Adam sinned and condemned us all to death (huh?) or so the story goes. And here we are now, all condemned and everything and our righteousness is as filthy rags and we are all blind, miserable, poor and naked (spiritually, that is) and the only thing to do is repent and get fixed - 'cause we're broken, you see? And it's all Adam's fault . . . or Eve's - one of 'em anyway - because of eating a magical fruit from a magical tree in a magical garden that doesn't exist.
Anyway though, have you ever noticed that those who go to church, get converted and study the Bible day and night to "get fixed" are the most hateful people in the world?
I noticed, and that's why I started my new blog, The Failure of Christianity. I want to show that the Christian religion is a monster, not just an ordinary murderous monster (which it is) but the most evil, monstrous thing ever invented by humans (which it is).
Since its very beginning there was the infighting between the apostle over circumcision and the law of Moses. This humble, pious beginning escalated into wars between nations and has not yet ceased to satiate its appetite for blood.
The idea that Jesus is going to return and make peace at long last is not what is said in the Christian's holy word - "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus". (2 Thess 1:7-8)
No, Jesus is to return and cause war and destroy and inflict plagues on all the world, killing nearly everyone in the most horrible ways according to the book of Revelation.
But, that's nothing new, there are plenty of examples of God ordained murder and genocide in the Old Testament.
Therefore, I believe it is the Christian who needs to repent and "get fixed", because they are the ones who are broken, not the ones on whom they wish God's wrath to fall. After all, the magical tree and the magical serpent and the magical garden never even existed, and just think of all the millions who have died (been tortured and murdered) because of ignorant people believing that old Mesopotamian myth of Adapa.
A Corrupt and Scandalous Faith
By Joe E. Holman
Smith:
The year was 1928. The place was Arkansas. Charles Lee Smith, President of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism was arrested “on charges of blasphemy.” His crime? Passing out atheist tracts in a local town. After spending one night in jail, Smith was released with one charge dismissed while the other was never set for trial. Just like the famous blasphemy trial of C.B. Reynolds decades earlier, Mr. Smith was just one more victim of the American legal system, hijacked by Christianity.
Inoculation:
The year was 1722. The date, July 8th. The place, St. Andrew’s Church in London, England. A bold, determined preacher walked up to his pulpit and delivered a heartfelt sermon entitled, “Against the Dangerous and Sinful Practice of Inoculation.” . . . Read More
Smith:
The year was 1928. The place was Arkansas. Charles Lee Smith, President of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism was arrested “on charges of blasphemy.” His crime? Passing out atheist tracts in a local town. After spending one night in jail, Smith was released with one charge dismissed while the other was never set for trial. Just like the famous blasphemy trial of C.B. Reynolds decades earlier, Mr. Smith was just one more victim of the American legal system, hijacked by Christianity.
Inoculation:
The year was 1722. The date, July 8th. The place, St. Andrew’s Church in London, England. A bold, determined preacher walked up to his pulpit and delivered a heartfelt sermon entitled, “Against the Dangerous and Sinful Practice of Inoculation.” . . . Read More
Is Unbelief a Sin?
Over at the Christadelphian "Bible Truth Discussion Forum" I asked the wrong questions and got slammed in a PM by moderator, "nsr".
Corky: What I am getting at is whether or not God requires people to believe in hearsay about fantastic, impossible things recorded by nobody knows who thousands of years ago.
nsr: Here you are making your trademark assertion about the reliability of the canon, despite the fact you've never done any research into the matter, and have been warned several times before about this.
Comment: In other words, nsr thinks he knows who wrote the books in the canon when the real biblical scholars of the world don't know. Plus, he assumes that I have never done any research into the matter.
Corky: If that is required, does God only desire gullible, naive people?
In other words, is unbelief in unbelievable things worthy of destruction? If so, why would God hate people who are not gullible and naive and want proof and evidence of such things? Is it just a stumbling block so that intelligent, reasonable, rational people are left out? And, wouldn't that be a little bit unbelievable too?
nsr: Here you are implying that belief in God is the preserve of the "naive and gullible", and that "intelligent, reasonable, rational" people do not believe in God because there is no evidence. This is again an assertion about a lack of evidence when you haven't actually looked to see if there is any, and a blatant attempt to elicit angry responses, which you have also been warned about before.
Comment: Now, is that what I said or is nsr misreading what I wrote? I said nothing about a belief in God (unless nsr thinks God is one of those "unbelievable" things). I also did not say "there is no evidence". I simply asked pointed questions that evidently they can't answer so it offends them.
Those who are not offended by a few questions may comment on my blog, I'm easy and I won't ban you.
Corky: What I am getting at is whether or not God requires people to believe in hearsay about fantastic, impossible things recorded by nobody knows who thousands of years ago.
nsr: Here you are making your trademark assertion about the reliability of the canon, despite the fact you've never done any research into the matter, and have been warned several times before about this.
Comment: In other words, nsr thinks he knows who wrote the books in the canon when the real biblical scholars of the world don't know. Plus, he assumes that I have never done any research into the matter.
Corky: If that is required, does God only desire gullible, naive people?
In other words, is unbelief in unbelievable things worthy of destruction? If so, why would God hate people who are not gullible and naive and want proof and evidence of such things? Is it just a stumbling block so that intelligent, reasonable, rational people are left out? And, wouldn't that be a little bit unbelievable too?
nsr: Here you are implying that belief in God is the preserve of the "naive and gullible", and that "intelligent, reasonable, rational" people do not believe in God because there is no evidence. This is again an assertion about a lack of evidence when you haven't actually looked to see if there is any, and a blatant attempt to elicit angry responses, which you have also been warned about before.
Comment: Now, is that what I said or is nsr misreading what I wrote? I said nothing about a belief in God (unless nsr thinks God is one of those "unbelievable" things). I also did not say "there is no evidence". I simply asked pointed questions that evidently they can't answer so it offends them.
Those who are not offended by a few questions may comment on my blog, I'm easy and I won't ban you.
Who is Antichrist?
Of course, the short answer is that the antichrist is the Jews, because the Jews deny that the Jewish Messiah has come in the flesh. However, the Jews are not who the author of the epistles of John is writing about. The author is writing about people who have left the Christian faith.
“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (1 John 2:18-19).
Evidently the folks leaving the faith were calling the faithful a bunch of liars because the author says that what he is teaching “is no lie” (verse 27) but the real liar is the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah (verse 22).
Now, why were these former believers denying that Jesus was the Messiah? Because, just as above, they had been taught that it was “the last time” and that Jesus would return in their generation.
They went out saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2 Pet. 3:4).
So, the dissenters had finally realized that the generation Jesus was talking about in Mark 13, Matt. 24 and Luke 21 was past, “since the fathers fell asleep”, and they were the next generation and the end still had not come and Jesus still had not returned. However, the author of the epistles of Peter still wanted them to believe that the time of the end was at hand.
“But the end of all things is at hand:” (1 Pet. 4:7).
The New Testament is full of passages that say that “the time is short” and it is “the last days” and the time is at hand etc.
What conclusion could those Christian dissenters have come to except that they had been deceived and Jesus was not the Messiah? Therefore, it was Christian dissenters who the author of the epistles of John is calling the antichrist and are the same ones who the author of 2 Peter calls “scoffers” and this also makes him declare that it was “the last days”, 2,000 years ago (2 Pet. 3:3).
No! Obama is not the antichrist.
“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (1 John 2:18-19).
Evidently the folks leaving the faith were calling the faithful a bunch of liars because the author says that what he is teaching “is no lie” (verse 27) but the real liar is the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah (verse 22).
Now, why were these former believers denying that Jesus was the Messiah? Because, just as above, they had been taught that it was “the last time” and that Jesus would return in their generation.
They went out saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2 Pet. 3:4).
So, the dissenters had finally realized that the generation Jesus was talking about in Mark 13, Matt. 24 and Luke 21 was past, “since the fathers fell asleep”, and they were the next generation and the end still had not come and Jesus still had not returned. However, the author of the epistles of Peter still wanted them to believe that the time of the end was at hand.
“But the end of all things is at hand:” (1 Pet. 4:7).
The New Testament is full of passages that say that “the time is short” and it is “the last days” and the time is at hand etc.
What conclusion could those Christian dissenters have come to except that they had been deceived and Jesus was not the Messiah? Therefore, it was Christian dissenters who the author of the epistles of John is calling the antichrist and are the same ones who the author of 2 Peter calls “scoffers” and this also makes him declare that it was “the last days”, 2,000 years ago (2 Pet. 3:3).
No! Obama is not the antichrist.
The End of All Things
For all those people who imagine that they are going to reign on the earth for a thousand years, I have some bad news.
"I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD (Zephaniah 1:3).
"Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD'S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth" (Zephaniah 1:18).
" Therefore wait for Me," declares the LORD, "For the day when I rise up as a witness Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal" (Zephaniah 3:8).
See also: Isaiah 13:9, 24:6, 28:22; Jeremiah 4:23-26, 25:32-34; Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:7, 10.
Yes, no one left to reign over as priests and kings, because 2,000 years ago (whew, an awful long time) "the end of all things is (was) at hand" (1 Peter 4:7).
This time it's worse than Noah's flood, because instead of destroying all the living things on earth, God is going to destroy the entire universe.
Well, it wasn't "at hand" and it simply didn't happen - unless I woke up on a new earth this morning and saw a different universe.
"I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD (Zephaniah 1:3).
"Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD'S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth" (Zephaniah 1:18).
" Therefore wait for Me," declares the LORD, "For the day when I rise up as a witness Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal" (Zephaniah 3:8).
See also: Isaiah 13:9, 24:6, 28:22; Jeremiah 4:23-26, 25:32-34; Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:7, 10.
Yes, no one left to reign over as priests and kings, because 2,000 years ago (whew, an awful long time) "the end of all things is (was) at hand" (1 Peter 4:7).
This time it's worse than Noah's flood, because instead of destroying all the living things on earth, God is going to destroy the entire universe.
Well, it wasn't "at hand" and it simply didn't happen - unless I woke up on a new earth this morning and saw a different universe.
The Virgin Birth
Recently I had the privilege of posting on an exclusive Christadelphian forum a thread concerning the virgin birth of Jesus and was accused of everything from trolling to fishing to misbehaviour just for asking a simple question. Okay, you talked me into it, here's the question:
Since Christadelphian theology doesn't believe in the Trinity or that Jesus was God or a god/man, why believe in the virgin birth?
Of course, that's only a paraphrase of what all I said but just so you get the idea of the thread over there (entitled, "The Only Begotten Son").
After several warnings and no answers to the questions, I came to the conclusion that Christadelphians only believe in the virgin birth of Jesus because of being literalists and inerrant scripture believers.
The Christadelphians believe that Jesus was only a flesh and blood man like any other man except without sin - that being made possible by his being filled with the Holy Spirit (without measure) at his baptism. His resurrection being when he became "the only begotten son" and not at his birth.
This cult cannot grasp the possibility of the virgin birth being interpolated to support the later Catholic doctrines of the Trinity, even though the earliest gospel (Mark) and the apostle Paul do not mention a virgin birth.
This cult cannot grasp the idea that {a god + a woman = a god/man} even though there were many other such god/men in existence at the time of early Christianity. Instead they want to deny that Jesus is God yet retain the virgin birth doctrine, being too stupid to realize that it means the same thing.
Since Christadelphian theology doesn't believe in the Trinity or that Jesus was God or a god/man, why believe in the virgin birth?
Of course, that's only a paraphrase of what all I said but just so you get the idea of the thread over there (entitled, "The Only Begotten Son").
After several warnings and no answers to the questions, I came to the conclusion that Christadelphians only believe in the virgin birth of Jesus because of being literalists and inerrant scripture believers.
The Christadelphians believe that Jesus was only a flesh and blood man like any other man except without sin - that being made possible by his being filled with the Holy Spirit (without measure) at his baptism. His resurrection being when he became "the only begotten son" and not at his birth.
This cult cannot grasp the possibility of the virgin birth being interpolated to support the later Catholic doctrines of the Trinity, even though the earliest gospel (Mark) and the apostle Paul do not mention a virgin birth.
This cult cannot grasp the idea that {a god + a woman = a god/man} even though there were many other such god/men in existence at the time of early Christianity. Instead they want to deny that Jesus is God yet retain the virgin birth doctrine, being too stupid to realize that it means the same thing.
The Goodness of God
Hey, this is my kind of God . . . yeah, I like horror movies, science fiction and macabre. Stephen King and God are my favorite authors.
The Branch
In the first century there was a movement in Galilee and Judea led by Judas of Galilee in 6 AD. After Judas was killed by the Romans, his followers were driven underground and became know as the Zealots.
In modern times and the search for the historical Jesus the evidence is pointing more and more to the Jesus movement being a branch of the Zealots who sought the independence of Israel from Rome through less violent means, i.e., God would restore the kingdom to Israel by destroying the Romans himself.
In other words, the Romans didn't hunt down and crucify Christians because of their religious beliefs but because they were Zealots.
Being the curious sort, I typed "Jesus was a Zealot" in my Google search and found some very interesting articles and books on the subject. Here is one at the top of my list.
Maybe that article will spur someone else to look further into it and maybe, just maybe check out what the Emperor Julian (Julian the Apostate) had to say about the church created by Constantine and Eusebius.
In modern times and the search for the historical Jesus the evidence is pointing more and more to the Jesus movement being a branch of the Zealots who sought the independence of Israel from Rome through less violent means, i.e., God would restore the kingdom to Israel by destroying the Romans himself.
In other words, the Romans didn't hunt down and crucify Christians because of their religious beliefs but because they were Zealots.
Being the curious sort, I typed "Jesus was a Zealot" in my Google search and found some very interesting articles and books on the subject. Here is one at the top of my list.
Maybe that article will spur someone else to look further into it and maybe, just maybe check out what the Emperor Julian (Julian the Apostate) had to say about the church created by Constantine and Eusebius.
The Ten Commandments Part 2
Jon Morgan offers an adequate answer to my last post. Not entirely satisfactory but adequate:
Hmmm... While there are many who claim Christianity without reading the Bible (and particularly the Old Testament), such ignorance would be surprising. Fortunately, it's also wrong. If you read from Deuteronomy you will find:
Deuteronomy 5:22 (ESV) 22 “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
So the original ten commandments on the original tablets of stone were those spoken on the mountain (and listed again in Deuteronomy 5). They were not just the verbal communications of Moses. If we read further in Deuteronomy we find:
Deuteronomy 10:1-5 (ESV) 1 “At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made. And there they are, as the LORD commanded me.”
God wrote the second tablets with the Ten Commandments with the same words that were on the first tablets of stone, and they were the Ten Commandments that God spoke on the mountain in the midst of the fire.
It all seems to add up to the traditional interpretation being correct. Exodus 34 is certainly interesting, but if you read it carefully you find that these words were for Moses to give to the people and written by Moses, while the stone with the Ten Commandments was said to be written by God. The way I reconcile these is to assume that the two are different, which harmonises with the clear statements of Deuteronomy that give the words to the people on Mount Sinai as the Ten Commandments.
You are of course welcome to invoke any documentary hypothesis you choose or discount the testimony of Deuteronomy, but I accept both it and Exodus which together show clearly that the Ten Commandments were those revealed on Mount Sinai in fire to the people, not those given to Moses personally in Exodus 34.
It is true that Christ gave new commandments, and that these replace the law given to Israel. However, to say that they are entirely different is misleading. Christ fulfilled the law and replaced it, and it is noticable that some of his sayings are of the form "You have heard it said ... But I tell you ..." actually giving a harder command (for example, replacing "Do not kill" with not being angry).
Hmmm... While there are many who claim Christianity without reading the Bible (and particularly the Old Testament), such ignorance would be surprising. Fortunately, it's also wrong. If you read from Deuteronomy you will find:
Deuteronomy 5:22 (ESV) 22 “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
So the original ten commandments on the original tablets of stone were those spoken on the mountain (and listed again in Deuteronomy 5). They were not just the verbal communications of Moses. If we read further in Deuteronomy we find:
Deuteronomy 10:1-5 (ESV) 1 “At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made. And there they are, as the LORD commanded me.”
God wrote the second tablets with the Ten Commandments with the same words that were on the first tablets of stone, and they were the Ten Commandments that God spoke on the mountain in the midst of the fire.
It all seems to add up to the traditional interpretation being correct. Exodus 34 is certainly interesting, but if you read it carefully you find that these words were for Moses to give to the people and written by Moses, while the stone with the Ten Commandments was said to be written by God. The way I reconcile these is to assume that the two are different, which harmonises with the clear statements of Deuteronomy that give the words to the people on Mount Sinai as the Ten Commandments.
You are of course welcome to invoke any documentary hypothesis you choose or discount the testimony of Deuteronomy, but I accept both it and Exodus which together show clearly that the Ten Commandments were those revealed on Mount Sinai in fire to the people, not those given to Moses personally in Exodus 34.
It is true that Christ gave new commandments, and that these replace the law given to Israel. However, to say that they are entirely different is misleading. Christ fulfilled the law and replaced it, and it is noticable that some of his sayings are of the form "You have heard it said ... But I tell you ..." actually giving a harder command (for example, replacing "Do not kill" with not being angry).
The Ten Commandments.
Is it just me, or does it seem like atheists, agnostics and free thinkers in general have read and know much more about the Bible than the average Christian?
I could give many examples of why this seems to be the case, but one of most compelling to me is the case of the 10 Commandments as pointed out in a recent pamphlet by M. Lee Dietz.
As he correctly pointed out, most all Christians, including politicians who want them prominently displayed in government buildings, seem to think the 10 Commandments that God supposedly etched in stone tablets and gave to Moses are as follows...
1.Thou shall have no other gods before me.
2.Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image.
3.Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy god in vain.
4.Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.
5.Honor thy father and mother.
6.Thou shall not kill.
7.Thou shall not commit adultery.
8.Thou shall not steal.
9.Thou shall not bear false witness...
10. Thou shall not covet..
I'm always seeing things like sketches, recreations and artists' renderings of the stone tablets that God gave to Moses. And 100% of the time, the above "charges" will be on them. But these were just verbal charges that God gave to Moses in Exodus 20 and told him to verbally communicate them to the people of Israel. They were never etched in stone and the Bible is very clear about this.
The commandments that were actually supposed to have been carved in stone by the finger of God, not once but twice, didn't appear until Exodus 34 and were as follows...
1. Thou shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose name is Jealous, is a jealous god.
2. Thou shall make thee no molten gods.
3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep
4. Six days thou shall work, but on the seventh day, thou shall rest
5. Thou shall observe the feast of weeks
6. Thrice a year your men children shall appear before the Lord, the God of Israel.
7. Thou shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven
8. Thou shall not leave the feast of the passover unto the morning
9. The first of the fruits of the land thou shall bring into the house of the Lord thy God
10. Thou shall not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
As anyone can see, there is very little resemblance to the 10 charges that most Christians believe to be the commandments that were etched on those stone tablets. Its bad enough that they believe in a book of fairy tales, but it doesn't even look like most of them have even read it to begin with.
I could give many examples of why this seems to be the case, but one of most compelling to me is the case of the 10 Commandments as pointed out in a recent pamphlet by M. Lee Dietz.
As he correctly pointed out, most all Christians, including politicians who want them prominently displayed in government buildings, seem to think the 10 Commandments that God supposedly etched in stone tablets and gave to Moses are as follows...
1.Thou shall have no other gods before me.
2.Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image.
3.Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy god in vain.
4.Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.
5.Honor thy father and mother.
6.Thou shall not kill.
7.Thou shall not commit adultery.
8.Thou shall not steal.
9.Thou shall not bear false witness...
10. Thou shall not covet..
I'm always seeing things like sketches, recreations and artists' renderings of the stone tablets that God gave to Moses. And 100% of the time, the above "charges" will be on them. But these were just verbal charges that God gave to Moses in Exodus 20 and told him to verbally communicate them to the people of Israel. They were never etched in stone and the Bible is very clear about this.
The commandments that were actually supposed to have been carved in stone by the finger of God, not once but twice, didn't appear until Exodus 34 and were as follows...
1. Thou shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose name is Jealous, is a jealous god.
2. Thou shall make thee no molten gods.
3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep
4. Six days thou shall work, but on the seventh day, thou shall rest
5. Thou shall observe the feast of weeks
6. Thrice a year your men children shall appear before the Lord, the God of Israel.
7. Thou shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven
8. Thou shall not leave the feast of the passover unto the morning
9. The first of the fruits of the land thou shall bring into the house of the Lord thy God
10. Thou shall not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
As anyone can see, there is very little resemblance to the 10 charges that most Christians believe to be the commandments that were etched on those stone tablets. Its bad enough that they believe in a book of fairy tales, but it doesn't even look like most of them have even read it to begin with.
Blame the Victim
It was bound to happen and sure enough it did. George Tiller, an abortionist doctor, deserved to be murdered! So says Edward Fesar, who teaches for a community college Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California.
In this blog post Edward Feser compares Tiller to Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed, dismembered and ate 17 men and boys. Feser claims that "Tiller was almost certainly a more evil man than Dahmer was."
Actually, this is just typical of what happens when a Christian commits a crime in the name of God - blame the victim. It is always the victim's fault for being an abortion doctor to start with - or a homosexual or an atheist or whoever else the Christians are hating these days.
You would think a professor at a community college would be above such things but not this guy. He even has an atheist hate, book length, diatribe against the new atheists, "The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism."
In this blog post Edward Feser compares Tiller to Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed, dismembered and ate 17 men and boys. Feser claims that "Tiller was almost certainly a more evil man than Dahmer was."
Actually, this is just typical of what happens when a Christian commits a crime in the name of God - blame the victim. It is always the victim's fault for being an abortion doctor to start with - or a homosexual or an atheist or whoever else the Christians are hating these days.
You would think a professor at a community college would be above such things but not this guy. He even has an atheist hate, book length, diatribe against the new atheists, "The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism."
A Group For Ex-Christadelphians
A discussion group for Ex-Christadelphians has been created on Facebook.
This is a closed group. Members must be invited or approved by the administrators.
Once a Christadelphian but not anymore?
Join this group!
This group is aimed toward people who were once members of the christadelphian religious belief system. The purpose of the group is to facilitate friendly, open and informative discussion about Christadelphia, including why you joined, why you left and what you have learned along the way.
This is a closed group. Members must be invited or approved by the administrators.
Once a Christadelphian but not anymore?
Join this group!
This group is aimed toward people who were once members of the christadelphian religious belief system. The purpose of the group is to facilitate friendly, open and informative discussion about Christadelphia, including why you joined, why you left and what you have learned along the way.
Abraham and Hercules
HOW THE NATION OF THE TROGLODYTES WERE DERIVED FROM ABRAHAM BY KETURAH.
ABRAHAM after this married Keturah, by whom six sons were born to him, men of courage, and of sagacious minds: Zambran, and Jazar, and Madan, and Madian, and Josabak, and Sous. Now the sons of Sous were Sabathan and Dadan. The sons of Dadan were Latusim, and Assur, and Luom. The sons of Madiau were Ephas, and Ophren, and Anoch, and Ebidas, and Eldas. Now, for all these sons and grandsons, Abraham contrived to settle them in colonies; and they took possession of Troglodytis, and the country of Arabia the Happy, as far as it reaches to the Red Sea. It is related of this Ophren, that he made war against Libya, and took it, and that his grandchildren, when they inhabited it, called it (from his name) Africa. And indeed Alexander Polyhistor gives his attestation to what I here say; who speaks thus: "Cleodemus the prophet, who was also called Malchus, who wrote a History of the Jews, in agreement with the History of Moses, their legislator, relates, that there were many sons born to Abraham by Keturah: nay, he names three of them, Apher, and Surim, and Japhran. That from Surim was the land of Assyria denominated; and that from the other two (Apher and Japbran) the country of Africa took its name, because these men were auxiliaries to Hercules, when he fought against Libya and Antaeus; and that Hercules married Aphra's daughter, and of her he begat a son, Diodorus; and that Sophon was his son, from whom that barbarous people called Sophacians were denominated."
Flavius Josephus - Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 15
ABRAHAM after this married Keturah, by whom six sons were born to him, men of courage, and of sagacious minds: Zambran, and Jazar, and Madan, and Madian, and Josabak, and Sous. Now the sons of Sous were Sabathan and Dadan. The sons of Dadan were Latusim, and Assur, and Luom. The sons of Madiau were Ephas, and Ophren, and Anoch, and Ebidas, and Eldas. Now, for all these sons and grandsons, Abraham contrived to settle them in colonies; and they took possession of Troglodytis, and the country of Arabia the Happy, as far as it reaches to the Red Sea. It is related of this Ophren, that he made war against Libya, and took it, and that his grandchildren, when they inhabited it, called it (from his name) Africa. And indeed Alexander Polyhistor gives his attestation to what I here say; who speaks thus: "Cleodemus the prophet, who was also called Malchus, who wrote a History of the Jews, in agreement with the History of Moses, their legislator, relates, that there were many sons born to Abraham by Keturah: nay, he names three of them, Apher, and Surim, and Japhran. That from Surim was the land of Assyria denominated; and that from the other two (Apher and Japbran) the country of Africa took its name, because these men were auxiliaries to Hercules, when he fought against Libya and Antaeus; and that Hercules married Aphra's daughter, and of her he begat a son, Diodorus; and that Sophon was his son, from whom that barbarous people called Sophacians were denominated."
Flavius Josephus - Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 15
Hunting Unicorns
What the hell has Michele Bachmann been smoking? America's favorite batshit-crazy Minnesotan has introduced a bill to "bar the dollar from being replaced by any foreign currency." Not that anyone's proposing we do that, mind you. I guess it's just in case.
I guess the wingnut "global currency" question at Obama's press conference has Michele all freaked out. But would a global currency actually be a foreign currency? I think logic would say no. They eat cheese in Europe, we eat cheese here, does this make cheese a "foreign" food?
Anyway, it doesn't matter much. The whole thing's a bunch of crap and Shelly's saving us from a made-up currency that probably wouldn't be anymore problematic than traveler's checks anyway.
Next up, a ban on hunting unicorns . . . (Yglesias)
I guess the wingnut "global currency" question at Obama's press conference has Michele all freaked out. But would a global currency actually be a foreign currency? I think logic would say no. They eat cheese in Europe, we eat cheese here, does this make cheese a "foreign" food?
Anyway, it doesn't matter much. The whole thing's a bunch of crap and Shelly's saving us from a made-up currency that probably wouldn't be anymore problematic than traveler's checks anyway.
Next up, a ban on hunting unicorns . . . (Yglesias)
Allegory
More and more, educated Christians are calling the Old Testament story of Adam and Eve an allegory. However, allegories don't pass on "original sin" to their descendants, because allegories don't have descendants. Neither can allegories cause a "fall" of mankind. So, literally or allegorically - the story of Adam and Eve has to be a fable.
Then there is the modern Christian way of looking at Noah's flood, they call it a local Mesopotamian flood. But that can't be what the story means for two or three good reasons.
(1) Noah was commanded to gather all the clean and unclean animals into the ark, 7 pairs of clean and 2 (male and female) of unclean. There would be no purpose for doing that if the flood was a local one.
(2) Noah was commanded to build a huge ark for all these passengers when it would have been only a few days walk to the safety of the mountains of Ararat.
(3) 2 Peter 2:5 says it was a literal worldwide flood.
Today we know scientifically that a worldwide flood never happened, so there goes another fable. How many fables do we need to call a book a book of fables? Well, suppose we throw in a talking snake and fruit from a tree that imparts knowledge?
How long will this nonsense be accepted and believed by intelligent people?
Then there is the modern Christian way of looking at Noah's flood, they call it a local Mesopotamian flood. But that can't be what the story means for two or three good reasons.
(1) Noah was commanded to gather all the clean and unclean animals into the ark, 7 pairs of clean and 2 (male and female) of unclean. There would be no purpose for doing that if the flood was a local one.
(2) Noah was commanded to build a huge ark for all these passengers when it would have been only a few days walk to the safety of the mountains of Ararat.
(3) 2 Peter 2:5 says it was a literal worldwide flood.
Today we know scientifically that a worldwide flood never happened, so there goes another fable. How many fables do we need to call a book a book of fables? Well, suppose we throw in a talking snake and fruit from a tree that imparts knowledge?
How long will this nonsense be accepted and believed by intelligent people?
Give Theists Respect?
I've noticed a lot of people saying we should give Theists respect for their beliefs.
At first mention this sounds peaceful, enlightened even, but I've come to realize they deserve no respect whatsoever.
These are people who spit in the face of scientific discoveries, the work of Einstein, Darwin, Newton and other great men just totally disregarded.
All our technological progress ignored and mankind's achievements forgotten.
These are people who actually refuse to accept Evolution! Treat it as a religious faith rather than a proven scientific theory!
Then they teach their, frankly dangerous, beliefs, to children! These are people who live in a fantasy world and want the rest of us dragged down into it with them.
They believe animals and plants once talked and that firebreathing dragons will one day kill us all.
They believe love pours from the sky from an omnipotent being who needs nothing yet demands worship from human lifeforms.
They believe that people can be turned into salt and that the entire globe was once flooded, ignoring all the other ancient civilizations who didnt notice this global flood.
They believe 2 (and 14) of each animal on the globe lived on a boat together for a year.
They believe all people are inbred.
They believe dinosaurs, and everything that lived before dinosaurs and between man and dinosaur, all lived together at the same time.
They believe the entire universe is only 6000 years old and ruled by something that is invisible yet looks like a man.
They believe in an afterlife but not a beforelife.
They believe in infinite punishment for finite crimes.
They believe people can rise from the dead and then fly into the sky.
They believe inanimate objects can turn into animals, or people, or bread, etc.
They believe in an omnibenevolent God who created hell.
They believe they can enjoy a heaven while fellow human beings burn in hell.
These are not only ridiculous, but disturbing, and even more so when they teach these things to your Children!
These people deserve no respect, no respect at all!
At first mention this sounds peaceful, enlightened even, but I've come to realize they deserve no respect whatsoever.
These are people who spit in the face of scientific discoveries, the work of Einstein, Darwin, Newton and other great men just totally disregarded.
All our technological progress ignored and mankind's achievements forgotten.
These are people who actually refuse to accept Evolution! Treat it as a religious faith rather than a proven scientific theory!
Then they teach their, frankly dangerous, beliefs, to children! These are people who live in a fantasy world and want the rest of us dragged down into it with them.
They believe animals and plants once talked and that firebreathing dragons will one day kill us all.
They believe love pours from the sky from an omnipotent being who needs nothing yet demands worship from human lifeforms.
They believe that people can be turned into salt and that the entire globe was once flooded, ignoring all the other ancient civilizations who didnt notice this global flood.
They believe 2 (and 14) of each animal on the globe lived on a boat together for a year.
They believe all people are inbred.
They believe dinosaurs, and everything that lived before dinosaurs and between man and dinosaur, all lived together at the same time.
They believe the entire universe is only 6000 years old and ruled by something that is invisible yet looks like a man.
They believe in an afterlife but not a beforelife.
They believe in infinite punishment for finite crimes.
They believe people can rise from the dead and then fly into the sky.
They believe inanimate objects can turn into animals, or people, or bread, etc.
They believe in an omnibenevolent God who created hell.
They believe they can enjoy a heaven while fellow human beings burn in hell.
These are not only ridiculous, but disturbing, and even more so when they teach these things to your Children!
These people deserve no respect, no respect at all!
The Greatest Man Who Never Was
A brief guide to the making of Jesus of Nazareth, the Greatest Man Who Never Was.
1. No one "just made-up" Jesus.
If we step around the centuries of fabrication and glorification which informs everyone's perception of Jesus Christ and closely examine the two hundred year gestation period of the current Lord and Savior – that is approximately 100 BC - 100 AD – we can see a perfectly plausible and, indeed, convincing process by which, upon the legacy of earlier times and from piety and scripture alone, the Christian godman emerged into the light.
Beliefs created the man; the man did not create the beliefs.
In essence Jesus Christ is like every other ancient god, a personification of Principals and Forces. More than anything else, the figure of Jesus symbolized and personified Just Law, Divine Punishment and Reward. The myth did not require the happenstance of a genuine human life to get it going – which is one reason why, as a human being, the superhero is at best only partially formed, even after passing through several revisions and re-workings.
2. Evolving Hero myth
The Jews, a repeatedly conquered people on the fringes of great empires, long nurtured hope for a deliverer. Such heroes of the people were a staple of their sacred literature. During the period 1st century BC / 1st century AD, whilst the Herodian aristocracy happily danced to the tune of the caesars, exploitation of the common people intensified. Upon their backs now weighed the priesthood, the landowning elite and the Romans. The stage had been set in which rabbis and rebels could pitch subversive ideas to the despised and exploited masses.
The Jewish religious radicals – militant patriots within Palestine and proto-Christians of the Jewish diaspora – contended for the future of Judaism. In the Levant, militant resistance to Rome had the upper hand until the final debacle of 135. In the diaspora, a repackaged piety centered on a personal savior god eventually gained the ascendancy, advancing with each successive reversal of belligerency and the attendant flood of refugees and captive slaves into the cities of the Mediterranean.
The early Jewish-Christian scribes drew most of their inspiration from the traditional source – the vast stock of Jewish sacred writings, which were (and are) a reiterating statement of lost piety, divine punishment and righteousness regained.
The earliest "Christ" reigned in Heaven at God's right hand. Nowhere was a genuine human life to be found. Only at the End of Days would he arrive to judge the quick and the dead. Only those who worshipped him, the Elect, would enter the Kingdom.
3. Paganizing the Jewish Myth
Judaism in the Diaspora, for all its exclusivity, became Hellenized. It also attracted a following among pagans disillusioned with their arbitrary traditional gods. In the cities of the eastern Mediterranean, this neo-Judaism fused a multiplicity of old Jewish themes – Son of Man, Wisdom and Messiah with ideas long familiar to pagans: redemptive sacrifice, Son of God, Logos. The farrago made little headway against a reorganizing rabbinic Judaism but found a ready ear among pagans long accustomed to syncretic gods.
Because heavenly existence remained unknowable the handful of intellectuals who led the various bands of early proto-Christians spoke of their Christ by use of an allegorical human life. Set in times past, present and future, it was a device by which their Lord resolved ethical issues and uttered divine Wisdom. Each worthy tenet of a higher morality, every pithy statement of priestly wisdom, was coupled to the majestic name of Jesus the Christ to give sanction and assurance of its heavenly origin.
A revised 'rabbinic' Judaism made an impressive revival in the Roman world in the 2nd century. But by then the heresy now called Christianity had been commandeered by gentile pagans who saw opportunity in a hybridized oriental cult with a strong Jewish core. They took the stock of Jewish scripture, long available in the Greek language, and set it to a new purpose.
4. Allegory mutates into "reality"
The earliest works on the Christian godman had been simple liturgical documents in which the figure of Jesus had no discernible features, no true biography – merely attributes befitting his messianic status, such as absolute assuredness and "authority". A new generation of ex-pagan scribes, convincing themselves that this Lord and Savior had in reality walked upon the earth, set to work to thoroughly ground their hero in an historical setting.
They selected the reign of the most famous Jewish king – Herod – for his birth and the tenure of the most brutal Roman governor – Pilate – for his ministry. The activity of a genuine, pacifist prophet – John the Baptist – was used as a prologue to their hero's own tale and useful historical detail was gleaned from the works of the Jewish historian Josephus.
Scavenging through the pious romances and holy heroics of Hebrew scripture and Jewish history the Christian scribes found edifying story lines and useful characterization. Their intent was that, in the day-to-day struggle for a mass following, their Christ should match rival gods point for point, miracle for miracle. Even so, Christ's "life" remained extremely thin. His "ministry" and wonder working filled only eight weeks or so of "biography" – and that included 40 days and nights in the wilderness.
To make good the shortage of material, Christ's so-called "life" was back-projected as the "fulfillment of prophecy" – art imitating artifice. On the pretext "That Scripture Might Be Fulfilled" every utterance and pronouncement of the ancient Jewish prophets was wrenched out of context and repurposed as a prefiguring of the Christian wonder-worker.
To those who already "believed" it was the majestic design of an ineffable God, weaving the wondrous image of his only begotten son across several centuries of Jewish history. The misadventure and internecine strife of an entire people were reduced to the prologue for the Christian godman.
The compendium that resulted – ambiguous, inconsistent, improbable and impossible – though never intended as a "history", nonetheless masqueraded as such, underpinning the claims of the faith to a unique historical foundation. But any attempt to reconstruct the timetable or itinerary of the "ministry" of the Christian savior is doomed to failure because the gospels are both inadequate and contradictory. One moment Jesus is in the Decapolis, receiving word of the death of John the Baptist, the next he is in Phoenicia expelling demons. One moment Jesus is "transfiguring" on a mountain in Syria, the next he is pontificating in Samaria.
5. It's All a Fraud
Every instance in the godman's "career" was nothing other than a set piece, templated from an earlier source. Jesus the Christ, King of Kings, Light of the World, High Priest forever, Good Shepherd, Universal Judge and the Savior of Mankind is nothing less than – nothing other than – an omnibus edition of all that had gone before, the final product of ancient religious syncretism.
A 'life' conjured up from pious fantasy, a mass of borrowed quotations, copied story elements and a corpus of self-serving speculation, does not constitute an historical reality.
It constitutes a myth, a hero-myth, in essentials no different from the legends of champions that times of crisis called into existence in many cultures. "Jesus Christ Lord and Savior" is certainly the most convoluted and enduring of such accretions but its fabrication from simple elements is no less apparent than that of any other west Asian salvation god.
Makes You Think
If all this sounds shocking and difficult to accept reflect on the following:
1. Absolutely nothing at all from secular history corroborates the sacred biography and yet this 'greatest story' is peppered with numerous anachronisms, contradictions and absurdities. For example, at the time that Joseph and the pregnant Mary are said to have gone off to Bethlehem for a supposed Roman census, Galilee (unlike Judea) was not a Roman province and therefore ma and pa would have had no reason to make the journey.
2. Nazareth (let alone a city of Nazareth) did not exist during the first century.
3. Many elements of the 'Passion' make no sense historically. For example, a trial for Jesus, when suspected rebels were habitually arrested and executed by the Romans without trial?
4. There is NO corroborating evidence for the existence of the 12 Apostles and absolutely NO evidence for the colorful variety of martyrs' deaths they supposedly experienced. The Bible itself actually mentions the death of only two apostles, a James who was put to death by Herod Agrippa and the nasty Judas Iscariot. The fanciful heroics were dreamed up to inspire generations of gullible Christians.
For further information on the dark history of the Christian Church more than 70 articles are freely available on the website:
www.jesusneverexisted.com
Kenneth Humphreys
1st June, 2005
1. No one "just made-up" Jesus.
If we step around the centuries of fabrication and glorification which informs everyone's perception of Jesus Christ and closely examine the two hundred year gestation period of the current Lord and Savior – that is approximately 100 BC - 100 AD – we can see a perfectly plausible and, indeed, convincing process by which, upon the legacy of earlier times and from piety and scripture alone, the Christian godman emerged into the light.
Beliefs created the man; the man did not create the beliefs.
In essence Jesus Christ is like every other ancient god, a personification of Principals and Forces. More than anything else, the figure of Jesus symbolized and personified Just Law, Divine Punishment and Reward. The myth did not require the happenstance of a genuine human life to get it going – which is one reason why, as a human being, the superhero is at best only partially formed, even after passing through several revisions and re-workings.
2. Evolving Hero myth
The Jews, a repeatedly conquered people on the fringes of great empires, long nurtured hope for a deliverer. Such heroes of the people were a staple of their sacred literature. During the period 1st century BC / 1st century AD, whilst the Herodian aristocracy happily danced to the tune of the caesars, exploitation of the common people intensified. Upon their backs now weighed the priesthood, the landowning elite and the Romans. The stage had been set in which rabbis and rebels could pitch subversive ideas to the despised and exploited masses.
The Jewish religious radicals – militant patriots within Palestine and proto-Christians of the Jewish diaspora – contended for the future of Judaism. In the Levant, militant resistance to Rome had the upper hand until the final debacle of 135. In the diaspora, a repackaged piety centered on a personal savior god eventually gained the ascendancy, advancing with each successive reversal of belligerency and the attendant flood of refugees and captive slaves into the cities of the Mediterranean.
The early Jewish-Christian scribes drew most of their inspiration from the traditional source – the vast stock of Jewish sacred writings, which were (and are) a reiterating statement of lost piety, divine punishment and righteousness regained.
The earliest "Christ" reigned in Heaven at God's right hand. Nowhere was a genuine human life to be found. Only at the End of Days would he arrive to judge the quick and the dead. Only those who worshipped him, the Elect, would enter the Kingdom.
3. Paganizing the Jewish Myth
Judaism in the Diaspora, for all its exclusivity, became Hellenized. It also attracted a following among pagans disillusioned with their arbitrary traditional gods. In the cities of the eastern Mediterranean, this neo-Judaism fused a multiplicity of old Jewish themes – Son of Man, Wisdom and Messiah with ideas long familiar to pagans: redemptive sacrifice, Son of God, Logos. The farrago made little headway against a reorganizing rabbinic Judaism but found a ready ear among pagans long accustomed to syncretic gods.
Because heavenly existence remained unknowable the handful of intellectuals who led the various bands of early proto-Christians spoke of their Christ by use of an allegorical human life. Set in times past, present and future, it was a device by which their Lord resolved ethical issues and uttered divine Wisdom. Each worthy tenet of a higher morality, every pithy statement of priestly wisdom, was coupled to the majestic name of Jesus the Christ to give sanction and assurance of its heavenly origin.
A revised 'rabbinic' Judaism made an impressive revival in the Roman world in the 2nd century. But by then the heresy now called Christianity had been commandeered by gentile pagans who saw opportunity in a hybridized oriental cult with a strong Jewish core. They took the stock of Jewish scripture, long available in the Greek language, and set it to a new purpose.
4. Allegory mutates into "reality"
The earliest works on the Christian godman had been simple liturgical documents in which the figure of Jesus had no discernible features, no true biography – merely attributes befitting his messianic status, such as absolute assuredness and "authority". A new generation of ex-pagan scribes, convincing themselves that this Lord and Savior had in reality walked upon the earth, set to work to thoroughly ground their hero in an historical setting.
They selected the reign of the most famous Jewish king – Herod – for his birth and the tenure of the most brutal Roman governor – Pilate – for his ministry. The activity of a genuine, pacifist prophet – John the Baptist – was used as a prologue to their hero's own tale and useful historical detail was gleaned from the works of the Jewish historian Josephus.
Scavenging through the pious romances and holy heroics of Hebrew scripture and Jewish history the Christian scribes found edifying story lines and useful characterization. Their intent was that, in the day-to-day struggle for a mass following, their Christ should match rival gods point for point, miracle for miracle. Even so, Christ's "life" remained extremely thin. His "ministry" and wonder working filled only eight weeks or so of "biography" – and that included 40 days and nights in the wilderness.
To make good the shortage of material, Christ's so-called "life" was back-projected as the "fulfillment of prophecy" – art imitating artifice. On the pretext "That Scripture Might Be Fulfilled" every utterance and pronouncement of the ancient Jewish prophets was wrenched out of context and repurposed as a prefiguring of the Christian wonder-worker.
To those who already "believed" it was the majestic design of an ineffable God, weaving the wondrous image of his only begotten son across several centuries of Jewish history. The misadventure and internecine strife of an entire people were reduced to the prologue for the Christian godman.
The compendium that resulted – ambiguous, inconsistent, improbable and impossible – though never intended as a "history", nonetheless masqueraded as such, underpinning the claims of the faith to a unique historical foundation. But any attempt to reconstruct the timetable or itinerary of the "ministry" of the Christian savior is doomed to failure because the gospels are both inadequate and contradictory. One moment Jesus is in the Decapolis, receiving word of the death of John the Baptist, the next he is in Phoenicia expelling demons. One moment Jesus is "transfiguring" on a mountain in Syria, the next he is pontificating in Samaria.
5. It's All a Fraud
Every instance in the godman's "career" was nothing other than a set piece, templated from an earlier source. Jesus the Christ, King of Kings, Light of the World, High Priest forever, Good Shepherd, Universal Judge and the Savior of Mankind is nothing less than – nothing other than – an omnibus edition of all that had gone before, the final product of ancient religious syncretism.
A 'life' conjured up from pious fantasy, a mass of borrowed quotations, copied story elements and a corpus of self-serving speculation, does not constitute an historical reality.
It constitutes a myth, a hero-myth, in essentials no different from the legends of champions that times of crisis called into existence in many cultures. "Jesus Christ Lord and Savior" is certainly the most convoluted and enduring of such accretions but its fabrication from simple elements is no less apparent than that of any other west Asian salvation god.
Makes You Think
If all this sounds shocking and difficult to accept reflect on the following:
1. Absolutely nothing at all from secular history corroborates the sacred biography and yet this 'greatest story' is peppered with numerous anachronisms, contradictions and absurdities. For example, at the time that Joseph and the pregnant Mary are said to have gone off to Bethlehem for a supposed Roman census, Galilee (unlike Judea) was not a Roman province and therefore ma and pa would have had no reason to make the journey.
2. Nazareth (let alone a city of Nazareth) did not exist during the first century.
3. Many elements of the 'Passion' make no sense historically. For example, a trial for Jesus, when suspected rebels were habitually arrested and executed by the Romans without trial?
4. There is NO corroborating evidence for the existence of the 12 Apostles and absolutely NO evidence for the colorful variety of martyrs' deaths they supposedly experienced. The Bible itself actually mentions the death of only two apostles, a James who was put to death by Herod Agrippa and the nasty Judas Iscariot. The fanciful heroics were dreamed up to inspire generations of gullible Christians.
For further information on the dark history of the Christian Church more than 70 articles are freely available on the website:
www.jesusneverexisted.com
Kenneth Humphreys
1st June, 2005
The Domestication Of Humans
An excerpt from the book, The Gospel Writers.
Civilization is the domestication of humans by other humans. In fact, we are the only indigenous life on our planet who tries to domesticate each other, along with other animals. This domestication can range from a mild form, which helps us to adapt to close-quarters living in population centers, or the more severe form which uses ghosts, gods, spooks, and spirits as a tool for domestication. The earliest domestication of significance is the form developed by walled city-states in Mesopotamia c.6.500 BCE. At this time, democratic assemblies were being replaced by kingships; and as we know kingships eventually were replaced by hereditary monarchies.
From those who have not read the book, The Gospel Writers, I often get the question, "How do you know for sure that there is no god?" I answer them in this way, "There is only one way to prove to you that a god does not exist; and that is, to prove to you why one does."
If you were a young member of the Ruling Class, not to be confused with the Upper Class wealthiest minority, and you asked me to teach you the secret studies known only to the Ruling Class, the Ruling Class Figure Heads (kings, queens, etc.), and the Priests, I would reveal to you, the following:
I would start by saying that it is all about "legitimizing ownership." That's the key. When a potter makes a pot, he has the right to do with it what he wants, including charging you for using it. When a basket weaver makes a basket, he has the right to do with it what he wants, including charging you for using it. When a god makes a planet, he has the right to do with it what he wants, including charging you for using it.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number I
To own something that was never yours to own in the first place, requires that some kind of "original owner" exist, and that this "original owner" (at a minimum) "gave" it to you.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number II
When the original owner cannot be found, such as the "original owner" of the land, invent one. Tell the people on the land that the "original owner" is an all powerful god, and that you have spoken with this god, and that this god has given you all of the land as a gift for being a good and just person; and because that god knows that you will make sure that all of the people on the land will worship that god. Why a fictitious god, you ask? Because at this time in history, a god (like a Supreme Court) would be the highest "Legal Authority" in the land and therefore any laws and contracts (rulings) handed down by a god could not at this time, be nullified or overturned. Clever legal loophole, wouldn't you say? Make sure you call it a lord (top authority) god; a lower ranking god will not work.
And, do not be naive and think that your army alone will keep the people submissive to your will. They must believe that you have the legal right by divine authority to take control of the land; otherwise you will spend much of your time and money trying to put down rebellions that will spring up from time to time.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number III
You do not need to brainwash them extensively with religion. Because, what they worship is generally unimportant, as long as you maintain ownership of the land by (fictitious) divine authority, which will allow you to control the people on the land. The people know, that for anyone banished from the land, it will mean agonizing loneliness (because they do not speak the languages of the people in other lands) and eventually death. You can always threaten someone with banishment, if they try to rebel and make any statement that refutes your fictitious legal right.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number IV
Once you have told the lie, you can never admit to anyone that the "original owner," (the maker of the land -- a god) never existed. You must silence or kill anyone who tries to say that the "original owner" never existed, or that the whole thing was a hoax to steal the land from the people on the land.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number V
There is an alternative to silencing or killing the people who do not support the "original owner" hoax or idea. Buy their loyalty; but buy it with something that costs you nothing to give away. Tell them that the "original owner" will grant them "immortality" in exchange for worship and belief in him, as the "original owner." In addition, tell them that this immortality will be spent in a place of great beauty and love, where they can be reunited with loved ones who have already died.
And they will be gullible enough to believe you. Why?
Because everything comes back to life after death, such as the Sun each day, the Trees each spring, and even you by way of your first-born son; who looks like you.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number VI
To get the people to work the land that you have now stolen from them, using Lessons 1-4 previously discussed, so that they will generate wealth for you and other Ruling Class members, tell the people that it is the "original owner's" wish that they toil and suffer, so that when they get to that place of great beauty and love, they will appreciate it more. And, that they will never have to work again, once they get there. Plus, they will always be loved and never abandoned by the "original owner."
Ruling Class - Lesson Number VII
Tell the people that the "original owner" is invisible and cannot be seen or described. And, that the "original owner," has no name; in other words, he is not like anyone the people might have heard of before or might run across later.
Tell them also, that the "original owner" can see into their hearts and minds, twenty-four hours a day, ever day of the year. And that, the "original owner" will know, by looking into their hearts and minds, if they do not love him in return or are thinking of abandoning him, (even though he would never think to stop loving them or of abandoning them). This will make them feel very fearful from being under a watchful and invisible eye every moment of their life, with absolutely no privacy anywhere on the planet, and feel very guilty for not loving and staying with someone who loves them. In other words, someone who would never abandon them or become disloyal. This fear and guilt will help them to remain loyal.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number VIII
Remember to tell the people that the Earth was made by the "original owner" in 6,500 BCE; so they do not go looking for the "democratic" non-kingship model, prior to that time. You do not want the Ruling Class - Worker Bee model to be discovered, as the hoax it is; or you will have an expensive and time consuming rebellion on your hands.
The Math and the Perception of Time
The Hoax Version
a. 6,500 BCE + 2,009 CE = 8,509 years since the hoax for stealing land has been going on.
b. 6,500 BCE + 2,009 CE = 8,509 years since the Jewish god created the Earth and all the life forms on the planet.
c. 8,509 divided by 8,509 = 1.00 or 100% of the time, civilization has been going on the way we want them to believe it has. Therefore, it is perfectly normal to live life the way they currently are and there was no other type, ever.
The Truthful Version
a. 6,500 BCE + 2,009 CE = 8,509 years since the hoax for stealing land has been going on.
b. 150,000 - 120,000 years since our species has been on Earth (anatomically modern Late Pleistocene humans - from Mitochondrial Eve - White et al. 2009).
c. 8,509 divided by 135,000 (arithmetic mean) = 6.3 percent of the time.
The hoax for stealing land has been going on for less than 10% of the time since we, anatomically modern Late Pleistocene humans, have been on Earth. Or, about 472 generations of your ancestors out of about 7,500 generations of your ancestors. In other words, an extremely brief time; and not a very long time as Old Testament religions and the Ruling Class need the Worker Bees to believe. Conceal this at all costs forever or we, the Ruling Class, Old Testament religions, and Figure Heads, are all doomed.
And, even though Turkey was the real "Cradle of Civilization," tell them that Mesopotamia was instead. We don't want them to know about Turkey either.
Next week, we will teach you how to keep this newly stolen land wealth in your family, through the use of a new invention called "Hereditary Monarchies." It's a more advanced version of the hoax you are currently using for your kingships, and it will keep democratic assemblies from forming once again (such as those prior to 6,500 BCE), after your death. End of Lessons.
As I mentioned early, I would answer them in this way, "There is only one way to prove to you that a god does not exist; and that is, to prove to you why one does," which was for the purpose of land ownership and taxes.
Whether it was the LORD of the gods, Yahweh (Jewish god of the Hebrews), during the time of Moses, or the LORD of the gods, Marduk, during the time of King Cyrus of Persia (see Cyrus Cylinder -- The British Museum in London), LORD gods were legal and social domestication tools for the Ruling Class and their Figure Heads and nothing more.
a. Ownership of the land.
b. Ownership of everything on the surface of the land, including water.
c. Ownership of everything below the surface of the land, such as gold, diamonds, granite, limestone, etc.
d. Ownership of everything living or dead on top off or below the surface of the land.
Including the taxes collected on the land of our planet, how many billions upon billions upon billions of dollars would you expect the dollar amount that this land-and-tax hoax represents, which also included all mineral rights, lumber, animals for food and trade goods, water rights, etc.?
Do you think some minority Ruling Class group, might lie to keep an aggressive hold on this wealth? How about a religious organization, the ones who legitimized the taking of the land in the first place? Do you think they might lie to keep a firm and continuous hold on this wealth? If you were to suddenly become the inheritor of the same massive chunk of land that King Cyrus of Persia claimed legal ownership of, what would you be willing to do to keep it? And at the same time, what would you be willing to do to keep all the people on that land from rebelling due to your illegal ownership of that land?
Manipulating our ancestors into believing that Old Testament religions were about spirituality, immortality, ethics, and morality, was a ruse to keep them, and now us, focused on something that sounded very important to pay attention to; and simultaneously, away from figuring out the real function of religion.
So are we a modern civilization? Hardly. A very small group of people still claims to own all of the land and its resources on our planet, which legally belongs to all indigenous flora and fauna on our planet. They acquired ownership, first by fictitious LORD gods, and now they maintain ownership by armies in addition to religion.
Civilization is the domestication of humans by other humans. In fact, we are the only indigenous life on our planet who tries to domesticate each other, along with other animals. This domestication can range from a mild form, which helps us to adapt to close-quarters living in population centers, or the more severe form which uses ghosts, gods, spooks, and spirits as a tool for domestication. The earliest domestication of significance is the form developed by walled city-states in Mesopotamia c.6.500 BCE. At this time, democratic assemblies were being replaced by kingships; and as we know kingships eventually were replaced by hereditary monarchies.
From those who have not read the book, The Gospel Writers, I often get the question, "How do you know for sure that there is no god?" I answer them in this way, "There is only one way to prove to you that a god does not exist; and that is, to prove to you why one does."
If you were a young member of the Ruling Class, not to be confused with the Upper Class wealthiest minority, and you asked me to teach you the secret studies known only to the Ruling Class, the Ruling Class Figure Heads (kings, queens, etc.), and the Priests, I would reveal to you, the following:
I would start by saying that it is all about "legitimizing ownership." That's the key. When a potter makes a pot, he has the right to do with it what he wants, including charging you for using it. When a basket weaver makes a basket, he has the right to do with it what he wants, including charging you for using it. When a god makes a planet, he has the right to do with it what he wants, including charging you for using it.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number I
To own something that was never yours to own in the first place, requires that some kind of "original owner" exist, and that this "original owner" (at a minimum) "gave" it to you.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number II
When the original owner cannot be found, such as the "original owner" of the land, invent one. Tell the people on the land that the "original owner" is an all powerful god, and that you have spoken with this god, and that this god has given you all of the land as a gift for being a good and just person; and because that god knows that you will make sure that all of the people on the land will worship that god. Why a fictitious god, you ask? Because at this time in history, a god (like a Supreme Court) would be the highest "Legal Authority" in the land and therefore any laws and contracts (rulings) handed down by a god could not at this time, be nullified or overturned. Clever legal loophole, wouldn't you say? Make sure you call it a lord (top authority) god; a lower ranking god will not work.
And, do not be naive and think that your army alone will keep the people submissive to your will. They must believe that you have the legal right by divine authority to take control of the land; otherwise you will spend much of your time and money trying to put down rebellions that will spring up from time to time.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number III
You do not need to brainwash them extensively with religion. Because, what they worship is generally unimportant, as long as you maintain ownership of the land by (fictitious) divine authority, which will allow you to control the people on the land. The people know, that for anyone banished from the land, it will mean agonizing loneliness (because they do not speak the languages of the people in other lands) and eventually death. You can always threaten someone with banishment, if they try to rebel and make any statement that refutes your fictitious legal right.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number IV
Once you have told the lie, you can never admit to anyone that the "original owner," (the maker of the land -- a god) never existed. You must silence or kill anyone who tries to say that the "original owner" never existed, or that the whole thing was a hoax to steal the land from the people on the land.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number V
There is an alternative to silencing or killing the people who do not support the "original owner" hoax or idea. Buy their loyalty; but buy it with something that costs you nothing to give away. Tell them that the "original owner" will grant them "immortality" in exchange for worship and belief in him, as the "original owner." In addition, tell them that this immortality will be spent in a place of great beauty and love, where they can be reunited with loved ones who have already died.
And they will be gullible enough to believe you. Why?
Because everything comes back to life after death, such as the Sun each day, the Trees each spring, and even you by way of your first-born son; who looks like you.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number VI
To get the people to work the land that you have now stolen from them, using Lessons 1-4 previously discussed, so that they will generate wealth for you and other Ruling Class members, tell the people that it is the "original owner's" wish that they toil and suffer, so that when they get to that place of great beauty and love, they will appreciate it more. And, that they will never have to work again, once they get there. Plus, they will always be loved and never abandoned by the "original owner."
Ruling Class - Lesson Number VII
Tell the people that the "original owner" is invisible and cannot be seen or described. And, that the "original owner," has no name; in other words, he is not like anyone the people might have heard of before or might run across later.
Tell them also, that the "original owner" can see into their hearts and minds, twenty-four hours a day, ever day of the year. And that, the "original owner" will know, by looking into their hearts and minds, if they do not love him in return or are thinking of abandoning him, (even though he would never think to stop loving them or of abandoning them). This will make them feel very fearful from being under a watchful and invisible eye every moment of their life, with absolutely no privacy anywhere on the planet, and feel very guilty for not loving and staying with someone who loves them. In other words, someone who would never abandon them or become disloyal. This fear and guilt will help them to remain loyal.
Ruling Class - Lesson Number VIII
Remember to tell the people that the Earth was made by the "original owner" in 6,500 BCE; so they do not go looking for the "democratic" non-kingship model, prior to that time. You do not want the Ruling Class - Worker Bee model to be discovered, as the hoax it is; or you will have an expensive and time consuming rebellion on your hands.
The Math and the Perception of Time
The Hoax Version
a. 6,500 BCE + 2,009 CE = 8,509 years since the hoax for stealing land has been going on.
b. 6,500 BCE + 2,009 CE = 8,509 years since the Jewish god created the Earth and all the life forms on the planet.
c. 8,509 divided by 8,509 = 1.00 or 100% of the time, civilization has been going on the way we want them to believe it has. Therefore, it is perfectly normal to live life the way they currently are and there was no other type, ever.
The Truthful Version
a. 6,500 BCE + 2,009 CE = 8,509 years since the hoax for stealing land has been going on.
b. 150,000 - 120,000 years since our species has been on Earth (anatomically modern Late Pleistocene humans - from Mitochondrial Eve - White et al. 2009).
c. 8,509 divided by 135,000 (arithmetic mean) = 6.3 percent of the time.
The hoax for stealing land has been going on for less than 10% of the time since we, anatomically modern Late Pleistocene humans, have been on Earth. Or, about 472 generations of your ancestors out of about 7,500 generations of your ancestors. In other words, an extremely brief time; and not a very long time as Old Testament religions and the Ruling Class need the Worker Bees to believe. Conceal this at all costs forever or we, the Ruling Class, Old Testament religions, and Figure Heads, are all doomed.
And, even though Turkey was the real "Cradle of Civilization," tell them that Mesopotamia was instead. We don't want them to know about Turkey either.
Next week, we will teach you how to keep this newly stolen land wealth in your family, through the use of a new invention called "Hereditary Monarchies." It's a more advanced version of the hoax you are currently using for your kingships, and it will keep democratic assemblies from forming once again (such as those prior to 6,500 BCE), after your death. End of Lessons.
As I mentioned early, I would answer them in this way, "There is only one way to prove to you that a god does not exist; and that is, to prove to you why one does," which was for the purpose of land ownership and taxes.
Whether it was the LORD of the gods, Yahweh (Jewish god of the Hebrews), during the time of Moses, or the LORD of the gods, Marduk, during the time of King Cyrus of Persia (see Cyrus Cylinder -- The British Museum in London), LORD gods were legal and social domestication tools for the Ruling Class and their Figure Heads and nothing more.
a. Ownership of the land.
b. Ownership of everything on the surface of the land, including water.
c. Ownership of everything below the surface of the land, such as gold, diamonds, granite, limestone, etc.
d. Ownership of everything living or dead on top off or below the surface of the land.
Including the taxes collected on the land of our planet, how many billions upon billions upon billions of dollars would you expect the dollar amount that this land-and-tax hoax represents, which also included all mineral rights, lumber, animals for food and trade goods, water rights, etc.?
Do you think some minority Ruling Class group, might lie to keep an aggressive hold on this wealth? How about a religious organization, the ones who legitimized the taking of the land in the first place? Do you think they might lie to keep a firm and continuous hold on this wealth? If you were to suddenly become the inheritor of the same massive chunk of land that King Cyrus of Persia claimed legal ownership of, what would you be willing to do to keep it? And at the same time, what would you be willing to do to keep all the people on that land from rebelling due to your illegal ownership of that land?
Manipulating our ancestors into believing that Old Testament religions were about spirituality, immortality, ethics, and morality, was a ruse to keep them, and now us, focused on something that sounded very important to pay attention to; and simultaneously, away from figuring out the real function of religion.
So are we a modern civilization? Hardly. A very small group of people still claims to own all of the land and its resources on our planet, which legally belongs to all indigenous flora and fauna on our planet. They acquired ownership, first by fictitious LORD gods, and now they maintain ownership by armies in addition to religion.
The Endtime Generation
All my life I have heard preachers and others say that we are living in the endtime, the last generation before the return of Christ.
There were other people who had heard that same thing about 2,000 years ago and that THEY were that chosen endtime generation.
1Pet. 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Yes, later translations say "race" instead of generation but since Christendom is a mixture of more than one race, the word cannot mean "race" but literally, "generation". That they were the chosen generation is confirmed by Paul.
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
So, there you have it. THEY were the chosen and PREDESTINED endtime generation when all things written would be fulfilled.
Luke 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
It was the same days of vengeance promised to the scribes and Pharisees - in their days, in their time 2,000 years ago.
Matt. 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Matt. 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Sometime after that 40 year generation came to a close and . . . no return of Jesus . . . people began to ask a very legitimate question.
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
And, it's been excuses ever since, beginning with the thousand years as one day thing. A thousand years may be the same as one day to a god but to the people who were promised that it would be in their chosen generation it's a lot longer.
There were other people who had heard that same thing about 2,000 years ago and that THEY were that chosen endtime generation.
1Pet. 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Yes, later translations say "race" instead of generation but since Christendom is a mixture of more than one race, the word cannot mean "race" but literally, "generation". That they were the chosen generation is confirmed by Paul.
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
So, there you have it. THEY were the chosen and PREDESTINED endtime generation when all things written would be fulfilled.
Luke 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
It was the same days of vengeance promised to the scribes and Pharisees - in their days, in their time 2,000 years ago.
Matt. 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Matt. 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Sometime after that 40 year generation came to a close and . . . no return of Jesus . . . people began to ask a very legitimate question.
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
And, it's been excuses ever since, beginning with the thousand years as one day thing. A thousand years may be the same as one day to a god but to the people who were promised that it would be in their chosen generation it's a lot longer.
Happy Chinese New Year
January 26, 2009 begins the year of the ox.
The Chinese calendar was invented by Emperor Huangdi in the year 2637 BC.
That's a couple hundred years before Noah's worldwide flood, so it's kind of interesting how that can be possible.
The Chinese calendar was invented by Emperor Huangdi in the year 2637 BC.
That's a couple hundred years before Noah's worldwide flood, so it's kind of interesting how that can be possible.
100 Reasons Why God May Not Exist
Each point is a clickable link for you to learn more:
A 300 Year Gap
A God Who Performs Miracles is Evil
Adding Epicycles to God
Begging the Question: Miracles and Nature
Believing in God is Immoral
Bogus Probabilistic Judgments and God
Can Atheists Be Moral?
Can We Find Evidence for the Divine Properties In ...
Coherence and Atheism
Confusing Possible with Probable and Having a Righ...
Dawkins' Law
Deal With It
Did the Believers Believe?
Does Sin Corrupt our Ability to See God or Does th...
Does the Atheist Need to Respond to Faith?
Does the Theist Have a Moral Advantage Over the At...
Don’t like my tone? Am I being rude?
Everything is to the Glory of God
Fine Tuning's Fatal Flaw
Fitna, documentary about violence, hatred and Isla...
Garbage In, Garbage Out
Gibberish? Non-Cognitivist Speech Act? or Seriou...
Giving God A Free Pass
God and Suffering
God Blind Spot
God Doesn't Do Miracles, full version
God is Not a Watchmaker
God or Gratuitous Evil?
God Wouldn’t Leave Room for Agnosticism, There Are...
God Wouldn't Do Miracles
God's Evil
Grave robbers or Magic?
He Has No Brain, So God Doesn't Exist
Heroism and the Duty to Rescue Demonstrate that th...
How Big Would God's Universe Be?
How Probable is God?
How the Surreal becomes Commonplace
If There is a Satan, then There is No God
Incoherent: I Believe Because It Makes Me a Moral...
Is He Keeping His Distance? Or Is He Just Not The...
Is Heaven Guilt Money?
Is Religious Education Child Abuse?
Isn't "God" Just Another Word for New Age Nonsense...
Jerry Falwell: Exploiting Religious Tolerance and...
Knowing Your Own Mind About God
Miracles Make It Harder to Prove God is Good
Miracles Prove That There Is No God
Monkey Morality or Goodness Isn't Magical
Moving On
No Moral Truths? No God.
Non-Cognitive Religious Utterances Produce Beliefs...
One of Several Ways to Prove the Negative
Perfect Word of God? Reliable Historical Document...
Possible, Possible, Possible: Overdrawing the God...
Proving the Negative
Putting the Fox in Charge of the Hen House
Reasonable Belief, Proof, and Uncertainty
Reining In the Fallacious Human Belief Machine
Religion is a Mind Virus
Religious Memes and Rational Autonomy
Remembering God
Sam Harris: The Problem with Atheism and Being Sp...
Science Always Replaces Supernatural Explanations
Science is Not A Religion
Self-Deception: Religion and Science are Compatib...
Should We Believe that Jesus was Resurrected?
Sinking the Raft I’m Standing On
Stephen Pinker: Instinct for Morality
Textual Exegesis Will Not Solve Religious Problems...
The Believer's Moral Double Standard for God
The Burden of Proof is on the Atheist
The Burden of Proof is on the Atheist Redux
The Double Standard of God’s Goodness
The God Urge
The Hidden Costs of Religious Belief
The Inductive Problem of Evil Argument Against the...
The New Ten Commandments
The Paradox of the Soul-Building Defense of Evil
The So-Called Right to Believe: Confusing Hoping ...
The Super Evil Challenge
There Is No Psychic Contact with The Dead
There is No Right To Religious Belief
Top Ten Suggestions For Performing Better Miracles...
Treating Religious Affiliation as Ethnicity
Trying To Be Moral Through The Distorted Lens Of T...
Videos: Dawkins, and Gay Scientists Isolate Chris...
Washing in Blood, Human Sacrifices, Cannibalism, G...
We Are Wired to Resist the Truth About Pointless S...
We Don't Have the Right Dataset to Make the Design...
What If the Lie Really Is Good For Us?
What Would be Evidence for Life After Death?
What Would Change Your Mind?
What Would Make the Atheist Happy?
Wide Atheism: There Are No Gods Whatsoever
You Don't Really Believe In Miracles
You don't Really Expect Us To Believe That, Do You...
4 Important Modern Atheists Discuss Their Work
500 Dead Gods
A 300 Year Gap
A God Who Performs Miracles is Evil
Adding Epicycles to God
Begging the Question: Miracles and Nature
Believing in God is Immoral
Bogus Probabilistic Judgments and God
Can Atheists Be Moral?
Can We Find Evidence for the Divine Properties In ...
Coherence and Atheism
Confusing Possible with Probable and Having a Righ...
Dawkins' Law
Deal With It
Did the Believers Believe?
Does Sin Corrupt our Ability to See God or Does th...
Does the Atheist Need to Respond to Faith?
Does the Theist Have a Moral Advantage Over the At...
Don’t like my tone? Am I being rude?
Everything is to the Glory of God
Fine Tuning's Fatal Flaw
Fitna, documentary about violence, hatred and Isla...
Garbage In, Garbage Out
Gibberish? Non-Cognitivist Speech Act? or Seriou...
Giving God A Free Pass
God and Suffering
God Blind Spot
God Doesn't Do Miracles, full version
God is Not a Watchmaker
God or Gratuitous Evil?
God Wouldn’t Leave Room for Agnosticism, There Are...
God Wouldn't Do Miracles
God's Evil
Grave robbers or Magic?
He Has No Brain, So God Doesn't Exist
Heroism and the Duty to Rescue Demonstrate that th...
How Big Would God's Universe Be?
How Probable is God?
How the Surreal becomes Commonplace
If There is a Satan, then There is No God
Incoherent: I Believe Because It Makes Me a Moral...
Is He Keeping His Distance? Or Is He Just Not The...
Is Heaven Guilt Money?
Is Religious Education Child Abuse?
Isn't "God" Just Another Word for New Age Nonsense...
Jerry Falwell: Exploiting Religious Tolerance and...
Knowing Your Own Mind About God
Miracles Make It Harder to Prove God is Good
Miracles Prove That There Is No God
Monkey Morality or Goodness Isn't Magical
Moving On
No Moral Truths? No God.
Non-Cognitive Religious Utterances Produce Beliefs...
One of Several Ways to Prove the Negative
Perfect Word of God? Reliable Historical Document...
Possible, Possible, Possible: Overdrawing the God...
Proving the Negative
Putting the Fox in Charge of the Hen House
Reasonable Belief, Proof, and Uncertainty
Reining In the Fallacious Human Belief Machine
Religion is a Mind Virus
Religious Memes and Rational Autonomy
Remembering God
Sam Harris: The Problem with Atheism and Being Sp...
Science Always Replaces Supernatural Explanations
Science is Not A Religion
Self-Deception: Religion and Science are Compatib...
Should We Believe that Jesus was Resurrected?
Sinking the Raft I’m Standing On
Stephen Pinker: Instinct for Morality
Textual Exegesis Will Not Solve Religious Problems...
The Believer's Moral Double Standard for God
The Burden of Proof is on the Atheist
The Burden of Proof is on the Atheist Redux
The Double Standard of God’s Goodness
The God Urge
The Hidden Costs of Religious Belief
The Inductive Problem of Evil Argument Against the...
The New Ten Commandments
The Paradox of the Soul-Building Defense of Evil
The So-Called Right to Believe: Confusing Hoping ...
The Super Evil Challenge
There Is No Psychic Contact with The Dead
There is No Right To Religious Belief
Top Ten Suggestions For Performing Better Miracles...
Treating Religious Affiliation as Ethnicity
Trying To Be Moral Through The Distorted Lens Of T...
Videos: Dawkins, and Gay Scientists Isolate Chris...
Washing in Blood, Human Sacrifices, Cannibalism, G...
We Are Wired to Resist the Truth About Pointless S...
We Don't Have the Right Dataset to Make the Design...
What If the Lie Really Is Good For Us?
What Would be Evidence for Life After Death?
What Would Change Your Mind?
What Would Make the Atheist Happy?
Wide Atheism: There Are No Gods Whatsoever
You Don't Really Believe In Miracles
You don't Really Expect Us To Believe That, Do You...
4 Important Modern Atheists Discuss Their Work
500 Dead Gods
Why Require Proof of God's Existence?
Why does one require proof of the existence of anything?
Most people structure their entire lives around a God not proved to exist.
Most people know that humans cannot flap their arms and fly safely from the top of the Empire State Building. Facts like that keep us alive.
Facts and proof are part of the fabric of our society, the reason why our laws are written and the basis of our entire system of mercantile commerce. Without proof, claims cannot be validated and without validation there exists no standards to which we may draw upon for truth.
Would you invest in companies or give out your credit card number over the phone without any proof of the caller's claims, or even proof that the company exists?
The reasons to require proof are far too numerous to name.
The countless millions of people who have lost their lives through murder, torture and as the result of terrorism, along with the countless trillions of dollars in property that have been destroyed are directly due to the lack of proof of diametrically opposing propositionally ideological philosophies.
Religions that believe they have the only path to God, the only book that has been authored by God, that certain geological locations have been given to them by God and that all those who do not believe must be either subjugated, converted or killed cannot exist within proximity to one another.
This has been a catalyst for local destruction for millennia, and now that we have what appears to be a portal from the fourteenth century open onto our world with inhabitants pouring through by the tens of thousands that have access to twenty-first century weapons puts it on a global scale of potential mass homicide.
Imagine all this NOT ever having existed if proof was required outside of ancient texts written by ignorant men with little or no understanding of the world, the universe and basic human physiology.
Yeah, we should demand proof - proof is, well, kind of important. It may even mean the difference between life continuing on this planet or our extinction.
Most people structure their entire lives around a God not proved to exist.
Most people know that humans cannot flap their arms and fly safely from the top of the Empire State Building. Facts like that keep us alive.
Facts and proof are part of the fabric of our society, the reason why our laws are written and the basis of our entire system of mercantile commerce. Without proof, claims cannot be validated and without validation there exists no standards to which we may draw upon for truth.
Would you invest in companies or give out your credit card number over the phone without any proof of the caller's claims, or even proof that the company exists?
The reasons to require proof are far too numerous to name.
The countless millions of people who have lost their lives through murder, torture and as the result of terrorism, along with the countless trillions of dollars in property that have been destroyed are directly due to the lack of proof of diametrically opposing propositionally ideological philosophies.
Religions that believe they have the only path to God, the only book that has been authored by God, that certain geological locations have been given to them by God and that all those who do not believe must be either subjugated, converted or killed cannot exist within proximity to one another.
This has been a catalyst for local destruction for millennia, and now that we have what appears to be a portal from the fourteenth century open onto our world with inhabitants pouring through by the tens of thousands that have access to twenty-first century weapons puts it on a global scale of potential mass homicide.
Imagine all this NOT ever having existed if proof was required outside of ancient texts written by ignorant men with little or no understanding of the world, the universe and basic human physiology.
Yeah, we should demand proof - proof is, well, kind of important. It may even mean the difference between life continuing on this planet or our extinction.
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