Link can be found here.

I gotta tell ya this is not only disappointing but out and out ignorant. It is however unsurprising.
Pope Vader in a statement aboard Pope One, the papal plane:

Condoms are not the answer to AIDS on the African continent. You can’t resovle the problem with the distribution of condoms. In fact, it increases the problem.

Words nearly fail me at this point. Apparently Pope Vader has yet to realize that we have entered the 21st century. And that the proper use of condoms does in fact slow and in many cases prevent the transmission of AIDS when used properly.

Rebecca Hodes with the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa said if the pope is serious about preventing new HIV infections, he will focus on promoting wide access to condoms and spreading information on how best to use them.

“Instead, his opposition to condoms conveys that religious dogma is more important to him than the lives of Africans,” said Hodes, director of policy, communication and research for the action campaign.

While she said the pope is correct that condoms are not the sole solution to Africa’s AIDS epidemic, she said they are one of the very few HIV prevention mechanisms proven to work.

Even some priests and nuns working with those living with HIV/AIDS question the church’s opposition to condoms amid the pandemic ravaging Africa.

The whole article is here

While the priests and nuns wonder about the Popes opposition I do not. It is part and parcel of the ideology of superstition and ignorance that we have been fighting since time began. The wilful disregard for actual life is a symptom of the need for the sociopaths to propmote a belief that is only sustained by abject indifference to suffering which they have reframed as sacrifice.

The Pope has in one statement effectively sentenced thousands and perhaps millions of Africans to their slow painful deaths. Way to go Ratzi. You are the scum of the earth.

Unfortunately he is not alone. In the USA our fundies have the very same attitude and would have you “believe” that abstinence is the answer. Many politicians agree and have voted to continue the Faith-based programs started by Bush. Our tax dollars being spent on failure and ignorance. And they really expect us to respect their beliefs?

If you don’t mind signing the ACLU’s form to “End Faith-Based Funding” please do so

Out of curiosity, I did a search to find out if there are people who actually believe in leprechauns and sure enough, I found this group of “believers” in Alabama who try to take pictures, videoes and even special flutes to try to lure the leprechaun out of hiding. Just when you thought you heard it all, there is always more.

(If you shine a light in its direction, it disappears…that cracked me up!)

Alabama Leprechaun Part II

AND in remembrance of our friend and fellow moderator, Sean, and for those who are new here, here is the link to a collection of all of his posts.
All Sean, all the time

“Sláinte!”

While ignorant fundamentalist Muslim and Christians have the freedom to homeschool or send their kids to their religious schools in order to indoctrinate them with false information, bigotry and intolerance, it is not right that we have to pay for it with our tax dollars. In a recent AU article, Rob Boston warns taxpayers against school vouchers:

Troubling Textbooks: Why Vouchers Would Force You To Subsidize Hate

“It’s bad enough that books like this exist and that young children are indoctrinated in the inaccurate and often intolerant worldview that they espouse. Expecting the rest of us to pay for it is simply unacceptable.”

While Muslim textbooks have been under scrutiny for it’s promotion of strict interpretations of Islam in the classroom, a closer look at private Christian school texts would reveal some pretty shocking material, as well.

In 2001, former AU employee Steve Benen, in the course of writing about private school vouchers in Florida, cited a study by Frances Paterson, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Valdosta State University in Georgia. Paterson examined a series of textbooks produced by three large fundamentalist Christian publishers – A Beka Books, Bob Jones University Press and Accelerated Christian Education. What she found was disturbing.

Paterson reported that the books “frequently resemble partisan, political literature more than they do the traditional textbooks used in public schools.”

Observed Paterson, “[R]eligion…appears in places where its inclusion is unexpected: the failure of the French and Spanish to successfully colonize North America was part of God’s plan that the United States should be established as a ‘Christian’ i.e., Protestant nation; the violence of the French Revolution resulted from an absence of Christian values; the lack of economic progress in Africa and India is a result of pagan belief systems; German Biblical higher criticism and a belief in Darwinian evolution were direct causes of World War II; and so forth.”

In addition, Paterson noted that the books often attack legal abortion, gay people, women’s rights and evolution. (One Bob Jones book asserted, “These [gay] people have no more claim to special rights than child molesters or rapists.”) The books also distorted Supreme Court rulings on church-state separation.

Many of the books assailed other religions. One Bob Jones University Press text tells students that Catholics have “perverted the truth of Christianity.” Another book asserted that Satan controls traditional African religions, asserting, “The strong influence of magic and demonism on African religions made much of African life unhappy and savage. Satan’s strong hold on these people kept them worshiping him rather than the true God.”

I stopped contributing to the church decades after giving up the god crap and I don’t want to be forced to start donating to the delusion again via my tax dollars.

I am firmly convinced that a number of Eastern modalities do indeed work, independently of their respective philosophies and/or religions. One such is Yoga – it is increasingly prescribed for physical therapies to aid athletic injuries. Another one is Tai Chi (being an avid practitioner of this art for 16 years, yes, I do have a bias here). There are studies that catalog a degree of efficacy for this set of exercises.

One of the factors that gets lost in the New Age hooey is that breathing affects the individual’s physiology. Longer inhales/exhales have a much different result than hyperventilation, for instance (easily tested at home). And holding different postures during controlled breathing has a distinct impact on circulation AKA the body’s chemistry. The high is quite akin to a ‘religious’ experience, trust me. By regulating the oxygen flow to the brain, one can bring oneself to an alpha state.

As a rule, most of the simpler exercises (Yoga or Qiqong) are harmless. However, for every silver lining, there’s usually a dark cloud accompanying.

This is known as the Kundalini Syndrome. This is also known as qigong psychosis.

[snip]

The American Psychiatric Association now includes the Chinese correlate to Kundalini activity of "qi-gong psychotic reaction" and disorders of dhat, jiryan, sukra prameha, and shenkui in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual -IV Appendix I.

[snip]

Symptomatology

Researchers affiliated with the fields of transpersonal psychology and Near-death studies (see references below) have suggested some common criteria that describe this condition, of which the most prominent feature is a feeling of energy or heat rushing up the spine. Other sensory and motor symptoms may include the feeling of cranial pressures, the perception of inner sounds, experiences of inner lights, vibrating or tickling sensations in the lower back, tachycardia (rapid heart rate), spontaneous trance states, changes in breathing, spontaneous bodily movements, sensations of heat or cold moving through the body, localized bodily pain that starts and stops abruptly, vibrations and itching under the skin.Mental and affective symptoms include fear, anxiety, depersonalization , intense positive or negative emotions, spontaneous slowing or speeding of thoughts and experiencing oneself as larger than the physical body.

A few theorists within the transpersonal field, such as Greyson, refers to this symptomatology as the Physio-Kundalini syndrome, while other Western academics use the description Kundalini-experience/awakening. Transpersonal literature emphasizes that the overview of symptoms is not meant to be used as a tool for amateur-diagnostics. Any unusual or marked physical or mental symptom needs to be investigated by a qualified medical professional.

Even though the symptoms at times may be dramatic and disturbing, theorists such as Sovatsky and Greyson tend to interpret these observations in favor of viewing the unfolding symptomatology as largely non-pathological, maturational, and of evolutionary significance for humanity. According to Scotton Kundalini-symptoms may, or may not, be associated with psychopathology, but are not reducible to any psychopathology. He also thinks that it is important to differentiate between the signs of Kundalini and the symptoms of pathology, and not subsume the signs of Kundalini under a pathological diagnosis. Other writers, such as Kason, tend to view the broad scope of the process, with the accompanying symptoms, as resulting in a "psycho-spiritual house-cleaning".

Now, this is not to say that you should immediately stop intoning “Om” while seated in the Lotus position, or ignore your physical therapist when s/he hands you a set of yoga postures to practice while rehabilitating an injury. But be aware that there are darker sides to just about anything you do in this life – glutting on sugar can induce diabetes, whereas the occasional indulgence in the sweet tooth is relatively harmless.

I cannot help but think that there’s a great similarity between some of the symptoms listed above and some of the experiences related by the fundies. Chew on this: many religions have adherents chanting or praying a specific pattern. In large groups, the chemicals flowing, the group members experience this connectedness, almost a unity of thought and feeling. And in an alpha state, the human animal is extremely suggestive. 

There are even crazy folk who think that specific exercises invoke jinns, as shown by this particular scary fundie. Not limited to Islam, Ron Rhodes does a write-up on these items, and of course, his magickal thinking gets in the way of the facts. Both of these fellows fall prey to the nuanced xenophobia that is common among the religious.

“Eenie meenie chili beanie, the spirits are about to speak,” as Bullwinkle was wont to say. Gimmee a break.

No. It’s all chemicals. The human body can be used like a large scale chemistry set. Of course you can’t accidentally blow yourself up through a set of breathing exercises, or accidentally create hydrochloride acid, but you can alter the state of your consciousness. You just have to be careful.

Masticate on that, get back to me.

Till the next post, then.

Back in July of 2007 Eve reported on the flamboyant Anti-Christ

The Anti-christ also fleeces his flock

Well it looks like they are still being fleeced and supporting this guy.

De jesus MirandaSupporters of ‘Antichrist’ protest Miami-Dade judges
Wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with ”666”, about a dozen followers of Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, the Miami-based minister who proclaimed himself the Antichrist, protested his ”persecution” by the justice system in front of the family courthouse on Tuesday.

Last year, following a bitter divorce that featured dueling claims of lesbianism and physical abuse, Miami-Dade judge Roberto Pineiro awarded more than $2.2 million to the minister’s ex-wife, Josefina de Jesus Torres.

In his ruling, Pineiro determined that de Jesus’ Growing in Grace church was a personal business, rather than a religious nonprofit, so the ex-wife is entitled to half of its assets.

Jo-Ann de Jesus, the minister’s daughter who also handles the church’s finances, says the judge based his decision on a ”prejudice against my dad” and not on the evidence.

De Jesus and her father’s followers are hoping to get the multi-million dollar judgment overturned. Pineiro could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The minister, who claimed his teachings have replaced those of Jesus Christ and therefore he should be known as the Antichrist, has refused to pay up.

He has been ”moving around a lot lately”, his daughter said, to avoid the arrest warrant issued against him for contempt.

Many of de Jesus’ followers say his clash with secular justice system is further proof that he is the Second Coming. The original Messiah also faced significant legal difficulties, they note.

And in news of the stupid. We find ourselves Kowtowing to Muslims who have been arrested. In the USA and any other democracy this should be disallowed. The rule of law should prevail.

PORTLAND, Maine (Map, News) – Maine’s courts and the Cumberland County Jail are modifying their rules regarding head coverings in order to accommodate the practices of Muslims and people of other faiths.

Under the new policy, defendants, inmates and visitors will no longer be required to remove scarves or other head coverings that are required by religious custom.

That obligation has come into conflict with security concerns and cultural standards that prevail in many of the nation’s courts and prisons.

With the growth of the nation’s Muslim communities, pressure to allow head coverings has increased. Some other states and the federal justice system have already modified their rules.

Hats have historically been forbidden inside the Cumberland County Jail, where inmates are issued pants and shirts of yellow, orange or blue depending on the security risk they present. To address concerns about security, the jail has contracted with a vendor to provide head coverings that meet jail security standards, Sheriff Mark Dion said.

Since 2005, the jail has detained 538 declared Muslims who were either arrested locally or held for federal authorities

So I gotta wonder does it mean that in matters of law. Can the Muslims rely on their Koran to treat their woman other than the way we do in civilized nations? Can Muslims force their woman to obey?
What idiots they are in Maine as well as the other jurisdictions to let this get away.

Religion often leads to beliefs in other supernatural absurdities, like witches, demons, ghosts, flaming dragons, etc. And in medieval times, the Church was instrumental in perpetuating the vampire myths, and often performed “exorcisms” of exhumed bodies of dead people. During times of plague, when they would open mass graves to bury more bodies, the sight of the decomposing bodies were horrifying and the people back then didn’t understand the whole decompression process. So what did they do when they didn’t know what was happening? They do like they do today and make up an explanation, and a quite scary one at that. The god of Abraham believers are very good at doing that, making stuff up to scare their followers into submission.

This is a pretty interesting find:

LINK: Italy dig unearths female “vampire” in Venice

ROME – An archaeological dig near Venice has unearthed the 16th-century remains of a woman with a brick stuck between her jaws — evidence, experts say, that she was believed to be a vampire.

The unusual burial is thought to be the result of an ancient vampire-slaying ritual. It suggests the legend of the mythical bloodsucking creatures was tied to medieval ignorance of how diseases spread and what happens to bodies after death, experts said.

The well-preserved skeleton was found in 2006 on the Lazzaretto Nuovo island, north of the lagoon city, amid other corpses buried in a mass grave during an epidemic of plague that hit Venice in 1576.

“Vampires don’t exist, but studies show people at the time believed they did,” said Matteo Borrini, a forensic archaeologist and anthropologist at Florence University who studied the case over the last two years. “For the first time we have found evidence of an exorcism against a vampire.”

*snip*

During epidemics, mass graves were often reopened to bury fresh corpses and diggers would chance upon older bodies that were bloated, with blood seeping out of their mouth and with an inexplicable hole in the shroud used to cover their face.

“These characteristics are all tied to the decomposition of bodies,” Borrini said. “But they saw a fat, dead person, full of blood and with a hole in the shroud, so they would say: ‘This guy is alive, he’s drinking blood and eating his shroud.’”

Modern forensic science shows the bloating is caused by a buildup of gases, while fluid seeping from the mouth is pushed up by decomposing organs, Borrini said. The shroud would have been consumed by bacteria found in the mouth area, he said.

At the time however, what passed for scientific texts taught that “shroud-eaters” were vampires who fed on the cloth and cast a spell that would spread the plague in order to increase their ranks.

To kill the undead creatures, the stake-in-the-heart method popularized by later literature was not enough: A stone or brick had to be forced into the vampire’s mouth so that it would starve to death, Borrini said.

Ignorance proves once again to be at the core of superstitious beliefs. While we cannot say that folks who hold religious beliefs are necessarily stupid in modern western society, some have used the phrase “willfully ignorant” to those who cling to ancient superstitious beliefs in imaginary gods, goddesses, elves, aliens that live in volcanoes, magic underwear, etc. While we atheists find it all silly, it is rather interesting.

(Video link can be found here.)

I mean, CHRIST, what more fucking proof do you need, people?