The Honest Doubter

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I Don’t Like What You Have To Say….
2007-08-28 19:21:00
…so I’m going to take away your right to say it.That appears to be the going mantra in Malaysia right now. After closing two publications last year for carrying the cartoon depictions of Muhammad, Malaysian Christians are requesting that the same favors be granted to them as well after a picture of Jesus smoking and drinking was published in a local paper. Christian groups said that although the Jesus of the Bible was a compassionate figure - who turned water into wine, shared a flagon with his disciples at the Last Supper and mixed with tax collectors and prostitutes - action should still be taken.Apparently, freedom of the press isn’t a right as highly regarded as the right to be free from ridicule. When did appealing to the same level of cowardly censorship become an appealing alternative?

Teens and Sex
2007-08-10 00:58:00
I stumbled across a recent article in the Washington Post that commented on the differences between American and Western European views of adolescent sexual behavior. Written from the perspective of an American who believes that teens should wait until their married or adults, Elizabeth Agnvall set out to discover if her way of thinking was healthier than her Swedish spouse’s view. The outcome? Levels of teen sexual activity look remarkably similar here and abroad, but U.S. rates of teen pregnancy, childbirth, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases are among the highest of all industrialized nations, despite recent decreases. Source.This doesn’t come as a surprise to me. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have shown over the years that while American and Western European teens are having sex at the same rate, American teens are less apt to protect themselves in a sexual encounter than their Western European counter-parts.Given the statistics that continue to show that abstinen...
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Apologetic Literature
2007-08-05 02:08:00
From time to time, I find myself perusing through apologetic literature. As of late, I’ve been on a hunt for apologetic literature pertaining to the Hammurabi Code and other ancient legal texts. I’m always dismayed at the amount of people who are willing to seriously maintain that the United States government was founded on the Ten Commandments. To suggest such a thing either ignores other ancient societies or it relegates them to a position of inferiority without sufficient reasoning. While admittedly there are plenty of people that will simply ignore other ancient legal texts, I was more interested in the response from those that recognize that other ancient legal texts exist and address the issue. Apologetic Press was one such site. Apologetic Press tries to address the issue of legal codes that predated or were contemporaneous with the Pentateuch. It takes the stance that although these legal codes predated or were contemporaneous with the Pentateuch, the Pentateuch is...
More About: Literature , Ratu , Tera , Polo

Islamic Creationist
2007-07-26 16:20:00
According to a New York Times Article, a rather large and obviously expensive creationist book is showing up around the world. Translated into several different languages, Atlas of Creation is filled with page after page of glossy pictures and misinformation. Scientists are “astounded at [the book’s] size and production values and equally astonished at what a load of crap it is.”Personally, I can’t say that I’m all that astonished. Perhaps I’m simply a jaded American, but I can’t help but see the similarities between Atlas of Creation and the Christian Creation Museum. In both situations, expensive eye-catching displays are coupled with a serious misunderstanding of science. Both parties believe not only that evolution is a lie, but that it’s an evil that is at least partially responsible for the “corruption of the West.”Despite some apparent similarities, you’ll be hard pressed to find Christians and Muslims work together to reach common goals. In his book...
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Thou Doth Protest Too Much!
2007-07-19 15:25:00
In May I blogged about Randall L. Tobias receiving "massages" from one of Madam Palfrey's employees. According to the Washington Post, another important political figure has been ensnared in Madam Palfreys ongoing criminal investigation.Co-author of the Federal Marriage Amendment and vehement critic of former President Bill Clinton's extramarital affair, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) recently apologized for his involvement in Madam Palfrey's business. Senator Vitter stated, "This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible." It's nice to hear an actual apology from a politician these days, but I wonder why Sen. Vitter didn't think it was appropriate or necessary to notify the local electorate that voted for him of his actions before they were released by other sources?As he vocally opposed same-sex marriages, did Sen. Vitter even feel slightly disingenuous? Vitter stated that "Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from G...
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What's Wrong With Thought Crimes?
2007-07-09 17:33:00
Some Christians are vehemently opposed to the proposed Hate Crime Bill being reviewed by the Senate. According to some Christian fundamentalists, the proposed legislation grants special rights to homosexuals, threatens the religious rights of Christians, and essentially criminalizes people’s thoughts. Admittedly, people of different political and religious persuasions will come to differing conclusions about hate crime legislation in general, but I find it interesting that most of the Christian sites I visited failed to mention that religion is included in the bill as a protected class. Additionally, none of the sites I visited mentioned the following language of the legislation that was passed by the House: “Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition by, or any activities protected by the free speech or free exercise clauses of, the First Amendment to the Constitution.”Putt...
More About: Thought , Crimes , Wrong , Rime

Fundies Say the Darndest Things
2007-07-03 02:19:00
According to the Bishop of Carlisle, recent flooding is God's judgment of man. In particular, the Bishop of Carlisle states that, "Our government has been playing the role of God in saying that people are free to act as they want. The sexual orientation regulations are part of a general scene of permissiveness. We are in a situation where we are liable for God's judgment, which is intended to call us to repentance." Curiously, the Bishop refers to the environmental damage humans have done in passing.Needless to say, I find the notion that an all-powerful and omnibenevolent being would release its wrath in such indiscriminate method to be an absurd idea. Consider the suicide bombers as a reference. They release their anger indiscriminately in buses, grocery stores, etc. harming innocent individuals. To consider a being that practices indiscriminate punishment as the epitome of goodness is a degradation of the ideal.I'll always find it curious, however, that religious people ten...
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I've been tagged
2007-06-27 19:48:00
It appears that I've been tagged by Tina at Mister Jebs Blog and Chris at Deeply Blasphemous. What can I say? I'm flattered. : )1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.5. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.1. I watch Fox News for the entertainment value it unintentionally provides.2. I thank my parents on a regular basis for doing a poor job at indoctrinating me.3. Despite my age, I'm still giddy with excitement that the last installment of the Harry Potter series will be released in less than a month.4. I loathe the music that is played on the radio, so I blast NPR or Point of Inquiry in my car instead.5. I think respect has li...
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Giuliani’s Views on Abortion Upset Catholic Leaders
2007-06-26 14:31:00
Republican Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani is apparently on the receiving end of mounting criticism from Cath olic leaders that are upset about his views concerning abortion. According to a recent, New York Times article, “church leaders say they are frustrated by prominent Catholic politicians like Mr. Giuliani who argue that while they are personally opposed to abortion, they do not want to impose their beliefs on others.”It seems that they believe forcing individuals of differing beliefs to adhere to religious dogma through legislative fiats is a viable option when people do not voluntarily devote their lives to a particular religion. Does the rhetoric sound familiar? It should because it reeks of the same level of intolerance found in fundamentalist Islam. Giuliani has made it clear in no uncertain terms that he thinks abortion is wrong. He simply doesn’t think it’s the government’s job to be forcing that decision on women. In Giuliani’s words, “I consult...
More About: Views , Abortion , Leaders

Christian Medicine
2007-06-24 17:10:00
Lori Boyer couldn't stop trembling as she sat on the examining table, hugging her hospital gown around her. Her mind was reeling. She'd been raped hours earlier by a man she knew — a man who had assured Boyer, 35, that he only wanted to hang out at his place and talk. Instead, he had thrown her onto his bed and assaulted her. "I'm done with you," he'd tonelessly told her afterward. Boyer had grabbed her clothes and dashed for her car in the freezing predawn darkness. Yet she'd had the clarity to drive straight to the nearest emergency room — Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, Pennsylvania — to ask for a rape kit and talk to a sexual assault counselor. Bruised and in pain, she grimaced through the pelvic exam. Now, as Boyer watched Martin Gish, M.D., jot some final notes into her chart, she thought of something the rape counselor had mentioned earlier."I'll need the morning-after pill," she told him.Dr. Gish looked up. He was a trim, middle-aged man with graying hair and...
More About: Christian , Medicine , Medici

Common Conversations
2007-06-22 04:02:00
ME: The Gospels were written decades after the supposed events they described by individuals who were probably not eyewitnesses given the short life expectancy during that era. CHRISTIAN: If the story is false or embellished as you speculate, why would early Christians die for a story that was obviously untrue?It may seem strange to some, but I’ve had this discussion more than once with more than one Christian. It appears that the number of martyrs a religion can claim somehow speaks to the “truth” it holds.This is just ridiculous.A willingness to die for a belief or cause merely suggests the extent to which an individual believes something to be true. Let’s not conveniently forget the number of Islamic extremists that are willing to strap a bomb to their selves and die for what they believe in. Christians probably wouldn’t suggest that a Jihadists’ willingness to die for their religion means there must be some underlying truth to fundamentalist Islam. Then, why claim...
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I Believe In JFK's America
2007-06-19 01:21:00
It's been forty-seven years and President John F. Kennedy's words still have bearing on the current state of America n politics. During a time when some Protestants feared that a Catholic president would adhere to the will of the Pope rather than the will of the people and the Constitution, Kennedy spoke out about what he believed in politically rather than religiously. In his own words Kennedy stated, "[W]ar and hunger and ignorance and despair know no religious barriers."I believe in JFK's America, where a president's religious views are his or her own private affair. The frequency of a candidate’s church attendance holds no bearing on whom I decide to vote for because church attendance is not a condition of the Executive Office. I want the same Chief Executive that JFK suggested. I want a president whose oath to uphold the Constitution is not limited or conditioned by any religious oath, ritual, or obligation. JFK’s words seem all the more poignant today because it is...

Public Prayer
2007-06-14 00:08:00
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and the in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But though, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathens do; for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking." Matthew 6:5-7.Given what the Bible says about public prayer, one has to wonder what motivates some of the people behind organized school prayer and "prayer protests." If the supposed words of Jesus aren't good enough for Christians, what is?
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Nihilsim Sells
2007-06-06 00:11:00
A while back, I recall watching a debate in which the moderator between Sam Harris" and Reza Aslan spoke about the recent success of Harris’ books, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. Jokingly, Harris remarked that his sales paled in comparison to, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, authors of the Christian-based book series, Left Behind.While Harris may have been joking, there is no escaping the fact that Christian based nihilism sells in the United States. Many of the books in the Left Behind Series have topped the New York Times list of bestsellers, while a violent video game advocating a “convert or burn” worldview lined the shelves at local retailers. If books and video games aren’t your style, don’t fret because the nauseating message of joyous destruction may be found in a church near you. What leads a person to delight in the onslaught of vengeance and mayhem advocated in such material perplexes me. On one hand, I actually feel sorry for them becaus...

Troubling Panacea
2007-06-01 15:52:00
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do some traveling in the Mississippi Delta area. I still have fond childhood memories of when I used to spend my summer vacation there, but it seems that today the area is better known for my childhood memories than its current status. The purpose of the trip was to visit family, but I couldn't help but take notice of how much the area has changed for the worse over the years. Dilapidated buildings, vacant lots, and closed factories are juxtaposed by the clean-cut, smiling faces of local election hopefuls that promise and deliver nothing to their constituents.What manages to grow despite the steady decline of the city? It appears that while the city is steadily becoming a ghost town, business and people wise, one can't help but notice the plethora of different churches that have sprung up in the midst of all this squalor. I remember driving past five adjacent blocks with at least one church on every block during my trip. The problem I...
More About: Bling

It Feels Good to Be Good
2007-05-29 13:07:00
According to a recent Washington Post article , a recent study lends further support to the idea that doing good may be a primal, natural instinct. Neuroscientists at the National Institute of Health conducted brain scans of individuals as they were asked to think about donating a sum of money to a charity or keeping it for themselves. The results of the study revealed that "The generosity activated a primitive part of the brain that usually lights up in response to food or sex. Altruism, the experiment suggested, was not a superior moral faculty that suppresses basic selfish urges but rather was basic to the brain, hard-wired and pleasurable." The study appears to be yet another example of how differing fields of science have crossed into the territory that theology his historically claimed for its own. I believe Grafman, the chief of cognitive neuroscience at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said it best. "Eventually, you are bound to get into areas...
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Remembering Their Last Salute
2007-05-27 14:16:00
In remembrance of the soldiers who gave their last salute to this nation by sacrificing their lives.
More About: Salute , Remembering , Erin

Insanity or Bad Reasoning
2007-05-26 19:48:00
During a recent meetup of like-minded people, we discussed the notion that personal feelings/experiences somehow validate religion for some individuals. We all thought the notion was ridiculous because millions, if not billions, of people from differing and completely contradictory religions believe that their personal feelings somehow speak of the truth behind their particular religion. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that personal feelings are unreliable when determining whether a religion is true. The group was more interested, however, in the ramifications and nature of the experiences people claim to have.For example, some people believe that they were struck by an idea (or revelation) so awesome that it must have been divinely inspired. Some suggested that such a line of reasoning speaks of how people's faith in God may actually belittle the abilities of the individual. Others thought that outsourcing one's own intelligence to a supernatural deity may make one feel ...
More About: Insanity

Liberty U Terrorist
2007-05-24 15:29:00
Just when you think you can sleep well at night knowing that Falwell is no longer able to inspire hate in the populous, one of his rabid fans makes the news forcing you to realize the long lasting effects of his message. According to CNN, a Liberty University Student was arrested after suspicions were raised about a possible plot to detonate explosive devices Tuesday, the day of Rev. Jerry
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Bible drawn into Hong Kong sex publication row
2007-05-17 17:45:00
More than 800 Hong Kong residents have called on authorities to reclassify the Bible as "indecent" due to its sexual and violent content, following an uproar over a sex column in a university student journal. A spokesperson for Hong Kong's Television and Entertainment Licensing authority (TELA) said it had received 838 complaints about the Bible by noon on Wednesday. The complaints follow the
More About: Draw , Publication

WWJD?
2007-05-16 19:05:00
After reading about a scene caused by a high school Christian group at Mike Daisy's comedy show, I couldn't help but wonder how other Christians would attempt to decry the group's actions as "un-Christianlike." Past experiences suggest that whenever a Christian does something particularly unpleasant, the rest of the group tries to distance themselves from the actions of the individual. By

Ingersoll's Vow
2007-05-13 22:35:00
When I became convinced that the Universe is natural--that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my "soul," into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell, the dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts, and bars, and manacles became dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf or a slave. There

Superstitions Die Hard
2007-05-09 13:12:00
Myth is just a term used to distance the religious beliefs of modern day from the superstitions people no longer believe in. The Ancient Greeks believed in their gods just as fervently and devoutly as any religious person does today, but the gods of antiquity have been cast out into the realm of mythology. In the realm of mythology, religious beliefs are de-legitimized as the superstitious
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A Tragic Love Story
2007-05-06 09:58:00
According to reports, up to 1000 men from the Yezidi Kurdish community of Mosul killed a teenager by ambushing her on her way home. They killed her in the most brutal and inhumane way possible, by kicking her in the stomach and throwing large stones on her head. What was her crime? Who did she kill, steal, or otherwise cause immense harm to? Her only "crime" was falling in love and running
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The Illusion of Prayer
2007-05-05 18:33:00
Thanks BK!
More About: Prayer , Illusion , Sion , Raye , Pray

Thoughts on Humility
2007-05-04 03:20:00
hu·mil·i·ty – the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc. I’ve had the pleasure of participating in several discussions with theists and an overarching belief amongst many of them is that their religion teaches them values such as humility. Some people would even go so far as to assume that those without religion are in some way
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"It was just a massage"
2007-05-02 01:11:00
It appears that Mr. Abstinence (aka Randall L. Tobias) may not be one that practices what he endorses, because as of April 28 he has resigned amidst allegations of impropriety. According to an ABC News release, Tobias acknowledged that he had used Madom Palfrey's highly sought after "escort services" for massages...not sex. Yeah, Tobias. You called a highly exclusive and expensive escort
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Craigslist Miscellaneous Christian Romance
2007-04-29 16:25:00
Ever read the miscellaneous romance section of Craigslist ? Well, neither did I until a friend (thanks Fili) directed me to an advertisement entitled, "Married Couple Seeking a Female Submissive Live-in." Okay, marinate over the title of the advertisement before you continue. Ready? Okay, click "Read More" to read the body of the advertisement. "We a very happy young couple. My wife is a
More About: Christian , Romance , Roman , Ella

D'Souza Scores a Perfect 10
2007-04-27 04:32:00
I'll be the first to admit, I've been watching the D'Souza debacle unfold for a while now. I have to say, Dinesh is the new guy I love to dislike! His posts resemble that train wreck you can't look away from. Sure it's horrific, down-right ugly, and nauseating but I'll be damned if I don't get the chance to rate the wreckage on a scale of 1 to 10. As of late, Dinesh has exhibited the qualities
More About: Perfect , Score , Cores , Perfect 10

Sodom and Gomorrah
2007-04-23 01:26:00
This was just too good to keep to myself. Thanks Julie!
More About: Sodom , Odom