I don't own stocks in oil companies. Take a look at the information presented by snopes.com before you try to tell me that this will destroy all the poor pitiful woodland (or tundra) creatures.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Truth About ANWR
I don't own stocks in oil companies. Take a look at the information presented by snopes.com before you try to tell me that this will destroy all the poor pitiful woodland (or tundra) creatures.
Penn & Teller's Take on World Peace
Penn & Teller Bullshit: World Peace
I freakin' love this show...
Each part is under 10 minutes, with the whole episode being near 1/2 hour. Enjoy.
Part 1
Part2
Part3
I freakin' love this show...
Each part is under 10 minutes, with the whole episode being near 1/2 hour. Enjoy.
Part 1
Part2
Part3
Why It'll Be a Long Time Before Openly Atheistic Politicians
Religion has its place. Children need structure and guidance. Parents can fall back on this social institution that has the answers to their questions, and gives them authority to say something is right and other things are wrong. When religion is treated as a system of inclusion and guidance towards what is inherently good with people, it can be a terrific institution. When religion is used to as a method of dividing up the populace into the righteousness and the damned, quite often it sounds terribly bigoted and closed minded.
There's nothing wrong with having beliefs regarding what's right and what's wrong. If you ran around the world today with only a nebulous belief of right and wrong, you can easily go down the path of self destruction.
Where I live, there are a tremendous amount of church stations. I enjoy listening to preachers because they're often arguing for people to better themselves. I like listening to their style and rhetoric. These people are skilled orators, or else they wouldn't be on the radio. The other day though, I was sicked by what I heard. Remember that this is all spoken over the radio by a preacher trying to show people right and wrong.
start quote:
Now I'm talking to a troubled parishioner and I'll ask him: So tell me about your best friend.
And he says: Oh, well, Fred he's my bowling buddy. He's crazy, and boy can he drink like a fish. We've been bowling together for years now.
And I'll ask: Have you shared the word of God with him?
(Parishioner): Well no I haven't.
(Preacher): Why not! You've been bowling for years with this man, and you're telling me that bowling is the most important thing in your life? What about God! Where does God fit in? The righteous cannot fraternize with the un-righteous! It just doesn't work! Why doesn't Jesus hang out with the Devil? It's disgusting to even think it! etc. etc. etc. etc...
end quote:
I could go on and on and on about the bigoted views of this preacher. Anyone who is not "saved" is inherently not someone you should associate yourself with because first and foremost in all interactions, Jesus must be there. This peels back a little bit of the veneer of religious tolerance that is publicly extolled by most religious leaders. Maybe this preacher is a terrible preacher. Maybe this isn't the views of his congregation, or of religious people at large.
From my small-minded viewpoint though, if your religious beliefs are right enough to dedicate your life to, then by definition everyone else must be mistaken somehow; and damned for all eternity (if that's the consequences of non-believing in your religion). How does this jive with tolerance of other religions? How can you respect other people if you refuse to socialize with them based on the fact that they haven't been saved?
Hearing that radio show was disheartening, because I'm trying my hardest to be respectful of other viewpoints. If certain religious leaders are trying their hardest to keep their congregation from respecting and associating with me due to my non-believing views, why should I try at all to respect their views? With fervent believers it is the surface level acceptance of other religious views with a deep felt contempt for anyone who is not on the same path to righteousness that disturbs me most. In many of the most religious peoples' eyes, an atheist is almost the definition of un-righteousness. If this contempt were based on race, ethnicity, physical disability, or sexual orientation it would be exposed and denigrated for the closed-minded bigotry it is.
I know this is slightly off topic, but why should I respect modern day religion more than Zaroastrianism(arguably the oldest "religion")? I'm supposed to believe these prophets and not believe those prophets? Why? Oh, because these prophets were spoken to by the true god. Always keep in mind that religions of old were clung to just as fervently and considered just as true as today. Why should we consider the miraculous stories of the religions of today but look down on the simple-minded miraculous stories of yesterday (think the resurrection of Jesus versus the birth of Zeus).
Ah, Zaroastrians...
Dr. Evil: ...At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At 14 a Zaroastrian named Wilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There is nothing quite like a shorn scrotum. It's breath-taking I suggest you try it...
There's nothing wrong with having beliefs regarding what's right and what's wrong. If you ran around the world today with only a nebulous belief of right and wrong, you can easily go down the path of self destruction.
Where I live, there are a tremendous amount of church stations. I enjoy listening to preachers because they're often arguing for people to better themselves. I like listening to their style and rhetoric. These people are skilled orators, or else they wouldn't be on the radio. The other day though, I was sicked by what I heard. Remember that this is all spoken over the radio by a preacher trying to show people right and wrong.
start quote:
Now I'm talking to a troubled parishioner and I'll ask him: So tell me about your best friend.
And he says: Oh, well, Fred he's my bowling buddy. He's crazy, and boy can he drink like a fish. We've been bowling together for years now.
And I'll ask: Have you shared the word of God with him?
(Parishioner): Well no I haven't.
(Preacher): Why not! You've been bowling for years with this man, and you're telling me that bowling is the most important thing in your life? What about God! Where does God fit in? The righteous cannot fraternize with the un-righteous! It just doesn't work! Why doesn't Jesus hang out with the Devil? It's disgusting to even think it! etc. etc. etc. etc...
end quote:
I could go on and on and on about the bigoted views of this preacher. Anyone who is not "saved" is inherently not someone you should associate yourself with because first and foremost in all interactions, Jesus must be there. This peels back a little bit of the veneer of religious tolerance that is publicly extolled by most religious leaders. Maybe this preacher is a terrible preacher. Maybe this isn't the views of his congregation, or of religious people at large.
From my small-minded viewpoint though, if your religious beliefs are right enough to dedicate your life to, then by definition everyone else must be mistaken somehow; and damned for all eternity (if that's the consequences of non-believing in your religion). How does this jive with tolerance of other religions? How can you respect other people if you refuse to socialize with them based on the fact that they haven't been saved?
Hearing that radio show was disheartening, because I'm trying my hardest to be respectful of other viewpoints. If certain religious leaders are trying their hardest to keep their congregation from respecting and associating with me due to my non-believing views, why should I try at all to respect their views? With fervent believers it is the surface level acceptance of other religious views with a deep felt contempt for anyone who is not on the same path to righteousness that disturbs me most. In many of the most religious peoples' eyes, an atheist is almost the definition of un-righteousness. If this contempt were based on race, ethnicity, physical disability, or sexual orientation it would be exposed and denigrated for the closed-minded bigotry it is.
I know this is slightly off topic, but why should I respect modern day religion more than Zaroastrianism(arguably the oldest "religion")? I'm supposed to believe these prophets and not believe those prophets? Why? Oh, because these prophets were spoken to by the true god. Always keep in mind that religions of old were clung to just as fervently and considered just as true as today. Why should we consider the miraculous stories of the religions of today but look down on the simple-minded miraculous stories of yesterday (think the resurrection of Jesus versus the birth of Zeus).
Ah, Zaroastrians...
Dr. Evil: ...At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At 14 a Zaroastrian named Wilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There is nothing quite like a shorn scrotum. It's breath-taking I suggest you try it...
What Are You Saying?!
If you haven't heard yet, the latest Batman movie is great. Go see it, and then watch and laugh at this video. Terrifically done!
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