Agnostic Thinking...

Ricky Gervais Thanks God for Making Him an Atheist!

2011-01-17T12:32:00.000-05:00

Just in case you missed it and you easily could have, since it happened so fast. At the close of the Golden Globe awards last night, Ricky Gervais thanked everyone for being good sports. He thanked the foreign press Association. He thanked viewers at home. Etc. etc. etc. and then He Thanked God for Making Him an Atheist!

That's right, it was perhaps his best joke of the evening, and it was overshadowed by the noise in the audience and the cameras pulling away as they began to run the closing credits. For me it was the perfect topper to his controversial monologue and other biting remarks, he opened the show with.

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

Bill Maher Addresses the Tragedy in Tucson!

2011-01-11T14:22:00.003-05:00

In this extended interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper; Bill Maher, my Favorite Rational Agnostic tells it like it is...

As someone else mentioned, I think perhaps Bill Maher's best point here is how the media is always attempting to spread and share the blame in an attempt to seem objective, even when it's entirely inappropriate to do so.

Such as one news report which pointed out 'Extremists' on both sides and mentioned Jon Stewart and Glen Beck in a single breath... seriously?!

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

I'm Having an Atheist Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:04:00.001-05:00

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?

2010-12-24T19:16:00.000-05:00

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!!

2010-12-24T00:19:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-12-22T02:44:00.006-05:00

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!

2010-12-20T02:28:00.001-05:00

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!

2010-12-19T00:30:00.000-05:00

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

2010-10-04T13:01:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-10-03T02:49:00.004-04:00

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!"

2010-09-29T23:49:00.012-04:00

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!

2010-09-28T00:53:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-08-16T00:32:00.033-04:00

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!

2010-07-05T20:13:00.005-04:00

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...

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Remembering George Carlin - On the Second Anniversary of His Passing

2010-06-22T06:15:00.004-04:00

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!

2010-06-20T00:01:00.013-04:00

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"

2010-06-02T12:21:00.008-04:00

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.

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

2010-05-29T22:34:00.005-04:00

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!

2010-05-26T06:36:00.008-04:00

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...

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Quotable Quote from Miami Herald Columnist Leonard Pitts Jr.

2010-05-19T04:23:00.006-04:00

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!

2010-05-15T04:59:00.005-04:00

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?

2010-05-12T03:17:00.002-04:00

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!

2010-05-09T03:12:00.003-04:00

By now, I'm sure you're familiar with the story of the Reverend George Alan Rekers.

The Fundamentalist Baptist Minister and Co-founder of the Family Research Council.

The Anti-Gay Activist and Homophobic Hypocrite, Dr. Rekers. The man who claims he can "Cure" Gay Men of Their "Cock Craving Deviant Ways" and Teach Them to Love Both Jesus and The Vagina Too!

Yes the same man who was caught coming home from Europe with a young male escort from RentBoy.Com - a website that is as Blatantly Gay as the Reverend Rekers, "Shakespearean Style Protests" and "Gay Paranoia" suggests he himself to be.

I've actually been wanting to comment on this story for almost a week now, but needless to say when I hear stories like this, I - Aye, Yai, Yai, - yai, yai - I get so frustrated and infuriated that I literally, and figuratively and with every appropriate pun intended "Just Can't Think Straight".

But fortunately, Rachel Maddow can. Check out the video from her show. She does this so well...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In the meantime, a 41-year-old man named Chaz has come forward to acknowledge a similar "Escort- Encounter" with the good Reverend. While he does not divulge full details as to time and place. It apparently happened several years ago, back when Chaz was in his early 20's.

Chaz has posted to his blog a picture of how he looked back then, alongside the current photo of the now infamous RentBoy, Lucien. And as Chaz himself points out, they do indeed appear to be similar types.

Something tells me that this new Chaz revelation is just the beginning of many to come.

When I encounter stories like this. I inevitably find myself engaging in my own little form of prayer.

Yes I Said Prayer! I call it "My Agnostic Prayer", and depending on the circumstances. It tends to go something like this...

Dear God, whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you are, if ever you are or were - I beseech thee...

Please, Please - Save Me from Your Followers!

Agnostic Thinking...

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In Defense of South Park!

2010-04-25T23:27:00.011-04:00

Please Note: I had to update this video since the original one posted here was taking down due to an ongoing copyright dispute. Fortunately Thunderfoot, wasted no time in creating a new one.

In defense of South Park and the Genius behind it. Namely its creators and writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone. I'm posting this YouTube video by Thunderf00t - it says it all and so much more.

The only thing that I would add is that ultimately No Religion Has a place in the Enlightened World. Especially the Abrahamic Religions. Christianity, Islam and Judaism are all based on the same book. "The Book of Hear-Say" or as some people still call it "The Holy Bible".

Now I'm well aware that there are many reformed, liberal and progressive versions of these three major world religions, but unfortunately, no matter how advanced the sect. They all have at their core the teachings of the Old Testament. And Anyone who still thinks in this day and age that the Bible is Holy. Has either never really read it, or at the very least has sacrificed their ability to reason for purposes of belief. Which come to think of it would probably make a good definition for the word Faith.

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.

In Defense of the Catholic Church!

2010-04-21T07:50:00.003-04:00

I've received some criticism recently, because some of you think I have been "Dumping" too much on the Catholic Church. So in an effort to be "Fair and Balanced" (à la Fox News style) I thought I would post this YouTube video I found in defense of the Catholic Church.

Now I realize the video runs a little bit longer (about eight minutes) than some of you might like. But it's worth watching all the way through, the man makes some excellent points so give him a chance and hear him out.

Agnostic Thinking...

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The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways!

2010-04-19T21:26:00.010-04:00

In a statement that's mostly ridiculous and more reminiscent of Pat Robertson or perhaps someone channeling Jerry Falwell, Rush Limbaugh has declared that the Icelandic Volcano Eruption is a punishment from God!

Why would God want to punish most of Europe by polluting its air and disrupting its air traffic?

Well according to Rush. It's because Americans passed health-care! ?

Believe it or not that's exactly what the man said. Seriously now, you just can't make this stuff up.

Mount "Rush-More" Erupts Again...

I recently used this same cartoon graphic on my other blog, Just Thinking... - so when this God/Punishment story came along. I just couldn't resist using it here as well.

Thanks Rush, you've done it again!

Agnostic Thinking...

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The Pope Gives a Shout-Out to the Beatles!

2010-04-18T13:49:00.005-04:00

Some forty plus years since John Lennon first boasted that "The Beatles Are Bigger Than Jesus Christ" -the ever Benevolent Pope Benedict has decided to forgive them.

Yes it's true, the same church that back in the 60's was warning Catholic parents worldwide to keep their children away from the Evil and Satanic Influence of Beatles Music. Has now decided to give the group. Its stamp of approval.

The irony here is that back in the 60's. The church did nothing to warn parents about its own Child Molesting Clergy. As they knowingly and deliberately continued to put children in harms way.

While this story received a considerable amount of media attention in the past week. I think perhaps the best coverage came last night On Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update with Seth Meyers. Check out the video...

Agnostic Thinking...

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I've Joined the Atheist Blogroll!

2010-04-12T17:15:00.003-04:00

I'm happy to inform you that My Blog, Agnostic Thinking... has been added to The Atheist Blogroll.

You can see the blogroll in my sidebar. The Atheist blogroll is a community building service provided free of charge to Agnostic/Atheists and Rationally Thinking Bloggers throughout the world. It's a simple one-stop source for like-minded bloggers and thinkers. Simply click on any blog that interests you.

Visit Mojoey at Deep Thoughts for more information about the atheist blogroll.

"Introduction on the Atheist Blogroll"

2010-04-12T17:03:00.003-04:00

My name is Eddie O'Reilly and my blog is called Agnostic Thinking... A place where I write about "Atheists, Agnostics and Queers Oh My!" - Well something like that anyway. I actually write about Religion (or my lack of it), Agnostic/Atheism, Rational Thinking, Gay Subculture And Related Topics.

I consider myself to be a Rationalist. "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan

Since I can find no way to rationally justify a belief in a personal god, I guess that also makes me an Agnostic and or Atheist. "I expect death to be nothingness, and for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism" - Isaac Asimov

I have taken great comfort in discovering the online Agnostic/Atheist community. As both a "Doubter" and a "Homosexual" I've often felt both isolated and alone. Kind of like a fish out of water in most social settings.

You might think that "Nonbelievers" would be readily embraced by the Gay Community. But that's not true at all. You'd be surprised at how many Religious Gays there really are. Even though Homosexuality has been almost Universally Condemned by Mainstream Religions; Gays still seem to find a way to Believe.
It's always amazed what lengths people will go to, just "To Believe".

Gay people make a God who accepts Gays.

One group thinks the Bible is the literal word of God. While another decides, No - it's merely interpretive.

Couples living out of wedlock create a God who accepts them.

Polygamists have miraculously discovered a God who accepts that. And so it goes, on and on.

It is never ending. Why do people insist on creating Gods? Why is having a God so damn important to them? I honestly don't understand.

I was raised Roman Catholic, parochial school and all and believe me that wasn't always easy. But I guess I was resistant to indoctrination.

From the earliest of ages, I was always getting in trouble during Catechism Class for asking what I thought were reasonable and rational questions. The Priests, Nuns and Brothers of course, just viewed me as being insolent.

To this day, I'm not really sure which was more difficult. "Coming Out" as a Gay Man or as an Atheist. I'm happy to say that in the Agnostic/Atheist community, I seem to have found acceptance as both. When people are freed from religious dogma and superstitious beliefs they tend to be a lot more open-minded and less judgmental.

I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog and please feel free to comment. Thanks!

Vatican Dares to Compare Church Critics to Anti-Semites!

2010-04-05T18:21:00.003-04:00

A Vatican priest, speaking before a "Packed House" (I use the term advisedly. It is all "Showbiz" after all.) at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome with Pope Benedict XVI in attendance; compared the world’s outrage at the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church to Anti-Semitism and the persecution of the Jews throughout history.

The remarks immediately prompted angry criticism from both Jewish leaders and victims advocate groups. A Vatican spokesperson later tried to distance both the Church and the Pope himself from the unfortunate remarks. But I honestly think the damage had already been done. I know that I personally was overwhelmed by the audacity and hypocrisy of them trying to employ this tactic.

It seems like the church's massive public relations and marketing team can't seem to get a handle on how best to coordinate its response to all of the recent negative press and criticism. Perhaps they're just feeling overwhelmed with something called "Catholic Guilt".

The Priest, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, explained that Easter and Passover fell during the same week this year, and said "he was led to think of the Jews".

Isn't it interesting how The Church is only willing to make the Easter/Passover connection when it's convenient for them to do so. The rest of the time, they just ignore the fact that the Last Supper was actually a Passover Seder. Where the eating of unleavened bread (matzoh crackers) is a Jewish tradition.

I remember when I was in college having read an anthropological survey that showed a significant majority of eighth grade catechism students were unaware that both Jesus and all of his disciples were Jews. As were all of the early Christians for that matter. In fact, back then, you had to be a Jew (A descendent of Abraham, one of the Bible's chosen people). In order to become a Christian.

This obvious gap in religious teachings was certainly no accident, but rather by design. The church has deliberately chosen to distance itself from its Jewish origins. Lest it might find itself in conflict with its frequently engaged in anti-Semitic agenda.

For the Vatican to now attempt to align itself with the plight of the Jews as a way of gaining sympathy in this time of crisis is truly appalling.

The Church is obviously only interested in protecting its reputation, wealth, property and power. Their defensive tactics however, often do more harm than good. Instead of acknowledging their mistakes, the Vatican wants to blame the media for reporting the truth. The church has in fact been its own worst enemy. They need to seriously reevaluate their priorities, policies and procedures.

When there is actually no theological reason for their priests to be celibate they force their clergy into an unnatural lifestyle for the sole purpose of preserving wealth and property. While celibacy may have always been encouraged by church officials. It didn't become law until the mid-1200's when the church decided to put a stop to wives and children inheriting the wealthy estates of bishops and priests.

While the church's history of subjugating women, persecuting gays, and most recently promoting the spread of AIDS by banning the use of condoms is indeed reprehensible. It all pales in comparison to these recent revelations of sex abuse and the deliberate cover-up engaged in by the Pope himself (see previous post).

Perhaps It's Time for the Pontiff to Acknowledge His Fallibility and Just Resign.

Agnostic Thinking...

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Just Thinking

Papal Sex Abuse Cover-Up!

2010-04-01T17:46:00.002-04:00

According to recent news reports, Pope Benedict himself played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergy.

In 2001 while he was still Cardinal. He issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic Bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the churches interest ahead of the safety of children. Yes I said children. As if taking advantage of the trust and innocence of teenage boys wasn't bad enough. We now learn that victims were of both sexes, often as young as four, five and six years old. Some were mentally and physically handicapped. Still others, as in the recently revealed case in Milwaukee were deaf or otherwise physically impaired.

The Papal Edict commanded that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities (which is the law). Bishops should encourage the victim's, witnesses and perpetrators not to talk about it at all. And to keep the victims quiet. The document threatened that if they repeated the allegations they would be excommunicated!

To the true believer, that meant you were being threatened with Eternal Damnation if you stood up for these young victims and told the truth. And to think, The Church Calls Itself Holy!

The Church further reinforced this strict cover-up policy by introducing a new principle: The Vatican must have what it calls "Exclusive Competence". In other words the Pope (then Cardinal Ratzinger) demanded that all child abuse allegations should be dealt with directly by Rome and no one else.

As Father Tom Doyle, a former Vatican lawyer until he was sacked for criticizing the church's policies states: "What we have here is an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child sexual abuse by the clergy and to punish those who would call attention to these crimes."

Father Patrick Wall, another former Vatican approved official who was working in America said. "I found out I wasn't working for a holy institution at all, but rather a for-profit organization. That was solely concentrated on protecting itself and its bottom line."

What does it mean when an institution commands a "Code of Silence" and compliance even when serious criminal acts are involved? Sounds like "Organized Crime" to me.

What does it mean when you knowingly and deliberately conceal the criminal and felonious acts of another? Isn't that aiding and abetting, isn't that criminal conspiracy?

And what does it mean when you do all this to protect your goodwill, reputation, and ultimately your profits? Isn't that some sort of racketeering?

Let's face it, if you or I did any of these things. We'd Be in Jail!!

Agnostic Thinking...

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Just Thinking

Derrick Martin Wins Right To Bring His Boyfriend to the Prom But His Parents Spoil the Victory!

2010-03-25T16:59:00.003-04:00

Derrick Martin an 18 year old senior at Bleckley County High School in Cochran Georgia has won approval to bring his boyfriend to the school prom. Something worth celebrating right? Well, not so fast. Apparently his parents embarrassed by the publicity and the "SIN" of their sons homosexuality have now thrown young Derrick Martin out of their house.

Supporters have rallied around Derrick, and are offering to help pay for everything from boutonnieres to a stretch limo for Derrick and his boyfriend, but so far there has been no word on anyone helping him find a new place to live, although he is temporarily staying with a friend.

Derrick says he first sought permission in January to bring his date to the April 17 dance at the school. Bleckley High requires approval in advance for bringing a prom date from outside the county. Since there is no official school policy covering the subject of same-sex dates. Principal Michelle Masters approved the request.

You might remember a similar request by a female student in Mississippi to bring her girlfriend to the senior dance led to the prom at her school being cancelled.

That's not the case here though, Derrick's School Actually Did Right by Him. It Was His Parents and their Religion that Let Him down!

Agnostic Thinking...

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Just Thinking

Bill Maher Does Buddhism!

2010-03-17T22:00:00.003-04:00

In Friday night's edition of "New Rules". Bill Maher covers a host of topics as usual, but my favorites was when he discusses Tiger Woods Buddhist Faith. The last few minutes of this video are the best, check it out...

Update 4/1/2010: HBO has apparently decided to remove some of my favorite Bill Maher videos from YouTube. This doesn't seem to be an April fools joke either. I fully recognize that it's HBO's right to do so, but it's still very regrettable. So I guess I'll just have to quote bill Maher, instead...

"Now usually, when famous cheaters are looking for public redemption, they go to Jesus, but Tiger went old school, and claimed that sleeping with 2/3 of the waitresses in America had made him a failure as a Buddhist. He said Buddhism teaches you the way to inner peace is letting go of desire - and if that doesn't sound like marriage, I don't know what does.

Personally, if I was a golfer, I'd go with Jesus - because he's a Trinity, so when you walk with him, you've got a foursome. Christianity is for rubes. Buddhism is for actors.

And it really is outdated in some ways - the "Life sucks, and then you die" philosophy was useful when Buddha came up with it around 500 B.C., because back then life pretty much sucked, and then you died - but now we have medicine, and plenty of food, and iPhones, and James Cameron movies - our life isn't all about suffering anymore. And when we do suffer, instead of accepting it we try to alleviate it.

Tiger said, "Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves" makes us unhappy, which confirms something I've long suspected about Eastern religions: they're a crock, too.

Craving for things outside ourselves is what makes life life - I don't want to learn to not want, that's what people in prison have to do. Buddhism teaches suffering is inevitable. The only thing that's inevitable is that if you have fake boobs and hair extensions, Tiger Woods will try to fuck you.

And reincarnation? Really? If that were real, wouldn't there be some proof by now? A raccoon spelling out in acorns, "My name is Herb Zoller and I'm an accountant." ...something?

People are always debating, is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy: it's a religion. You're a religion if you do something as weird as when the Buddhist monks scrutinize two-year-olds to find the reincarnation of the dude who just died, and then choose one of the toddlers as the sacred Lama: "His poop is royal!" Sorry, but thinking you can look at a babbling, barely-housebroken, uneducated being and say, "That's our leader" doesn't make you enlightened. It makes you a Sarah Palin supporter."

Please Feel Free to Comment below: ( just click on the word comment 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...
Just Thinking

The Texas School Book Massacre!

2010-03-17T19:46:00.004-04:00

Last week, the Texas Board of Education, with a seven vote margin, ratified a series of controversial new, right-wing fundamentalist christian textbook standards. Standards that would not only change History and Science, but could pollute the minds of young students nationwide.

Since Texas purchases the same books for the entire state (unlike most school districts, which make the decision locally) Texans, therefore have the largest schoolbook market in the country. Which tends to have a great influence on how textbooks are written and produced across the United States.

Among other things, these new Texas standards would force students to study the Creationist Philosophy of Pro-Life, Christian Fundamentalists, like Phyllis Schafly, but would delete the Enlightened Thinking of founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

That's right. Thomas Jefferson (author of the Declaration of Independence) Would Be Out! But Phyllis Schafly and Conservative Christian Philosophers like Thomas Aquinas Would Be In! -Well That Sounds Fair and Balanced.

Students would further be indoctrinated with the thinking of the Tea Party Movement, the National Rifle Association, the Contract with America people, the Christian Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority, and the widely discredited economic theories of the Libertarian, German-Austrian Economist Frederic von Hayek. All of this without benefit of any dissenting or opposing points of view.

Now, perhaps it doesn't bother you that we would be raising a generation of morons. School kids that believe in the inerrancy of Bible Fairy Tales. That the Earth is the Center of the Universe and our Sun revolves around us. That man walked with the dinosaurs because the world is only 5,000 years old.

Maybe you don't care that this could lead to the birth of a New Christian Theocracy where there would be No Freedom of Religion or Thought. No Bill of Rights, Constitution or Declaration of Independence, just the in-errant philosophy of Bible texts to guide us.

But I suspect, if you really think about it, you do care. And if you do, then it's time - To Mess With Texas!

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comment 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...
Just Thinking

Liberals and Atheists Have Above Average IQs!

2010-03-02T21:52:00.002-05:00

Don't You Love It!
When this story first broke Yesterday in all of the Major News Outlets. Well, needless to say, I was Pleased as Punch!

I was even more Delighted this Morning when I opened an e-mail from my Niece Irene, who lives in the Pacific Northwest. She was sending me a CNN News link to this very story. In it, she gleefully explained. Eddie, I thought you might appreciate this. - And You Bet I Do.

My Niece is so Bright, Beautiful and Perceptive! I just can't help but wonder where she gets it from? :)
In case you haven't seen it yet. Here's the basic report...

Liberalism, Atheism, Male Sexual Exclusivity Linked to IQ

(CNN) -- Political, religious and sexual behaviors may be reflections of intelligence, a new study finds.

Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with IQ from a large national U.S. sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs. This applied also to sexual exclusivity in men, but not in women. The findings will be published in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly.

Thank You for Sending Me This Irene - You Made My Day!

Of course this story should be no great surprise, since we have always known...

Most of the Great Minds in Math, Science and Philosophy, Have Been Liberals, Agnostics, Atheists, Non-Theists and Secular Humanists.

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comment 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...
Just Thinking

Bill Maher Is Back!

2010-02-21T15:30:00.002-05:00

Real Time with Bill Maher is back for a whole new season on HBO! Look for new episodes every Friday night at 10 PM. Plus of course it's repeated frequently throughout the week. This, in my humble opinion, is one of the best hours of television you'll find anywhere. I highly recommend it!

Also airing this month on HBO, is Bill Maher's new comedy act. "But, I'm Not Wrong" this is basically the same show that Esther and I saw "Live" at the Jackie Gleason theater on Miami Beach. You have to check it out, as Jackie Gleason would've said "It's the Greatest"!

In case you're not familiar with Bill Maher's work, permit me to post here one of my favorite videos. In this video, Bill addresses the health care issue, the French, and lots of other topics I tend to agree with him on, and much like Bill Maher. I'm Never Wrong! (well hardly ever, anyway.).

Check out this video. It's lots of fun...

The video stops kind of abruptly at the end. But then again, let's face it, there's certain things you can say on HBO, that you simply can't get away with on YouTube.

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comment 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... Just Thinking

Abortion Is a God Given Right!

2009-09-29T20:51:00.000-04:00

I actually wrote most of this as a comment to a recent "Pro-Choice" blog post by KAYLA

http://idunnouu.blogspot.com/2009/08/abortion.html

I thought I would share it here as well...

If Men Could Get Pregnant - Argument Done!

No doubt about it, if men were having the babies, abortion would not only be legal; It would be a "Religious Rite"!

The male-dominated religions of the world would create special prayers and rituals for the "Holy Sacrament of Abortion"! Priests, Rabbis, Ministers and Muslin Clerics would be performing abortions (for a fee of course) on a daily basis.

And, if women were to dare challenge a man's Sacred and God given right to an Abortion, - Well! isn't there something in the "Holy Book of Hear Say" (a/k/a The Bible) about Stoning Insolent Females? :)

Now please don't misunderstand. I'm not saying I'm in favor of abortion. No, not at all! In fact, the whole idea of it makes me rather uncomfortable; but who am I to say, what a woman can or can't do with her own body?

Or any of us for that matter. I'm not real fond of tattoos either ( Callif ) but it's not like I want them outlawed or something, in fact (I'm loath to admit this) sometimes, on occasion, they can actually look kind of sexy.

http://callif.blogspot.com/2009/06/161803399.html

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Thomas Jefferson Quotes...

2009-09-26T18:00:00.003-04:00

I recently received one of those viral e-mails.

This particular e-mail, by using selective quotes, tried to imply that if Thomas Jefferson were alive today, he would be aligned with contemporary neocons and right-wing fundamentalist christian conservatives. Needless to say, I couldn't help but respond.

So, I thought I would share that response, as a new blog post...

Hi, While I admit to being surprised, I am also pleased that you sent me this e-mail featuring quotes by Thomas Jefferson. A man whose scholarly intellect I have long admired. Even if some of his best ideas may have come from the Magna Carta circa 1215, he and his colleagues showed the wisdom to adopt and embrace them.

Which is not to say that I'm completely on board with all of his thoughts, teachings and philosophies, but I do have a great deal of respect for the man.

I was especially happy to see one of my favorite quotes...

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on, would save one-half the wars of the world." -- Thomas Jefferson

I remember reflecting on the wisdom of that quote when George W. Bush led us into two wars and yet insisted on lowering taxes not once, not twice, but three times. The only President in the history of our Republic to lower taxes while committing us to war. The consequence of which was to spend the entire budget surplus he inherited and turn it into a massive new deficit.

Yet Republicans still claim, with a straight face no less, to be Fiscally Conservative.

The fact is, true health care reform, with a public option, could be paid for a few times over with what we spend on unnecessary wars. The irony of this, of course, escapes them. (much like Bin Laden did)

It seems to me, the choice is clear...

Health Care or Warfare,

The Common Good or The Common Destruction.
Anyway, I digress. (as usual)

So back to Jefferson.

As anyone who has ever read the Jefferson version of the Bible, or "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" as it is formally titled can tell you, Jefferson was a bit of an agnostic, if not an atheist, as well as a pacifist. Jefferson believed Christ to be a peace loving man, and a wise & moral teacher. He saw no evidence however to support the notion, that Jesus was the son of God.

Now, please permit me to share some of my favorite Jefferson quotes.

Thomas Jefferson on war...

"I abhor war and view it as the greatest scourge of mankind." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Conquest and or war with other nations is not in our principles. It is inconsistent with our government." -- Thomas Jefferson

"If there is one principle more deeply rooted in the mind of every American, it is that we should have nothing to do with conquest." -- Thomas Jefferson

"I have seen enough of one war never to wish to see another." -- Thomas Jefferson

"The most successful war seldom pays for its losses." -- Thomas Jefferson

"The spirit of this country is totally adverse to a large military force." -- Thomas Jefferson

"War as an instrument, is entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses." -- Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson on poverty and the distribution of wealth...

"Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor." -- Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson on God, religion and such...

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, 'if there be one', he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion and question the existence of a God." -- Thomas Jefferson

"I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition ,Christianity, one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded on fables and mythology. The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being and his father, and the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."--Thomas Jefferson

"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God." -- Thomas Jefferson

"In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty." -- Thomas Jefferson

"If God is just, I tremble for my country." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced 1 inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and terror all over the earth." -- Thomas Jefferson

"I'm for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendancy of one religion over another." -- Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson on books and reading...

"I cannot live without books." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Books constitute capital. A library book lasts as long as a house, for hundreds of years. It is not, then, an article of mere consumption but fairly of capital, and often in the case of professional men, setting out in life, it is their only capital." -- Thomas Jefferson

This - as opposed to George W. Bush who once famously said "I don't really like books, I guess that's because I hate reading".

Thomas Jefferson on the censorship of books... (Sarah Palin, please take note)

"I am mortified to be told that, in the United States of America, the sale of a book can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too." -- Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson on big corporations...

"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." -- Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson on hate, intolerance, individual freedoms, homosexuality, and what we now call alternative lifestyles...

"I never will, by any act, word or deed bow to the religious shrine of intolerance." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Taste cannot be controlled by law. We must resist at all costs any attempt to regulate our individual freedoms and to legislate our personal moralities." -- Thomas Jefferson

And, of course, then there's this...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." -- Thomas Jefferson

It's perhaps worth noting , I have installed "Quote of the Day" gadgets on my Google home page.

So that every day I'm greeted with quotes from, among others, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.

I also, as you may have noticed, have installed an "Atheist Quote of The Day" gadget on this blog page.

What fascinates me is how often The quote here is from, among others, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.

Just Thinking...

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Hate, in The Name of God!

2009-09-09T05:12:00.000-04:00

The President speaks to children and says work hard and stay in school.

So this is controversial, what's the next controversy - the golden rule?

Apparently so, for weeks now Pastor Steven L. Anderson of the "Faithful Word Baptist Church", in Phoenix Arizona has been leading his congregation in prayer. Each Sunday they pray for the death of President Obama. As he explained to CNN he doesn't really care how the president dies, it could be of natural causes or however the Lord sees fit. "Read your Bible", he commands "The Lord is a Vengeful God".

A week or so ago Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) told a town hall meeting that the GOP still needs to find a "GREAT WHITE HOPE". ( Seriously, she really said that!)

"Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope," said Jenkins. "I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that, who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington." As examples, Jenkins mentioned Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Then of course we have, "The Birthers" a thriving birth obsessed fringe of very "White" mostly Fundamentalist Christian Psychos who still insist that Obama is not an American Citizen. Even though Courts across the land including the Supreme Court of the United States have repeatedly, summarily and unanimously rejected the movement's theory.

There can be no denying it, these people are Hateful Racist Bigots who are desperately seeking a way to get the "Black Man" out of the "White House".

So is it any wonder that when all else fails, they will gather in their White Anglo Christian Church's and pray to a Non-Anglo Semitic Jew Named Jesus, that The President Should Die!!!

And people ask me why I'm not religious.

- Just Thinking...

Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Thanks for reading!

"Religulous"

2009-07-11T14:02:00.000-04:00

Religulous, Now on DVD - Think about the word Religion and it's synonym Ridiculous and you'll completely understand why I really liked this movie!

Written by and Starring the ever controversial and outspoken comedian Bill Maher and Directed by Larry Charles of "Borat" fame, Religulous takes us 'round the world exposing the absurdities, peculiarities and ridiculous foolishness that is organized religion.

Now granted, some of these are really easy targets, like the Creationist Museum in Hebron Kentucky where they believe and teach that the earth is only about 5,000 years old and that man actually coexisted with dinosaurs.

He also shows us a scene from a 2008 Republican Presidential Debate where a majority of the panel expresses a belief in Creationism. (Yeah just what I want, one of those guys with their finger on the button.)

Maher further skewers the absurd ludicrousness of Scientology and the equally ludicrous and racist teachings of the Mormons. Yes, easy targets all, but he also goes on to expose the superstitious underbelly of mainstream religions as well. Including but not limited to, Catholics, Muslims and Jews.

As an Atheist, I naturally found all of this to be very gratifying but at the same time, somehow sadly insufficient. That was until the closing monologue where Bill Maher explains why religion is not only holding us back but actually endangering the future of all mankind and the planet we live on. It's at this point where the movie becomes more than just a clever, witty and satirical expose but rather a meaningful documentary with serious food for thought.

The DVD with it's extra features, additional monologues, deleted scenes and commentaries continues this enlightening theme. It turns what was an acceptably good theater going experience into a masterpiece at home.

3 and 1/2 stars for the movie as seen in theaters.

5 Awesome Stars for the Complete DVD. By all means rent it or perhaps even buy it. This is a film you can watch repeatedly and still discover something new each time.

Just Thinking

For a preview of "Religulous" click on link...
www.lionsgate.com/religulous

Please feel free to comment below. Anyone can comment. You Can even do so anonymously, if you like. If the comment panel is not visible below, just click on the word comments (In Blue). Thanks for reading!

Koogle - The Kosher Search Engine

2009-06-22T10:33:00.000-04:00

Koogle an obvious play on the word Google and the Jewish noodle pudding of the same pronunciation.

Koogle is the new Hebrew language search engine which was unveiled on June 15, 2009. It's specifically designed for the religiously observant Orthodox Jew. It permits the Orthodox to search the Web without accidentally or inadvertently encountering any sexually explicit or otherwise undesirable material. The site was developed at the encouragement of Rabbis seeking a way for Orthodox Jews to safely browse the Web.

To experience Koogle simply go to...
http://www.koogle.co.il/
or for English translation...
www.koogle.co.il/english

But, Beware The Wrath Of God. Never attempt to use Koogle after sundown on Fridays or all day Saturday (The Jewish Sabbath). Surfing on Shabbat explains developer Yossi Altman will cause your computer to crash!

You can't make this stuff up! Religions are so strange.

Just Thinking

Please feel free to comment below. Anyone can comment. If the comment panel is not visible below, just click on the word comment (In Blue). Thanks for reading.

My First Holy Communion!

2009-05-26T20:59:00.002-04:00

I was having one of those "Religion" Vs. "Reason" discussions on line the other day. When, this Frustrated, Sacrosanct "Theist" finally ran out of Rational Defenses for his Superstitious Beliefs, he came up with the following...

"You know what? - The only reason you're an Atheist, is because you're a Gay."

Needless to say, not all gays are Atheists. In fact there's a multitude of Gay Religious Groups, Churches, Synagogues, Temples even Mosques, (on the DL of course) but his statement did get me to thinking.

Even though I was raised in the Catholic Church, Parochial Schools and all, was it easier for me to resist Indoctrination because I was Gay? You see I always knew I was gay from my earliest recollections (about age 3). I always thought boys were cuter and more interesting than girls. Except, of course, when girls were talking about boys, that - I must admit, could be pretty interesting too. I didn't like sports much as a kid, but Barbie's Dream House always fascinated me a bit. Now granted, at age three I didn't know what it was called, but let's just say I knew I was different.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not like I was a big Swish or anything. I knew how to "Pass". Growing up in The Bronx, going to Catholic School, and dealing with Nuns, Brothers and Priests everyday, I kind of had to. After all, we all know how Straight the Clergy is. Right? Well at least so I thought at the time.

I not only had to "Pass" as Straight growing up, but I had to "Pass" as a Catholic as well. You know, pretend like I actually Believed all this crap they were teaching me. Trust me, it wasn't always easy. You see, I was a skeptic and a bit of a cynic, pretty much from the start.

Granted, when I was very young I did sort of reluctantly embrace the Jesus Story, but I kind of believed in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, as well! (although, I still believe in fairies - just not the same kind.) But, When I found out the Truth about the Santa Dude and the Bunny Guy, I just naturally figured the whole Jesus thing was Bullshit too.

I remember in second grade we were preparing for our "First Holy Communion", Sister Mary Whatshername told us we must never, ever bite into the "Host".

(For those of you unfamiliar with Catholic Absurdity, The Host, The Holy Eucharist, is an unleavened wafer that Catholics Believe is the body of Christ. Not that represents the body of Christ, like many other Christians believe, but actually is The Body of Christ. They even have a word for it, it's called the "Transubstantiation". Don't believe me? Look it up on the Vatican Website or any Catholic Encyclopedia for that matter. It's there, it really is!)

Anyway, when Sister told us we must never bite the Host, but rather, let it dissolve slowly in our mouth, and then swallow, I raised my hand and asked, why? Innocent enough question, I thought. I wasn't trying to be a smart ass, really. I was only seven, after-all. Well, She looked at me sternly, with her eyes ablaze and shouted...

"Because It Will Bleed In Your Mouth and You Will Burn In The Fires of Hell For All Eternity. That, Young Man, Is What Happens When You Violate The Body of Christ!" Ah, come on Sister I said, "You don't really believe that, do you?" With that, Sister raced down the aisle to where I was and vigorously slapped me across the face several times. (no easy feat for a 200 lb, 4 ft. 11 in. Nun)

Typical Second Grade Class at Sacred Heart - Bronx, New York

Latter that month, when we made our "First Holy Communion" the first thing I did was Bite into the Host, as Hard as I could. You Know What? No Blood, Not a Drop! So I just kind of Grinned! I grinned as I solemnly walked back to my pew with my hands clasped in prayer. I did just as Sister taught me and just as we had been rehearsing for weeks. And that grin on my face. Believe it or not? No one saw it as sarcasm. In fact, Sister latter commented, "I could tell by the look on your face Edward, that you were finally filled with the Sanctifying Grace of the Holy Spirit". She kissed me on the forehead as she gleefully exclaimed how proud she was. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing, but I didn't.

You see, even at the age of seven, I was learning how to "Pass". How to survive, in this spiritually strange, and superstitious alien environment. I was learning how to be what Sister called, "A Perfect Little Angel". I was indeed, the Perfect Little "Straight Boy" and the Perfect Little "Catholic"!

Just Thinking

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