First of all, I just want to let the reader know that this article was not written by me. It was written by a man named Seth Andrews, who is the head of a on-line atheist movement called; "The Thinking Atheist", and has brilliantly described how to respond to the wailing and caterwauling Christians who cry out; "Can't you people just leave us alone?"
Without further delay; the ass-whipping that so many Christians deserve!
The protests come every day from the religious, and they go something like this:
* "Why spend your time disproving God?"
* "Why not just let people believe what they want to believe?"
* "Why can't you leave religion alone?"
As one YouTube commenter said recently, "No one can explain to me why it is so important to convince theists to abandon their beliefs."
The answer is simple. Pages like this one exist because religion exists.
Religion permeates our culture, shows up on our doorsteps with literature, scriptures and threats of eternal damnation, influences our science books, contaminates our political systems, indoctrinates our children and postulates that its doctrine must be followed, lest we be destroyed in body, in soul, or both.
Non-believers are simply responding to the avalanche of religious messages that bears down upon us daily.
Religion gets carte blanche to be as vocal as it wants, to knock on our doors and accost us in our homes, in our places of work, in our personal and professional lives. Believers are charged with a life mission to preach, teach, disciple, shout it from the mountaintops and to "go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Religion...is everywhere.
Ask yourself. When's the last time an atheist rang your doorbell with the Good News of Humanism? How often do you find Richard Dawkins books in the dresser drawers of your hotel rooms? When was the last atheist temple erected in your neighborhood? Have you ever attended an atheist revival? Has atheism demanded 10% of your household income? How many dedicated atheist television channels come through your satellite dish? How many atheist verses were you instructed to memorize as a child? When's the last time someone thanked a FARMER (or even the cook) at the dinner table instead of God?
On a more radical front, what's the name of the last atheist who sawed the head off of an "infidel?" Or sentenced a shrouded woman to death for displeasing an oppressive husband? Or strapped explosives to his belt in order to kill hundreds in a public square? Or publicly hung a gay person for his lifestyle?
It's everywhere. Religion is a pounding drum that has gone mostly unanswered for a long, long time. And religion is not satisfied with merely existing quietly in the homes and hearts of the faithful. Its very nature compels the believer to proselytize, preach, promote, convince, convert and prevail. If you play on the team of the religious, your game plan is to stay, always, on offense.
Throughout our history, those who raise a simple hand of protest against these advances have been portrayed as the real problem. Religion has attempted to marginalize and defeat legitimate questions and concerns by indignantly portraying any resistors as misguided, immoral, rudderless, angry, miserable, lost and alone.
And when skepticism challenges wildly improbable (or impossible) stories found in the bible, the Qur'an and other holy books, the religious wail, "Why can't you just leave us alone?"
The irony is thick.
And religion impedes curiosity and inhibits learning, as the much-maligned Creation Museum proves. It stymies critical thinking. It stretches us to believe the unbelievable. And it poisons the foundational teachings we are using to train up the generations of tomorrow.
Pages like mine exist as a response... a counter-argument to ensure that the cacophony of superstition does not go unchallenged. And if your belief system is so undeniable, so factual, so provable, so real and so true, certainly it can withstand the opposing viewpoints presented here and elsewhere. Certainly, it can survive the acid tests.
Just remember. Religion began the argument. It amplifies itself before the world. And it threatens all mankind with punishment upon its rejection.
We are atheists. We are moral. We are reasonable. We are thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate, happy, fulfilled and well-informed.
And as long as religion insists on fixing human beings who are not broken, we will respond with the evidence that we are not the problem.
-Seth
Monday, September 10, 2012
Slavery... It's Great! Biblical Scripture
I seen these on a popular atheist website called Atheist Nexus. The blog address is: http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/demoralizing-bible-quotes-that-most-christians-are-surprised-to. I felt that these are very influential and persuasive points to be made to propbably 90% of the Christian insurgents. When revealing these elusive and very stinging biblical scriptures to the believer, be prepared for very evasive conversation, escaleted anger and either a comment about you just have to have faith or a self-pity cry of why can't you just leave christians alone.
Seth Andrews of The Thinking Atheist web-site; http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/, talks about the Christian soldiers playing the victim cards. Podcast dated 9/8/2012, titled "Friday Night Free-For-All." Seth, gives good reasons why atheist should not be silent or stop fighting the religious propoganda being broadcast to every crevice of our society!
Anyway, here we go with the so-called, "Sacred Bilblical Scriptures."
Ephesians 6:5-8
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
So, with this scripture God promotes slavery and demands respect and fear from these slaves. And, these slaves should obey their masters as they would Christ; and with sincerity. Most Christians like to believe that they are the main reason slavery was abolished! With that in mind; wouldn't any Christian who does not support slavery today, be going against God's wishes?
And, if you are not so fortunate to be a master and are a slave. If you don't respect, fear and obey with a sincere heart your owner; you too are defying God's wishes!
This scripture violates the morals and values of human rights at a level so evil and disgraceful; that any human being should be completely distraught and conscience-stricken with shame!
6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
Here you are not only a slave to your master but, also to Christ. Doing God's will from your heart! God's will! This is his desire. God is not happy with enslaving people but, wants you to be obedient and happy about it.
So, for some of his children that are created in his image; he wants to treat you like a... SLAVE! Lots of love from your daddy! Wants to value your life as a submissive, despicable dog. And, the master will be considered a good Christian for owning you and most likely your family. And, can enter the kingdom of heaven. Oh, yeah! And, you can to if you do as your told and love your master and God for what they are doing to you as a slave! Wow! That really sounds justifiable.
7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,
This scripture is nothing more than to re-illustrate and drive home how much you should love your masters and how important it is to the Lord! He must have really meant it then!
8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
There you go! There it is folks. The promise that you will be rewarded for owning slaves or being a slave. Oh! I get it now. So, you can be a slave to your master in heaven too! You wouldn't expect your owner to strap his own sandals on would you?
The idea of owning another person was approved by God and, it was demanded that the slaves be up beat about it. Thank your master for allowing you to serve and slave for him! And, be sincere and love your master as if he was God.
To the Christians, you love, cherish and believe in a God who promotes and prefers this of his followers. You Christians fight, kill, torture, mame, rape and discriminate against every human being on earth. Past, present and future! Why? For what? Nothing! You can't prove there is a heaven or a hell. You can't prove that there is a "afterlife!" Is it out of fear? Self-preservation?
Deep down that is exactly why you believe in a invisible sky-daddy. Your afraid of death and of going to a lake of fire for all eternity! You will commit all of these atrocities mentioned in this book; in hopes of going to a heaven. To please your God, who promotes these types of things. Don't deny it or stand there and lie! Don't try and explain these horrific crimes against humanity away! Own up to it. Your God is a mad, evil, sadistic and horrible excuse for anything!
So...remember the next time you are talking with a stranger or co-worker and you let them know you are a Christian. Let them also know, what you represent and what your God and you believe is righteous, ethical, saintly and godlike! Hmmm!
I bet you wont!
Seth Andrews of The Thinking Atheist web-site; http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/, talks about the Christian soldiers playing the victim cards. Podcast dated 9/8/2012, titled "Friday Night Free-For-All." Seth, gives good reasons why atheist should not be silent or stop fighting the religious propoganda being broadcast to every crevice of our society!
Anyway, here we go with the so-called, "Sacred Bilblical Scriptures."
Ephesians 6:5-8
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
So, with this scripture God promotes slavery and demands respect and fear from these slaves. And, these slaves should obey their masters as they would Christ; and with sincerity. Most Christians like to believe that they are the main reason slavery was abolished! With that in mind; wouldn't any Christian who does not support slavery today, be going against God's wishes?
And, if you are not so fortunate to be a master and are a slave. If you don't respect, fear and obey with a sincere heart your owner; you too are defying God's wishes!
This scripture violates the morals and values of human rights at a level so evil and disgraceful; that any human being should be completely distraught and conscience-stricken with shame!
6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
Here you are not only a slave to your master but, also to Christ. Doing God's will from your heart! God's will! This is his desire. God is not happy with enslaving people but, wants you to be obedient and happy about it.
So, for some of his children that are created in his image; he wants to treat you like a... SLAVE! Lots of love from your daddy! Wants to value your life as a submissive, despicable dog. And, the master will be considered a good Christian for owning you and most likely your family. And, can enter the kingdom of heaven. Oh, yeah! And, you can to if you do as your told and love your master and God for what they are doing to you as a slave! Wow! That really sounds justifiable.
7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,
This scripture is nothing more than to re-illustrate and drive home how much you should love your masters and how important it is to the Lord! He must have really meant it then!
8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
There you go! There it is folks. The promise that you will be rewarded for owning slaves or being a slave. Oh! I get it now. So, you can be a slave to your master in heaven too! You wouldn't expect your owner to strap his own sandals on would you?
The idea of owning another person was approved by God and, it was demanded that the slaves be up beat about it. Thank your master for allowing you to serve and slave for him! And, be sincere and love your master as if he was God.
To the Christians, you love, cherish and believe in a God who promotes and prefers this of his followers. You Christians fight, kill, torture, mame, rape and discriminate against every human being on earth. Past, present and future! Why? For what? Nothing! You can't prove there is a heaven or a hell. You can't prove that there is a "afterlife!" Is it out of fear? Self-preservation?
Deep down that is exactly why you believe in a invisible sky-daddy. Your afraid of death and of going to a lake of fire for all eternity! You will commit all of these atrocities mentioned in this book; in hopes of going to a heaven. To please your God, who promotes these types of things. Don't deny it or stand there and lie! Don't try and explain these horrific crimes against humanity away! Own up to it. Your God is a mad, evil, sadistic and horrible excuse for anything!
So...remember the next time you are talking with a stranger or co-worker and you let them know you are a Christian. Let them also know, what you represent and what your God and you believe is righteous, ethical, saintly and godlike! Hmmm!
I bet you wont!
Friday, August 3, 2012
What is Atheism?
What is atheism? I do wish that I would have written this article first when creating this blog. But, better late than never as the old saying goes.
Despite what christians and many others might believe, there are many misinterpretations and delusions of what the term "atheist" actually means.
The idea that atheist claim to know there is no god is a wide-spread myth, and atheism is by no means an extreme or militant position. Since these are common labels of the religious and of the media, I am writing this article to clarify and educate the very ones who claim to know the absolute.
Atheism means:
A = Without
Theism = Belief in any gods
Atheism means we don't believe in any gods. "Believe" being the key word here, which is a very different thing than to claim to "know", which is a statement of certainty. Which most christians claim to know with this same certainty; that a god does exist!
Atheism is not a claim of knowledge, but rather a response to theism, which is a societal norm in many countries. In Europe, the majority of the population is comprised of nonbelievers. The term atheist is rarely used as the societal norm is to have no belief in any gods. A person takes for granted that the person they are dealing with has no beliefs in any gods, because it's normal; only believers identify themselves according to their specific faith if and when the topic arises.
If tomorrow the sky opened and a giant head popped through the hole, and everyone else could see it too (so I knew I wasn't just losing my mind), and the being performed acts of the supernatural that ran contrary to the formulas used to predict physics (in other words, the laws of physics), and displayed other attributes of a deity (as opposed to another life form) then I would believe in the existence of at least one god. Though I obviously cannot speak for all atheists, I believe it's safe to say that they would also believe there is at least one god.
Atheism is not the rejection of gods nor the rejection of belief in any gods. It is not a form of rebellion. Atheists do not believe in gods in the same way that most people do not believe fairies.
The fact I do not believe in the existence of leprechauns, even though I cannot prove such creatures do not exist anywhere on the planet, does not make me an extremist. Some might even argue that disbelief in leprechauns is the stance of any rational, sane individual. There is zero empirical evidence for leprechauns, nor is there so much as a shred of empirical evidence for any of the thousands of gods humans have created.
In my years as an atheist, most people I've met who describe themselves as agnostic are those who have lost their belief in any gods, but who are also not mentally prepared to get off the religious fence. Threats of hell, for example, can be a powerful psychological terrorist tactic, and it can take quite awhile to overcome the fear that has been ingrained in you since childhood.
Others who identify as agnostics have, in my experience, generally misunderstood the meaning of atheism, that it is not a claim of certainty, and feel atheism is an extreme stance. And some have not realized that the fact one cannot disprove the existence of gods does not also mean the chances of them existing are 50/50. They wouldn't consider not believing in fairies an extreme position although fairies also cannot be disproved, nor do they feel the chances of fairies existing are 50/50. Yet for some reason they apply a different standard when it comes to gods.
There are those who take the view that anyone who calls themselves an agnostic is actually an atheist who is too cowardly to get off the religious fence. I personally think the term helps many people with the mental transition from believer to nonbeliever. Becoming an atheist means changing your entire worldview. It's an adjustment, and not always an easy one.
If you believe in gods, you're a theist. If you do not believe in gods, you're an atheist. If you claim with certainty to have knowledge (not belief, knowledge) either way, you need to check your arguments and beliefs for logical fallacies and/or talk to a doctor to ensure you're not hallucinating due to a short-circuit in your brain or a mental illness.
Finally, the term atheism means only that one does not believe in any gods. It's not veganism, or liberalism, feminism, Communism or even skepticism. Being an atheist has nothing to do with evolution and vice versa, nor does it mean someone is strictly rational and does not engage in magical thinking.
There are people who reject evolution, for example, and yet do not believe in any gods. They're called "Räeliens" and they are technically atheists because they don't believe in any gods, but they don't accept evolution either. To my knowledge, I have yet to meet any Räeliens. They apparently don't tend frequent atheist pages because they still have a belief system, though it doesn't involve any supernatural gods.
Räeliens believe we were planted here by little green creatures in UFOs instead of a poof of magic from an invisible sky daddy, and Räeliens generally reject "Darwinism" as vehemently as Christian fundies do.
The term atheist also does not mean someone rejects the supernatural, and there are religions that are technically atheist, as well. Most Buddhists do not worship Buddha, for example, which makes them atheists.
All the term atheist means is that someone has no belief in gods. It says absolutely nothing about what someone does believe.
Despite what christians and many others might believe, there are many misinterpretations and delusions of what the term "atheist" actually means.
The idea that atheist claim to know there is no god is a wide-spread myth, and atheism is by no means an extreme or militant position. Since these are common labels of the religious and of the media, I am writing this article to clarify and educate the very ones who claim to know the absolute.
Atheism means:
A = Without
Theism = Belief in any gods
Atheism means we don't believe in any gods. "Believe" being the key word here, which is a very different thing than to claim to "know", which is a statement of certainty. Which most christians claim to know with this same certainty; that a god does exist!
Atheism is not a claim of knowledge, but rather a response to theism, which is a societal norm in many countries. In Europe, the majority of the population is comprised of nonbelievers. The term atheist is rarely used as the societal norm is to have no belief in any gods. A person takes for granted that the person they are dealing with has no beliefs in any gods, because it's normal; only believers identify themselves according to their specific faith if and when the topic arises.
If tomorrow the sky opened and a giant head popped through the hole, and everyone else could see it too (so I knew I wasn't just losing my mind), and the being performed acts of the supernatural that ran contrary to the formulas used to predict physics (in other words, the laws of physics), and displayed other attributes of a deity (as opposed to another life form) then I would believe in the existence of at least one god. Though I obviously cannot speak for all atheists, I believe it's safe to say that they would also believe there is at least one god.
Atheism is not the rejection of gods nor the rejection of belief in any gods. It is not a form of rebellion. Atheists do not believe in gods in the same way that most people do not believe fairies.
The fact I do not believe in the existence of leprechauns, even though I cannot prove such creatures do not exist anywhere on the planet, does not make me an extremist. Some might even argue that disbelief in leprechauns is the stance of any rational, sane individual. There is zero empirical evidence for leprechauns, nor is there so much as a shred of empirical evidence for any of the thousands of gods humans have created.
In my years as an atheist, most people I've met who describe themselves as agnostic are those who have lost their belief in any gods, but who are also not mentally prepared to get off the religious fence. Threats of hell, for example, can be a powerful psychological terrorist tactic, and it can take quite awhile to overcome the fear that has been ingrained in you since childhood.
Others who identify as agnostics have, in my experience, generally misunderstood the meaning of atheism, that it is not a claim of certainty, and feel atheism is an extreme stance. And some have not realized that the fact one cannot disprove the existence of gods does not also mean the chances of them existing are 50/50. They wouldn't consider not believing in fairies an extreme position although fairies also cannot be disproved, nor do they feel the chances of fairies existing are 50/50. Yet for some reason they apply a different standard when it comes to gods.
There are those who take the view that anyone who calls themselves an agnostic is actually an atheist who is too cowardly to get off the religious fence. I personally think the term helps many people with the mental transition from believer to nonbeliever. Becoming an atheist means changing your entire worldview. It's an adjustment, and not always an easy one.
If you believe in gods, you're a theist. If you do not believe in gods, you're an atheist. If you claim with certainty to have knowledge (not belief, knowledge) either way, you need to check your arguments and beliefs for logical fallacies and/or talk to a doctor to ensure you're not hallucinating due to a short-circuit in your brain or a mental illness.
Finally, the term atheism means only that one does not believe in any gods. It's not veganism, or liberalism, feminism, Communism or even skepticism. Being an atheist has nothing to do with evolution and vice versa, nor does it mean someone is strictly rational and does not engage in magical thinking.
There are people who reject evolution, for example, and yet do not believe in any gods. They're called "Räeliens" and they are technically atheists because they don't believe in any gods, but they don't accept evolution either. To my knowledge, I have yet to meet any Räeliens. They apparently don't tend frequent atheist pages because they still have a belief system, though it doesn't involve any supernatural gods.
Räeliens believe we were planted here by little green creatures in UFOs instead of a poof of magic from an invisible sky daddy, and Räeliens generally reject "Darwinism" as vehemently as Christian fundies do.
The term atheist also does not mean someone rejects the supernatural, and there are religions that are technically atheist, as well. Most Buddhists do not worship Buddha, for example, which makes them atheists.
All the term atheist means is that someone has no belief in gods. It says absolutely nothing about what someone does believe.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Christian Crime Wave
What kind of response would a Christian give to one of the victims of these crimes? Not, just crimes in the judicial sense but, crimes against humanity, children, elderly, female and male! What would you have to offer that would be sympathetic or comforting to these victims? God!!!
God and religion is exactly what has made you believe that these people are Christians. Other Christians have made you believe that these people were of good christian morals! If the numbers are correct from reports; 70-80% of all Americans claim to be Christians and are the majority of this country then, it would only seem natural to conclude that 70-80% of crimes committed in our nation would be by Christians. Or, at least claim to be of the Christian faith or belief.
Alabama Baptist Pastor Mark Allen Green, 41, arrested, for sexual abuse of a child, turns out to be a "career criminal". abpnews.com "An Alabama Baptist church fired its new pastor after his recent arrest on sexual abuse charges in Texas, but it isn’t the pastor’s first time in jail." blog.al.com Apparently it's TWO charges, and "church members began arguing and shouting after the news of Green's arrest".
*
California Christian Methodist Episcopal Minister "The Rev. Joseph C. Gardner Sr., 59", was arrested, " is scheduled to appear in court next month for a pre-trial hearing on charges that he committed two felonies and one misdemeanor when he threatened to shoot a man for parking in front of his house". Well, at least is wasn't a sex crime. Wavenewspapers.com.
*
Greenville South Carolina Pastor Michael Wolfe of Advent United Methodist Church was arrested when he tried to solicit a prostitute. The prostitute was an undercover deputy. Oops. I can only assume the fake prostitue / deputy was female, otherwise it would be a bigger scandal. wspa.com
*
In Virginia, 92-year-old is Lutheran Pastor and religion professor, Guy Ritter, was arrested after being accused of molesting two boys while he was a Reverend at Glade Creek Lutheran Church in Botetourt County. He was also a religion professor at Roanoke College. Apparently the crimes that he was accused of occurred in the 1970s. Is there a statue of limitations? wdbj7.com
*
David Rice, 55, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Anniston, Alabama, was arrested and charged with domestic violence for stabbing his brother in the arm and chest." Note there is no mention of the story of Cain and Abel. Foxnews.com According to the minister's wife, his brother/victim is mentally ill and has frequent panic attacks.
*
"the Rev. Reginald Taylor, 46" of the Second Baptist Church on Decatur Street, in Sandusky Tennessee, was arrested and charged with domestic violence after attacking his wife.
*
Kissimmee Florida Pastor Angel Perez was arrested for engaging in sexual acts with a 16 year old boy. He Peres is or was pastor at Templo Pentecostal Puerto De Salvation. He reportedly engaged in a sex act with the boy while the boy was sleeping. Perez states the devil made him do it (literally, read the report). snapnetwork.org.
also Orlandosentinel.com
*
Marshfield Missouri "lay" pastor Phillip Kittrell, 76, was charged with felony sexual misconduct in the first degree after groping the genitals of an 18 year old employee at a Walmart, and making sexual comments. lebanondailyrecord.com This was Kittrell's second time, having been convicted of a similar crime in the past. crimein.com I could not find what denomination or church where Kittrell is a lay pastor, but one report did state his walmart incident was caught on security camera.
*
Multiple-talented South Carolina state representative, Ted Vick, who includes pastor ion his resume, was "arrested for driving under the influence and unlawfully possessing a firearm, with a female college student who is not (his) wife in the car." Don't get riled up, he's a Democrat. dailycaller.com I kind of like how Vick was described as "Vick is an open supporter of the U.S. capitalist system". This was not from "The Onion". I could not find what denomination he claims.
*
Colorado priest, Father Charles Robert Manning, was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. Well, I had to include at least one child molesting Catholic priest. gazette.com
*
Rock Hill, South Carolina pastor "The Rev. Kevin Graham McCurry," pastor of Faith, Hope and Love Ministries, was arrested for domestic violence, after threatening to kill his wife and throw her body into the river. (Such detail). heraldonline.com
*
Colorado Baptist youth minister John H. Brothers Jr., 42, was arrested on "27 charges in connection with the sexual abuse of a child." courierpress.com
*
Ohio Reverend Dr. Mark Griggs, 50, pastor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church of Berea, was sentenced for child porn charges - hundreds of videos and images that had been downloaded to his computer" fox8.com
*
Lafayette, Indiana Pastor Robert Lyzenga, 55, faces felony charges of voyeurism in connection with the cameras found at Lafayette’s Sunrise Christian Reformed Church. "a woman found the first camera inside what appeared to be an air freshener when it fell off a stall door." pal-item.com also reuters.com This story is an internet favorite, having been repeated across many news outlets. Apparently, a minister who installs cameras in lady's toilet stalls is especially interesting.
*
North Carolina pastor for the House of Mercy, former pastor of the Christ’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Larry Michael Bollinger, 66 stands accused of sexual abuse of minors while on mission in Haiti. shelbystar.com
*
Alabama pastor Clyde David Myers, 66, who was the minister at Prattville Community Church, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child pornography charges. necm.com
*
These reports are endless. I'll stop here. These are alerts I've collected, starting with today and going back about 3 weeks. I've stuck to American reports. Just for fun, here is one from South Africa.
*
Pretoria minister arrested for stealing erection medicine. The Dutch Reformed minister is not named. zimdiaspora.com
God and religion is exactly what has made you believe that these people are Christians. Other Christians have made you believe that these people were of good christian morals! If the numbers are correct from reports; 70-80% of all Americans claim to be Christians and are the majority of this country then, it would only seem natural to conclude that 70-80% of crimes committed in our nation would be by Christians. Or, at least claim to be of the Christian faith or belief.
Alabama Baptist Pastor Mark Allen Green, 41, arrested, for sexual abuse of a child, turns out to be a "career criminal". abpnews.com "An Alabama Baptist church fired its new pastor after his recent arrest on sexual abuse charges in Texas, but it isn’t the pastor’s first time in jail." blog.al.com Apparently it's TWO charges, and "church members began arguing and shouting after the news of Green's arrest".
*
California Christian Methodist Episcopal Minister "The Rev. Joseph C. Gardner Sr., 59", was arrested, " is scheduled to appear in court next month for a pre-trial hearing on charges that he committed two felonies and one misdemeanor when he threatened to shoot a man for parking in front of his house". Well, at least is wasn't a sex crime. Wavenewspapers.com.
*
Greenville South Carolina Pastor Michael Wolfe of Advent United Methodist Church was arrested when he tried to solicit a prostitute. The prostitute was an undercover deputy. Oops. I can only assume the fake prostitue / deputy was female, otherwise it would be a bigger scandal. wspa.com
*
In Virginia, 92-year-old is Lutheran Pastor and religion professor, Guy Ritter, was arrested after being accused of molesting two boys while he was a Reverend at Glade Creek Lutheran Church in Botetourt County. He was also a religion professor at Roanoke College. Apparently the crimes that he was accused of occurred in the 1970s. Is there a statue of limitations? wdbj7.com
*
David Rice, 55, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Anniston, Alabama, was arrested and charged with domestic violence for stabbing his brother in the arm and chest." Note there is no mention of the story of Cain and Abel. Foxnews.com According to the minister's wife, his brother/victim is mentally ill and has frequent panic attacks.
*
"the Rev. Reginald Taylor, 46" of the Second Baptist Church on Decatur Street, in Sandusky Tennessee, was arrested and charged with domestic violence after attacking his wife.
*
Kissimmee Florida Pastor Angel Perez was arrested for engaging in sexual acts with a 16 year old boy. He Peres is or was pastor at Templo Pentecostal Puerto De Salvation. He reportedly engaged in a sex act with the boy while the boy was sleeping. Perez states the devil made him do it (literally, read the report). snapnetwork.org.
also Orlandosentinel.com
*
Marshfield Missouri "lay" pastor Phillip Kittrell, 76, was charged with felony sexual misconduct in the first degree after groping the genitals of an 18 year old employee at a Walmart, and making sexual comments. lebanondailyrecord.com This was Kittrell's second time, having been convicted of a similar crime in the past. crimein.com I could not find what denomination or church where Kittrell is a lay pastor, but one report did state his walmart incident was caught on security camera.
*
Multiple-talented South Carolina state representative, Ted Vick, who includes pastor ion his resume, was "arrested for driving under the influence and unlawfully possessing a firearm, with a female college student who is not (his) wife in the car." Don't get riled up, he's a Democrat. dailycaller.com I kind of like how Vick was described as "Vick is an open supporter of the U.S. capitalist system". This was not from "The Onion". I could not find what denomination he claims.
*
Colorado priest, Father Charles Robert Manning, was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. Well, I had to include at least one child molesting Catholic priest. gazette.com
*
Rock Hill, South Carolina pastor "The Rev. Kevin Graham McCurry," pastor of Faith, Hope and Love Ministries, was arrested for domestic violence, after threatening to kill his wife and throw her body into the river. (Such detail). heraldonline.com
*
Colorado Baptist youth minister John H. Brothers Jr., 42, was arrested on "27 charges in connection with the sexual abuse of a child." courierpress.com
*
Ohio Reverend Dr. Mark Griggs, 50, pastor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church of Berea, was sentenced for child porn charges - hundreds of videos and images that had been downloaded to his computer" fox8.com
*
Lafayette, Indiana Pastor Robert Lyzenga, 55, faces felony charges of voyeurism in connection with the cameras found at Lafayette’s Sunrise Christian Reformed Church. "a woman found the first camera inside what appeared to be an air freshener when it fell off a stall door." pal-item.com also reuters.com This story is an internet favorite, having been repeated across many news outlets. Apparently, a minister who installs cameras in lady's toilet stalls is especially interesting.
*
North Carolina pastor for the House of Mercy, former pastor of the Christ’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Larry Michael Bollinger, 66 stands accused of sexual abuse of minors while on mission in Haiti. shelbystar.com
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Alabama pastor Clyde David Myers, 66, who was the minister at Prattville Community Church, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child pornography charges. necm.com
*
These reports are endless. I'll stop here. These are alerts I've collected, starting with today and going back about 3 weeks. I've stuck to American reports. Just for fun, here is one from South Africa.
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Pretoria minister arrested for stealing erection medicine. The Dutch Reformed minister is not named. zimdiaspora.com
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Dear Reality,
I found this
posted on Facebook the other day to one of my friends. My friend has been going through some rather
difficult times lately. Ranging from his
adult son recently breaking his leg to a low life piece of crap taking advantage
of him and his family---after they took this person in off the streets to make
sure he finished high school!
Because of my closeness to this man
and his family, I have chosen to express my feelings here; than to reply on his
Facebook. And, because of the nature of
being an anti-theist (non-believer of a god), I’m sure most will
understand why; I made this choice.
Every time, I see one of these kinds of post on a social
web-site I want to vomit! How can people
really think or believe that there is somebody in the sky just waiting for you
to ask him for help or to unload your troubles on him. Especially, since there are far more
important, bigger issues in this world that need’s tending to.
With
such things like; poverty, starvation and slavery still actively killing and
destroying families! Not…help me find my
keys or help me fix my marriage! Things
like…sexual abuse protection of our children (punishing anyone who is convicted
of this; clergy included) and women’s rights to seek preventive health care
without being discriminated against by anyone!
Not…please let me get to work on time or I hope my church will raise
enough money for whatever needs to be done this month.
Folks, this is not about harming or
hurting anyone that claims to be a Christian or religious. There are millions of religious Christian
people in this world that are very good people!
They are just delusional and illusionary about a great deal of the
problems in this world. It’s almost as
if people are lazy about trying to solve their problems. And, rest assured; some Christian will come
along and want to tell you that they will “pray for you” or “just put it in
god’s hands!” Really! That’s it!
The problem is gone and I no longer have to deal or face it? Ask yourselves this; “Has anything really
ever gotten better for you because of a prayer?”
And, if you think it has then I would ask you this; “Are you sure there
is not a logical reason for what made you better?
The doctors, medicine or procedure didn’t make you better? You received a check in the mail from your old
landlord who owed you a deposit! And,
you prayed for financial help and here it came!
Was that god answering a prayer or the landlord sending it and the
postal employee delivering it?
The
last two lines are what particularly stand out to me. “But I
trust you. I know you will give me
what’s best.” First, why would you
ever trust anyone you have never met?
Especially, with the overwhelming lack of evidence that this
supernatural being ever existed! What if
Charles Manson was proven to be the “messiah” of Christianity? What now?
Are you going to trust him? Of
course not; society has proven beyond any doubt; that this man is
dangerous. But, with evidence!
Here
are some examples of god giving the human species and all living creatures,
what’s best for them!
Genesis
GENESIS 34:13 Shechem had
premarital sex with Jacob’s daughter Dinah, which angered Jacob’s sons. Shechem
and his father, Hamor, agreed to circumcision for the men in the city in order
for Shechem to marry Dinah and make Jacob’s other daughters eligible for the
men of the city. Three days later, while the men were still enduring the pain
of circumcision, Jacob’s sons attacked the unsuspecting city, killing Shechem
and Hamor with swords, looting the city, seizing the flocks, herds, possessions
and wealth, plundering the houses and carrying off their women and children.
GENESIS 6 & 7 Unhappy with the wickedness of man, God killed every living thing on the
planet except Noah’s family. Men, women, infants and animals drowned in
unimaginable terror and agony.
GENESIS 19:6- In Sodom,
Lot’s home was assaulted by a homosexual mob seeking to have relations with two
angels. Lot volunteered his virgin daughters to the crowd, saying "you can
do what you like with them" as long as the guests are left alone. After
offering his children to be raped, Lot was then appointed by God as worthy of
rescue from Sodom’s destruction.
GENESIS 19:26: God, still
unfazed by the proposed rape of Lot’s virgin daughters, turned Lot’s wife into
a pillar of salt for the heinous crime of looking over her shoulder.
GENESIS 38: 8-10 – Onan
was instructed by Judah to lay with his brother’s wife to produce offspring for
his brother (who was put to death by God for wickedness). Onan slept with his
brother’s wife but "spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing
offspring for his brother" (NIV). God found this wicked, so God killed
him.
EXODUS 2:12 Moses saw
an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew. He looked around, saw no witnesses, killed the
Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
EXODUS 7:2-4 God
hardened Pharaoh’s heart and planned his "mighty acts of judgment.
EXODUS 7:20-21 God turned
the Nile river to blood. The fish died, and the water was undrinkable.
EXODUS 8: 6-7 God sent a
plague of frogs which covered the land.
EXODUS 8:16 God sent a
plague of gnats.
EXODUS 8:24 God sent a
swarm of flies.
EXODUS 9:5 God killed all of
the Egyptian livestock with a plague.
EXODUS 9:10 God sent a
plague of festering boils on the people and animals.
EXODUS 9:22-25 God sent a
hail storm to Egypt, striking man and animal, stripping the land.
EXODUS 12: 29 God killed
the first-born in every Egyptian home that wasn’t marked with lamb’s blood.
EXODUS 17:13 Moses held
out the staff of God, allowing Joshua to kill the Amalekites.
EXODUS 21:20-21 According
to God’s law, it was wrong to beat a slave to the point of death. But if the
slave survived and got back up within a few days, the beating wasn’t
punishable, because the slave was the property of the master. (God endorsed
slavery and the beating of slaves.)
EXODUS 32:27 After
seeing the golden calf, God commanded the Levites, "Each man strap a sword
to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each
killing his brother and friend and neighbor." 3,000 were slaughtered, and
God was pleased.
LEVITICUS 26:7-8 God rewarded obedience with assurances that enemies would all die by the
sword.
LEVITICUS 26:22 God warned
that, if the people didn’t listen to Him, he would send wild animals to rob
parents of their children, destroy cattle and leave the roads deserted.
LEVITICUS 26:27-29 God threatened hostility, punishing people for their sins "seven
times over," making them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters.
This is
just three books from the bible folks!
The list can go on and on.
I have
three grown children and two grand-children; and I could not even imagine for
just the slightest Mila-second of ever doing just the least of these atrocities
mentioned above to them! Furthermore, I
could not imagine doing these things to another fellow human being or animal!
Why? Please tell me why? You should put your trust into anything or
anyone who has done these horrible things to humanity? Why?
Please tell me why? You should trust
this thing…this deity who will kill you and your entire family if you don’t
obey or be a servant?
I’ve got
good news people! God didn’t do any of
those things! Because, he, it or
whatever you call it; never existed! The
bible is nothing more than a book full of myths and half-truths! There are some hints of truth in the bible;
just as there are in most myths and fairytales!
Why is it that we as humans, think
that we are the center of this universe?
We think that we are the reason that this whole cosmos is here. Science has proven that the earth has been in
existence for billions of years! And, we
the human species have only been on earth for around 3,500 years. I think that it is hard for our minds to
comprehend that if we were to cease to exist as a species; that the earth, the
universe and the cosmos would continue to exist! That everything would continue without us…and
frankly would care less if we were here or not!
We feel that we are the center of the grand scale of all things!
I think the following video would better explain this
point!
Rely
on reason and your fellow man, friends, family to help you in your time of
need. Depend on a friend to help you
with some advice on a situation. Real
people with real problems in a real world need…Reality!
“Is religion the minds defense mechanism to reality? Is reality so overwhelming that the mind
creates illusions as a coping mechanism for shear reality? Religion is the minds defense mechanism to
reality---until the mind discovers illusions are the defense mechanism of
religion against reality.” ---Jeff Dempsey
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