I'm Having an Atheist Christmas!

The Atheist Christmas Song (video)

Music & lyrics by Dan Margarita
Performance by Dan Margarita

Grand Pa, and Elf by Britt Boughner

Videographer & Editor: Claude von Roesgen





Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word "Comments" if the panel is not open). And don't forget to check out my original blog Just Thinking 

Question: Do Agnostics and Atheists Celebrate Christmas?

Answer: Yes, Some Do, but Only If They Want to.

Question: But, Isn't That Rather Hypocritical?

Answer: No, Not at All and Here's Why...

 


for additional information on the secular and pagan roots of the Christmas holiday season.  You can check out this informative essay by Martin J. Willett

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word "Comments" if the panel is not open). And don't forget to check out my original blog Just Thinking 

Christmas Sucks! Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!

 A Holiday Parody of Handel's Messiah!!!

As I explained in the previous post.  Despite my agnostic atheism, I still have a fondness in my heart for traditional Christmas music...




If perhaps, that got some of you in the mood for the real thing.  Well then here it is,  Enjoy...





Happy Holidays Everyone!


Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word "Comments" if the panel is not open). And don't forget to check out my original blog Just Thinking 

A Christmas Song that Even an Agnostic Atheist Can Love!

Which is not to say that I don't enjoy Christmas music.  There's actually several Secular Songs, and even some Christmas Carols and Hymns that I tend to embrace with sentimental affection.  Not for their spiritual value, of course, but rather because they tend to stimulate fond memories of my youth and innocence. 

Of course, having sung in the choir from fourth through eighth grade at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in the Bronx, didn't hurt. 

In fact my indoctrination was so thorough that I still remember both the Latin and English versions of most popular Christmas Carols.

As an Agnostic Adult however, I choose to ignore the lyrics and let the music and melodies take me back to a more carefree era.  Much like  Bette Davis  I tend to "Adore Cheap Sentiment" and since newer Christmas tunes have no such reminiscent or emotional attachment to me.  I do find their lyrics harder to digest. 

The following holiday tune by Tim Minchin is a notable exception.  It really is a song that even an Agnostic like me can relate to. It's a little low-key and perhaps even a little long, but I definitely identify with the sentiment.  Take a few minutes to watch and listen to the video.  I think you'll enjoy it too.  I also posted the lyrics below.





For those of you who are interested  or perhaps may even want to sing along, here's the lyrics...

White Wine in the Sun
Music and Lyrics by
Tim Minchin

 I really like Christmas
It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like it
I am hardly religious
I'd rather break bread with Dawkins than Desmond Tutu, to be honest


And yes, I have all of the usual objections
To consumerism, the commercialisation of an ancient religion
To the Westernisation of a dead Palestinian
Press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer


But I still really like it


I'm looking forward to Christmas
Though I'm not expecting a visit from Jesus


I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum


They'll be drinking white wine in the sun


I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum


They'll be drinking white wine in the sun


I don't go in for ancient wisdom
I don't believe just 'cos ideas are tenacious it means they are worthy


I get freaked out by churches
Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords but the lyrics are spooky


And yes I have all of the usual objections
To the miseducation of children who, in tax-exempt institutions,
Are taught to externalise blame
And to feel ashamed and to judge things as plain right and wrong


But I quite like the songs


I'm not expecting big presents
The old combination of socks, jocks and chocolate is just fine by me


Cos I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum


They'll be drinking white wine in the sun


I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum


They'll be drinking white wine in the sun


And you, my baby girl
My jetlagged infant daughter


You'll be handed round the room
Like a puppy at a primary school


And you won't understand
But you will learn someday


That wherever you are and whatever you face
These are the people who'll make you feel safe in this world


My sweet blue-eyed girl


And if, my baby girl
When you're twenty-one or thirty-one
And Christmas comes around


And you find yourself nine thousand miles from home
You'll know what ever comes
Your brother and sisters and me and your Mum
Will be waiting for you in the sun
Whenever you come


Your brothers and sisters, your aunts and your uncles
Your grandparents, cousins and me and your mum
We'll be waiting for you in the sun
Drinking white wine in the sun


Darling, when Christmas comes
We'll be waiting for you in the sun
Drinking white wine in the sun


Waiting for you in the sun
Waiting for you...
Waiting...


I really like Christmas
It's sentimental, I know...


Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word "Comments" if the panel is not open). And don't forget to check out my original blog Just Thinking 

"Don't Ask Don't Tell" Repeal and Controversy, Shows us More Examples of Christian Love!



Gordon Klingenschmidt

 U.S. Naval Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmidt, is so outraged by the repeal of "DADT" that he states the following...

"Homosexual Sin Will Always Be a Stench in the Nostrils of Almighty God, an Abomination Which God Condemns and Shall Punish with Everlasting Destruction and Damnation.  Even If the Senate Had Voted 100 to 0 to Legalize Sin, They Could Not Remove God from His Throne of Judgment, before Which Every Knee Shall Bow, and Every Tongue Confess That Jesus Christ Is Lord."


The U.S. Navy chaplain is apparently not alone, with such loving Christian thoughts.  Similar sentiments are evidently shared by all of the following Christian groups...

National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference,
Teen Mania Ministries,
American Association of Christian Counselors,
Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission,
American Family Association,
Family Research Council;
Liberty Counsel,
Liberty Alliance Action,
Vision America,
The Oak Initiative,
The Call to Action,
Concerned Women for America,
High Impact Leadership Coalition,
Campaign for Working Families,
Conservative Action Project,
Traditional Values Coalition,
Renewing American Leadership,
Conservative HQ, Constitution Party,
Bott Radio Network, Center for Military Readiness.

Who have all signed on to a letter from the Liberty Counsel's Matt Staver who states the following...



Matt Staver


"This action will be overturned in the next Congress!"


"This vote will prove as costly to its proponents as ObamaCare was to its advocates. We promise a full mobilization of Faith-Based Organizations, in the states of every Senator who voted for repeal of DADT against our advice. Those Senators - and the Pentagon leaders responsible for this breach of trust - should understand that they will be the object of concerted political action against them."



 


 So far, hundreds of different, so called, "Religious Groups" have expressed outrage at the repeal of the Military's   "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Policy. 
 



Including a chorus of Orthodox Rabbis who have expressed similar sentiments.

 

 
Can you imagine, All of This Hate and Intolerance in the Name of God?
 
Christians, regardless of denomination,  are by definition supposed to preach, and practice the teachings of Jesus Christ. 
 
You remember Christ, don't you? 
 
He was that Pacifist Jewish Rabbi from the New Testament that became known as the "Prince of Peace". 
 
The one who taught love thy neighbor as thyself. 
 
The humble man who believed in turning the other cheek, and taught us not to judge, lest we be judged.
 
Not to mention the time;  when that loving, tolerant and compassionate Christ came to the defense of a prostitute in the street by saying  "Let He Who Has Not Sinned Cast the First Stone".
 
Now I ask you, does the Hateful, Homophobic Rhetoric we've been hearing about "Don't Ask Don't Tell" represent anything remotely similar to the peaceful  teachings of Jesus Christ.

It Seems Rather Cliché at This Point, but Once Again, I Feel Compelled to Remind the Religious Right - 

Hate and Intolerance Are Not Family Values! 

AgnosticThinking...   

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) And  don't forget to check out my original blog  Just Thinking...

John McCain Goes from Moderate to Maniac!

As some political pundits and People For the American Way PFAW  have recently pointed out,  Senator John McCain has been acting real peculiar lately...

The once Relatively Reasonable and Moderate Republican has been catering more and more to the Conservative Religious Right within his party.

Has the Aging Arizona Senator Finally Succumb to Senior Dementia or is this just Shrewd Political Strategy on His Part?

Even though the vast majority of Americans supported ending Don't Ask Don't Tell  ( DADT )  the far Religious Right of the Republican Party was intractably opposed to extending any rights at all to Lesbian and Gay Americans and John McCain obviously wants to stay in their good graces.  Hence all the shifting rationale and furious attacks.

Just take a look at some of the vitriol and angry responses that has been coming  from the Religious Right of the Republican Party.

Bryan Fischer of The American Family Association: "The new Marine motto: 'The Few, the Proud, the Sexually Twisted.' Good luck selling that to strong young males who would otherwise love to defend their country. What virile young man wants to serve in a military like that?"


Tony Perkins of The Family Research Council: "It is clear why this was done: not to enhance the military's ability to accomplish its mission or to enhance national security. Rather, it is a political payoff to a tiny, but loud and wealthy, part of the Democratic base."

Peter LaBarbara from The Americans For Truth About Homosexuality: "If the lame-duck Congress succeeds in ‘gaying down' our military this weekend, it will take a disastrous leap toward “mainstreaming” deviant, sinful homosexual conduct."

These aren't fringe figures in the Religious Right movement. They are important figures in the GOP, and John McCain is eager to  please and cater to their bigoted agenda. John McCain is a "Survivor"  after all, and right now he's definitely in survivor mode.

So If That Means Flip-Flopping on Veterans Benefits, Immigration,  Gays in the Military,  Health Care,  Survivor Benefits for Victims of 9/11  or Medical Benefits for the First Responders to 9/11.  The Republican Religious Right Can Count on John McCain.

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word "Comments" if the panel is not open). And don't forget to check out my original blog  Just Thinking 

The Entire Pew U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey

In a previous blog post, I discussed the results of this "Pew U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey".  Since some of you expressed an interest in taking it and since the entire survey (all 32 questions) seems to be so difficult to find online I thought I would take the time to post it here. 

So if you're interested in taking the entire survey get a pencil and paper and be prepared to keep track of your answers.  Be sure to write them down. The correct answers will be given at the end.

Ready?  Well here we go...

Question #1. Will you tell me the names of the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible, that is the Four Gospels?


This is not a multiple choice question. Write your answers down, and the correct answers will be found at the bottom of the survey.

(If you get all four correct, you get one point. If you get some of them wrong, give yourself a fraction of a point.)


#2. What is the first book of the Bible?

This is not a multiple choice question.
Please jot your answer down and go to the next question

#3. Do you happen to know the name of the holy book of Islam?

This is not a multiple choice question.
Write your answer down, and go to the next question

#4. Which one of these preachers participated in the period of religious activity known as the First Great Awakening?

A) Billy Graham
B) Jonathan Edwards
C) Charles Finney
D) Don't know

#5. What was the name of the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation?

A) Martin Luther
B) Thomas Aquinas
C) John Wesley
D) Don't know

#6. Do you happen to know what religion most people in Pakistan consider themselves?

A) Buddhist
B) Hindu
C) Muslim
D) Christian

 #7. Do you happen to know what religion most people in Indonesia consider themselves?

A) Buddhist
B) Hindu
C) Muslim
D) Christian

#8. According to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, is a public school teacher permitted to offer a class comparing the world's religions?

A) Yes
B) No
C) Don't know

#9. According to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, is a public school teacher permitted to read from the Bible as an example of literature?

A) Yes
B) No
C) don't know

10. Do you happen to know what religion most people in India consider themselves?

A) Buddhist
B) Hindu
C) Muslim
D) Christian

11. According to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, is a public school teacher permitted to lead a class in prayer?

A) Yes
B) No
C) Don't know

12. Which of the following statements best describes what the U.S. Constitution (including amendments) says about religion?

A) Christianity should be given special emphasis by the government
B) The government shall neither establish a religion nor interfere with the practice of religion
C) The Constitution does not say anything one way or the other about religion
D) Don’t know

13. Would you tell me if Maimonides was ... ?

A) Catholic
B) Jewish
C) Buddhist
D) Mormon
E) Hindu

14. Would you tell me if Joseph Smith was ...?

A) Catholic
B) Jewish
C) Buddhist
D) Mormon
E) Hindu
F) Don't know

15. Would you tell me if the Dalai Lama is ...?

A) Catholic
B) Jewish
C) Buddhist
D) Mormon
E) Hindu
F) Don't know

16. Would you tell me if Mother Teresa was ...

A) Jewish
B) Catholic
C) Buddhist
D) Mormon
E) Hindu
F) Don't know

17. Which Bible figure is most closely associated with willingness to sacrifice his son for God?

A) Job
B) Elijah
C) Moses
E) Abraham

18. Which Bible figure is most closely associated with leading the exodus from Egypt

A) Job
B) Elijah
C) Moses
D) Abraham

19. Which Bible figure is most closely associated with remaining obedient to God despite suffering?

A) Job
B) Elijah
C) Moses
D) Abraham

20. Please tell me which of the following is NOT one of the Ten Commandments?

A) Do not commit adultery
B) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
C) Do not steal
D) Keep the Sabbath holy

21. Which of these religious groups traditionally teaches that salvation comes through faith alone?

A) Only Protestants
B) Only Catholics
C) Both Protestants and Catholics
D) Neither Protestants nor Catholics

22. Which of the following best describes Catholic teaching about the bread and wine used for Communion?

A) The bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ
B) The bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ
C) Other
D) Don't know

23. The Book of Mormon tells the story of Jesus Christ appearing to people in what area of the world?

A) The Americas
B) Middle East
C) Asia
D) Don't know

24. When was the Mormon religion founded?

A) Before the year 1200 A.D.
B) Between 1200 and 1800
C) Sometime after 1800
D) Don't know

25. Where, according to the Bible, was Jesus born?

A) Bethlehem
B) Jericho
C) Jerusalem
D) Nazareth
E) Don’t know

26. What is an agnostic?

A) Someone who believes in God
B) Someone who does NOT believe in God
C) Someone who is unsure whether God exists
D) Don't know

27. What is an atheist?

A) Someone who believes in God
B) Someone who does NOT believe in God
C) Someone who is unsure whether God exists
D) Don't know

28. In which religion are Vishnu and Shiva central figures?

A) Islam
B) Hinduism
C) Taoism
D) Don't know

29. Which of these religions aims at nirvana, the state of being free from suffering?

A) Islam
B) Buddhism
C) Hinduism
D) Don't know

30. Do you happen to know which of these is the king of gods in ancient Greek mythology?

A) Zeus
B) Mars
C) Apollo
D) Don't know

31. What is Ramadan?

A) The Hindu festival of lights
B) A Jewish day of atonement
C) The Islamic holy month
D) Don't know

And Now the Final Question! 


#32. When does the Jewish Sabbath begin?


A) Friday
B) Saturday
C) Sunday
D) Don't know



Congratulations! You've completed the Survey!!

Well, how do you think you did?
 
Are You Smarter Than an Atheist? 

That's right, according to pew researchers Agnostics and Atheists scored highest on this survey. Jews came in a very close second. 

The correct answers are as follows...

1) Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (take a quarter of a point for each correct answer)
2) Genesis
3) Quran
4) B - Jonathan Edwards
5) A - Martin Luther
6) C - Muslim
7) C - Muslim
8) A - Yes
9) A - Yes
10) B - Hindu
11) B - No
12) B - The government shall neither establish a religion nor interfere with the practice of religion
13) B - Jewish
14) D - Mormon
15) C -Buddhist
16) B -Catholic
17) E - Abraham
18) C - Moses
19) A - Job
20) B - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
21) A - Only Protestants
22) A - The bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ
23) A - The Americas
24) C - Sometime after 1800
25) A - Bethlehem
26) C - Someone who is unsure whether God exists*
27) B- Someone who does NOT believe in God*
28) B - Hinduism
29) B - Buddhism
30) A - Zeus
31) C - The Islamic holy month
32) A - Friday

* Some might disagree with Pew's characterization of atheism and agnosticism. Strictly speaking, atheism is the belief that God does not exist. Agnosticism, a term coined in 1869 by English biologist T.H. Huxley, is the belief that the existence of God is unknowable.

So Tell Me,  How Did You Do?

Be Sure to Leave a Comment below and Let Me Know.

The Power of Prayer!

I'm sure most of you have heard of The Western Wall ( הכותל המערבי‎), or as The Goyim ( גוים or גויים )  Non-Jews, sometimes inappropriately call it  "The Wailing Wall" One of the most sacred sites in all of Judaism. The Wall is actually only a remnant of the original wall that once surrounded the Jewish Temple, and is located in the old city of Jerusalem at the foot of the Temple Mount  it has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries.


A female CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray, twice a day, every day, for a long, long time.



So she went to check it out.  When she got to the Western Wall, there he was, alone and walking slowly up to the holy site.

She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, using a cane and moving very slowly, she approached him for an interview.

"Pardon me, sir, I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. What's your name?

"Morris Feinberg," he replied.

"Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?"

"For about 60 years."

"60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray for?"

"I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims."

"I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop."

"I pray for all our children to grow up safely as responsible adults, and to love their fellow man."

"How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?"

"Like I'm talking to a fu*king wall."

"Atheists and Agnostics Know More about Religion than Religious Do!"

On a Recent Knowledge and Understanding of Religion Survey Atheists and Agnostics Scored the Highest!

And Interestingly Enough, U.S. Catholics Scored the Lowest!

Finally I Have Proof!  This study from The Pew Research Center verifies what I've always known to be true.  Most religious people are clueless as to what their faith officially believes in.  It's always been the only plausible explanation to me as to how, or why people continue to practice and/or supposedly believe in their respective faiths. 

Take Catholics, for example...

According to the  Survey  more than five-in-ten Catholics in the United States do not realize that their church teaches the bread and wine used in Communion do not merely symbolize but literally become the body and blood of Christ when the priest blesses them. Catholic dogma calls this the Transubstantiation, and I have  Blogged  about it in the past.  Most Catholics don't even know this, but 87% of Atheists surveyed did!

The Protestants didn't do much better...

53% cannot even correctly identify  Martin Luther  as the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation, which is what made their religions possible in the first place.

Now let's look at the Jews...

Moses Maimonides a/k/a Rambam

While generally speaking Jews fared a bit better in the survey, still however more than four-in-ten (43%) did not recognize the name or image of  Maimonides  or Rambam as he sometimes called, even though he is one of the Most Preeminent, Respected and Venerated Rabbis in the History of Judaism.  And his fourteen-volume  Mishneh Torah  first published in the twelfth century, still carries canonical authority as a codification of Talmudic Law

This however was no surprise to me.  I've had many Jewish friends over the years and while their knowledge of Yiddish vocabulary and expressions may have far surpassed mine their understanding of Jewish teachings and theTalmud usually did not. 

Although in fairness it should be noted that most of the friends I speak of were not particularly religious or observant Jews.  But we're rather Jewish more by heritage and tradition than anything else.  My two Orthodox friends (you know who you are) would be the obvious exceptions.


The study also revealed that most religious people know even less about religions outside of their own.  Surprisingly few people know that the  Dalai Lama  is a Buddhist, Martin Luther inspired the Reformation, or that  Joseph Smith  founded the Mormons.  Most Atheists however, were very knowledgeable about all of these facts. 
 
This obviously begs the question, why are Agnostics and Atheists so much better informed?
 
One of the Pew researchers presents the following theory...

"American atheists and agnostics tend to be people who grew up in a religious tradition and consciously gave it up, often after a great deal of reflection and study" said Alan Cooperman, associate director for research at the Pew Forum.

"These are people who thought a lot about religion," he said. "They're not indifferent. They care about it."

So, as Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times explains  "If you want to know about God, you might want to talk to an Atheist."

Heresy? He asks? Perhaps, he explains. "But the survey found that Atheists and Agnostics knew more, on average, than followers of most major faiths. In fact, the gaps in knowledge among some of the faithful may give new meaning to the term "Blind Faith." 

I certainly couldn't have said it better myself.
 
Also interesting is that some of the most fervent believers such as Black Protestants and Latino Catholics scored at the bottom of this survey.

Every time I see someone with a Bible.  I have to ask myself, Have They Ever Actually Read That Book? !!

And if they have.  Why would anyone want to follow a God like that? 

The God of the Bible (The God of Abraham)  is, whether they know it or not, the God of every Christian Muslim and Jew!  And, He's a Mean, Ornery, Vicious, Vindictive, Spiteful, Self-Centered, Egomaniacal Son of a Bitch!

If you don't believe that, or you think that's some kind of blasphemy. 

Then You Have Obviously Never Read the Book!


Agnostic Thinking... Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking 

Another Homophobic Pastor Bites the Dust!

Four young men have accused evangelical pastor Eddie Long of coercing them into homosexual relationships.

Long is facing allegations that he sexually abused the four men who received his mentorship as a "spiritual daddy."  They allege that Long encouraged them to join the church's elite youth group, so he could groom them for sex; in exchange, Long gave them money, new cars, housing and took them on exotic sexual rendezvous's.
There is an irony to the sexual allegations by the four men. Since Long, like many conservative black preachers, has routinely and repeatedly openly condemned homosexuality.

He holds "sexual reorientation" conferences, which are aimed at "curing" gay men and lesbians. A 2007 article in the Southern Poverty Law Center's magazine called him "one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement."

As I've always said, show me a homophobe and I'll show you a latent homosexual.

BTW - did you notice the jewelry and the ostentatious gold watch?
The good pastor, you see, preaches the "Gospel of Prosperity" a philosophy that says, follow God's word and wealth and riches will follow. Great wealth is surely a sign of God's love. - So I guess that means "the invisible man in the sky" God,  must hate the poor.

Pastor Long himself drives a $350,000 Bentley, bought a $1.1 million home in 2005 and tends to favor gold necklaces and Rolex watches.  - I'm sure the Lord is very pleased.



Did you happen to notice in the video above, that he never actually denies the charges.  True, a denial may have been vaguely implied.  But at no point did he actually come out and say it never happened.  Perhaps that was also on the advice of his attorneys.

Agnostic Thinking... Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking 

President Obama Supports the Mosque at Ground Zero - and Calls It a Freedom of Religion Issue!



AP – President Barack Obama stops to
answer a reporter's question about his position
on the mosque at ground zero.

Pretty safe position right?

Don't most of us support freedom of religion?

Most Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists support this basic American Freedom. 

Hell, Even Agnostic/Atheists like Me Support Freedom of Religion, provided that,  "Freedom"  includes the right to practice it and/or be Free of It!  In fact, most clearheaded progressive thinking people support this "Constitutional Principle" with the possible exception of religious fanatics.

You know - like, Right-Wing Christian Fundamentalist Extremists, and Muslim Fundamentalist Jihadists. (Two groups that have more in common than either side would ever like to admit.)

While 60% of Americans polled agree that Muslims have a right to build a mosque anywhere they want, a whopping 70% of Americans are against the notion that it's okay to build a Mosque adjacent to the World Trade Center Catastrophe.  Especially when the Funding and the Motive for said mosque are in question.  Questions that the mosque builders have repeatedly evaded.

Given that Muslims have had a history and long-established tradition of building mosques on or near the sites of so-called Jihad Victories, I think America's skepticism, in this case, may be justified.

Even the architecture of the proposed mosque has been called into question.  Apparently, a mirrored front will be angled in such a way as to cast its reflection onto the site of the World Trade Center Memorial. That does make their motive sound suspicious, doesn't it?

While anyone certainly has the right to build a Mosque, Church, Synagogue, or Temple where ever zoning permits.  The timing and choice of location, in this instance, does seem a bit insensitive.  Either way, though.  I don't personally much care where or if they build their mosque.

I am however very concerned about the political implications of Obama weighing in on this issue.  As an Obama supporter, I wish he would have just left it alone.  He has nothing to gain by this, and in this heated political climate, much to lose.
 
I can't help but think,  Our President made a fatal error, both politically and emotionally, when he recently spoke in support of this mosque.  Make no mistake about it, despite his recent back pedaling, the president's speech on Friday was a definite endorsement, an  enthusiastic endorsement  at that.  If you don't believe me, I suggest you  read the text. 


Agnostic Thinking... Please feel free to comment below,

The Andy Rooney "Prayer" E-Mail Is a Hoax!

Perhaps some of you have received the following viral e-mail...

Subject: Andy Rooney and God

or as it's usually sent,

Subject: Andy Rooney and Prayer

Andy Rooney says:  (so the email claims)

I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.

Yes, and this is the United States of America , a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer....

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.

If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.

And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit.. When in Rome .....

But what about the atheists? Is another argument.

What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.

God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn't care what they want. It is time that the majority

Rules! It's time we tell them, 'You don't have to pray; you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right; but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away'. We are fighting back, and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all ... Especially those who denounce Him , God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.

Let's make 2010 the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions . And our military forces come home from all the wars.

Keep looking up.  If you agree with this, please pass it on.

If you are among the many out there who believe this, agreed with this and took the time to pass it on than I'm sorry to have to tell you this (well not really) but this e-mail you've chosen to forward is actually a Hoax. Whoever wrote this e-mail is, at the very least, committing fraud, and I might add, obviously having a good laugh at the expense of the religious right. 

I knew it had to be a joke the moment I started to read it since, as any good atheist knows, Andy Rooney is a well established and well known Agnostic/Atheist.

May I suggest you read his book, "Sincerely, Andy Rooney" published in 1999. Or just Google Andy Rooney-atheist, or check out the discussion on this subject at snoops or click on the following Wikipedia link...  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Rooney  and scroll down to the section titled "Views" where they discuss the fact that Andy Rooney has been a self-proclaimed Agnostic most of his adult life and has more recently, as of 2008, declared himself to be a full-fledged Atheist.

This whole situation is so outrageous that it begs the question, is the Christian right so hard up to have a credible spokesperson that they actually have to make one up?  I guess they are when their best-known representatives are the likes of the barely educated Sarah Palin (Miss I went to Five schools in Six years and Finally got a Four year degree).  Or Rush Limbaugh who never finished school at all.  Or even better still, the Reverend Pat Robertson, who seems to believe, preach and teach that earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and disease only visit the sinful and the wicked.

Yes, I guess when that's the best you've got, you'd do anything, even commit fraud - if you had to;  just to claim that a bright, clever, educated and insightful man like Andy Rooney  shared your point of view.  Even when it's so obvious that he doesn't, couldn't and wouldn't. 

Even without taking the time to research this viral e-mail for errors. It should be obvious to most people that it's filled with inaccuracies.

For instance, China Is a Communist/Atheist State and as such does not permit prayers to Buddha or any other deity at its public events. I should think most people would know that, unless of course they are ignorantly confusing mainland China with its bitter enemy Tibet.

As I reread the e-mail, it becomes increasingly apparent that rather than endorsing prayer. It's actually Mocking it while it trivializes religion in general. Take for example, the whole thing about Christians should stop turning the other cheek; Meaning what?

Christians should stop being Christian??

"Turn the other cheek" after all, was taught by Christ himself and is and always has been one of the basic tenants of Christian belief.

As in, Matthew chapter 5 verse 38-39 "You have heard that it was said, 'An Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

While I have always understood why some religious people might pray for the safety and well-being of a loved one at war. I have never understood those who insist on praying for the defeat of one side over the other, when Christ was so obviously a pacifist.

When it comes to praying about war.  I think Mark Twain said it best in his brilliant piece "The War  Prayer"  http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/twain1.html   

It's also worth noting that the lawsuit concerning prayer before football was actually a dispute between two Christian groups and had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with atheists versus Christians.  It was in fact, more like Catholic versus Protestant since it was a Catholic group that first objected to the Protestant sectarian nature of a Christian chaplain's prayer. The Mormons ended up joining forces with the Catholics in support of their cause.   http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-62.ZS.html 

Finally, for those of you so-called religious people who insist on propagating this propaganda by forwarding this e-mail, that Andy Rooney so obviously did not write; may I suggest you reread your 10 Commandments and pay particular attention to the one that talks about bearing false witness against thy neighbor.

Agnostic Thinking...


Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking 

Remembering George Carlin - On the Second Anniversary of His Passing

Can you believe it?  It's been two years already...

May 12, 1937 - June 22, 2008

I have always been a big fan of George Carlin. I remember when I was a little kid and first saw him on the Ed Sullivan Show, He Totally Blew Me Away!  - Damn if my age isn't showing.  But I knew even then, this man was something spectacular.  Though he initially presented himself as a conservatively dressed stand-up comic.  You could tell there was something uniquely different about this guy.  Through all his button-down decorum and silly whimsical observations, there was still something rather cutting-edge and avant-garde about him.  He was telling more than just harmless little mother-in-law jokes typical of the times.  He was making social commentary, and I loved it.

As he evolved through the 60's and 70's, an era of Civil Rights Marches, Vietnam Protests and Sex Drugs and Rock 'n Roll.  George Carlin quickly became my Counterculture Hero and my very Favorite Atheist. 

Like me, he was an Irish Catholic born in New York City and raised and schooled in the Church.  And also like me, he questioned and challenged everything.  Quietly and respectfully at first,  but as the Bull-Shit answers became more and more impossible to digest, he began to rebel.

As the years went by.  George Carlin's comic genius became legendary.  He was the very first Host on the Premiere Episode of Saturday Night Live back in 1975.  Hailed not just as a comedian.  But as an actor and writer as well. He became world-famous for his irreverent social commentary and poignant observations on the absurdities of  life and language.  Carlin's jokes constantly breached the accepted norms and boundaries of comedy.  As Reuters news service put it  "His comedic sensibility revolved around a central theme: "Humanity is a cursed, doomed species."

"He was irascible, profane, blasphemous, and determinedly astute" said the Boston Globe.





Whether deciphering the American political scene, dissecting Americans' foibles, or disassembling the English language.   George Carlin had no equal as he demonstrates in this video discussing Dirty Words.  And of course the seven dirtiest that you just simply can't say on TV or Radio. You know the ones (Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker and Tits)...



 He really has fun dissecting the language in this video called Airline Announcements...



Then of course who could forget George Carlin discussing Religion and God... 



Even though, The Great George Carlin has been gone for 2 years now.  I still catch myself saying, "Gee, Carlin hasn't done an HBO Special for awhile.  I hope everything is alright."   And then I remember... 

Which of course, is what I'm doing in this blog post,  Remembering the Genius That Was George.

Rest in Peace My Friend.  Rest in Peace!   

Agnostic Thinking...

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  Just Thinking 

Happy Father's Day 2010!

President Obama Gives a Shout out to Gay Dads in This Year's Father's Day Proclamation!

President Obama's second Father's Day Proclamation has a notable difference from his first.  As he did last month for Mom's on Mother's Day he openly acknowledges gay parents, noting that some kids have two Dads...

"Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian. We owe a special debt of gratitude for those parents serving in the United States Armed Forces and their families, whose sacrifices protect the lives and liberties of all American children. For the character they build, the doors they open, and the love they provide over our lifetimes, all our fathers deserve our unending appreciation and admiration."

Agnostic Thinking... Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking 

"Atheists Don't Have No Songs"

From the 2010 New Orleans Jazzfest.  Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers perform their acapella song  "Atheists Don't Have No Songs".   This is fun...



Here's the lyrics, as best I was able to decipher them...

Christians have their hymns and pages, (hymns and pages)
Havah Nagilah is for the Jews, (for the Jews)
Baptists have their rock of ages, (rock of ages)
Atheists just sing the blues.

Romantics play Claire de Lune, (Claire de Lune)
Born agains sing He is Risen,
But no one ever wrote a tune, (wrote a tune)
For godless existentialism.

For Atheists,
There’s no good news,
They’ll never sing a song of faith.
In their songs they have a rule,
The “he” is always lowercase.

The “he” is always lowercase.

Some folks sing a Bach cantata, (Bach cantata)
Lutherans get Christmas trees,
Atheist songs add up to nada, (up to nada)
But they do have Sundays Free.

Some folks sing  - they sing to heaven, (sing to heaven)
Coptics have the book of scrolls,
Numerologists count - they count to seven, (count to seven)
Atheists have rock and roll.

For atheists, there's no good news.

They'll never sing a song of faith
In their songs they have a rule,
The “he” is always lowercase.

The “he” is always lowercase.

Atheists - Atheists - Atheists

Don't Have No Songs.

Christians have their hymns and pages,
Havah Nagilah is for the Jews,
Baptists have their rock of ages,
Atheists just sing the blues.

Catholics dress up for mass
and listen to Gregorian chants.
Atheists, just take a pass
watch football in their underpants.

Watch Football in Their Underpants

Atheists - Atheists - Atheists

Don't have no songs.

Don't Have No Songs.

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking 

After 40 Days and 40 Nights the Oil Spill in the Gulf Takes on Biblical Proportions!

Which of course,  begs the question.

Why Cant Pat Robertson.  Just pray it away?

That is after all, what He and His Congregation Claim to do every time a Hurricane Approaches Virginia Beach.  What's the matter Pat, don't you still believe in the power of prayer?

Don't You Think It's Strange That Big Oil's Capitalist Pimp and Preacher, Pat Robertson has been so silent on the subject?

Is it possible that Big Oil's - Biggest Cheerleader,  Pat Robertson is having second thoughts about  his  "Drill Baby Drill"  philosophy?

Is He Possibly Questioning His Own Religious Dogma That Preaches Corporate Greed, Wealth and Riches Are the Way to Heaven?

Or is he just sitting back waiting,  formulating,  conniving and scheming a way to blame this on  The Nonbelievers.  Or perhaps, better still, he's trying to figure out a way to blame this on the Gays, Haitians or both.

I don't know what you have up your sleeve Pat Robertson.  But I await with bated breath, because I'm sure it's gonna be a doozy!

Agnostic Thinking...

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Fundamentalist Christians Play the Hitler Card in yet Another Attempt to Further Demonize Gays!

This would be Funny if it weren't so Damn Scary.  The right-wing Homophobes at the American Family Association are at it again.  This time the AFA's Bryan Fischer states that Adolf Hitler was Gay and surrounded himself with Butch Gay Soldiers because Straight Soldiers were not capable of being Brutal and Savage Enough to meet Hitler's Tyrannical Needs!  

So now these  "Loving Christians".   God's  so-called "Gentle

People"  are blaming the Holocaust On the Queers.  

Why Are These People so Full of Hate?

And why do they insist on perpetuating their hate in the name

of their so-called loving God?



Agnostic Thinking...

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted. And don't forget to check out my original blog   Just Thinking 

Quotable Quote from Miami Herald Columnist Leonard Pitts Jr.

In a  Recent Column  South Florida Notable and Nationally Syndicated, Award-Winning  Columnist Leonard Pitts Junior Addressed the Atrocity and Hypocrisy of the  George Alan Rekers Story - The Psychologist and Baptist Minister Who Claimed He Could Cure Homosexuality.

"Put yourself in the shoes of the teenager" he wrote, "Bewildered and Frightened by these feelings he or she is not 'supposed' to have, feelings of sexual attraction to people of the same gender. You try to deny them, try to ignore them, try to suppress them, but they will not go away. You are all alone, isolated behind a secret that presses down on you like weights, a fear of rejection that haunts you like ghosts.

And here comes Dr. Rekers telling you you are abnormal, telling you you are bad, telling you he can cure you, as if you had a disease like measles or the flu.


Then, in his off hours, after he's done curing you, he's trolling  RentBoy.Com  looking for young men to handle his, ahem . . . baggage.

That's more than hypocrisy, more even than self-loathing. It is a betrayal of one's own, a sellout of the most vulnerable.

And what's sad is not just that a George Rekers would do this, but that ours is a culture that would encourage and reward such duplicity in the first place.


He purported to heal homosexuals? One is reminded of an injunction: 'Physician, heal thyself.'


Rekers would be wise to heed that advice.

Homosexual urges are the least of his afflictions." 

Sometimes Mister Pitts, Your Writing, Your Insight and Your Sensitivity - Just Blow Me Away!
Is it Any Wonder They Gave You a Pulitzer Prize in 2004. 


Agnostic Thinking...


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Some Parishioners Are Outraged By Their Churches New Crucifix!

Believe it or not, this is the actual Crucifix that hangs above the main altar of Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in War Acres Oklahoma ...

Apparently,  The Huge Boner Is in the Eyes of the Beholder! 

"There are a couple people who have left the parish,” the Rev. Philip Seeton, the church’s pastor explained to USA Today  "There are people in the parish who don’t like it and have stayed away.”

Critics of the crucifix take issue with what appears to be a large penis covering Jesus’ abdominal area. Seeton said the portion of the crucifix in question is meant to be Jesus’ abdomen "showing distension”  - and definitely not a penis.

Seton also explained to the "Oklahoman" a local newspaper, "I’ve had people who have vocally said that that’s what they see there. I’ve had other people who have been just as vocal who said that’s not what they’re seeing there.”

Frustrated by all the publicity and controversy Father Seaton has now referred all questions to the Oklahoma City Archdiocese.

Monsignor Edward Weisenburger said he has no problems with the crucifix either and has referred specific questions back to Seeton. 

Janet Jaime is the artist who designed the New 10 Foot Tall Crucifix and, according to the newspapers covering this story she was unavailable for comment, but her husband said critics are misinterpreting a common religious icon.

"This isn't just a subjective depiction. This is an historical religious icon of the church,” said Reggie Jaime, husband of Janet Jaime, an Oklahoma City Iconographer commissioned by the church to design the crucifix. “I can't help what you see in things, or she sees in things, or anyone.”


Now, the idea that this might be a religious icon is completely plausible to me.  After all, many cultures and societies have long-established traditions of worshiping phallic symbols.  But to suggest that this crucifix does not depict both Exaggerated and Engorged Genitalia is absolutely Ludicrous and Absurd to me.

Father Seaton's attempt to explain this as being nothing more than abdominal distention strikes me as being pretty lame.  But then again, that's me.  He's already got his parishioners believing in Heaven, Hell and the Virgin Birth.  So Who Knows What Else They Might "Swallow"?!

Agnostic Thinking...

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Betty White Wants to Know - Is Elena Kagan A Muff Diver?

Well I'm not really sure if Betty wants to know or not, but it does seem like no matter where you go, everyone is asking the same question.  Is President Obama's New Supreme Court Nominee, Elena  Kagan,  a Homosexual?

Is Elena Kagan Gay?

Gee, I don't know. Is the Pope a Nazi who protects child molesters?

Or as some might say, If It Looks like a Duck and Quacks like a Duck...

But is that really fair?  You know, just because she's pretty enough to be a Dyke.  Is it fair that we make that assumption?

Besides, it's not really important. Since Hillary never came out and nor did Janet Reno, Madeline Albright, Margaret Thatcher, Janet Napolitano, or even Sonia Sotomayor - why should Elena have to?

Although I must admit I fail to understand their reluctance. Since it's always been my experience that the world tends to take lesbians a lot more seriously than they do pretty little "Barbie Doll" straight girls. 

In fact, generally speaking, I think society gives gay women a lot more credibility, tolerance and respect than is generally afforded towards gay men.  There are of course exceptions to that.  Especially when it comes to occupations.

Let's face it, depending on the profession, most of America treats Gay Men the same way they treat Jewish Professionals.  Even An Anti-Semitic, Neo-Nazi Type will look for a Jewish name when he needs a really Good Lawyer, Doctor or Accountant.

Much the same way that an Uptight, Intolerant, Homophobic Christian Woman will still seek out the Gay Hairdresser, Florist, Wedding Planner, or Interior Designer.

The truth is, the really important question here is not Ms. Kagan's sexual orientation, but rather, where does she actually stand on the important issues.  Unfortunately very little is known about this nominee.  Does she tend to be a liberal, moderate or conservative? 

Is She Pro-Choice?  Is She a Civil Libertarian?  And just because she looks and acts gay - will she actually prove to be gay friendly?

President Obama seems to know and like her and that should be a good sign, but then again, this president has proven to be considerably more conservative than many of us had expected. 

As a Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan will be undergoing some extensive scrutiny in the coming months.  So hopefully, in time, we'll have more answers.  I plan to reserve judgment until then.

Agnostic Thinking...


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Another Baptist Minister Bites the Dust, As "Escort-Encounters" Begin to Multiply!

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