Posted in General, tagged atheism, bible, easter, morals, poetry, religion on Monday, April 17, 2017| Leave a Comment »
If he wanted to show forgiveness
Could he not just have said "I forgive"?
To show the path to redemption, have said,
"Here's how I want you to live…"?
If he needed to show us a sign could he not
Have gouged it into the Earth's very rock?
Did he need to paint it in agony
By having a scapegoat nailed to a tree?
—Daz
Posted in General, tagged atheism, bible, morals, poetry, religion on Monday, April 4, 2016| 2 Comments »
From Petrograd to Quito, from Yonkers to Siam,
The old man in his bath-chair, the baby in her pram,
I'll let the people know and make them understand
What a mercy-filled and loving, caring deity I am.
First I'll damn 'em all to Hell for things they never done,
Hold that rifle to their heads awhile, then uncock the gun.
When I'm sure they know that there's no place to hide or run;
I'll show 'em I'm a loving god, by torturing my son.
Through pain and gushing blood my divinity will shine;
A beacon to the people, to let 'em know they're mine
To do with as it pleases me, but that I'm of a mind
That should they pray to me alone, I'll forgive 'em for my crimes.
—Daz
Posted in General, tagged atheism, bible, creationists, fundies, humour, ken ham, religion, science, secularism on Wednesday, January 20, 2016| 15 Comments »
I couldn't resist, so my War On Christmas starts early this year. Or Easter; it could be The War On Easter…
Will There Be a National Darwin Day?
by Ken Ham on January 19, 2016
Will there be a National Jesus Day (AKA "Christmas")?
By Daz on the twenty-fifth day of Runcible, in the Year Of The Bewildered Three-Toed Sloth; Fifty-Third Olympiad.
Will Darwin Day be honored as a national holiday here in America? Well, a resolution was reintroduced to the US House of Representatives recently to recognize Charles Darwin's birthday (February 12, 2016) as a national holiday because of many absurd reasons. There has since been an additional resolution from a Democratic Senator that would show Congressional support for the Darwin Day distinction.
Will Jesus Day be treated as an excuse to make petty complaints about people who say "Happy holidays" and such like trivialities over there in Yankeeland? Well, judging by past experience it will be because of many absurd reasons. There continues to be much idiotic, over-pious and self-aggrandising support for putting Jesus Day on a pedestal of pettiness.
Now, some of the reasons listed nationally for celebrating Darwin, who of course was not an American, include the following:
• Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by the mechanism of natural selection, together with the monumental amount of scientific evidence he compiled to support it, provides humanity with a logical and intellectually compelling explanation for the diversity of life on Earth.
Now, some of the reasons usually touted for celebrating Jesus, who of course was not an American, include the following:
• The Biblical theory of the origins of life, together with the heaps of anecdotes used to support it, provides humanity with an easy and morally compelling explanation for the diversity of life on Earth.
• It has been the human curiosity and ingenuity exemplified by Darwin that has promoted new scientific discoveries that have helped humanity solve many problems and improve living conditions.
• It has been the human capacity to treat conjecture as proven fact and our ability to believe any old shit so long as it's contained in a holy book exemplified by creationists that has held so-called "progress" in check and preserved our lovely conservative, nay prudish, status quo for lo! these many millennia.
• The teaching of creationism in some public schools compromises the scientific and academic integrity of the United States education systems.
• The teaching of Darwinism in some public schools compromises the moral and religious integrity of the United States education systems.
• Charles Darwin is a worthy symbol of scientific advancement on which to focus and around which to build a global celebration of science and humanity intended to promote a common bond among all of Earth's peoples.
• Jesus is a worthy symbol of moral advancement on which to focus and around which to build a global celebration of moral reactionism intended to promote a fear of God and Hell among all of Earth's peoples.
These are terrible reasons to make Darwin Day a national holiday. Putting aside the fact that Darwin was not an American, Darwinian evolution has no confirmation in observational science. What we see in the world is consistent with God's Word, not evolutionary ideas about the past, and much of what we observe actually contradicts evolutionary ideas.
These are terrible reasons to make Jesus Day a national holiday. Putting aside the fact that Jesus was not an American, the Biblical genesis has no confirmation in observational science. What we see in the world is consistent with ideas built upon Darwin's theory, not creationist ideas about the past, and much of what we observe actually contradicts Genesis.
Darwin isn't a great example of "human curiosity and ingenuity"—he was compelled to come up with a way to explain life without God because he rejected God. Although AiG doesn't lobby for it because creation would probably be poorly represented by teachers, mandating that creation be taught alongside evolution doesn't compromise "scientific and academic integrity"—if done properly, it promotes critical thinking and inspires a desire to learn more about God's creation.
The Bible and it's authors are not a great example of "human curiosity and ingenuity"—they were compelled to come up with a way to explain life without any concept of empirical research. Although AiG claims not to lobby for it for, it creationism is far too often promoted by teachers. Mandating that creationism be taught alongside evolution doesn't merely compromise scientific and academic integrity—it sets light to it, ploughs the ashes into the oozing mud of mythology and salts the ground of intellectual curiosity so that nothing may grow there except the faith-born marsh-weeds of dogma and superstition.
And Darwin isn't a "worthy symbol" of the promotion of "a common bond among all of Earth's peoples." He was racist and his ideas were racist! Choosing Darwin as the symbol of "scientific advancement" instead of many more worthy and less controversial figures like Newton, Mendel, or Pasteur seems to be nothing more than an attempt to push the anti-God religion of secularism on the nearly half of Americans who believe in a Creator.
And Jesus isn't a "worthy symbol" of the promotion of "a common bond among all of Earth's peoples." He, in his guise as his own father, was, as described, a morally bankrupt, cruel tyrant who killed millions and continues to hold the entire human race responsible for the "sins" (mere transgressions against his personal taste) of our distant putative ancestors. That said, choosing Darwin as the symbol of scientific advancement instead of also celebrating many other worthy figures like Newton, Mendel (whose findings, by providing the first hint of the nature of the mechanism of inheritance, did much to bolster Darwin's theory), or Pasteur seems silly. Let's have more days devoted to scientists and the sciences, instead of the saints, assassinations and battles we're usually saddled with.
Proposed Holiday Shows How Anti-God Our Society Has Become
Confuddled Ranting Shows How Ken Ham Remains Stuck In The Iron Age
This proposed new holiday only emphasizes how anti-God our society has become. Christian holidays like Christmas or Easter have been secularized to the point where Nativity scenes and crosses are being taken out of public places, yet a secular figure whose ideas on the origin of life are a major tenet of the secular religion of humanism can be publicly applauded and celebrated. It's not really Darwin who's being celebrated on Darwin Day, it's an anti-God religion and its foundation of evolution and millions of years that's being celebrated. Actually, the intolerant secularists (intolerant of Christianity in particular) are now wanting more and more to impose their anti-God religion on the culture.
This insistence that Jesus Day be celebrated only in ways approved of by them only goes to show how petty the Christian Right has become. Still, if Christian holidays like Christmas or Easter are as definitely religious as they would have us believe, then it is obviously quite right that Nativity scenes and crosses are being taken out of public governmental spaces, since it is stated quite clearly in the First Amendment that "Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa." And, as a completely separate issue, a person whose ideas on the origin of life are the backbone of the biological sciences should be publicly applauded and celebrated by all. It's not really Jesus who the Christian Right celebrate on Jesus Day, it's an anti-science, reactionary dogma and its twin foundations of Iron Age mythology and petty egotism. Actually, the intolerant Christians are still wanting more and more to impose their anti-scientific, anti-human religion on the culture.
On the home page of the International Darwin Day website (a website that promotes the celebration of Darwin around the world) scrolls several phrases: "Let's celebrate intellectual bravery … perpetual curiosity … hunger for truth … Let's celebrate Darwin Day." It should be more like "let's celebrate man's fallible ideas being trusted over God's infallible Word!" This is really a worship of man, a worship of the god of self.
On the home pages of far too many creationist and fundamentalist sites it's easy to find several phrases: "Let's celebrate Christian morality … God's love for humanity … hunger for truth … Let's Keep Jesus in Jesus Day." It should be more like "Let's celebrate human-kind's fallible ideas being trusted over observable fact!" This is really a worship of gullibility, a worship of inhumanity, cruelty and the right of religious folk to impose their immoral "morality" on the rest of society by means of secular law and dogmatic, intransigent custom.
Darwin Day is a day that celebrates the legacy of a man who elevated his own fallible ideas over God's Word. Darwin took the things he observed—natural selection and adaptation—and leapt to the conclusion that these small, observable changes within a kind could lead to huge, unobserved (and still unobserved!) changes between kinds. But his ideas still have no observational corroboration. What we see in nature is kinds that reproduce according to their kinds with only limited amounts of variation within the kind. We do see common designs in all of creation but that is explained by a common Designer, not common descent. This is consistent with God's Word, not Darwin's imaginations about the past.
Jesus Day is a day that celebrates the legacy of the apocalyptic mythology and moral musings of the priestly cast of a minor Iron Age kingdom. They took the things they observed—the results of natural selection and adaptation—and leapt to the conclusion that these things must have been created by a huge, vengeful, cruel and all-powerful bogey-man in the sky. But their ideas still have no observational corroboration. What we see in nature is that small changes accumulate over generations to the point where, after millions of years, the end-result is that huge changes have occurred. We do see common designs in all of creation nature but that is explained by a common ancestry, not an extremely uncommon unseen, and unevidenced designer. This is consistent with Darwin's theory, not the Bible's authors' imagineering about clay dolls, taking snakes and world-covering floods.
This February 12, I encourage you to celebrate the truth of God's unchanging Word. Use "Darwin Day" as a springboard for conversations with your friends and family about the flaws of evolution and show them how observational science confirms God's Word from the beginning. And then challenge people that the history in the Bible—starting with Genesis—is true, and that's why the gospel based in that history is true.
Next Jesus Day, I encourage you to celebrate whatever and however the hell you want to. Use "Jesus Day" as a time to spend time with your friends and family no matter how much the Ken Hams of this world would like to see you spending it on your knees, kow-towing to a non-existent, ghostly tyrant. And then challenge people that the history in the Bible—starting with Genesis—is a crock of watery cow-dung, and that's why the gospel based in that history is laughable.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
Thanks for stopping by, and please, for the love of all that's good, do not offer to pray for me,
—Daz
This item was written with the assistance of AiG's research team.
This item was written with the assistance of Jennings Cumberland ale.
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Posted in General, tagged atheism, bible, easter, music, religion on Sunday, April 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Yeah, well, your idea of Heaven, baby, is my idea of…
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Posted in General, tagged atheism, bible, crucifixion, good friday, poetry, religion on Friday, April 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Hooray, hurrah, let's dance, throw rice!
Let's celebrate human sacrifice.
Here's a cheer for the scapegoat chappy
Who was killed so we could keep God happy.
He's pleased by blood, appeased by pain,
His wrath's averted, we can live again.
Such a merciful god, why look what he's done—
He's given a sign, in the gore of his son!
So now you needn't do good things,
Just believe this death, and the joy it brings.
This death by torture's a thing of glee!
In murder shalt thou be set free.
—Daz
Posted in Bible Defence Of Slavery, tagged atheism, bible, books, fundies, history, morals, religion on Thursday, March 26, 2015| 1 Comment »
[Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6.]
Permit me, oh gentlest of readers, to emit a small yeehaw. If pushed, I might even manage a mini-hallelujah. And definitely a large and stentorian ramen!
I reached the end of that horrible book! This, below, is the final instalment of Bible Defense Of Slavery!
There's still work to be done. When Rustiguzzi, may his bike remain forever upright, catches up with my sudden burst of productivity, there'll be errata to, erm, un-errat. The formatting for the blog version was kind of rough-and-ready; I'll be spending some time tweaking that into something I'd be proud—or at least unashamed—to let the world see, before converting to e-book formats. There's some artwork to apply (a cover-image, and a cleaned up version of the frontispiece), which is currently in Fojap's capable hands.
But the hard slog is done and dusted, may FSM be thanked!
So, okay, the content below…
Posted in Bible Defence Of Slavery, tagged atheism, bible, books, fundies, history, morals, religion on Tuesday, March 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
And so we come, Gentle Reader, to the publisher's addition to the sixth edition of Bible Defense Of Slavery. It takes a more political stand than the main body of the work, presumably because by the time this edition went to press, the topic of slavery itself, and various grudges against the northern states, had become even more hot button issues. Topics range from (obviously) slavery itself, and the allegedly highly benevolent treatment of slaves, to a proposal to forcibly settle freed slaves in Liberia or elsewhere. (Liberia had been a voluntary destination for some freed slaves since eighteen-twenty, when the American Colonization Society set up a colony there.) (Because, well, blacks are okay when in slavery, and there's 'mutual respect' an' all, but free blacks are economy-draining scum no self respecting white person would want to share a society with. This, possibly, is one of the earliest iterations of 'Send 'em all back…,' a staple of racist and xenophobic rhetoric ever since. There's even a hint of 'I'm not racist but…' about it, for good measure.)
Posted in Bible Defence Of Slavery, tagged atheism, bible, books, fundies, history, morals, religion on Monday, March 23, 2015| 1 Comment »
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
And so we come, Gentle Reader, to sections Thirteen, Fourteen And Fifteen of the 1851 edition of Josiah Priest's Bible Defence Of Slavery. And we also reach the end of Priest's contribution to the work, though not the end of the book, which contains 'additions' in the form of a piece by the publisher and pamphlets from several other contributors. But this does seem to be a convenient place to pause and take stock.
Firstly, the easy bit. Some advice (which I touched on in a related piece yesterday) for anyone thinking of taking on a similar project.
Posted in General, tagged atheism, bible, Genealogy of Jesus, humour, religion on Monday, March 23, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Having observed, with some amusement, a few arguments as to whether Matthew or Luke is correct, regarding Jesus's line of paternal ancestry, I thought I'd save you Christian folks some stress and botheration, as you seem to be missing a rather glaring point. And 'cause I'm nice like that.
—Daz
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Posted in General, tagged atheism, bible, religion on Saturday, March 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »
When Non Stamp Collector and 43alley put their heads together, you just know the outcome is going to be good…
And talking of YouTube; for those who find themselves constantly sucked into reading the comments under videos, even though they know that nothing but anguish and despair can ever come of reading them, here's a handy thing. Just add youtube.com###watch-discussion as a filter into Adblock, and the temptation will disappear, along with the entire comments section.
—Daz
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The Dixie Flatline 