Why shouldn't I do the wrong thing? Because I shouldn't do what everyone shouldn't do, like preaching opposite messages....

...because if everyone did what they know everyone shouldn't do, then no one would be left to do the right thing.

So there was a topic at bible study this week that really caught my interest. They started off talking about the different branches of Christianity, such as protestant, catholic, and evangelical. They were referring to the rituals each church performs and does that have anything to do with what Jesus actually wanted for his "children". I'll have to admit, I was impressed to hear many people say no, that that's not what Jesus would want. They talked about the catholics and how they pray to the virgin Mary. Some one made a reference to how the protestants don't really get in the spirit with the singing and songs. They avoided speaking about the rituals I've witnessed almost every Sunday since I've been going, like the baptisms. I know Jesus was baptised, but if you've read any of my blogs, you know I don't believe Jesus was a God, so to me, it's just another religious ritual. They also didn't talk about the body and the blood of Christ in the form of the cracker and grape juice. I haven't seen them do that yet, but I'm pretty sure they do.

Getting around now to what really made me interested in the topic this week, the conversation went into if evangelicals are even a religion (I really tried not to scoff at that one, especially when the dude running the show read off the definition of religion). Then the great question that I've been wanting to blog about: What do people outside of our religion think about us? What do they see us as? What are some character traits that Christian's seem to have in common, to the outside eye?

I can officially say that there was no one more qualified than me in that bible study to answer that question. I didn't answer it. I tapped my feet and had a smile on, but I didn't say a word. They said it, I didn't have to. They didn't say all of it of course, but I'd say they covered the main areas; such as judgmental, and hypocrites. Are all Christians this way? Of course not, but the fun that us non-believers get is pointing out how the self claimed mighty fall as often as us "lesser" people. And how us lesser people rise as often as well. That has to put a damper on some one's claim of having the "true knowledge" of the only way to happiness. If God is everything that is good, and atheists have no God, then how come atheists still receive good? The bible says all sorts of shit about non-believers, like they'll get plagues, their wives will be raped and their children taken away, house burned down, ect.

What I found so damn amusing about this bible study though, is that this group talked about being seen as judgemental as though it were something bad. That they shouldn't be striving to come off as judgemental.....like they did in the prior weeks sermon. Judgemental is the textbook definition of what they did last Sunday. The part that sticks in my throat though is how Christians want it both ways, they want to judge the shit out of you when you don't practice their beliefs, whether it be homosexuality, or accepting Jesus as your savior......but Christians don't want to be seen as judgemental.....because we all know that being judgemental is bad.....even though the bible tells you differently many times, in many ways, throughout the entire, you heard me, the entire book. So I guess it is possible to get morals outside the bible...........gee, if you don't get your morals from the bible, where DO you get your morals from? It's nice to ask that of believers, instead of the other way around, for once.

Now I Am, Now I'm Not, Now I Am A Christian?

When I confront a believer on things such as "why does your mythological book, written before there was ever a word for such a thing as science, why does that get to overshadow verifiable facts such as evolution? Why are churches being allowed to cast huge doubt over science, when they have no place to? Why do churches get to DE-INTREST kids in science because they tell them that it's bullshit (creation VS evolution)?" I always seem to get the same answer to these questions.

Science only only only deals in verifiable facts. Science first tries to disprove something (verify or unverify) before it even begins to believe it to be true.

The bible is a bronze age mythology written by people who had no idea what science was, how it worked, what it was for, or how it could help us. The people that wrote the bible were as guilible in the areas of science as were the people in the tales of Ulysses.

When talking to a believer last night, talking about creationismVS evolution, she said that she would be more accepting of the science behind evolution and the big bang if she could see verifiable proof, all the background of the studies, what is the credibility of the scientist doing the research, ect.

As she was saying this, I said "But you don't need that kind of proof to believe the bible..."

She responded "well that's because I believe the bible in my heart."

I said "why does your belief in your heart get to cast doubt over science, which can only use reality and facts, never possibly faulty beliefs, to prove what it is saying?"

Her basic response was "Its the bible and God wrote the bible, therefore God overrules science."

I pointed out that the book is the only thing that says it was written by God, and that God, creator of all matter, cannot be contained within the 4 corners of paper and ink.

This fell on deaf ears. God does not = bible, why is this so hard for people to understand? Not even the bible itself says it IS God, it makes the claim to be the WRITTEN word of God, but not God himself. Why don't people understand that if you never saw a bible in your life, you could still know god "in your heart".

The believer I speak of, she seems to distance herself from Christianity every time it says something that she doesn't agree with, such as "science is bullshit", then re-associates herself with it when it is convienent for her. I wonder how God would feel about this leave take relationship many Christians seem to have with their religion. When a priest molests children, suddenly catholics aren't Christian. When they need to boost their numbers to prove that this is a Christian nation, suddenly catholics are counted as Christians again.


How convienent.........Seems to be a trend with Christians, this convienience.....just close your eyes and pray...sins go bye bye...no need to make anything up to the people you wronged, because your imaginery friend "Jesus" will take care of all that........inconvienent for those of us who actually have to right our wrongs to the people we hurt. Christianity = taking the easy way out of your life responsibilities.

God Doesn't Believe In Free Will? How Can God Answer Prayers While Giving Everyone Free Will?

Lets say you prayed to God (in your prayer journal or whatever) to give you a certain set of dishes, and a few months later, a friend gets you that set because it's what you told them you wanted.......then you go around telling people that GOD answered your prayers by having your friend get you the dish set you've been wanting.

Lets examine this under the "free will microscope" shall we? What would God have had to do to your friend to get them to buy you this dish set? Let me guess a Christian's answer: God put it on my friends heart because I prayed.
-Well, if God put it on your friend's hear to do this, then it must be God's will right? Would you disagree with that? No, ok then, make sure you stick with that answer as we move on.

Now, lets say God put it on your friend's heart to buy you that dish set you've been praying about, and your friend buys you a tupperware set instead.....did your friend just disobey the will of GOD? So let me get this straight, when your friend doesn't get you want you want for your birthday....then your friend must be disobeying the will of God? Let me guess your answer to this again: It must not have been God's will for me to get that dish set.

I guess the only question I have left when confronted with a load of bullshit so deep and smelly there doesn't seem to be a bottom to it is: Isn't funny how God always seems to want what you want? Think again about the scenario above, with your friend, who GOD put it on her heart (and bank account) to buy you that dish set.....how do you know that God did that? How do you know your friend didn't buy you the dish set because ITS WHAT YOU ASKED THEM FOR? What if God actually wanted them to buy you the tupperware set instead? How would you know any different? Isn't it a little, um....Godly of you to decided what is the will of God and what isn't, seeing as the only way you could know any of that is if you yourself had the same insights into the world as A GOD? So you have powers equal to God, do you? How does God put his "will" on people's hearts while still letting them have free will? If God told your friend to get you the dish set, isn't that taking away your friend's free will as to what to with her money, her time, her gift? Why would GOD manipulate the will of everyone around you just so you can have what you want? Then if your friends don't do what you want, they're disobeying GOD? Wow, that's convenient.....for you....not so much your friends.....

If You Have God, Why Do You Need A Doctor?

Well? If God heals all things, God is always with you, God never leaves your side, God will always protect you from harm, blah blah blah, then why do you go to the doctor when you get sick, need surgery, need a prescription? Why not just leave it up to God? Instead, you pray to God while the doctors do all the work, then thank God for doing only what the doctors accomplished.

Oh Oh, I want to play this game! Ok, let me try:

I picked up a book, read it, memorized the termonology, and God did.....um....God helped me with......um.....OH, I know, The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) gave me the ability to read! No, wait......my brain did that....so lets see, um.....shit. I'm not very good at this game. When I see a cause and an affect, I don't "insert GOD here" wherever and whenever I feel like. When the mechanic fixes your car, do you pay the mechanic, or God? When the doctor uses medicine to help you get better, do you pay your doctor bill, or God? Let me guess, you pay God through prayer and worship? Well, I haven't paid my GOD bill in quite some time, and I gaurantee the mechanic fixed my car, and the medication the doctor prescribed me works just as good on me as it does you. So, why does it help you, physically that is, to "insert God here" in situations like going to the doctor? Do you think your surgery turns out better than mine because you say "GOD DID IT"?

God Needs A Book To Remember?

The lambs book of life. I just got done reading the entire book or Revelations, and wow, what a load of shit that was. Entertaining though...

So my question is: Why does God need a book to put all the "saved" people's names in in heaven? Is it because God can't remember them all? Does God need things to be symbolic in the spirit world too? When a book dies....does it go to heaven? What trees did people in heaven chop down to make this book?

Broken and Without a Purpose?

That's what they said about me at church today. They said that people who don't have JESUS are broken and have no purpose, that their lives are pointless. Over a 100 people in the clergy, listening to this, no one stood up and said "you're wrong, there are plenty of people all over the world, with all different beliefs, who's lives are very purposeful and meaningful, who help people and change the world for the better" (you know, like Gandhi and stuff). Matter of fact, a few people even went up to the altar (stage) and I guess gave themselves over to Jesus after this sermon.

I really enjoyed the hellfire and damnation speech today.

If God is all good, why does it take the threat of hell to turn (some) people to him?


Today reaffirmed that I don't understand religion, or religious people at all. Even when they have a pastor on stage, misleading everyone to think negative things and prejudge people they've never laid eyes on, they don't bat an eyelash.....when did that become OK? Since the dawn of religion apparently. Even my friends and family who were with me in church today, knowing the kind of person I am, and that I don't match what the pastor was saying, nobody came to my defense. Nobody, out of all those people, stood up and said "excuse me, pastor, but I think what your saying isn't true, and I don't appreciate you getting up on stage at church and saying things that aren't true, a.k.a lying in the name of God." There were children there, listening to the pastor say these things about non-believers of Jesus. Over and over the pastor kept saying that people who don't believe in Jesus have something wrong with them, they are broken, they have no purpose. Children heard this, but they didn't hear or see anyone stand up and say "Pastor, I think your wrong." So what are we teaching kids in church these days? To be prejudice. To prejudge people simply because they don't share your beliefs. The pastor didn't tell all those kids in church today (or the adults) that you should take into consideration some ones character, their lifestyle, their choices, how they treat others. Only their belief in Jesus. That's all the pastor said you need, belief or not belief in Jesus, to tell whether there is something wrong, about a person they don't know, and now probably will never get to know.

Why is it ok to be prejugdmental about some one you've never met, so long as all your basing your judgments on is their religious orientation? Why didn't any parent stand up at church today and say "don't teach my kid to be prejudice?"

Thanks church, I couldn't be further away from your God right now than if God were once again forming one of those good old testament mobs to come and stone me to death like the biblical days when we didn't have to try to "fix" broken non-believers, we just killed them by hurling rocks.


They say religion is being attacked every day........really? Is this Stockholm's syndrome (for lack of a better term) kind of psychology the only way to get people to believe in God? Or just one of the many fucked up ways (lets not forget hell fire and damnation)?

If I was at a meet up of fellow non-believers, and some one started saying that all believers are broken, that their lives have no purpose, ect. I would be out of my chair objecting before the speaker was even done talking. I don't pretend to agree with people even when I don't. When some one says something not true about my family and friends, I will be the first person and the last to defend them. Too bad I can't say the same of them.

Maybe nobody stood up in my defense at church today because they agree with the pastor. Maybe they think I am broken and that my life really doesn't have a purpose. What kind of friend thinks that about another friend, simply because they don't share a belief in an invisible being, despite all the evidence to the contrary? Religion is being attacked....so religion attacks back.....with what? Teaching the next generation to prejudge anyone who's different from them?

Do You Read Your Bible Like An Atheist?

The old testament is riddled with death and destruction handed down from God himself at times. While talking to a believer one night, she was telling me that she believes the bible is the word of God. I asked her if she believed the whole bible was the word of God. She said yes with the utmost of conviction. So I handed her my atheist King James Version bible. What is the difference between this atheist bible and your own, you may ask? Well, you know how you thumb through your bible, find all those beautiful, supportive, poetic sounding quotes, and highlight them with a neon marker to discuss in bible study and so you can read them off of those church signs while going down the highway and feel like you know something about your religion?
I do the opposite. I read through the bible and find all the disturbing, fucked up quotes, highlight them, and tab them (you know, for easier reference later on...). My bible is the best though, want to know why? I am sentimentally attached to my bible. That's right, you heard it folks, an atheist with an emotional attachment to a bible. How is this possible? (that's good that your asking questions, that's why I'm here) I'll be glad to tell you how:

My bible has been highlighted before. All those beautiful quotes that are highlighted in your bible, someone already highlighted in mine before I ever read it.


I did.
I highlighted it.


I did this when I was a child, a believer. I was a very good reader at a very young age, and being in a religious family, I read the bible. I would come across things that didn't make sense to me, and I would think to myself: I'm not smart enough to understand, I'm not wise enough to get it....I'm not old enough. I would skim my bible looking for something that sounded nice and encouraging like: St. Luke Chp 1 verse 78.


I am old enough to understand now.


That is why I say some one else highlighted the bible before I ever read it. Because once I read the bible, just like I do any other book (which I've read thousands upon thousands of, and have fully comprehended every one) I couldn't believe that I could be so...lead astray. Led astray of what this book was actually saying.

I come across a lot of people who treat the old testament like it carries no weight with today's society. They almost act like the God of the old testament was another God all together. Did the all knowing, all powerful God change his mind from old testament to new? In my opinion, not really. In God's opinion....I can't divine that, but from what I'm told....if God is all knowing....what is he going to change his mind to? He already knows what is going to happen, what has happened, none of it should be shocking to...him..her...it, whatever.

When the person I mentioned in opening said that she believed the entire book of the bible was the word of God, I handed her my atheist bible, with all the pages of tabbed and highlighted sections of death, torment, and nonsense lit up like an "open" sign. Before I did this, I informed her that the old testament says that non-believers should DIE, in many ways, and in many versus the bible states this. I asked her if she thought that if I was born 2,000+ years ago, instead of 27 years ago, would she have agreed that I should be beaten to death with a rock, as the old testament states? She answered me that she believes the bible is the word of God. I asked her again: If I was pulled out of a vagina 2,000 years ago instead of 27, should I be beaten to death with a rock for not believing in your God? She tried to answer again by saying that she believes there are consequences, punishment, for our behaviors. I stated that punishment and discipline's purpose is to correct bad behavior....how do you correct your behavior if your dead, beaten to death via rock? Her answer then became "I don't know." After I handed her the atheist's bible, and she read it, taking notes and all, she changed her statement. She now says that she believes some of the bible is true, not all of it. I asked her: Who are you to decide what parts are true, the actual word of God, and which aren't? Is the bible a cafeteria, pick which parts suit you best, leave the rest as the work of the devil?

So I implore you, those who are highlighters of the light and fluffy part of your bible. I ask not that you mark up your precious bronze-age-hand-me-down book, but that you read it as it is, a book. Try taking notes on some of the fucked up shit you come across. Did you ever continue reading versus that are before and after the ones your pastor/priest preaches about on Sunday, or the ones you talk about in bible study? Do you ever READ the BOOK of the bible, instead of the versus contained there-in? Would you pick Harry Potter up off a shelf, read a few lines here and there, then go around telling people you've read the Harry Potter book and witchcraft is most defiantly for REAL?

Tree Of Knowledge?

Why does the tree of knowledge lead to the downfall of mankind in the book of Genesis, the Christian Bible? It's not the tree of apples, or the tree of poison; it's the tree of KNOWLEDGE, the only tree in the garden that Adam and Eve were supposed to stay away from. Matter of fact, they DISOBEYED GOD in order to eat from the tree of KNOWLEDGE. So why does the bible say that God says that KNOWLEDGE is bad, that it's the DEVIL that convinces Eve to finally eat from it? When has KNOWing ever been a bad thing when it comes to helping people, advancing society, medicine, ect......Would a person as literate in the bible as I am, or possibly more, please explain to me why the bible says that KNOWLEDGE, and the tree it apparently grows on, is bad?

This theme of "knowledge is bad" is carried on throughout the bible every time the bible tells you not to question it, what it says, or why it says it. Your supposed to just accept that it's the word of God, no matter how much it contradicts itself and reality, or proves not to be true....The Truth Can ALWAYS withstand questioning.......so why does the bible tell you not to question it???