Various sects of Xianity can get together and debate till the cows come home, but do they seriously believe they will be able to come to some agreement? It’s like I said, you can put all sorts of god botherers into an arena and they will kill each other first before agreeing with each other, and this god they say exists never comes down to clarify things for them.

I think this whole debate they have planned at the Vatican for March 2009 is a waste of time. Trying to convince fundies that science and evolution are not evil is impossible. Even though the Catholics have their magical mumbo jumbo beliefs, they have always been supporters of science and evolutionary theory. On the other hand, the fundamentalists hold steadfast in their unprovable “theory” that the earth is 6,000 years old, that humans lived with dinosaurs and that Noah’s flood really did happen. I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be to have to sit and listen to this debate.

Vatican to host meeting on evolutionary theory

VATICAN CITY (AFP) – The Vatican announced Monday it will host a conference on evolutionary theory next year coinciding with its 150th anniversary — and as creationism gains ground among fundamentalist Christians.

“There is absolutely no incompatibility between evolutionary theory and the Bible’s message,” Gianfranco Ravasi, in charge of cultural affairs at the Vatican, told reporters, noting the theory had interested Pope Benedict XVI and his recent predecessors.

Coming on the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking 1859 publication “On the Origin of Species,” the Vatican’s March 3-7 meeting — which will gather a variety of scientists, philosophers and Catholic and Protestant theologians — sharply contrasts with the stance of creationists.

The latter argue for a literal interpretation of the Bible’s account of the origin of life.

The Catholic church is confusing. It can be so reasonable and intelligent when it comes to science and academics, then still cling to ancient superstitious and unreasonable beliefs at the same time. However, while seeming to be reasonable and intelligent concerning evolutionary theory, their superstition overrides science when it comes to the origins of life.

“It isn’t the theory of evolution as a scientific theory that is incompatible with faith and in God the creator,” but rather that it is not the only way to explain reality, said Marc Leclerc, a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, which is co-organising the meeting with US-based University of Notre Dame.

Leclerc distanced himself from “intelligent design,” a movement championed by fundamentalist Christians particularly in the United States, as an alternative teaching to Darwinism in schools.

Divine and evolutionary explanations of life amount to “two distinct levels,” he said.

But appears that the leader of the Catholic sheeple leans toward the beliefs of the fundamentalist morons:

Pope Benedict, who has discussed evolutionary theory during at least two private sessions, argues Darwinism is insufficient to explain the origins of life.

Maybe they will come to some agreement at the end of these debates after all, which will be of course — goddidit.

The euthanasia controversy has come up in the news once again.

Pope says to accept death at the hour chosen by God

People must accept death at “the hour chosen by God,” Pope Benedict XVI told ailing pilgrims Monday in an anti-euthanasia message at Lourdes, the shrine that draws the desperate, sick and dying.

So, grown and supposedly intelligent people believe that a magical being sits at a magical control center and chooses who is going to die and how, all-the-while listening to and answering prayers of billions of people, controlling the path of storms and natural disasters all over the planet and deciding who will escape injury and who will be hurt or die, blessing football teams, choosing which sexy rock star or pants-falling-down rapper should win an MTV award, controlling the elements of the universe all the other innumerable things that believers give credit to their imaginary friend for.

I am not so certain how I feel about euthanasia yet, but what I do know is that often when people die it is NOT “their time” as when people are murdered, young soldiers killed in wars, innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. When helpless and infants are brutally beaten by their own parents or trusted caretakers, that is the plan of an awesome god? If a murderer kills another person, isn’t he, according to the Pope, doing what God chooses? The lack of logic of god believers boggles my mind.

The ancient Greek definition of Euthanasia literally means “good death”. It is the ending of a life in a painless and peaceful manner.

From Wiki:

As of 2008, some forms of euthanasia are legal in Belgium,[1] Luxemburg,[2] The Netherlands,[1] Switzerland,[1] the U.S. state of Oregon,[3], the Autonomous Community of Andalusia (Spain)[4][5] and Thailand.[6]

Opinions on euthanasia vary, Some, like the Catholic church and pro-lifers call it murderous, while many people consider it merciful and the right choice for someone with a terminal illness who is in pain and will not get better. Controversy arises from the moral aspects concerning with the choosing to take one’s life, and doctors like Kevorkian and others who assist in these suicides are considered “evil”. But the Pope and others who believe that only their god can take a life have nothing to say about a god who “chooses the hour” of a young person’s death at the hand of a perverted psychopath. Only God can choose to cause a spontaneous abortion or a baby born deformed and without a brain, or like my first child and many other mothers whose child was born dead after a full-term otherwise healthy pregnancy.

There are many reasons for voluntary euthanasia, and even more reasons against voluntary euthanasia. The ethical debate is complicated with many good points from either side, but the religious ones are quite illogical and unreasonable. While some are afraid of potential abuse of euthanasia, many people feel that it should be a decision of the patient and family members and not the government or the priests to decide that a terminally ill person should continue to suffer to an agonizing end. But the whole argument about “god choosing our time” is ludicrous.

Coroner Identifies Infant Mauled by Pit Bulls

The 4-month-old girl mauled to death by two pit bulls Friday has been identified as Cendi Kia Carey of Las Vegas, the Clark County coroner’s office said today. Officers found the infant laying on a bedroom floor. Paramedics pronounced the baby dead from the attack, police said. The infant girl’s grandmother had been babysitting the baby in a home in the 1700 block of Eagle View Way in North Las Vegas, according to North Las Vegas police. The family’s two pit bulls were in the home’s back yard and somehow gained entry into the home, the police said. A 911 call came in about 11:24 a.m. Friday. When officers arrived at the residence, they found the two pit bulls acting aggressive and with blood on their fur, police said. Both dogs were shot to death. The grandmother of the infant was treated for non-life threatening injuries, police said.

And who can forget (Saint) Augustine on such things:

Since God achieves some good by correcting adults through the suffering and death of children who are dear to them, why shouldn’t those things take place?

Ah yes, it all makes sense now. How on earth did I not see that? It must be because I choose not to believe…

That Augustine, he’s definitely one cool saint right there…

Ever wonder what the social correlation might be between xians and racism? Ever wonder what could be the cause of such behavior? It really boggles the mind:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Activists at a conservative political forum snapped up boxes of waffle mix depicting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as a racial stereotype on its front and wearing Arab-like headdress on its top flap. Values Voter Summit organizers cut off sales of Obama Waffles boxes on Saturday, saying they had not realized the boxes displayed “offensive material.” The summit and the exhibit hall where the boxes were sold had been open since Thursday afternoon. The box was meant as political satire, said Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, two writers from Franklin, Tenn., who created the mix. They sold it for $10 a box from a rented booth at the summit sponsored by the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council. [...]While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama’s politics by poking fun at his public remarks and positions on issues, it also plays off the old image of the pancake-mix icon Aunt Jemima, which has been widely criticized as a demeaning stereotype. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.

“Values Voters?” The “Family Research Council?” Aren’t these the xian fuck-ups trying to stop people from getting abortions?

And here’s the clincher:

Asked if he considered the pictures of Obama on the box to be racial stereotypes, Whitlock said: “We had some people mention that to us, but you think of Newman’s Own or Emeril’s — there are tons and tons of personality-branded food products on the market. So we’ve taken that model and, using political satire, have highlighted his policies, his position changes.”

Wow, I can’t say truthfully that I never thought it, but it always surprises me when xians actually say stuff that shows their true stupidity.

No wonder evolution only really worries about offspring; if it worried about intelligence, things might be different…

Praise Be! Glory!

Here is a Newsweek article and video by Harvard’s Michael Craig Miller on what happens in the brain when people have “spiritual experiences” and explains how morality may be naturally hardwired in the brain. Religious folks will still insist that a god put morality and spirituality in our heads. Most humans will continue to believe because, as the video illustrates, magical incantations and superstitious beliefs make them feel better. The video also points out that while prayer and meditation makes a person feel better, prayer will not heal terminal illnesses nor change things beyond human control. It’s like we atheists have said, prayer and religion are coping devices.

On Jan. 2, 2007, a large woman entered the Cango caves of South Africa and wedged herself into the only exit, trapping 22 tourists behind her. Digging her out appeared not to be an option, which left a terrible moral dilemma: take the woman’s life to free the 22, or leave her to die along with her fellow tourists? It is a dilemma because it pushes us to decide between saving many and using someone else’s life as a means to this end.

A new science of morality is beginning to uncover how people in different cultures judge such dilemmas, identifying the factors that influence judgment and the actions that follow. These studies suggest that nature provides a universal moral grammar, designed to generate fast, intuitive and universally held judgments of right and wrong.

Consider yourself a subject in an experiment on the Moral Sense Test (moral .wjh.harvard.edu), a site presenting dilemmas such as these: Would you drive your boat faster to save the lives of five drowning people knowing that a person in your boat will fall off and drown? Would you fail to give a drug to a terminally ill patient knowing that he will die without it but his organs could be used to save three other patients? Would you suffocate your screaming baby if it would prevent enemy soldiers from finding and killing you both, along with the eight others hiding out with you?

These are moral dilemmas because there are no clear-cut answers that obligate duty to one party over the other. What is remarkable is that people with different backgrounds, including atheists and those of faith, respond in the same way.[my emphasis]

Sam Harris sums up pretty well my thoughts and opinions about this election and how the American people have come to settle for so little. The dumbing-down of America seems unstoppable.

“As many people have noted, placing Palin on the ticket has made these final months of the already overlong 2008 campaign much more interesting. Is Palin remotely qualified to be president of the United States? No. But that’s precisely what is so interesting. McCain not only has thrown all sensible concerns about good governance aside merely to pander to a sliver of female and masses of conservative Christian voters, he has turned this period of American history into an episode of high-stakes reality television: Don’t look now, but our cousin Sarah just became leader of the free world! Tune in next week and watch her get sassy with Pakistan!

Americans have an unhealthy desire to see average people promoted to positions of great authority. No one wants an average neurosurgeon or even an average carpenter, but when it comes time to vest a man or woman with more power and responsibility than any person has held in human history, Americans say they want a regular guy, someone just like themselves. President Bush kept his edge on the “Who would you like to have a beer with?” poll question in 2004, and won reelection.

This is one of the many points at which narcissism becomes indistinguishable from masochism. Let me put it plainly: If you want someone just like you to be president of the United States, or even vice president, you deserve whatever dysfunctional society you get. You deserve to be poor, to see the environment despoiled, to watch your children receive a fourth-rate education and to suffer as this country wages — and loses — both necessary and unnecessary wars.

McCain has so little respect for the presidency of the United States that he is willing to put the girl next door (soon, too, to be a grandma) into office beside him. He has so little respect for the average American voter that he thinks this reckless and cynical ploy will work.

And it might. Palin’s nomination has clearly excited Christian conservatives, and it may entice a few million gender-obsessed fans of Hillary Clinton to vote entirely on the basis of chromosomes. Throw in a few million more average Americans who will just love how the nice lady smiles, and 2009 could be a very interesting year.

Tune in next week and watch cousin Sarah fuss with our nuclear arsenal … .”~ Sam Harris

Read Sam’s article here at Los Angeles Times or Atheist Nation via this link:

Sam Harris on Palin: average isn’t good enough

Editor’s note: Our good friend fritzy has provide a link to the whole skit . . . thanks fritzy!
SNL Clinton vs. Palin on MSNBC

For those who missed it, this is great!

Update: NBC had the video taken down, which I expected would happen, but here are bits of the skit from the today show.

While religious folks tend to get under my skin (the word gullible needs a far more gratuitous version – “You believe in…WHAT?”), what really grinds my gears are these spiritual predators. You know who I’m talking about. People like Madame Cleo, Allison Dubois or Uri Geller - I don’t much cotton to liars and thieves. When they take it a step further, you get someone like Ramtha. And when I hear folks blather about this idiot, it takes all my self-control not to shake them by the shoulders and shriek “She’s a fake! Atlantis never existed! Lemuria never existed! ARE YOU A MORON?!?!?”

(Deep breaths – gotta watch the blood pressure. Thanks a fucking bunch, Plato.)

So here’s the skinny:

JZ Knight makes this claim about this ’spirit’ that allegedly channels himself through her:

Ramtha is the entity that Knight says she channels. According to her, Ramtha was a Lemurian warrior who fought the Atlanteans over 35,000 years ago.^[3] She says that Ramtha led an army of over 2.5 million across the continents, conquering two thirds of the known world, which was going through cataclysmic geological changes. According to Knight, Ramtha led the army for ten years until he was betrayed and almost killed.

Let’s just dissect the geographical claim:

Lemuria (IPA: /lɨˈmjʊəriə/^[1]) is the name of a hypothetical “lost land” variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The concept’s 19th century origins lie in attempts to account for discontinuities in biogeography. The concept of Lemuria has been rendered obsolete by modern understanding of plate tectonics. Although sunken continents do exist — see Zealandia in the Pacific and the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean — there is no known geological formation under the Indian or Pacific Oceans that corresponds to the hypothetical Lemuria.

Well, there goes that pet theory. But wait, there’s more!

Atlantis (in Greek, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, “island of Atlas“) is the name of a legendary island first mentioned in Plato’s dialogues Timaeus and Critias.^[1]

In Plato’s account, Atlantis, lying “beyond the Pillars of Hercules“, was a naval power that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of Solon, or approximately 9600 BC. After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean “in a single day and night of misfortune”.

9600 BCE? The math don’t add up. And if we had this incredibly advanced civilization for centuries, then obviously there would’ve been colonies. And Sumer would’ve been by far more advanced than it was (if it were a colony).

So – just hypothetically, if Knight does INDEED have some boogeyman spirit dripping honey into her ears, it’s pretty much fucking lying.

And at the very least, she’s guilty of murder:

JZ Knight has been involved in several court disputes, some personal (her divorce from Jeff Knight) and others business-related, for example, one involving the dissemination of material containing the copyrighted Ramtha. [2] In Knight vs. Knight, 1992-1995, Jeff Knight alleges that he lost years of his life by postponing modern medical treatment for his HIV infection, due to advice from his wife that Ramtha could heal him — he died before he could appeal the court’s decision against him.[3]

So in summation – yet again, stupidity at it’s extreme, kills. At the very least, it lightens your wallets considerably.

There are no laws against supernatural fraud, only material fraud. Which goes to show how truly gullible our species is.

Till the next post, then.