More Christian Vagueness

God works in mysterious ways.

That's usually the response given when something is undeniably negative and a Christian is questioned as to how said negative logically fits in with an all-loving God.

In reality it's a non-answer. It's not like they're claiming they know this to be a fact; they just believe that God is all-loving because it's in The Bible. Moving with that set of logic, a Christian has little choice but to conclude that their God(who in their mind is all-loving and all-knowing) must have some bigger plan that is incomprehensible by humans. They believe this because the part about God being all-knowing and all-loving is factual to them.

Such is the case with the senseless killing of Northern Irish newlywed Michaela McAreavey, who was killed while on her honeymoon on the small Island of Maritius last Monday, January 10th.
According to reports from reputable news sources in the UK(The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Irish Times) Michaela was having tea with her new husband, John, when she decided to go back up to their hotel room to get some biscuits to go with the tea. Her room was(allegedly) being robbed by hotel employees and she walked in on them. She was strangled and left in a bathtub.

At her funeral, Bishop McAreavey(uncle to Michaela's husband John) explained how the newlyweds were truly devoted to each other. "Their lives revolved around one another; each talked endlessly about the other." He also explained how that devotion to her husband was second only to her devotion to God. "She loved the Mass and was faithful to it. She was a young woman who prayed and whose prayer was important to her."

Now here is a woman who is undeniably a devout Christian. What possible purpose could God have for allowing this couple to marry, only to tear them apart while they were still on their honeymoon? And to do it in such a horrible way! What mysterious way could God have been taking when he decided to scar a man emotionally for the rest of his life by allowing the senseless death of his new wife?

Just for the sake of argument, let's say someone can come up with a halfway legitmate reason why this horrible event could, in theory, be considered an overall good move by God. Are we to assume that this is the best way God's plan could be played out? An omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent God wouldn't let a situation like this happen to his subjects. Even if I believed in this God, I could never worship him.

Weekend at Bradley's

Except the zombie in question is Jewish

Last weekend I headed down to Peoria, IL for the event being put on by the BU Skeptics. It was a whole weekend's worth of activities but I was only able to attend on Saturday. If you want a full run-down of what happened, Russell Glasser and Matt Dillahunty(who were a big part of the weekend, and hosts of the evermore popular show The Atheist Experience) have summed the whole thing up nicely.

I think fun was had by all, and it was definitely an experience to remember. I don't know where or when the video will be released, but I know there was a guy there with a camera and I believe he was affiliated with the college or the group. If I hear something I will post an update.

Since Matt and Russell did a great job with their recountings of the weekend, I will just post some pictures from the meeting for all to see. Enjoy!

Mclovin and company talking to Matt afterwards

Do We Need the Word "Atheist"?

Theists often ask me why I care so much about something I don't believe in. When I first started openly questioning religion, I couldn't answer that question. I knew why, but I just couldn't put it into words yet. The reason is because the claims and actions of theists can be harmful to people, on a psychological and physical level. I don't refute the claims of Bigfoot sightings because while I don't believe in them, I also don't believe that other people believing in Bigfoot will have a negative effect on society in general, or even that person specifically. A belief in god can have profound effects on one's actions and thoughts, cognitive dissonance notwithstanding.

All of that is well and good, but why does this community of people need to have their own label? The only reason there is a need to call attention to the fact that we haven't been convinced there is a god is because there are people out there trying to convince others there is a god. I can't speak for anyone else, but I didn't wake up one day and decide to boycott God Inc.. I don't hate god, the same way I don't hate Bigfoot.

When I really think about it, I can understand why some theists might think atheism is this group that dissenters join when they are mad at god, or if they don't want to be responsible for their actions, allowing them to “live it up” with a clear conscience. Sometimes I hear some atheists speak as if they are speaking for atheists everywhere, and while it bothers me slightly because speaking on behalf of a group indicates that everyone in the group thinks the same way, and possibly because there is a doctrine that says they have to, I can't be too mad because usually atheists only speak in those kinds of terms for wholly accepted truths. The only example I can think of is when atheists tell theists that the only thing that all atheists have in common is that we don't believe in god.

The label of atheist is a necessity in my mind, and will continue to be until we reach a point where religions like Christianity are taken as seriously as religions like Scientology, and I don't see that day arriving anytime soon.

My Problems with God

I've never read any of the holy books in their entirety. I've read bits and pieces of some, the Christian Bible more than any other, but not very much of any of them. I've had people tell me that if I've never read insert your favorite holy book here, that I can't possibly begin to comment on it's truth value. I'll set aside the idea that all of these supposed holy books have one thing in common: none of them have evidence to back up the miracles and deity to human communication that all of them claim to have happened. I'll do that because I can, for the sake of argument, assume that a god does exist and still have many monkey wrenches to throw in the gears that are their arguments.

There isn't a need to list them because even if none of those can convince you(and I know they won't) I can take a step back and say that even if any of those gods do exist, I wouldn't worship them. I would curse that god every day, telling him he is a coward like none other. I would dare him to show his face. Any theist who has ever heard me say that always replies the same way; when you stand in front of god, you WILL bow before him. I have always thought that could mean that I would either be so scared or awestruck that I would have to bow in his awesome presence or that he would force me to bow with his godly power. Maybe it's the tone of smug glee that comes standard with the aforementioned statement, but I really feel theists believe their god isn't above forcing someone to bow before him. That is a scary thought.

The Lord is my shepherd(if shepherd = pimp)

About a month ago, I had to drive up to Wisconsin and spend a few hours inside a church. While I was there I saw two kinds of hymnal books; one that looked like every other hymnal I had seen in any other church I had ever gone to while the other was quite unique. Curious, I grabbed one from a pew and opened it up.








While seeing such self deprecating language is neither new nor particularly shocking, the cover of this book puts everything in a different perspective.

That's right folks, statements such as "I am not good enough for [Jesus] to come to me." are being spoken by children before they're to participate in communion.

I invite theists of all stripes to help me understand how a child that is being given information like that from trusted individuals at such an early age allows for the child to have a fair and objective shot at making unbiased decisions on spirituality or lack thereof.

Just a thought: The overwhelming majority of people that ever accepted the premise that supernatural beings could exist were children.

The Unicorn has spoken.

It's not about how many times you fall down...

In an effort to stave off obesity I joined a flag football team this fall. I played exactly two games before I tore the ACL in my left knee. I had surgery to replace the damaged ligament, then spent the next seven weeks in a Vicodin haze. I tried to record a video for YouTube, but zombie isn't a good look for me.

I kicked the Vicodin, did some physical therapy, and now I'm well enough to start posting on a regular basis again. I'll be going back to school for the spring semester, but I don't expect that to make too much of an impact on what I do here.

Tomorrow I'll be back with more Rational Thoughts for Atheists, and I hope you'll join me.

Hypocrisy So Potent, It'll Make You See Czars

With video clips this damning, and a title that awesome, I think I'll let the gentlemen speak for themselves.

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