Two words why I abstained from blogging here while in Bali: Scaredy Cat

Just before leaving for Bali, I read a post over at Pharyngula that said an Indonesian secularist got into trouble by posting atheist thoughts on a Facebook page.

I reached out to you all and asked for recommendations.

To be fair, part of me wanted to blog while gone, but the other part wanted to take a break. I knew I wanted to blog pictures for my pro website, but possibly not here.

So when some of you recommended staying off, I thought it was validation enough to take a break. Then I asked if any of you wanted the blog while I was gone, and I was excited that George took to the call. He did a great job.

Check’s in the mail, Gee Dub!

Before leaving, my dad sent me a map and a movie about Indonesia. Part of the map is pictured above. Of course I looked over it before I left, but nothing really prepares you for something like experience. And then after experience, these kinds of things make more sense.

Over on the left, there is a line that reads, “State ideology: Pancasila.” I had to look up the word Pancasila, and the wiki link is helpful. It says this:

Pancasila (pronounced [pantʃaˈsila]) is the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state. Pancasila consists of two Old Javanese words, “pañca” meaning five, and “sīla” meaning principles. It comprises five principles held to be inseparable and interrelated:

1. Belief in the one and only God, (in Indonesian, Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa).
2. Just and civilized humanity, (in Indonesian, Kemanusiaan Yang Adil dan Beradab).
3. The unity of Indonesia, (in Indonesian, Persatuan Indonesia).
4. Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives (in Indonesian, Kerakyatan Yang Dipimpin oleh Hikmat Kebijaksanaan, Dalam Permusyawaratan dan Perwakilan)
5. Social justice for all of the people of Indonesia (in Indonesian, Keadilan Sosial bagi seluruh Rakyat Indonesia)

Indonesia is primarily muslim, and in that regard, one and only God refers to Allah, but they also include some Christians and then Bali, which is Hindu. Somehow Indonesia is able to reconcile polytheism with the state credo of monotheism.

It makes no sense to me either. In the article at wiki, it talks about some of the criticism of this statement. But that’s not my point.

When in Rome … 

Basically, what it did for me was double validate that writing on an atheist blog might not be in my best interest while in Indonesia.

You might be scratching your head right now wondering, why am I writing all this?

Well, I’ll tell you.

Look over on the right side of the shot above. It reads, “Historical Highlights: an Ancient Land, a Young Nation.”

Beneath that, it talks about Indonesia reaching its fingers back into history close to a million years with the discovery of the skull, teeth and femur of the Java Man or “Pithecanthropus erectus”.

Yes, yes, yes, we all understand that there is some controversy about this discovery. But let’s look at this from another perspective.

Here is a Muslim nation that has no problem embracing a scientific theory that man evolved from another primate. In a part of the map not pictured, it talks about how humans and apes share 99.9% of their genetic information.

Do you read what I’m writing?

Those poor, third-world, backwards Indonesian idiots accept science.

These ignorant, sex-loving, chest beating, elaborately dressed, culture-loving morons think the world and universe is millions and billions of years old and not 6,000 to 10,000 years old.

These pathetic, ignoramuses understand the concept of evolution better than 63% of smart, brilliant, better-than-thou, pompous, greedy, first-world Americans!

It must be the devil, because there can’t be any other explanation for a country with a saturation of plants and animals that are found nowhere else on earth. Indonesia is a treasure trove of evolutionary brilliance. And, if what I understand to be true really is true, I’m thrilled to see Indonesia embrace history over myth in this instance.

Apropos to the conversation

PZ Myers posted an email he received from a former Liberty University student. The part I wanted to republish is apropos to the conversation I referenced in the last post.

The writer says:

When I first found your blog site Pharyngula, I was deeply outraged and if I am being honest, offended. At that point I was a Christian, on a path leaving many preconceptions behind me. It was in turn, a part of your witty humour and cynicism that made me abandon by “Young Earth/Intelligent Design” notions I learned from the year I spent at Liberty University (a mistake of schools, if I can even call it that) It was also because many scientists challenged me to think about the world around me, and question the things I thought I knew. This led me to do research and I finally understood evolution. I will refrain from saying “believe in evolution” for believing in evolution is just as redundant as saying believing in gravity. I understand what the Theory of Evolution states and therefore my appreciation for biological science has increased tremendously.

Via

Monday Evening Reading List

I haven’t done a reading list in a while. So here’s one now. So stop bitching.

• One dog lover goes leaps and bounds to save his K9 buddy. It’s a heart-warming story. Read here.
• God gives batshit-crazy Michele Bachman the greenlight to run for Prez. I’m still waiting for him to find my keys.
• Video turns up of 13-year-old Syrian boy. Video shows that he was tortured brutally — bruised and battered body and face, knees broken, and he was possibly castrated. Read here.
• A 32-year-old Saudi woman named Manal al-Sharif was arrested after driving after the ban on female drivers. She has been released from prison in Dammam after signing a statement that she will no longer drive nor encourage other women woman to follow her lead.
• Creationists are planning to attend PZ Myers upcoming speech in Glasgow. They are ready to ask him some tough questions. Funny thing is, he can’t wait! And it’s no wonder. “Intelligent” design advocates are so dumb, one of their questions is, “How many peer-reviewed papers have you published since setting up your blog, Pharyngula? We think the number’s zero, but it would be nice to get confirmation of this.” Disaster is what those morons are setting themselves up for.
• Joe.My.God posts his weekly review of “This Week in Holy Crimes.” You should read it. 
• Sam Harris is still mulling over his post-mortem notes from his debate with William Lane Craig. He wrote an editorial that’s actually a good read in HuffPo. I think he still has some fleshing out to do, but the general ideas are there.
• I’ve been reading Jon Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test: A Journey through the Madness Industry.” So far, so good. Anyone have any book recommendations?

Above image from Reddit.

SMBC Theater: God’s Press Conference

Via Pharyngula

Kneel before Neil

WordPress prevents me from posting certain videos so I’m redirecting you to Pharyngula to watch Stephen Colbert take on Neil DeGrasse Tyson over the recent Bill O’Reilly interview with David Silverman.

Tina and I cracked up at Colbert’s description of god getting in and out of the ocean to bathe.

If a man doesn’t understand simple science, how can anyone respect him for accurate information on more complicated discussions? It would be like getting your news from an eight year old.

While you’re over at Pharyngula, read this post of Ken Ham destroying faith. Don’t forget that many Christians’ mantra is: “If one thing isn’t true in the bible, than none of it is.”

If that’s the case, you had me at Genesis 1:1. But if you need more time, talking snakes should seal your deal.

Today, I am an angry, Old Testament Blogger.

I just read this post over at Pharyngula. PZ Myers has a knack for exploiting a scenario, and I love it. You should read the post.

I’m still moving fast through this day, and it appears that you’re already on vacation for the holidays. Where are all my readers these past couple days?

I am a jealous blogger, and I do not like sharing time with other blogs. Nor do I want you spending time shopping when you should be bowing at the alter of Le Café Witteveen.

Take heed. I am not afraid to smite you with my supernatural blogger powers.

Honk.

I need a topic for a new Pope Mohammed post. Got any ideas?

Psychic Kids on A&E

In an effort to honor the Internet code of getting the word out, I’m going to repost this from Atheist Media, but many of my readers would have already seen this if they read Pharyngula.

Over the weekend, PZ Myers did a longer post about it, and it’s definitely worth a read.

This was the quote that AM pulled out:

The A&E Channel has a new show coming up: Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal. Sounds awful already, doesn’t it? But it’s worse than you think: they’re looking for disturbed kids who think they’ve got magic powers, and then they’re flying in “professional psychics” to coach them in dealing with their awesome powers, i.e., indulge their delusions, get off on feeling superior to unhappy kids, and collect a paycheck for psychic child abuse.

They’re putting kids in the hands of a creepy skeevo like Chip Coffey, all for your entertainment.

Here’s a video about the series:

PZ criticizes the show for kowtowing to children who have delusions that they are magical. I’ll take it a step further and say that, at least for me, religion encouraged me to think I had a connection with a magical being, therefore making me some kind of magician.

Sure, sure, Christians repeat that god is not magic. What god does is defined as powerful. His abilities somehow transcend the earthly definition of “magic.”

As children, adults fill kids’ heads with stories of disciples doing amazing healings, just as Jesus supposedly did. Faith gave powers, and when I was a kid, I wanted to achieve the level of Christianity that gave me those powers.

Take for example that we practiced something called “prayer requests” before almost every class in middle school and high school. Little Jane Thompson stands up every day for a month to pray for her father sick in the hospital. In turn, we pray as a class for Jane Thompson’s dad to be healed. When her dad is healed, there’s almost no way that the mind of an adolescent doesn’t equate that healing with a personal ability to change the future, to change sickness to health, to influence the unknown to do the known.

These “powers” weigh on some children and they take it into adulthood. They continue to think, “It’s not magic if God is involved.” But these same people also scream that three are one and informing someone of hell is a form of “love.”

Surely if god existed, he would make that which represents him the most amazing show of his power it could possibly be, right? Instead, people must convince themselves how powerful the bible is. With all its flaws, is the bible really something amazing?

People might point at art that was inspired by god. They point at music. While these things are amazing, do they point at special powers or do they point at talent? I say talent. Just like when we were praying for Jane’s father in the hospital, his recovery was scientific, not magic. If a person getting well in the hospital is a “miracle,” standards are set way too low for God’s magic power.

When adults bow to children and perpetuate their delusions, those adults should be held responsible for lying to children.

Don’t you think?

Become a premium subscriber, and learn to love Christ more deeply

I love this video (below). Grandstanding Catholic Michael Voris explains that the world needs a Catholic Monarchy. He also explains why atheists are full of hate and foul hate speech.

I’ve been called names before. Just yesterday, I was reviewing this post and noticed the first commenter called me vile. Ouch.

But a Catholic calling for a Catholic Monarchy and calling it love? The irony is thick, isn’t it?

Voris wants to do away with Islam, Buddhism, every world religion you can think of, including Protestants (yes, you Yeshua Foggers™). Everyone must conform to Catholic orthodoxy (straight thinking), because one way = love.

Can’t we just cuddle, Michael, or must you always prod me with your scepter?

Don’t you LOVE when Voris loves you? Voris doesn’t hate these other ways of thought that he wants to eradicate. Eliminating other perspectives is “love.” Why can’t you see that? He wants to love you into thinking the same thing he does.

I used to say this in early posts on this blog, but I need to start using it again. Although, maybe its succinctness confused people. I used to say, “Unconditional love with a condition, ceases to be unconditional.” Perhaps I need to change that phrasing to be more verbose and hand your hand for a while.

Let’s try:

When the definition of Unconditional Love includes a condition which is hell, Unconditional Love no longer qualifies as unconditional.

What gross amount of suspension of disbelief must you maintain to think telling people they’re hellbound = unconditional love? That’s not freedom, it’s tyranny. Call it what it is and go light a candle.

This is the kind of freedom I bellyache about here at Le Café a lot. Get ready, because you’re going to love this video. Love love love it. Especially the part at the end when it tells you to pay to become a premium subscriber so that you can love Jesus more.

Nice hair, Rod Blagojevich.

Via Pharyngula

Related Articles

• Michael Voris Makes As Much Sense As Two Dead Flies (breakingspells.net)
• Make someone an atheist – with a Bible (freethinker.co.uk)

‘lectricty is a mystery!

Page from a textbook used at Bob Jones University.

Via Pharyngula (read the whole post here)

A weekend wrap up

I’ve had to work this weekend. Much to my chagrin, I missed the Local Natives concert on Friday night thanks to a late day and evening of video editing.

Friday, I decided not to work after 8 p.m. I grilled a steak and sweet potatoes for dinner and we watched  ”Avatar”. I was entertained by the movie as a whole, and I’m still digesting different aspects of the movie, primarily the alien religion, which was so heavily based on religions you know about, but this one actually had a tangible element as opposed to all spiritual.

Saturday I worked out early and edited again through the afternoon. Saturday night, Tina and I drove to her best friend Angie’s house to have dinner. Angie has two kids and a husband named Mike.

The topic of religion came up, and Tina mentioned our trip to the Creation Museum. If you recall, Tina isn’t attached to a religion, but she is spiritual. She explained how offensive it was that at the museum that there was a beautiful video depicting the creation of Adam (link), but the creation of Eve was only a placard that read, “The Lord said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.”

You should have seen Tina’s face turn bright red and how angry she became. “A helper?!? A fucking helper? You have to be kidding me,” she said loud enough for the Christian families around us to hear.

It was precisely the reaction I expect all women to have about the bible and the creation story, and I’m dumbfounded when they do not.

Tina has a solid, legitimate opinion about spirituality, and should people take the chance to get to know her, they would be impressed by her thoughtfulness.

Ah, Avatar like natural connectedness

Over to Pharyngula, PZ Myers wrote an extensive post on the topic of religion and women, which I think you should read. If you don’t, I’ll be mad.

Here’s a taste:

Half the people in the world commit this sin against god: they are born women.

It’s an astounding thing that any women at all accept Christianity, Judaism, or Islam; these are profoundly misogynistic faiths. Throughout the Christian Bible, women are treated as chattel to be abused and misused, and uppity women are regarded as the worst of the lot, fit only to be slaughtered. There are parts of the Bible that read like snuff porn — but it’s all OK, because it’s the Bible, God’s holy word, and if God is gonna have to choke a bitch, who are we to question it?

We can trace the attitude right back to Genesis 3:16. The Bible begins with a story that blames women for all the pain of sin in the world, and she needs to be put in her place, under the dominion of men.

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

I shake my head with remorse and sadness even before I read another person’s opinions on faith and women. Religion sits on women, holds them down, and frankly it suffocates them. At the same time, religious women are somehow convinced they are not. They are convinced they are free and happy. I challenge any religious person really explore this.

I applaud Tina for having her own mind to express a highly unpopular view about something so many women have a hard time admitting to be true.

Besides, if you’re a fan of religion, does this look like the best way to convey your message of “love” to encourage others to believe what you believe? Or does it look more like the juvenile effort of a child to coerce another into “belief”.

A mural at the Creation Museum depicting the "wages of sin". The room was dark and there was scary music filled with screaming playing loudly over speakers