The last of the promised articles.
You may wonder, or the more likely you don't, what is it about religions that really piss me off the way they do.
It's not religion per say that makes me feel the way I do, although this trilogy of articles posted here would be more than reason enough, what it really is I suppose, is that I see accepting religion as an act of betrayal, a waste, a waste of talents if you will.
For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:13-30)
Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, I know just where you're coming from old lad, there is much in the world of theology that causes me the weeping and the gnashing.
Why betrayal then? well in spite of Mankind being a bollocks, and in far too many ways to even contemplate listing here, if we discount all our many negatives, I do think we as a species are the dogs, the dog's bollocks, the canine cojones. We are as that species, simply astounding, brilliant, wondrous, there are just not enough adjectives to describe us, our understanding and our achievements.
Awesome, lets run with that one for now. Just detach yourself for a moment or two and look at the big picture. No need for you to be stood in the middle of a thriving metropolis, no need to be watching a Shuttle launch, or watching re-runs of men walking on the moon half a century ago.
No need for all that, all you have to do is what you're doing now, just sit as you are and take in the amazing complexity and achievement that allows you to read this, and to read it instantly from quite possibly half a world away.
It's pretty amazing isn't it, sorry, awesome is the reference, and awesome it surely is. We don't need Science Fiction, we are Science Fiction. Ten thousand heavier than air flying machines scuttling round the planet at most given times. Probes of enormous complexity sent off to the farthest reach of the Solar System, and on and on it goes.
To think of just how far we have come in, shall we say the last three hundred years, in evolutionary terms a blink of the eye, is as I say awesome, and what is it that has brought us to this point; rational thinking, nothing more, nothing less?
What hasn't brought us to this point most definitely, is religion, and in particular, for it's doctrines and dogmas, steeped in ignorance and superstition, designed only to be self serving for perpetuity, what hasn't brought us here by any means is the Catholic Church, quite the opposite in fact.
The Catholic Church is a blight on humankind, as all religions are it must be said. To what degree, lesser or or greater, dependant I suppose on the severity of each individual, and for the most part, bronze age doctrine. And this to say nothing of those that interpret this nonsense, and then with an audacity that is little short of stunning, deign to speak on God's behalf! They are not of our time, man and religion both.
Rational thought, what a priceless gift, that which sets us apart from all other beasts in the field, rational thought that has given so many other wonderful things, and I speak not now of Science, but of other things, of music, of art, or just the ability to stand on this planet, this dust mote in the sky, and be blessed that we have the capability to philosophise about, and to loose ourselves in, it's beauty and it's wonders.
How then should we look upon those among us that choose to embrace these dark age myths,to cast upon stony ground the seed of knowledge, to bury this wonderful and priceless talent in the dark dark earth of theology?
How then should we look upon those among us that would have us believe in immaculate conceptions and virgin births, of putrefying flesh risen from the dead, to ascend to some mythical place called heaven, be it on horseback or nay?
How then should we look upon those among us that would have us believe the Earth is but ten thousand years old, and put here by some omnipotent super being, as they would also have us believe that the Grand Canyon was born of Noah's flood?
How then should we look upon those among us that would try to frighten us and control us with talk of Devils, of being consigned for all eternity to some mythical fiery pit, how then should we look upon those among us that talk of Original Sin. To have us believe we are born into this sin because a woman, made from the rib of a man, partook of an apple at the behest of a talking snake?
We should pity them, but we cannot, they are far too harmful to allow us that luxury.
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And what finer example of the suspension of rational thought, of a doctrine that is not of our time, and of the pathetic, if not indeed loathsome excuses for, and those that put on the uniform of, this heinous organisation.
I shall make no highlights, and I shall remove the more frivolous accompanying graphics that I had originally intended to use, they detract from the piece.
Catholic sex abuse scandals are 'evidence the Devil is in the Vatican', says Pope's chief exorcist
By Nick Pisa
Last updated at 6:03 PM on 11th March 2010
Child sex abuse scandals rocking the Catholic Church are evidence of the Devil's presence in the Vatican, the Pope's chief exorcist said yesterday.
Father Gabriel Amorth, 84, who has carried out more than 70,000 exorcisms in a career spanning 24 years said Pope Benedict 'fully agreed' with him in 'casting out evil'.
The Catholic church has been rocked in recent months by a series of sex scandals in Ireland, Holland and most recently Germany, where even the Pope's brother Georg Ratzinger admitted hitting choir boys.
In his interview with La Repubblica newspaper Father Amorth, on who the Devil fighting priest in hit horror movie The Exorcist is based, said: 'His Holiness fully believes in casting out evil.
'The Devil lives in the Vatican. He has won over the confidences of people but naturally its difficult to find proof but the consequences are visible.
'We have cardinals who don't believe in Christ, bishops connected with demons. Then we have these stories of pedophilia. You can see the rot when we speak of Satan's smoke in the holy rooms (of the Vatican).'
Father Amorth gave his interview as part of a book launch for Italian religious affairs journalist Marco Tosatti who has written 'Memoirs of an Exorcist'.
Father Amorth said:' 'The Devil is invisible, he is a pure spirit. But in the people he possesses he can be seen through pain and blasphemies but he can also remain hidden.
"Sometimes he makes fun of me but I have to say I enjoy my work."
He added how he had 'six or seven assistants' to help him hold down possessed people when he carried out exorcism and that he kept ''nails and glass that they spit out in a little bag.
'From the mouths of the possessed people all sorts of things come out, bits of metal as long as a finger, rose petals.
'I have to have help holding them down and wiping up the saliva but seeing these people vomit doesn't upset me.'
Father Amorth also said that the attempt on the life of the late Pope John Paul II in May 1981 and the recent attack on Pope Benedict XVI during Christmas Eve Mass last year were all work of the Devil.
So too, he added, was a Vatican 'cover-up' after the deaths of the commander of the Swiss Guard Alois Estermann, his wife and fellow Swiss guard Corporal Cedric Tornay. All three were shot dead.
'They covered up everything immediately,' Father Amorth said. 'Here one sees the rot.'
The official Vatican line was that Corporal Tornay shot the commander and his wife before killing himself. However, this verdict has been disputed by Tornay's family.
Father José Antonio Fortea Cucurull, a fellow exorcist, immediately accused Father Amorth of having gone too far.
'Cardinals might be better or worse, but all have upright intentions and seek the glory of God,' he said.
'... to affirm that some cardinals are members of satanic sects is an unacceptable distance.'
Father Amorth told La Repubblica that the devil was "pure spirit, invisible. But he manifests himself with blasphemies and afflictions in the person he possesses. He can remain hidden, or speak in different languages, transform himself or appear to be agreeable. At times he makes fun of me."
Father Amorth has frequently been a controversial figure.
In 2006, he gave an interview to Vatican Radio in which he said that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Russian Josef Stalin had both been possessed.
According to secret Vatican documents recently released wartime Pope Pius XII attempted a 'long distance' exorcism of Hitler which failed to have any effect.
In the past Italian Father Amorth has also spoken out against Harry Potter claiming that reading the novels of the teen wizard open children’s minds in dabbling with the occult and black magic.
Father Amorth, who was ordained in 1954 and who is president of the International Association of Exorcists, said of the JK Rowling books: 'Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil.'
He said Rowling's books contain innumerable positive references to magic, 'the satanic art' and added the books attempt to make a false distinction between black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction 'does not exist, because magic is always a turn to the devil'. The Wail
I have featured Father Amorth on other occassions, and he does feature in the post below. But we must remember it's Ratzinger that is in the driving seat, or should that be throne?
I had originally included in this post the Large Hadron Collider and photo's of as another example of our achievements, they too detracted from the post, but having come across this must see picture gallery at the Boston Globe, I felt I must include it if only here.
Hat tip to scottbrown.co.nz for providing the link.
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To further this post and to connect you to a monument to stupidity, ignorance and irrationality, this from the incredible Encyclopaedia of Creation Science, Creation Wiki. main page link.
I promise, you will never have to buy another comic as long as you live. Search the Grand Canyon, or coal, or whatever takes your fancy, it's something else.
From the Dinosaur page.
Dinosaurs (Greek: δεινόσαυρος, deinosauros) are a group of large extinct animals classified as reptiles. The name dinosaur comes from the Greek deinos (terrible) and sauros (lizard). The word now used to define these terrible lizards was first coined by Sir Richard Owen, a creationist. According to the traditional paleontological interpretations of Earth's history, the dinosaurs are believed to have dominated the ecosystem for more than 100 million years. It is furthermore believed that they went extinct about 65 million years ago, about 55 million years before the first humans appeared on Earth.
However, most creationists believe that dinosaurs coexisted with mankind on Earth and lived recently. Biblical support for this perspectives is drawn from the Genesis 1 where it states that all animals were created on the sixth day of creation along with humans. It is furthermore presumed they were still alive at the time of the global flood and taken on board Noah's ark. Evidence to support this perspective includes:
1. The Bible specifically states that a breeding pair of every kind of animal came to the ark.
2. The fossil record is filled with the corpses of dinosaurs that were buried during the deluge.
3. The abundant physical evidence of recent existence of dinosaurs.
It should be noted that although the Biblical description of Noah's ark states it as large enough to host even the largest known specimens of dinosaurs, it is logical that younger / smaller varieties were taken aboard. Reptiles are the only terrestrial vertebrate that continuously grows as long as they live. Mammals on the other hand, have an adolescent period following which there is no further growth. Therefore, it is arguable that many of these "terrible lizards" were simply much older than modern varieties......
I copied this at some point today, from where I've no idea, I didn't save a link, but whoever he is, we're reading off the same page. Arnold Mendez and Noah's Ark have their own tag at Only in America.
To ignore every bit of common sense, every scientific fact, every geological timeline, (look up carboniferous period. coal, plate tectonics in Creation Wiki to name a few) ignore all and everything, talk the most ridiculous talking points, anything in fact, just make a case for the existence of a god, for Noah, and a bloody Ark, man oh man, and we as atheists are asked to show respect to the likes of Mendez and the millions of others just like him that wallow in this adopted ignorance they call religion.This left in the comments on OIA, little wonder he's pissed.
Arnold Mendez is Beyond an Idiot he is dangerous. Let me tell you why. Arnold Mendez taught/teaches almost all the General Chemistry Laboratory Classes at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. On his own initiative, he added an indoctrination on why Radiological Carbon Dating is a farce.
He required the students to go to HIS listed fraud sites and write a report (basically supporting his crap). I was forced to do this for a grade in his class along with almost 1,000 students in a single semester.
When this situation was revealed to the University, they did absolutely nothing! Any reputable (REAL) University would have fired ANYONE who did this on the spot. I guess TAMUCC is just another Liberty University. DO NOT ATTEND this university if you want a ACTUAL Science Degree. I am still highly offended by this whole situation.
