Christmas is coming

I’ve never been so gay about Christmas. In my city, Christmas is milked to the hilt for commercial purposes. Every shopping mall is already decorated and playing Christmas carols. It’s only November! How is it like for you folks in other countries? The same?

My first 2 years as an atheist, Christmas was a gloomy affair as it brought to mind the fellowship I’d left behind, but I’m mostly got over it now. Wow, it’s like getting over a lost love. Nowadays, I’m just looking forward to the gaiety. Atheists should be happy as Christmas just means thoughts about Santa, reindeer, and Christmas stories. And things to buy. Christians have all the reason to be gloomy as it’s a pagan festival, and they have to think about the materialism of it all, and that millions will go to hell despite celebrating Christmas, for many of them are not really saved. That was the way I used to think as a Christian.

 

I like the idea of dinosaurs

Don’t you? That such giants once walked the earth.

Paleontologists like Jack Horner are really inspiring. That we can extract DNA from old dino bones buried in the ground. That one day we can bring a real-life dinosaur back to life, by complementing dug-up DNA with chicken DNA.

Also learned that the way to tell a dino bone from rock is to lick it.

And that birds used to be dinosaurs. So dinosaurs never really went extinct. They’re still with us today, flying over our heads.

 

Apologetics

Some Christian online preachers read tonnes of Christian apologetic books, and then try to use them on ‘unsuspecting atheists’.

Some atheists probably do this too, myself included. We just read atheist books and try to pass on some of the phrases we’ve learnt.

In most cases, it’s better to think through things on our own, and also to discuss our own thoughts rather than parroting phrases. It would be better for the discussion if we need not hide behind the facade of being a learned person.

For all purposes, I admit that I’m a rather ignorant man in most areas.

And please remember I’m not here to convert you, I would have no problems with Christians never commenting on my blog at all. I think you guys are just attracted here because I hit so many of your raw nerves, or your so-called evangelistic zeal.

Be assured it’s purely unintentional and coincidental. I’m more interested in chronicling my own thoughts and having fellowship with fellow non-believers.

 

Religion – why people hate themselves

Animals don’t hate themselves; they don’t commit suicide.

Humans do.

Could it be something to do with religion? Especially the Christian one?

Christianity imputes sin on everyone – from the day he was born! That’s pretty self-incriminating. In Sunday School, I was taught at a tender age that a baby sins from its first breath because it cries. (Creating trouble for its mother?)

This is bloody self-abusive. If crying at birth is a sin, then pretty much everything else is. Think about it. A baby cries because it has needs. The most basic needs for survival. To say that it is sinning, it would mean that we are sinning when we crave for the most basic needs for our survival, when it costs some inconvenience to others.

And this is just one tiny example of the type of theology that is being taught across the board.

It’s utter debilitating, to think of almost everything we do to be a sin.

 

Delving into evolution

I have just finished Jerry Coyne’s book, and now got my hands on the audiobook version of Richard Dawkin’s The Greatest Show on Earth. It’s easy to make out the words; he’s such a skilled reader! His wife is great too.

Watch out, one evolutionist coming your way!

Seriously though, I never thought I would find evolution such an engaging subject. It could be the way that JC and RD writes and educates, or it could be because evolution has to do with life, which we are all a part of, or both.

Also reading up on relativity. Did you know that John Moffat has an alternative theory to Einstein’s relativity? It would do away with the need for dark matter.

Oh, and that reminds me that I need to check-up on black holes.

There is still such mystery to life, after all. I’m surprised by my own enthusiasm.

 

Just for laughs

 

Harassed

Ever since posting in Jason’s blog, I’ve being harassed in my other blog by lewd comments in those posts such as atheist evangelism to the Christians, and why intelligent people still choose to be Christians.

My guess is I’ve riled some not-so-liberal Christians.

 

A conspiracy without a mastermind

Religion is a conspiracy without a mastermind. What a good way to define religion. It came about through the evolution of culture and morals.

Dan also mentioned that there are many pastors who are atheists. In my estimation, atheists would make great pastors. They’re not dogmatic about dogma, they take actions without assuming the intervention of God. Such action tend to be planned better. I would guess that most mega-church pastors are actually atheists. I challenge Christians to ask their ministers point-black,”Are you can theist?” You might be surprised by the answer.

Really, theology is nothing but obfuscation and tautology. It’s to help people believe in the concept of God without really believing in God. It’s useful for persuading people who think deeply about God. The rank-and-file Christian couldn’t care less. He just assumes that God exists.

 

A Perfect World (1993)

Recently Sabio did a write-up on one of Clint Eastwood’s Movies. The other day, I happened to watch another movie of his, A Perfect World, again directed by him, and in which he acts as some kind of cop.

Butch (Kevin Costner) is the main character in this movie. The whole thing seems to be a great exercise in mis-communication, or lack of sufficient communication.

Butch grew up in a whore-house; his father was a criminal, while his mother was a prostitute. Butch murdered someone when he was only 10. It was later revealed in the movie that he did it only to protect his mother. And later his mother died (of suicide? can’t really remember), and Butch was destined to be returned to his biological father, which would lead to a life of hard crime, or so Clint Eastwood (CE) thought.

In all his wisdom, CE sent Butch to juvie for a minor misdeed, in order to keep Butch away from his father. Butch does not know anything about all this. This later leads to a poignant scene when CE volunteers himself as to go forward to ‘negotiate’ with Butch for the release of the child whom everyone assumed Butch had kidnapped, and Butch asks CE,”Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” Getting ahead of myself.

In other words, CE had always been the guardian angel of Butch, floating around without Butch knowing anything about it at all. It all ended tragically when a stupid, trigger-happy sniper shot Butch without CE’s authorization.

Butch was escaping from prison, when his colleague wanted to molest a child, and Butch had to shoot him. That was only the second person that Butch had ever shot, but his partner-in-crime had shot someone else in their escape, whom people again suspected Butch of being the culprit.

ANYWAY….

Anyway… Butch was just a good person who grew up with the wrong set of parents, but whom everyone mistook as a bad guy, while the FBI agent (Sniper), was a bad guy whom everyone assumed was a good guy. And CE cared for Butch but never showed himself as such to Butch. Which is why I think this movie is all about the lack of information leading to many disastrous consequences.

Of course, I’m not doing justice to Clint Eastwood’s movie, but then that’s only to be expected.

I hope you get to watch it yourself. It’s worth watching.

CE tries to get as close to the reality of life as he can. As brutally honest as he can get, while being entertaining at the same time.

 

Good progress on being myself

Being free to think your own thought is great, without having to think that God is watching over you.

If someone wrongs you, you’re free to think big murderous thoughts against him. You’re also free to consider the other side’s position, and then decide whether to sympathize.

I used to suppress hateful thoughts, but it only brought more hate. Expressing hate is really a healthy thing. It’s those who never express hate that you need to be careful of. Or rather, who need to take more care of themselves. They’re likely to be simmering with hate and may explode at any time. Internally.

I need to show more hate as time goes by. It’s a healthy way to live, though I admit I’m still a big coward in terms of expressing hate or dislike.

Caution: There’s also a time for everything. A time to hate and a time to love. A wise person knows when to show hate and when not to show it. A time to rant, and a time to keep the peace.