Clear Thinking In Troubled Times.... (Part 1)

Now where did i get that title from? I am so sure i have heard it somewhere. Anyway...

I have always heard of these get rich early retirement schemes. Haven't we all? It has come to my attention that the church is not taxed in most countries regardless of how much income in generates. This amazes me but i understand why. Another thing is the priest is entitled to about 20% of the money given in. This doesn't sound like much but a small following of lets say 100 people giving in $1 each on Sunday, that equals to $20 for an hours 'work'. Yes, that is peanuts but what about 1000 followers? And who says they are going to give only $1? Or even better, the Catholics who give Tithe (That's ten percent is it not?) Now that is how to ensure retirement in style. This is not a bad option to fall back on if not all goes to plan in the future. And the best part is, those assholes in power (What a blunt statement considering they have never done anything to offend me... Then again they have never done anything to please me which they are taking my tax money to do) will not get a single cent of it! Of course the other option is staring up a gambling ring or casino but of course, taking peoples hard earned money like that is way bellow me, I'll stick to church plans...

Anyway, on a more serious note, jokes aside, why does this happen. Religion seems to be one of the biggest money making scams ever. Again i'm going to specifically target Christianity but that is only because i am more familiar with it. Capitalism. This is the main structure of society today. Is it not coincidental that the same group of people that started and controlled the church started capitalism? Lets hold the capitalism for now and push back even further in history.

The Dark/Middle ages...

How did kings manage to milk their empires of wealth day after day with little question or uprising? Answer- religion. The king was second in power to God. Why didn't he make himself the Alpha? Because it was useful to be able to use God as a scapegoat for questions he could not answer or actions that could not be justified. This was also a good way of keeping people content, after all he was not taking people's lively hood etc for personal gain, he was only doing God's will. The Church kept the people in check by scaring them into submission for the king and in return they were handsomely rewarded with money in plenty (And little altar boys... Why can i never resist this joke?!)

Open Minded

Just thought i would re-post this video Holey Hands showed me. Really worth watching and nicely compliments what i said.

What The Hell Is Wrong With Believers?!

After yet another conversation (If you can call it that) with a so called 'Child Of God' I have been infuriated and the keys on my Macbook are paying the price now by being hammered down with rather inappropriate brutality.

It really has started to get to me that these 'believers' keep calling me a closed minded 'Hater'. I'm going to be even more specific here. Its the Christians! Muslims seem to accept what you are and generally listen to your views before getting annoyed (If at all) and putting their point across. Christians on the other hand seem to be very childish. At least most of them are. Pardon the ethnocentric comments for now...

Closed minded. That's what I keep being called. This seems to be the most commonly played card in their hand. Lets break this down.

Definition:
A closed mind (or closed-minded) is someone unreceptive to new ideas or information.

(This is a definition from wikipedia.org.... Not the best source of information in my opinion but it will serve. If you want something to be accepted by the masses as a truth, just post it on there.)

So what the hell makes me closed minded? I have read the Bible, Qu'ran and Tripitaka and given them all alot of time. I was raised a Christian so I did give that a chance. So that just about covers me... I have given these ideas a chance. Its alot of believers who are the bloody closed minded ones.

Now, when i have a religious debate with someone I try and argue my points rationally and logically. I have been attacked because of this on the grounds that I cannot be argueing logically or rationaly about religion. Wrong! Maybe YOU can't but i can! Anything can be arued rationally and logically if it has a valid point but if it can't, then thats obviously a stupid idea and i don't see how anyone can believe it.

Its alot of these people who come accros as closed minded to me. The scream this at me and then proceed to argue the point with comments like "You just need faith." Now a statement like that is not a good arguement... Its a childish point, that's what it is. Another of my favourite ones is "You'll know we were right when you burn in hell" now that is just stupid. That may be true but what does it have to do with anything? Here is a prime example:

Me:
"In hundreds of years we have not seen any obvious acts of God? Why?"

Believer:
"You will burn in hell!"

Uhm yeah... Burn in hell i will...

All im going to say is if believers want to discuss these things, then lets do it like we are older than a five year old with an attention span of a goldfish. They say sceptics are insensetive and rude but hey, i think it's the other way around...

My keyboard has suffered enough....

The Atheist Blogroll

'Religion- Confessions Of An Atheist?' has been added to The Atheist Blogroll. You can see the blogroll in my sidebar. The Atheist blogroll is a community building service provided free of charge to Atheist bloggers from around the world. If you would like to join, visit Mojoey at Deep Thoughts for more information.

God

This is a topic i have been a little hesitant to write about but i think i will now...

God....

The Alpha and the Omega (Omega... These days the destroyer aspect seems to be forgotten. Quite interesting topic. I think the Christian religion has evolved a little to accommodate more people and 'reel' them in. What happened to the vengeful God of the old testament of the Bible?) A supernatural being looking down at us all? An all loving and caring creator? An Icon? A myth? A delusion?... An egotistical attention seeker is what comes to my mind...

You know i think i finally get the whole heaven hell thing. You know how they say if u do a hundred good deeds, you will still "burn in hell" if you don't accept God into your heart? Always thought that was bull... Belief technically shapes our reality, personality and perhaps eternity too... Scientifically, belief is like a grey area. Some views think its a mental state not specifically pin pointed to a part of the brain, others simply firing of the neurons, but no one really knows...Its widely known that our beliefs are powerful and greatly affect human behavior. Its like saying if you believe god has a place for you in heaven there will be one. If u believe there is nothing after death, there will be nothing. It all comes down to this.

For me the word God is the same as the word Good. So good is God... Heaven is actually already here on earth so if you fail to embrace the God (Good) in your life you will end up missing out on it, living out your life here on earth in hell.... As for God, a god is formed everytime someone puts their mind to it, God is inside us all if we choose for it to be so. The human body is very powerful as well as the mind but very few of us realize exactly what we can do... We need this God inside us to help unlock further potential.

It is much easier for us to believe in a supernatural being than to believe in ourselves. It would not be possible to find a heaven here on earth without a God. There is too much pain and suffering but having a God helps us strike a balance and live with it the best we can. That's why i love the idea of religion so much. That's why i love God.

And if all we have to do is 'believe' and so be it, then i shall not waste the potential of my mind....

I can imagine if i am wrong and the Christian God is real. On judgment day my interview will be put on the loudspeaker for everyone to hear. Oh well, ill go down laughing, if i'm not let into heaven on the grounds that i didn't kiss the almighty's arse, so be it...

*Some of these views were heavily influenced by a conversation with Lizis on this topic...

Thanks

The Turin Shroud

So the Turin Shroud was a self portrait of Da Vinci. Wow, bummer, was exciting to think this was the messiahs burial cloth. Yet another blow to the Christian world.

Random thought- How did this stereotypical view of Jesus's appearance come about? Ever noticed in all movies and pictures etc he looks the same?!

Are people still going to pay to see the Shroud? I know i want to now....

How Can So Many Be Wrong?

A few days ago i was asked how, if i am right about God, so many people could possibly be wrong about God. Rather than answering with a standardized answer e.g look how many people believed the earth was flat, i thought about it a little. This morning i got my answer from one of the most unlikely sources.

"So many religions but only one God, i don't need another savior...."
-Ozzy Osbourne

So, if i am wrong this still means that only one of your religions are right. Joke is still on you.... See you at the barbecue in hell...