And more in-between humor until I can get a real post written:

Thanks to Big Fat Whale.com
Check out their site when you have time.

I was reading Pharyngula recently, and I came across this post about the new movie Religulous. What struck me specifically about was this comment from the reviewer…

Any serious theologian from the mainstream Christian or Jewish traditions would have eaten his lunch for him, and that’s why we don’t see anybody like that in this film for more than a second or two.

…and P.Z.’s reply:

No, I think it more likely that it is because serious theologians are a) dead boring, b) irrelevant to an extreme degree to most varieties of religious beliefs, and c) are just as silly when their ideas are examined. Except for all those serious theologians who have ended up as atheists, of course.

And I think that stuff like (c) just can’t be emphasized enough.

That is, people who have a problem with religion are often accused of attacking the “easy stuff” and “loading the dice” as opposed to dealing with the real religious ones, i.e., the theologians. “Now, those theologians, boy — they’ll have the answers that are lacking in the masses, and they’ll show you a thingy or two.”

But has anyone ever seen these people in action? Over the years, I’ve seen my share of about 10 or 15 or so, and, believe me, there’s not much there. I mean, (1) they make the same assumptions that the masses make about where to start and all that, and (2) the inferences they make are just as bad. (Actually the inferences are slightly worse, because they’re more subtle, and theologians, at times, can be a little sneaky.)

But it’s still the same shit; it’s just in a different bag. It doesn’t matter if you believe in The Fall when you’re a theologian or you believe when you’re a white-trash-KKK-thumper. You still believe in something stupid.

And it should be added that theologians are friends of the masses. The masses just love these people. (The Philosophers, well, not so much — that should tell you something straight off.) You should see these religion classes on campus, and the lectures given. No one is calling anyone out on anything important, just minor points on major assumptions — i.e., something anyone (unless you’re a major literal fundie) could easily take and still feel good about their beliefs.

So, the answer to the “cheap shot” and “easy stuff” accusations is simple: “Go anywhere you want, dude, it ain’t gonna get much better. You think I’m avoiding the hard stuff and purposely staying in the easy-criticism area, fine; let’s go wherever you want — because it all sucks.”

End of rant. Sorry for the length.

Pope Bennie has intensified his use of fear tactics and threats in response to the decline of Xianity in Europe. When most of us credit reason, common sense and science with the decline of superstition in modern Europe, the Poop is pulling out the warnings of “god’s punishment” in an attempt to scare people back to “faith” by saying basically that God is going to get us if we say he doesn’t exist. Something BAAAAD is going to happen if we don’t start believing.

Modern culture is destroying faith, pope warns

ROME (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI attacked the Godless character of modern culture as he celebrated mass Sunday in a Roman basilica to mark the opening of a synod of Catholic bishops.

In a sombre homily in which he suggested that Christianity in Europe could become extinct like some Christian communities in history, the pope told more than 250 bishops from around the world that societies which rebelled against God in the past had faced His “punishment”.

“If we look at history we are forced to notice the frequent coldness and rebellion of incoherent Christians. Because of this, God, while never shirking in his promise of salvation, often had to turn towards punishment,” he said.

Benedict warned that “nations once rich in faith and vocations are losing their own identity under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture.

“There are those that, having decided that ‘God is dead,’ declare themselves ‘god,’ believing themselves to be the only creator of their own fate, the absolute owner of the world,” the German-born pope said.

“When men proclaim themselves absolute owners of themselves and the only masters of creation, are they really going to be able to construct a society where freedom, justice and peace reign?

“Is it not more likely — as demonstrated by news headlines every day — that the arbitrary rule of power, selfish interests, injustice and exploitation, and violence in all its forms, will extend their grip?”

Um, Bennie, what is it that you say your god is going to bring? “Punishment”? More violence? Your whole religion is violent, Bennie. And when modern culture realizes this and rejects your religion that is based on violent, gruesome and barbaric acts filled with pain and bloodshed, you want to tell those of us who live in the modern world that we, the new peace-seekers are the bad guys and need to come back to your bloody and violent religion? You and your followers just keep on reading that bloody, violent book, and praying for violence to fall upon peace-loving people who have found “the light”. Your wishes for our demise are not going to work.

Bennie and all you godly folks…for the sake of the world, your Church’s extinction and extinction of beliefs in the violent God of Abraham cannot come soon enough.

Loss of Control Fuels Rituals, Superstition: Study

People often see patterns where none exist in an attempt to give structure and security to unpredictable situations, a new study on loss of control suggests. People turn to superstitions, rituals and conspiracy theories as a way to deal with complex or chaotic circumstances, according to the study, published in the journal Science. For instance, it found the study’s participants saw imaginary trends in the stock market in their attempt to control the situation, said University of Texas professor Jennifer Whitson, who conducted the study with Adam Galinsky, a professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. “What we found is that when people feel like there is a lack of control — that they are in a more volatile situation — they are more likely to form strong conclusions, even though there is no pattern between the data they see and the companies they evaluate,” Whitson said. Although the participants were given the same ratio of positive to negative information about the different companies, those who lacked control chose to invest in companies that did not warrant it, she said. People often trick themselves into seeing and believing connections that simply don’t exist to create order, she said. The less control people have over their lives, the most likely they are to try to regain control through mental gymnastics, Galinsky said. Feelings of control are so important to people that a lack of control is inherently threatening, he said. Although some misperceptions can be bad or lead a person astray, they’re extremely common and most likely satisfy a deep and enduring psychological need, he said.

Now, it’s not that any of us are surprised, or that these facts about human judgments under uncertainty haven’t been around for a long time — but, still, it’s always nice to see confirmation of why religion’s all in the head. (I would add that the socialization and indoctrination process also works pretty well, and adds a lot of weight. But that’s something else.)

Ah, but comes the reply: “If you’re going to analyze our religious beliefs through these biased psychological lenses and experiments, then you’re really missing the point of why we believe in these things.”

Ok, sure, fine. Whatever helps you sleep at night, people…

Just testing out the audio uploader for our site. I was hoping that it would load a player right on the screen, but I guess not. Oh well…

Judith, by A Perfect Circle

You’re such an inspiration
for the ways that I will never ever choose to be.
Oh, so many ways for me to show you how your
savior has abandoned you.

(Fuck your God), your Lord, your Christ.
(He did this), took all you had, and
(Left you this way), still you pray never stray never
(Taste of the fruit), you never thought to question why.

It’s not like you killed someone.
It’s not like you drove a spiteful spear into his side.
Pray for one who left you broken down and paralyzed.
He did it all for you.

Oh, so many ways for me to show you how your
dogma has abandoned you.

(Pray), to your Christ, to your God.
(Never taste of the fruit), never stray, never break, never
(Choke on the lie), even though he’s the one who
(Did this to you), you never thought to question why.

It’s not like you killed someone.
It’s not like you drove a hateful spear into his side.
Talk to Jesus Christ as if he knows the reasons why.
He did it all for you.

Faithful See Virgin Mary’s Image in Toilet Bowl

Cincinnati,OH—Hundreds of people are being drawn to the Creation Museum by what they say looks like an image of the Virgin Mary in a toilet bowl. As many as 300 people, some weeping, gathered outside the third stall of the Museum’s men’s room. They prayed, they took photographs, and they said the rosary. The museum curator said the cause of the image was not immediately clear, but he plans on talking to the head of the janitorial staff, Benedict. Sarah Palin, in the Museum preparing for this evening’s debate, said it was comforting to know that God’s spirit was there in this time of turmoil for the nation.

Ever wonder what planet you’re on?…

Oh, and if you need a good reason to vote, consider this one…

WASHINGTON — The next president will tip the courts, one way or another. Supreme Court openings are all but guaranteed, and that’s just the start: 44 trial and appellate federal judicial vacancies already await filling. There will be more. Consider this: President Bush has placed 316 judges on the bench during his two terms. One out of three federal judges now owes a lifetime-tenured job to the current president. Whoever replaces Bush will be likewise recasting courthouses, top to bottom.

You wanna fuck with women in the court system with dumbass-immediate-animation-pro-vatican-but-it-says-in-isaiah-bible-thumpin-anti-abortion bullshit? Well, then, vote republican…

Even though I grew up as a Lutheran, I spent a couple of my teenage years at a Southern Baptist church and heard the sermons about a woman should not rule over a man, women should be taking care of the home and family, leaving the larger issues to the men, and all that medieval baloney. And I heard this stuff recently when “evil liberal” Hillary was campaigning from female Southern Baptists I know that women should absolutely not be in positions of power. But now that a “god-fearing” religious Republican woman has come to be the nominee for VP of the U.S. they change their minds. All they know is that Palin loves Jeeezus. She talks the pretty talk they are used to hearing from their pulpits and that’s all they care about. They don’t care if she can or cannot protect them from terrorists. They do not care if she is inexperienced in national and international affairs. They do care only that she loves Jesus, is pro-life, pro-gun, anti-gay and a hockey-mom with a great personality.

It’s all well and good that they finally approve of a woman to lead the nation and have power over male citizens, but too bad their beliefs are contradictory since Baptists believe women still must be subservient to their husbands. Palin’s religion, while allowing a woman to preach in the church and be pastors, they also believe like the Baptists that according to I Timothy 2:12 “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.”(NIV) and Eph. 5:23-32 “A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.” How do they reconcile these things when it comes to women being in powerful positions and their literal Biblical beliefs? How much influence do the husbands of these fundamentalist women have who reach high elected positions within our government?

From AP:

RALEIGH, N.C. – Within the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, a woman may not lead a church or a home. But prominent Southern Baptists see nothing wrong with Sarah Palin serving as vice president — or perhaps even commander-in-chief someday.

In other words: A woman can run the White House, just not her own house.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s selection of the Alaska governor as his running mate — the first female on the party’s ticket in history — has thrilled conservative Christians. It also has led Southern Baptist congregations and seminary students to confront their beliefs about the role of women in leadership.

Interpreted from Scripture, the teachings on women are held close in thousands of Southern Baptist Convention churches where millions worship. Among them: “The office of pastor is limited to men,” and a wife should “submit herself graciously” to her husband. Earlier this month, more than 100 Lifeway Christian Bookstores — a retail chain affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention — pulled from the shelves a magazine featuring five female pastors on the cover.

But when their wants and desires change, they change their interpretation, as usual.

Yet many in the denomination say the nation’s second-highest leadership post is an apple to the pulpit’s orange. Palin’s potential work in a McCain administration — or even as president in the event of McCain’s death — would be separate from her family life with her husband, Todd, and their children.

But there is no separating them since her husband and children are citizens of this country and Palin will be working for all Americans, male, female, young and old, and even her family members. She indeed has power over even her own husband. There is no way of separating that oath of office. One cannot say “I am second commander-in-chief, or Commander-in-Chief over everyone but my husband.” It doesn’t work that way.

“There’s no disconnect or inconsistency whatsoever,” said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. “We don’t go beyond where the New Testament goes. Public office is neither a church nor a marriage.”

That’s not what they said when Hillary Clinton was running. When Hillary was running in the primaries and doing well, Baptists in my own family have said that they don’t think a woman should be running for office. And now they condone it because the woman running happens to be a conservative fundamentalist Republican Christian? There is indeed “disconnect and inconsistency” when you take an ancient mythology book and bend and shape it, change it’s meaning to however you want like Christians of all denominations do all the time.

It’s good to see more and more denominations re-interpreting their religious text and ending discrimination and oppression of women, but in this case I suspect it is merely a matter of changing those interpretations and rules to suit themselves in the political arena to get a conservative god believer in a position of power. But when Southern Baptist women come into powerful positions, who is reallycalling the shots behind the scenes?

And this goes to prove once again that god believers make up their “God’s plan” according to their own agendas. They want it both ways, to control a woman in her home and church, but say it’s okay for her to be in positions of great power over all men nationwide. Doesn’t make sense (unless like I say that it is merely for appearances and the men in the lives of fundamentalist women in power have more influence than we all realize.) Am I too far off base here in suggesting this?

It will be greater progress if these fundies go even further and admit that their entire religious text is outdated and incompatible in these modern times, AND admit that a woman is in charge of her home, her family and is on equal status as her husband. But they will never go so far as to do that.

I found this bit if news via The Friendly Atheist’s website. Michael Heath, Executive Director of the Christian Civil League of Maine, blames the current financial crisis on gays. Though homosexuality has always been around, even since the formation of our great nation, it is the gays who the sex-obsessed fundies blame for poor business decisions, corporate greed and mismanagement, etc.

Heath is an ignoramus who believes that “if we end abortion rights and stop funding non-profit groups supporting it, amend state constitutions to ban gay marriage and eliminate domestic partnerships and civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, and end discrimination against private religious schools and homeschools,” that all will be right in the world and God will stop dicking with us.

Fundamentalists blame Wall Street’s woes on gays

and if you can stomach it, here is Michael Heath’s sex solution to all of our woes which he believes will make “God crack a smile.”

The nation will right itself if it fixes sex