Makers of gods

I have been in arguments and discussions about religion since I was 13 years old. That's when I started the journey that led to my becoming an atheist. It was an 11 year journey, because I didn't decide that I was an atheist until the year before my daughter was born. I was 24.

Many different things led to making that decision. One of them is the realization that we (meaning humans) insist on answers to all our questions. If we don't have answers, we make them up. Here's how I think it might have gone, long ago in a quiet cave late one night when a few of the folks inside couldn't sleep.

Tuggi: It's dark out there.
Farg: Have you noticed that that big shiny thing doesn't stay up there?
Tuggi: Well, Duh!
Farg: What do you mean, Duh? I'm just saying, it doesn't stay up there?
Garph: Where does it go?
Tuggi: That way. (Tuggi points west)
Garph: But why?
Farg: Don't know, do we?
Tuggi: Speak for your self. I have it all figured out.
Garph: Really?
Farg: No not really. He's full of beans, he is.
Tuggi: Am not. There's two of them, you know.
Garph: Two of who.
Tuggi: Two of the great and powerful beings in the sky.
Farg: Oh come on.
Tuggi: The one only comes out at night, and he's not as strong as the day other.
Garph: How do you know?
Tuggi: During the day, you can't look at the bright one. He is that powerful. But during the night, you can look at the face of the other. And he changes.
Farg: He's making this up you know.
Garph: Shhh! I want to know more.
Tuggi: Not making it up. You have seen his change from whole, to partly whole, down to nothing.
Farg: And where does he go when he's nothing?
Tuggi: He goes and gets his light back. The bright one steals it.
Farg: Does not.
Garph: That makes sense. The bright one steals it and the other chases him across the sky.
Tuggi: Exactly.
Farg: Buggers. Your full of bean gas.
Garph: (Hits Farg on head with rock.)
Tuggi: Why'd you do that?
Garph: He doesn't see the truth in what you say. Had to bash him.
Tuggi: Ah. He'll listen better when he wakes up.
Garph: Truth.

So there you have it. The beginning of the gods. The names were changed to protect the innocent.

Now think about it. There are a bazillion gods. Everyone has one, they make new ones from old worn out gods, and have been known to construct them out of whole cloth. Gods explain good and bad weather. Good and bad luck. Victory and defeat. Heck. Gods even explain ugly babies. Gods are everywhere. In trees. Rocks. Holes in the ground. Really good weed. (So I've been told).

I've been told that there is only one true god. Of course, I've been told this by people who define this one true god differently from the others who define him/it/her. Everyone is convinced that their explanation for this god, his history if you will, is the right one. And all the histories are different, too.

All these gods are there to explain things that we otherwise didn't (or don't) understand. Don't have an answer? God did it. And if you can make up answers for what gods did and didn't do, you can make up answers for other things you don't understand. Just ask the creationists. They make shit up all the time.

And all this wouldn't be so bad if people just kept it to themselves, but they don't. They want to teach it in the schools and pass laws.

Too thick to accept the fact that gays and lesbians are the way they are because they were born that way? No trouble, go to the Bible, Koran, or other book of ignorance and it will tell you they are bad. It may not say why, except that they are (insert something awful here) in the eyes of someone's god. Never mind that most of these rules were written by bronze age people who didn't have a clue about genetics, brain chemistry or development, or even the slightest understanding of what makes us tick.

Good god, these people thought a snake could convince a woman to eat an apple. They accepted stories of talking asses. Worse. They accepted stories from talking asses.

Really folks, it is time to put all these poor explanations for understanding away. We have science. We are getting more answers all the time, and these come with real evidence that supports them. Do we still have questions? Yes. What to do? Look for answers and not just say, god did it. In the mean time? Not a problem.

Just say, "I don't know".

More on Death

You know, once you touch on a topic, it can be hard to put it down altogether. I have two other thoughts on the subject. Both have a humorous element (to me anyway).

First is a recurring thought about T.V. shows and holiday breaks. Smallville is a good example here. One of my favorite shows that has gone on break till January 15th. It's at least a two parter, "to be continued" type. My thought was "Oh Great! What happens if I die before the conclusion? I'll never get to see the episode." Heh...

Because I live in the now, because I, like most people can't really get my mind around not having one (a mind that is), I feel like I will "miss" the show. Of course, I won't even miss me, much less missing the conclusion of a two parter, but there is still that little voice that has to have its way.

The second thought has to do with those who have died before us. In my extended family, my mother, father, several aunts and uncles as well as a cousin or two have all "gone on before" me. In short, they have died.

So what do we hear the believers say at important moments in their lives? "I wish my mother was hear to see this...", which is where I would stop but not the religious, "...but I know she is watching from heaven." At which point they look up and usually follow with, "This ones for you Mom."

Now I have several reactions to this kind of statement:

1. I can understand the feeling behind it. I reacted with a serious depression when my mother died 15 years ago next Friday, and I did miss her seeing my accomplishments big and small. I would have loved for her to live long enough to meet her great grandchild.

2. But let us assume for just a moment (before we stop assuming when done with this exercise) that mother is up in heaven right now. What in hell makes you think she has time, or the inclination to be looking down on you at this very moment. Wouldn't she have more important things to keep her busy without spending time looking in on what is going on elsewhere in reality? Doesn't God have Memorex? And time, not being an issue as far as the whole linear thing is concerned should allow one to view all those "important" moments in one sitting, don't you think?

3. And then there is this last issue. What if...what if it is really true that our mothers, fathers and other loved ones are sitting in heaven, (are they in the cheap seats, all the best ones taken by this time?) "watching down on us" all the freaking time? I mean really. I don't want to have to deal with the image of my mother watching me in the john, having sex or for that matter watching "Debbie does..." anyone. I would quickly cease being able to do the simplest damn thing in the toilet or the bedroom. Who in hell thought that up, and what makes them think that is an image anyone with half a mind would want.

I'm Just Saying...

Christian and Muslim

I read a number of blogs and articles on-line, and because I am an atheist, I often end up on an atheist, or atheist friendly site. If you are an atheist blogging, or writing, and make an effort to point out the silliness, absurdity, or downright lies and evil in the lives of many in the Christian church, you will find that sooner or later, someone is going to comment on your blog, respond to your article, or make their own podcast pointing out that you are a coward. And why are you a coward?

Because you are not attacking Islam. You are not pissing on Mohammad the way you are pissing on Jesus, or the way you are pissing on their crackers or ritual. You are not pointing out just how silly Islam is. And why are you not doing this? Because, say the Christians, you know that the Muslims will kill you. Then they dare you to prove how brave you are by challenging you to piss on Mohammad.

Now I can understand that when a Christian sees his beliefs attacked, he responds as poorly as anyone else would who is holding on to something that is baseless and tenuous. He responds like a kid in grade school.

"I bet you won't go in there."
"I bet you won't stick that in your mouth."
"I be you won't jump."

Knowing that there are factions of Islam that are totally unstable, and that there are indeed absolute nucking futs out there who would really kill you because you pissed on there version of the make believe world, the nut ball Christians, dare atheists to say the same mean things to even bigger nut balls.

P.Z. Myers in response to rabid Catholics who were threatening the life and education of a Florida college student placed a "cracker", or what is more commonly called a Eucharist, in his trash with a nail pierced through it, and photographed it. He was told the cracker was blessed, which means that if you are a Catholic, you likely believe that the cracker was the body of Jesus. See what I mean by nuts?

P.Z., like so many other atheists was told that he was a coward because he only attacked Christianity. He was told this then, and is told that now, and yet if you look at the photograph, or even bother to read the caption, you will note that also pierced by that rusty old nail was a page from the Koran, and not to be out done, he included a page from atheist author Richard Dawkin's The God Delusion.

And all the above is almost beside the point. The point here is that it is clear that some of the people have Islam envy. They honestly seem to be upset because they don't get to shoot people who blaspheme, or who pick on them. They don't get to burn them alive, or beat and kick them, or behead them. They're impotent little wankers and it bothers them.

Now every day that goes by, I hear Christians make callus and downright nasty remarks about atheists or atheism, and you know what? That's O.K. I can live with that. If it bothers me, I will post here on my blog, or question the speaker, or write to the miscreant, but I won't harbor a desire to see them killed, maimed or injured. Telling me there is a god, doesn't hurt me. Telling me I'm going to hell just doesn't worry me. The only time I get bothered is when Christians try to make their beliefs into laws I am supposed to follow. Then we will have a problem.

Oh, and the reason we don't always say something about the Islamist nut jobs, is because we live in a country whose religious makeup has a majority of Christians. We focus on the bigger pest, thanks to the extremist right wing Christians, it's easy to know who that is.

4 Seasons

Another Photoshop Creative project, this one being a tutorial. You start out with the picture of the Tree in the field and all else is done in PS. This took the better part of the night. Still fun though.

Photoshop Creative

Photoshop Creative is a great magazine for Photoshop users who want super tutorials, tips, ideas and tools. This magazine is published in England. I got it at Barnes and Noble.

They have a readers contest that provides six images which you can use anyway you want to create your own art work. Use one, two, all, any combo, and feel free to add your own to make something unique. The four images above are the ones I used to create the work below.

I don't think I'm done with this one, but you can never tell. I like it.

Keith Olbermann on Prop 8

Life after Death...

Do you want an exorcise that I found interesting and, admittedly, a little disconcerting? Here is the prelude to the exercise.

I am an atheist. If you ask me, I will tell you that I do not believe in a god. Any god. Your god. His god. Their god. None of them. In fact, I gave up the belief in gods before I gave up the belief in a continued existence beyond physical death. But that too, went away.

I don't believe that I (me, myself whatever that means) will continue beyond the point where my brain ceases to function. When your brain dies, you die. Period.

The reason for both of these decisions on my part to “not believe” is the same as my reason for not accepting the existence of alien visits from other planets. There is no evidence. None.

Now don't get me wrong. I would love to discover that some how, some way, there is an after life existence. I like the idea of sticking around this big ol' universe now that I'm here. Though I have to admit that the idea of an unending existence strikes me as unlikely and undesirable. I can truly get that after a few thousand years, things could get boring. Well maybe a few thousand thousand years.

I understand that there is no reason to believe that I existed prior to my birth in 1953. And I say prior to my birth because there is no reason to believe that there was any kind of identifiable “me” conciseness prior to my birth. While the brain has some pre-birth programming, there is no great awareness.

So when the time comes, there will be an end to this ride I'm on. However it happens, one day I will cease to be, just as I was before my birth. There will be no me. So this was the birth of this little exorcise.

One night I was thinking about all this, and I closed my eyes and put myself in that moment before death. (As best as I could being I haven't had to do that for real yet.) I put it in terms of an accident. Seeing that truck coming at me and then bam. Blackness. Only I would not be aware of the blackness. I wouldn't know that I was dead because there is no longer a me.

I would see that truck coming and then nothing. As there would no longer be a me, there would be no memory of the truck hitting me, or of the years before that moment. Just an end.

My honest reaction was one of being somewhat disturbed. I like existing. It's something of a comfortable rut that I've fallen into, and I'm in no rush to get off the ride. And frankly, it's hard to really put yourself into a place where you can even get a sense of what not existing would be like.

So I find it disturbing. Does this mean that I must now hope for something beyond this life? No.

Does my desire for continued existence warrant my believing in such because it is comforting? No.

Does it give any support to “Life after Death”? No.

It just means that I am human. This is my only guarantee of having a life, and I am not going to waste it going to church, believing in gods, or an “after life” or anything else that takes away from living in the now. Because then is done, and later only goes on so long.

Jay Spears: SMAK DEM CHRISTIANS DOWN

This is a fun video in a "not a Christian" kinda way. (NSFW)

Election Nov. 2008

It is now 12:20 AM and the United States has a new President elect. Barack Obama. I am thrilled that McCain lost, and also happy that there are only 3 months of Bush left.

That the Dems won most of the House seats as well, makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. The Republicans blew it, and this election tells you that.

So far Prop 4 - the Abortion Limits measure is loosing 53% No vs 47% Yes. It has been 36 years since Roe v. Wade, and there is a lesson to learn here. Yes, a court decision brought about the legalization of abortion, just as court decisions have brought about many other changes, but after 36 years abortions are still legal.

Through the Regan and Bush 1 years, and through the Bush 2 years, the Republicans have had ample opportunities to mount serious challenges to abortion rights, but have only been able to whittle away at them. Abortion rights are here to stay. It's been three decades, let's find something else to do with all that wasted time.

Prop 8 is, at this time, passing 52% Yes vs 48% No. This is the measure that is stripping married Californians of their right to be married. But only some Californians. Just those who are gay and lesbian. That's right. Californians are voting to deny gays and lesbians the right to stay married. And this is something that is going to come back to haunt us. After all, if we were to change the target of this outlandish attack from gay and lesbian couples and make it mixed race couples, or anyone who didn't have plans to procreate, there would be quite a blow back over it. This is bigotry plan and simple. It is ugly. And I am sorry to say I know people who will likely have voted to deny equal rights to fellow Californians just because their biology is different.

Hateful and sad.

I am willing to bet that Obama is a man of his word, and will work to reach across party lines. I wonder if the right wing of the Republican party will have the balls to do the same thing.