I woke up very early today (3am), anxious about my exam at 8:30 and also perhaps from the effect of having had some stimulant at around 12midnight -- which didn't keep me from falling asleep!
Anyway, because of the recent increase in religious discussions from the two biggest bloggers on the topic, I was encouraged by a random Wordpad file in my Miscellaneous Documents folder to go to this site and look up some stuff. Some of what I read is reproduced below for your own reading pleasure.
Controversial Quotes
"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and tortuous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize [hu]mankind." - Thomas Paine
"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own--a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." - Albert Einstein
"One does well to put on gloves when reading the New Testament. The proximity of so much uncleanliness almost forces one to do this." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Of course Nietzsche would be the one to say something so rude. lol
Just a Few Biblical Contradictions
- Jesus said that whoever calls somebody a "fool" shall be in danger of hell fire (Matthew 5:22), yet he called people "fools" himself (Matthew 23:17).
- Regarding his own truthfulness, Jesus gave two conflicting opinions: "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true" (John 5:31), and "Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true" (John 8:14).
Pamphlets for Jay
The website has some good baby-essays that address frequently asked questions. These miniature essays are called "Nontracts" and are available for purchase at reasonable prices: for $16, you get 100 copies of the pamphlet of your choice, already printed off of nice stationary paper and everything. I remember that Jay had wanted to find freethought pamphlets a while back (and had considered making his own) but I don't know that he ever followed through on that and I imagine one obstacle was cost-effectiveness. For $16, though, this is almost a no-brainer.
Is America a Christian Nation?*
Why Jesus?**
* This was what I had saved to a textfile. Unfortunately, it looks like the entire second half of the original document is now unavailable or else edited out. This is unfortunate as it provides some biting and accurate perspective on the foundation of the Byzantine Empire.
** Controversial and at times unfairly out-of-context but still a fun read -- and a must-read for aspiring Biblical scholars!
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6 comments:
Even though I am a staunch atheist, I have to say, IMO, many of the quotes in the "Why Jesus" article are either grossly misinterpreted or taken far out of context.
Yes, yes they are. This is by no means a "HA HA, TAKE THAT, JEEBUS! >D" blog update. I just wanted to share with you guys, for your own perusal and amusement and thought, what I was reading this morning at 4am.
So as to not play the devil's advocate, I'll "come out of the closet" so to speak and say:
Controversial Quotes: I liked these quotes, actually, and was taken aback by Paine's -- for while I'm familiar with the Gnostics and Unitarians amongst our founding fathers, I had no idea we had such vociferous anti-Christianity thinkers. Very interesting!
Why Jesus?
I found it amusing and educational in the same way I find The Brick Testament to be amusing and educational. Both take things out of context in much the same way. My friend Ben L. (the only Ben to reply here afaik) could have much to say on how Old Testament lunacy != New Testament contradiction. In my own words, I'd paraphrase his argument as "because Jesus expressly came down and said, 'Uh, hey guys, as the Messiah, I'm here to, uh, inform you that those laws you had to follow until the day the Messiah arrived are, well, uh, null and void now ... REJOICE!"
Still, one cannot deny that those passages are not in the Bible -- so the page is useful, if nothing else, as rational weaponry against Evangelicals and other "Biblical literalists" who insist that the King James Bible is more accurate than the (more-so) original Catholic books.
Is America A Christian Nation?: this one I found to be very spot on and I'm sorry if that offends anybody but shucks. :\ America's founding fathers were very secular and America has been hijacked in the last 50 years by religious zealots. Let me be perfectly clear: I have no beef with religion, only with zealotry.
I do have a bone to pick with religion, especially Christianity. Personally, I believe that religion in general is one of society's biggest ills. Just thinking about the atrocities committed in the name of, the hatreds and bigotries caused by and held in the name of, the retardation of societal advancement caused by - religion! Instead of bringing clarity, it only obfuscates, instead of bringing understanding, it only breeds ignorance.
I truly believe the world would be a much better and happier place if it were free from all superstition and supernatural beliefs. I for one DO look forward to the day where I can triumphantly exclaim "HA HA, TAKE THAT, JEEBUS! >D."
My answer to that viewpoint, copied and pasted from Wakachan into MSPaint and labeled: people kill in the name of beliefs, of which religion is only a portion and not the whole.
Bigotry, egotism, and closed-mindedness I declare to be my enemies. Given this, I cannot in good conscience declare war against any belief-system. No matter how enlightened, the war against religion is no better justified than the war the zealously religious wage against us.
I'd like to say more, but I think I said plenty of merit (not to pat myself on the back too much) in that picture-post, so please read that and I guess I'll reply some time tomorrow.
I was quite surprised (a testament to the prevalence of pro-Christian myths in this country) that there is some evidence that Abraham Lincoln was something of a church antagonist in his young years and may have even written a pamphlet about being an infidel. In fact, accusations of atheism plagued his campaign, yet he still managed to get elected. I have serious doubts that such could ever be the case again in my lifetime and that's a damnable shame.
Given this, I cannot in good conscience declare war against any belief-system.
Well, I can. I declare war on all belief systems that knowingly and purposefully encourage bigotry, egotism, and closed-mindedness. And I lend my support to those that encourage openness, rationality, and affirm the dignity and worth of all people.
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