), that Jesus Kryasst is the second person of the Trinity, that Jesus Croaked in the Spook on the big giant stick and Magically Undeadened Himself physically, that all people are under the loving judgment of the Magical Being because all people have sinned against the Magical Being. It teaches that Jesus is the only way to be slaved from the coming judgment of the Magical Being and that slavation is received by magical thinking about the work of Kryasst on the big giant stick and not by anything that we can do to please the Magical Being.

Where all other religions in the world teach that we must do some sort of good in cooperation with the Magical Being in order to achieve the right to be in the Magical Being’s presence, Kryasstianity is the only religion that teaches slavation by grace. This means that we are not made right before the Magical Being by our efforts, sincerity, or works. Instead, we are made right before the Magical Being by thinking magically about what Kryasst did on the big giant stick.

Kryasstianity further teaches that once a person is “born again” (becomes slaved) that the Holy Spook magically lives in that person and the person is changed: “Therefore if any man is in Kryasst, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come,” (2 Cor. 5:17). This means that the Magical Being actually magically lives in the person and the Kryasstian then experiences a true and living magical relationship with the Magical Being.

Therefore, “What is Kryasstianity?” is best answered by saying that it is a magical relationship with the true and living Magical Being through the person of Jesus Kryasst by whom we are forgiven of the shit we did that pissed the Magical Being off and escape the loving judgment of the Magical Being.

Hell? Consider the following

A video by vdizhoor



Many people live in fear of Hell. But is Hell real? In this (my first) video, I put some commonly held conceptions about Hell to the test. Even without looking at the history of how this idea developed, I think there are enough problems within this concept itself that demonstrate that it is fictional, or at least inconsistent with the idea of a Just and Loving creator.

To those who believe its real - I hope you will gain a perspective that will put you on a path of realization that Hell is not real and that fear of it is pointless. In either case, I welcome your input.

Some points of my argument are:

1. A minor side point: Adam ate the apple (fruit of knowledge) not knowing YET good and evil. He was so dumb he didn't even know
he was naked. He was no more responsible for his choice than a child that tragically plays with a shiny blade or a live hand grenade.
Whatever consequences of his action are, be it the tough living outside of paradise or knowledge of good and evil propagating to his children - punishment by Hell (plus the one that afflicts by default his descendants ) is disproportionate.

2. Setup for the main point: The world is not divided into "A" (Believers) and "B" (Non-believers) - those who accept and those who reject. There is a HUGE other category that is often ignored. Call it "C" - those who never heard about Jesus, Adam, Hell, etc. They never had the option to believe. They are people too. And they make up most of the population that ever lived on Earth.
They are just as capable of belief as those who heard the message - otherwise why are the descendants of Mayans, now living in Mexico so heavily Christian? They were pagans before they knew about gospels. Now that they have heard - they are pagans no longer.

3. Main point - how do the people in the "C" category (ignorant about the idea Christianity) avoid Hell? There has got to be an answer to this sort of question.

If they are presented with a vision of him upon death, they have far more advantage than those who are asked to believe purely based on what they read and heard. Seeing is believing.

The past and present existence of such people, in my opinion, is the key to understanding the non-reality of Hell.

If God is Just and Loving, then Hell makes no sense. Hell is imaginary.

If you think that Hell exists, then God is simply Wrathful and Frightening. In that case, why call him Just and Loving?

Jesus: Hot or Not?

Cast your eyes upon Jesus, and then vote.



Jesus, hot or not?

Jesus, hot or not?

The Godless Girl

Four minutes of footage from Cecil B. De Mille's 1929 movie "The Godless Girl."

God bless atheism & Why does faith deserve respect

Two videos by Pat Condell

God bless atheism



Why does faith deserve respect?


The peace that passes understanding

Mr. Deity and the meaning and purpose of life

Banned from the Bible



This video is 1.5 hours in length.


Banned from the Bible is a documentary television series produced by FilmRoos in 2003 for the A&E Network that originally aired on the History Channel as Time Machine: Banned from the Bible in 2003. [1] [2] It aired as a series from late November 2005 through May 2006. Narrated by Christopher Nissley [3], James Karen, and Maggie Soboil, Banned from the Bible tells the stories of the ancient books that have been prohibited from becoming part of Bible canon. The scholarly term for this is Apocrypha. The series was continued with Banned from the Bible II in 2007.

Atheist on the Bible

By ImRational





An atheist reads the bible, but there are a few things he still doesn't quite understand.

One Nation Under Huck

is a moron, but didn't he just say what the religious right has been thinking for years? They repeat in the media and in churches all over America that "we are a Christian nation," but they must know it's not true. Why else would they have to amend the ?

It amazes me how many people born in the 1960s and later don't know that Eisenhower added "" to our money and "" to our pledge. They just assume it's always been there. Heck, I'm in my 40s and I didn't know it until I broke away form the Christian cult and started reading history. Why don't they teach that in grade school?

I'm actually glad showed his hand. It's about time the American people see the for what they really are, a cult of power hungry control-freaks who want to impose their own sick belief system on the rest of the country and set civilization back about 2000 years!

Check out my blog for more "By the Book Comics"

Religious Idiocy

By ReligionIsACrutch



Atheism is inspired by one thing most of all: honesty with yourself. If you look at ALL of the evidence and make an honest decision without clouding your judgment with fear, guilt, love, duty, or anything else, you will come to one logical conclusion: There are no gods. Even if there were, they have made no contact with humans or even claimed to exist at all. The only evidence there is, supports the conclusion that gods are fictitious and no more likely to exist than elves, fairies, gnomes, trolls, ogres, goblins, sprites or pixies.

Is Religion a Force for Good or Evil?

The recent debate at Caltech between Dinesh D’Souza and Michael Shermer.






In this debate on what are arguably two of the most important questions in the culture wars today: Is Religion a Force for Good or Evil? And, Can You be Good without God?

The conservative Christian author and cultural scholar Dinesh D’Souza and the libertarian skeptic writer and social scientist Michael Shermer, square off to resolve these and related issues, such as the relationship between science and religion and the nature and existence of God. This event was one of the liveliest ever hosted by the Skeptics Society at Caltech, mixing science, religion, politics, and culture.

Dinesh D’Souza is the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Investor’s Business Daily called him one of the “top young public-policy makers in the country,” and the New York Times Magazine named him one of America’s most influential conservative thinkers. Before joining the Hoover Institution, Mr. D’Souza was the John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. In 1987-88 he served as senior policy analyst at the Reagan White House. From 1985 to 1987 he was managing editor of Policy Review. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983. His books include the New York Times bestseller What’s So Great About America. His 1991 book Illiberal Education was the first study to publicize the phenomenon of political correctness. His latest book, What's So Great About Christianity, will appear in early October, published by Regnery. He is also the author of The Virtue of Prosperity: Finding Values in an Age of Techno Affluence. D’Souza’s articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, New Republic, and National Review.

Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Shermer’s latest book is The Mind of the Market, on evolutionary economics. His last book was Why Darwin Matters: Evolution and the Case Against Intelligent Design, and he is the author of Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown; The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Share Care, and Follow the Golden Rule; and How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God, which presents his theory on the origins of religion and why people believe in God. He is also the author of Why People Believe Weird Things on pseudoscience, superstitions, and other confusions of our time. Shermer has an M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton and a Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University.

Rejecting John 3:16

By Astreja

So, let me get this straight: A god sacrifices its only son, purportedly so that it (an ultra-powerful god) will be in a position to forgive us (comparatively powerless humans) for something called "sin".

I don't think so.

I really and truly don't think so.

Imagine for a moment that you've put a lot of work into your yard, and it looks fabulous.

You put up a sign that says "Keep Off the Grass".

Along come a couple of people who don't know how to read. They not only walk across your lawn, but sample a raspberry or two off the bush on the north side of the walk.

You get annoyed.

No; you get angry.

So psychotically angry, in fact, that you lock the great-great-great-grandkids of the trespassing raspberry thieves in your basement, turn on the garden hose, and drown them all. (All, that is, except for a dozen or so kids who were out at the lake that afternoon.)

The survivors go on to raise families, and many generations later you send your son to chat with them. As you're omniscient, it really shouldn't come as much of a surprise when your kidlet gets nailed to a tree.

(Although the dead fruit tree, the herd of pigs rotting in a culvert, the fist fight at the ATM, that police report about a couple of stolen motorcycles and rumours about your son calling some woman a bitch might also have given you a bit of a heads-up...)

This time, instead of killing the lot of them, you say that you "forgive" them.

But only till next week, when you intend to send death, disease, pestilence, famine, war, lambs and dragons and Beasts (oh my!) to liven things up in the neighbourhood.

Literalist Christians, give me a break. The key stories in your mythology are abysmally, terminally stupid. You should be ashamed of yourselves for believing such tripe, and deeply ashamed if you teach these stories to your kids as "The Truth."

Metaphor-friendly Christians, you aren't off the hook either. You have yet to explain how an all-powerful god could possibly have been injured by humanity acquiring any amount of knowledge, with or without the god's permission.

For that matter, you can start by explaining why an all-powerful, omniscient god would bother to put two rather useful trees into a garden, yet become upset when one of them gets used by people who didn't yet possess the knowledge to know they were doing something wrong.

And then you can try to explain how a blood sacrifice makes everything hunky-dory again, but only if we think blood sacrifice is a good thing and agree to play along with this nasty psychotic deity and its creepy obsessions.

End of rant. Discuss.

Kicked Jesus to the curb

By John Botha

Hi there, my name is John and my story is a long and arduous one so I'll just hit on some highlights rather than risk boring you to death.

I grew up Roman Catholic thanks to my Mum and attended Catholic School run by Marist Brothers (poor me). From there I turned into a fundamentalist Christian when some friends of mine coerced me into attending Pentecostal services.

As an 18 year old I was vulnerable at the time (that's why the Christians target the young as most convert before this age) and soon found myself speaking in tongues and singing Jesus' praises! Oh Hallelujah.

From then, yada yada, found out about Ray Comfort's Way of the master and was turned into a hell fire and brimstone preacher! I bugged people on the street, in movies, hospitals, wherever I could find victims, I mean sinners. I became a worship leader/evangelist for a church over this way. I recorded worship song that I wrote (some pretty damn good apart from the stupid lyrics).

A year or so ago I really started to question my faith, not because of the rampant hypocrisy, sex scandals, or any of the usual reasons. I was not disappointed by god, the church or other Christians (even though they treated me like shit) but rather came to a realisation that the whole belief system was dumb. I mean, c'mon folks, believing in talking snakes, worldwide floods and dead people coming back to life and flying off to heaven is pretty dumb. Not to mention all the bigotry and cruelty done by the god taught in the Bible is a little off-putting to say the least!

I now see Christianity as a sham, and a dangerous one at that. The hate mongering god of the bible who created the eternal oven called hell to throw people into is not worthy of worship - even if he existed (which of course he does not).

I now prefer rational thought and am really enjoying the new-found ablility I now have to think for myself.

I don't hate god or sonny Jesus. It would be ridiculous to do so, but I like to provoke these Christians to stop and think - just for a moment.

So if you are Christian or any other religion, know that what you believe is farcical and unprovable and that there are other options to living rather than being brainwashed and living in fear or in servitude to an invisible deity who does not even exist.

I hope some day you'll "see the light" and that you open your brains and receive intelligence into your life!

Illusions of Thee

By Bill Jeffreys

It burns and purges and lingers about

What emotions are left

because it does not doubt

It consumes and eats without appeal

My heart alone, it leave unreal

I can not see what life it leaves

Can you see what I believe?



Please turn to me and feel me now

Be not like what I am ...

Hollow, empty, a sound you hear

when you are alone and shed a tear



It only stops when all is gone

Empty, it dies and leaves black skies

I look up and see what lies

my heart consumed with things that died.

But now I'm here and now I hear

I see and feel and run with without fear



My life alone, it always was

No more sound, now more false Noun

I am what I am I live what I live

Free of It, loose to be, to define what's me

I can rebuilt and learn to see

Start fresh, because there is no more Thee in me

How not to Argue with Atheists

By DaveJonesBSNews



A list of 10 poor arguments that I have heard theists use. Using these is pointless and will convince an atheist of nothing.

Atheist Life vs Religious Life

By Fighting Atheist



Some argue that religious life is the best way to live. They claim life without a god is sad and depressing. Statements like "I could not imagine my life without God", and "My life would be meaningless without God", are common defenses for a religious life. The following is a list of advantages atheists enjoy over a religious life. I invite the religious viewers to submit a response video with the advantages of a religious life.

1. Atheists can make moral decisions based on the specific context. Having absolutes like "Though Shall not Lie" stops people from thinking for themselves and making the right decision based on the situation at hand. In what situation would be okay to lie? Most religious people would say, never. Atheists would disagree. For example: If you were living in Germany hiding Jews in your attic during the holocaust, and Hitler's Nazis knocked on your door and asked if you were hiding Jews, would it be okay to lie to save the lives of the Jews in your attic? I believe trying to save their lives would the moral and proper choice. Atheists have the power to do what's right for all humanity, rather than the forced perspective of doing what is right for a god.

2. Atheists can experience healthy outrage at the outrageous without fear of questioning God's plan. We can be outraged when a friend dies of a horrible disease, or is killed in a car accident. It is okay to be upset at disasters and horrible events. It is not a part of any plan. It is just a horrible event. Atheists try to learn from them and not just chalk it up to God's Plan. We use science to understand catastrophic events like hurricanes, and tsunamis. This gives us the ability to save lives. If we think a magical plan is going to happen no matter what, then why try to stop the events or make things better. Atheists do not wonder if a god is punishing us. Yes, there is cause and effect, and our actions effect how we live, you should save for retirement, and if your diet is bad you'll end up fat, or sick, or both. But if an airplane part falls on your house, it is an accident. If you find a 5 dollar bill on the sidewalk, it is an accident. No magical intervention, no magical wrath, these are just accidents. Life has an element of chance. This may not seem comforting, but here is another way to look at it: Your loved one dies in a completely random car accident where nobody could possibly be blamed. Is it more comforting to know the accident happened because of bad luck or is better to think the accident could have been prevented by an omnipotent being that could have stepped in and saved them from an untimely death, but your god decided to just let them die? You don't have to be frustrated thinking "Was it because I didn't pray enough?" "Was God mad at me or them?" "Maybe I should have prayed more." Atheist take comfort in knowing there is no plan.

3. Atheist can be friends with everyone without having the thought in the back of their mind that this person's lifestyle may be evil. You have the power to accept people for what they are. Enabling you to enjoy their quirks rather than chastise them for being unique. Atheists can have relationships with people who have alternative lifestyles without feeling like they have to save them from some deity that is going to condemn them for being themselves. After all, if there was a creator, then he has made everyone the way they are. Atheists don't fear that a large part of the earth's population is going to hell for being true to themselves.

5. Atheists do not live with the fear of hell. This is one of the hardest things for religious people to shake and one of the best rewards. Religious people love the thought of heaven, but fear hell as a consequence. In order to lose the fear of hell, you have to let go of the false hope of heaven. Atheists have done both.

7. Atheists raise freethinking children; let them pick a religion, or none. What would you have picked? This is hard for parents. If a child wanted to be another religion, or even atheist, it would be devastating to most religious parents. Why not teach them about all religions and tell them why you believe the one you do, and then let them choose? Atheists do not force atheism on their children. We simple let them see the evidence for and against religion and let them make up there own mind. They may change there mind several times. This is okay. Atheists love their children no matter what belief they are drawn too. That is the beauty of free thinking. You can raise your children according to your values without feeling as though you have to defend Bible stories that even a child can see are fiction.

Hook, Line and Rapture

By Pat Condell



The truth about God divinely revealed.

My "coming out" story



This is the story of the first time I told someone I was an atheist. When I was a proselytizing evangelical Christian, I ran across atheists from time to time. This was my first time being on the other side of that fence. I hope i wasn't as much of a self-righteous ass as the guy who approached me. If anyone out there in Internet-land recognizes me for that from my proselytizing days, my sincerest apologies.

--
frisbeesANDflipflops

I'm God, BEOCH!!!

Attention : Which do you believe in? The one they talk about in church or the described in the ? Many of you would be surprised to learn that they are not the same.
The most envision is a loving, caring, father-figure type of guy who is up in heaven watching over them and looking out for them. This is a far cry from the of the who rules by fear, kills anyone who rejects him, orders his followers to kill others, and demands worship.

is mentioned often in the Bible. Here are some excerpts (found in your King James Bible and The Skeptic's Annotated Bible).
Leviticus 25:17
Thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 4:10
That they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children
Deuteronomy 6:2
That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments.
Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:20
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God.
Deuteronomy 6:24
And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God.
Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God.
Deuteronomy 14:23
...that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
Deuteronomy 31:12
Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 31:13
And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God.
Joshua 4:24
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.
Joshua 24:14
Fear the Lord ... and put away the gods which your fathers served.
1 Samuel 12:14
If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:
1 Samuel 12:24
Fear the Lord.
2 Kings 17:39
But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
1 Chronicles 16:25
The Lord ... is to be feared above all gods.
Nehemiah 5:9
Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
Job 28:28
The fear of the LORD, that is wisdom.
Psalm 19:9
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever.
Psalm 25:14
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him.
Psalm 33:8
Let all the earth fear the LORD.
Psalm 33:18
The eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him.
Psalm 34:9
O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
Psalm 96:4
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 103:11
Great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
Psalm 103:13
The LORD pitieth them that fear him.
Psalm 103:17
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Psalm 112:1
Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD.
Psalm 115:13
He will bless them that fear the LORD.
Psalm 128:1
Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD.
Psalm 47:11
The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.
Proverbs 14:2
He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD.

Proverbs 22:4
By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Proverbs 24:21
My son, fear thou the LORD.
Ecclesiates 5:7
For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Isaiah 8:13
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Hosea 3:5
Fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.
Malachi 2:4-5
...that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.
Jeremaih 5:22
Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence?
Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:5
Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Luke 1:50
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
Romans 3:10-18
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: ... There is no fear of God before their eyes.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 5:21
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Colossians 3:22
Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God.
Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
1 Peter 2:17
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.
Revelation 14:7
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.
Revelation 15:4
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord?


Technorati Tags:

Time for church











Cool Design & Disease is caused by sin

By Edward Current



God knows absolutely everything

By Ed Current



Atheists, prepare to be blown away with a high-power, semi-automatic assault of LOGIC. We know that God exists, because he can predict the future -- he even knows what we will do with the free will he gave us. Plus: Why prayer works.

CHECKMATE!

Shifting the burden of proof

A short video by John L Armstrong



If someone believed that Hercules existed as a historical figure, they would be expected to provide evidence. Why should Jesus be treated different from Hercules? -- http://www.godvsthebible.com/

Entrée to Eternity

By Bored Again

With a posthumous clue from Alfred Hitchcock, I have solved the mystery of the missing body of Christ. In a 1958 episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” ominously entitled “Lamb to the Slaughter,” the jealous wife of a local police chief bludgeons him to death with a frozen leg of lamb. She then cooks the lamb and serves it to the homicide detectives, who can’t seem to locate the heavy, blunt murder weapon. Watching the episode recently, I had an “ah-ha!” moment: The disciples of Christ had the motive, the means, and the opportunity to dispose of his body: by eating it!

You may find this theory a bit tough to swallow, but the forensic evidence from Holy Scripture itself is damning. For starters, look at what Jesus himself said is necessary for eternal life:
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."
(John 6:51-58)


Apparently it takes a long time to say “bite me” in Aramaic, but the message from Jesus is absolutely clear and unequivocal. At least 6 times in this passage he says that the only way to live forever is to “eat his flesh” and “drink his blood.” The Jews who were listening understood this to be a literal requirement. Picture how this must have struck the disciples. They were a roving band of semi-literate, unemployed, homeless men, hungering for a better life beyond this one. This Jesus, whom they followed and trusted, told them exactly what they had to do to achieve their life-after-life goal. And it would make perfect sense for them to take The Word at his word and do what he asked. Jesus would be their entrée, if you will, to eternity.

But the disciples faced two super-sized problems that must have given them pause. First, there’s the general human abhorrence to eating other people, especially close personal acquaintances and individuals who can turn water into wine. However, most would agree that there is also a general human abhorrence to flying airplanes into occupied buildings, so fantasies of heaven obviously trump even our most basic inhibitions. Compared to terrorist martyrdom, however, what Jesus was asking was a piece of cake: just sup on the Savior, and you’re in.

Thus, the apostles clearly had the motive to devour the divine one, and could easily have overcome their initial distaste of the idea. Their next problem was finding the right opportunity to munch on the Messiah. Marv Albert notwithstanding, social mores typically discourage people from running up and biting other living creatures without provocation. But providence must have been smiling on the apostles because the opportunity for their grisly “first communion” was handed to them on a silver platter.

Right before their eyes, the flesh of Jesus was prepped for their dining pleasure. The “tenderizing” process of poking, piercing, and pounding of Jesus’ flesh prior to his crucifixion rivaled what any good chef would do to soften up a tough slab of rump roast. Then, as a subtle sort of marination, a by-stander had the good sense to dab the dying Christ with wine vinegar, creating a kind of savior vinaigrette. Next, Jesus was baked on a stick for 3 hours in the sizzling mid-east sun, basting in his own juices. Finally, with his last words, Jesus himself announced his table-readiness. His “It is finished” is alternatively translated “I am so cooked” in some early texts, indicating to the disciples that he was a well done, good and faithful servant. As a further test, the piercing of his side by a Roman soldier produced only clear body fluids, a sure sign there was not much Jesus “au jus” left to savor.

What happened next, of course, is left to our imaginations. In a sort of Last Supper redux, the apostles likely smuggled the “corpus Christi” back to the upper room and began the heavenly feast. The apostle Thomas probably couldn’t believe his eyes: those who had just argued about seating at the right hand of God were now eating at the right hand of God (i.e. finger sandwiches). And there was Peter, Peter, Prophet-eater chomping away on the loin of Judah, and John remarking, “This tastes just like chicken ala King of Kings.” The others agree that the dining is simply divine, as they wolf down the soft buns hot off the cross. It’s not inconceivable that even Jesus’ mother Mary had a little Lamb of God. And when they were done nibbling on the Nazarene, all that remained was the stained tablecloth, a sacred relic on display today at a church in Turin. Of course, this crucifixion cuisine pre-dated the invention of dental hygiene, leaving the apostles to walk around with bits of their lord and savior lodged between their teeth. Brings back memories of my Catholic days when I took communion, and had the creator of the universe hopelessly stuck on the roof of my mouth. So much for oral tradition.

But there are yet other biblical forensic clues that this really happened. Ever wonder why it was only women that went to look for Jesus’ body after his death? The faith “full” apostles, already knew what had happened, so they stayed back at the ranch, with that cat-that-just-ate-the-messiah look on their faces. Of course, Jesus himself had given his followers a foretaste of things to come when he prophesied his own demise. He said that, like Jonah, who was in the belly of a whale for three days, he was going to be in “Sheol” for three days. “Sheol” is literally translated “pit,” as in the pit of one’s stomach. So, like Jonah, Jesus would be in a belly (or bellies), and the apostles would experience a 3-day bout of sanctification constipation.

Which brings us to the so-called ascension into Heaven. It’s a known fact that the God of the Old Testament relished the pungent smell of burning flesh. He called the smoke from burnt offerings a “sweet aroma,” and demanded that millions of innocent animals be torched to fill his omnipresent snout. Just imagine his olfactory delight when the digested body of his only begotten son produced a sudden outburst of apostolic flatulence. And that odor, of course, would have ascended directly to Heaven in a “cloud.”

Finally, there is present-day forensic evidence that cannot be ignored. It’s no coincidence that our modern English words “Incarnation” and “carnivorous” come from the same Latin root. Also, only one letter separates the word “devout” from “devour,” and “savior” from “savor.” Note too, if you will, the similarities between “messiah” and “mess hall.” And where do you think we got the expression “morsel of Truth?” Need I go on? What about the whole concept of “holy communion” today? Since there wasn’t enough of the actual flesh of Christ to go around, Catholics invented “transubstantiation,” a sort of biological alchemy in which blood and bone morph into a thin tasteless wafer (that adheres quite well to the roof of one’s mouth). As this wafer approaches the faithful, they are prompted to utter “Body of Christ” and warned not to chew it, lest the compressed deity squeal in pain. They are re-enacting the apostles’ destruction of evidence!

So I believe the case can be made beyond any reasonable doubt that the apostles were guilty of finishing off the infinite one. And it’s likely that at some point over the millennia, references to “regurgitation” were mistranslated “resurrection” and a whole new religion arose. To the apostles’ credit, however, it must be said that their devotion to Christ was all-consuming.

Matthew, a new translation

By Brother Jeff

The Spook of Kryasst who is also somehow magically Him has magically inspired me to do my own glorious translation of the bible featuring the Holy Farter, Kryasst, and the Spook of Kryasst who is also somehow magically Him.

My intent is not just to make the alleged "Word of God' funny with my own brand of humor, but to highlight just how ridiculous Christian beliefs are and how closely belief in the supernatural resembles belief in magic. So you'll find that many things happen "magically" in this translation.

I have the Book of Matthew completed so far, but my plan is to eventually do the entire Bible. Any and all feedback on this glorious project would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Glory!

Download the Book of Matthew in .PDF format: Book of Matthew (BJV).

You'll need a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the file.

Deciding to come out as an atheist

By Psiemens

First, I want to thank all of you for your positive comments and suggestions regarding my recent thoughts on Madelyn Murray O’Hair. As a result, I have written a letter to our local editor regarding religion and politics and am starting an Atheist Meet Up group later this month here in Beloit, Wisconsin. Again, you have helped me find courage to move forward. Thank you.

Lately I’ve been reading comments about the Richard Dawkins “Coming Out” campaign. I get the impression that many, who have been atheists for a very long time, don’t quite understand a whole new subculture of atheists which I’ll call “blue collar” atheists. Many of us do not represent the educated elite. We are middle class, paycheck to paycheck, struggling Americans. Religious indoctrination, which began when we were very young, has succeeded in keeping us ignorant and in the dark. Because of these long held religious beliefs we have shunned much of science, in particular evolution, and we have much catching up to do. We are very busy, everyday kinds of people who are desperately hungry for knowledge and want to try to catch up, but find little time to do so and few who support our new “ideas”.

Most of our “support” groups have been from our churches. Now that we embrace atheism we find ourselves having to break away from church and family members who see our changes in thinking as being “blinded by Satan”. Years of service to the church get summed up in pat phrases like “they must have never really been Christians after all” by people whom we looked up to and called friend.

The issue of completely “coming out” is not a trifling sort of idea for us. This choice will bring a great deal of upheaval to our marriages, our family lives, our social lives, and for some even work lives. Most of us know no others who are atheists and are hungry for like-minded friends with whom we can confide and share. I would suggest that those who have been fortunate enough to have been atheists for most of their lives, who are well educated and versed in atheism ideals, help us who are just starting on this journey. We need mature role models, teachers, and leaders. We need to develop friendships with fellow atheists – I know for me, this would be the greatest gift you could offer of yourselves.

I think we can change our world. I feel that the time is right to reveal ourselves – to finally start to be ourselves. Those of you who see all this as “old hat” – please don’t shrug off our coming out as something passé and of no importance. We need your help.

More Bible Jeopardy!

There are so many inconsistencies and contradictions in the , how can anyone take it seriously? Here's a nice example. What were ' last words? Three books in the have three different answers.

Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

It's as if none of the New Testament authors were actually there (ha ha)...

For many more Bible contradictions, see the Skeptics Annotated Bible!

Why I rejected Christianity

A video by Hector Avalos.



Hector Avalos (b. Nogales, Sonora, México, October 8, 1958) is a professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and the author of several books about religion.[1] Avalos is a former editor of the Journal for the Critical Study of Religion. He is a former Pentecostal preacher and child evangelist. Recognized as one of the foremost scholars of health care in the ancient world, Avalos is also one of the most prominent secular humanist biblical scholars today.

He has a Doctor of Philosophy in Hebrew Bible and Near Eastern Studies from Harvard University (1991), Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School (1985), and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from University of Arizona in 1982.



The End of Biblical Studies

The End of Biblical Studies
By Hector Avalos


Price: $21.12


Pageviews this week: