I am recently getting more and more upset with idiots blaming bad spelling for all the problems with a person's message. The only time I think a typo means the outcome is wrong is when we're dealing with mathematics or translations.
Who cares if the word atheist is spelled "athiest?" We still get the message. I used to be a stickler for correct grammar and spelling but over the years I've loosened up.
The reason is because of people like Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey speaking out again things like children's vaccinations. Are we seriously so blind that we'd take medical advice from a former playboy and a comedic over-actor?
The CDC has a list of downloadable (excuse my made up words dictionary nazis!) charts here. Each one of these shots listed helps to prevent deaths every year. Now I'm sorry if their kid has autism, and I don't really thing it was caused by vaccines. But wouldn't you rather have a living child with autism than a child who died from something preventable?
Now this whole thing started from a publication in a medical journal:
The only "evidence" linking MMR vaccine and autism was published in the British journal Lancet in 1998 [5]. An editorial published in the same issue, however, discussed concerns about the validity of the study [6]. Based on data from 12 patients, Dr. Andrew Wakefield (a British gastroenterologist) and colleagues speculated that MMR vaccine may have been the possible cause of bowel problems which led to a decreased absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients which resulted in developmental disorders like autism. No scientific analyses were reported, however, to substantiate the theory.
Quack Watch website where I copied and pasted from
The study was discredited within it's own journal because they only "speculated" and never tested! It was never validated. And the fact that autism rears it's ugly head about the same time that vaccines are usually administered meant the study was most like just a coincidence! WTF?!?
People need to keep getting these shots until there is a direct link between vaccines and autism. Especially if they have kids. Kids depend on their parents to keep them safe and alive. If parents really think autism is so bad, maybe they should talk to parents in third world countries who can't get these vaccines and had to bury a child.
Oh wait, maybe you can just go to Philadelphia.
For the record: Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy don't recommend you stop all vaccinations, they only want some removed. Here's the first part of their Larry King interview on youtube. All the other parts will be linked after watching the first part thru youtube's service.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Prop 8
"First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."
Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
I listen to the Good Atheist podcast often, and prop 8 and gay marriage has been a regular topic in the past. Why? Because atheists and gays have so much in common. We have a similar enemy most of the time (religious folks), we have a hard time coming out to family and friends, and we're constantly fighting to gain some recognition as a legitimate community and not some fly-by-night trend.
Gays can now legally marry in Vermont. But not in California. How sad that a state that claims to be so relaxed and kicked-back is so uptight about something as silly as love. Mormons For 8 claims that it has 770,000+ members currently, and only 2% live in the state of California.
Only 2%? Then how the hell did we lose by such a small amount?
Mormons for 8 claims their strategy of grass-roots movement and advertising in a way that made their argument stronger is what won. And they're probably right. After the election, I found out my insanely strange Catholic mother and step-father voted yes on 8. I refused to speak to her for a week but eventually forgave her.
My agnostic father on the other hand was an easy push to vote No on 8. I reminded him of the following points and he agreed that even though he is uncomfortable with the idea of homosexuality, he couldn't deny humans their rights when our own ancestors had to deal with so many problems.
The 14th amendment: declares those born into citizenship or naturalized as a US citizen can not have laws abridging their priveleges or immunities.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 1954: overturned Plessy v Ferguson stating that separate but equal was unconstitutional.
Loving v Virginia 1967: overturned Pace v. Alabama allowing interracial couples to marry.
Three arguments is all it took to sway the vote of an agnostic. These same three arguments mean nothing to a hard-core catholic mother though. Although she divorced, she knows she can never take communion again and confesses that she is trying to be a good person against it all.
We lost because we couldn't argue against the irrational. The same reason most atheists lose arguments. We can't reason with those who are afraid of offending an all-powerful being. We have to work together or we'll all lose.
So as an atheist, I stand side by side with the gay community. I'm willing to speak on their behalf and willing to fight. I will not be silent for fear of being alone when they come for me.
Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
I listen to the Good Atheist podcast often, and prop 8 and gay marriage has been a regular topic in the past. Why? Because atheists and gays have so much in common. We have a similar enemy most of the time (religious folks), we have a hard time coming out to family and friends, and we're constantly fighting to gain some recognition as a legitimate community and not some fly-by-night trend.
Gays can now legally marry in Vermont. But not in California. How sad that a state that claims to be so relaxed and kicked-back is so uptight about something as silly as love. Mormons For 8 claims that it has 770,000+ members currently, and only 2% live in the state of California.
Only 2%? Then how the hell did we lose by such a small amount?
Mormons for 8 claims their strategy of grass-roots movement and advertising in a way that made their argument stronger is what won. And they're probably right. After the election, I found out my insanely strange Catholic mother and step-father voted yes on 8. I refused to speak to her for a week but eventually forgave her.
My agnostic father on the other hand was an easy push to vote No on 8. I reminded him of the following points and he agreed that even though he is uncomfortable with the idea of homosexuality, he couldn't deny humans their rights when our own ancestors had to deal with so many problems.
The 14th amendment: declares those born into citizenship or naturalized as a US citizen can not have laws abridging their priveleges or immunities.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 1954: overturned Plessy v Ferguson stating that separate but equal was unconstitutional.
Loving v Virginia 1967: overturned Pace v. Alabama allowing interracial couples to marry.
Three arguments is all it took to sway the vote of an agnostic. These same three arguments mean nothing to a hard-core catholic mother though. Although she divorced, she knows she can never take communion again and confesses that she is trying to be a good person against it all.
We lost because we couldn't argue against the irrational. The same reason most atheists lose arguments. We can't reason with those who are afraid of offending an all-powerful being. We have to work together or we'll all lose.
So as an atheist, I stand side by side with the gay community. I'm willing to speak on their behalf and willing to fight. I will not be silent for fear of being alone when they come for me.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Jon Stewart on "under God" in our pledge of allegiance
I watched a clip from the Friendly Atheist's blog on Jon Stewart's take on the court's decision that "Under God" in the pledge of allegiance is unconstitutional. And I have to agree that while the phrase (being added not by the original author) is discriminatory toward some of us, I think it is a silly lawsuit. Silly because it shouldn't have to happen.
It is just like the stupid woman who spilled coffee on herself then sued McDonald's. It was the woman's fault for burning herself and it was the government's fault for putting itself in such a stupid position. We all know that "Under God" was added in the 1950's because of the communism scare because obviously all atheists are communists (sarcasm).
This is 2009 people! Wake up! As Obama said, this is not a Christian Nation. We are a nation of religious and non-religious people. Believers and Non-believers living together as free Americans.
Our nation's motto should not be "In God We Trust." Our motto was picked out by the founding fathers as E Pluribus Unum. The non-Christian founding fathers had an idea for where we were going and we've lost our way because separation of Church and State keeps having to be re-established.
Now I know a lot of you out there want us to be a Christian Nation or you already think we are, but isn't our time better spent learning what we can about others and branching out our knowledge? Why do we keep wasting tax-payer money on things that we shouldn't have to fight about? If people want to be religious, go right ahead. But it should be a personal, private matter, not a national matter.
It is just like the stupid woman who spilled coffee on herself then sued McDonald's. It was the woman's fault for burning herself and it was the government's fault for putting itself in such a stupid position. We all know that "Under God" was added in the 1950's because of the communism scare because obviously all atheists are communists (sarcasm).
This is 2009 people! Wake up! As Obama said, this is not a Christian Nation. We are a nation of religious and non-religious people. Believers and Non-believers living together as free Americans.
Our nation's motto should not be "In God We Trust." Our motto was picked out by the founding fathers as E Pluribus Unum. The non-Christian founding fathers had an idea for where we were going and we've lost our way because separation of Church and State keeps having to be re-established.
Now I know a lot of you out there want us to be a Christian Nation or you already think we are, but isn't our time better spent learning what we can about others and branching out our knowledge? Why do we keep wasting tax-payer money on things that we shouldn't have to fight about? If people want to be religious, go right ahead. But it should be a personal, private matter, not a national matter.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A twitter conversation
I can't find the entire conversation and it may be one or two tweets out of order but...
Bog99 @_aeq_ @roxannerosas Christianity is the institutionalized manipulation of men by women so that men live up to their family obligations.
@Bog99 but why does Christianity seem so anti-woman?
Bog99 @roxannerosas @ScratchingShed1 beats me. in the long run it's not anti-women if it keeps the husbands in line.
Bog99 @roxannerosas women should use the church as a vehicle for increasing the price of sex and keeping leverage over their husbands.
@Bog99 if thats how its being used, its not by me i prefer not to have religion at all
Bog99 @roxannerosas you don't have to. its a free country. so why do you get so bent out of shape over it?
Bog99 @roxannerosas all the atheists sound bent out of shape -- and want to flaunt their atheism. who cares? it's a free country.
Bog99 @roxannerosas Most atheists are only doing what most Christians do// fair argument. That would indicate "atheism" has religious overtones...
Bog99 @roxannerosas ... I'm neither very religious or very atheist, but from a biological standpoint it looks like Christianity is a good deal...
Bog99 @roxannerosas ... for women. Christianity is very women oriented in places where it's growing rapidly (asia, africa). seeing as how it ...
Bog99 @roxannerosas ... can provide a reproductive advantage for women, it may be that that is "what counts" in the long run, despite its faults.
So like I said in the intro, twitter is just not acceptable for having real discussions. This person (Bog99) approached me after I RT (re-tweeted) some of my friends religious discussions that I found interesting. He seemed to think that my handful of atheist tweets meant I was "bent out of shape" when I was literally LOL at some of their stories.
His argument that I should become Christian weird me out for three reasons.
1. He claims not to be religious or atheist - then why bother? If you don't care, why do you think I should become Christian?
2. As a woman, do you really think my chances for reproduction are my only concern? I actually don't want children, even though I think they're adorable. I have my mind set on my job currently.
3. His arguments are so odd. Women should "use" the church to keep their husbands minds on the family and women fare better with Christianity than without? Really? Ever been to Africa or the Eastern countries where women and children are still killed for being supposed witches?
I am not bent out of shape. I merely find the topic of religion and atheism interesting. I merely "spread the word" as most Christians do because I think people need to hear both sides of the story. As a former Catholic, I understand the believers side of the argument. As a current atheist, I understand the need to keep society secular for the sake of peace. It's just like when you go to a bar, the only topics not allowed are religion and politics, or you're asking for a fight.
Bog99 @_aeq_ @roxannerosas Christianity is the institutionalized manipulation of men by women so that men live up to their family obligations.
@Bog99 but why does Christianity seem so anti-woman?
Bog99 @roxannerosas @ScratchingShed1 beats me. in the long run it's not anti-women if it keeps the husbands in line.
Bog99 @roxannerosas women should use the church as a vehicle for increasing the price of sex and keeping leverage over their husbands.
@Bog99 if thats how its being used, its not by me i prefer not to have religion at all
Bog99 @roxannerosas you don't have to. its a free country. so why do you get so bent out of shape over it?
Bog99 @roxannerosas all the atheists sound bent out of shape -- and want to flaunt their atheism. who cares? it's a free country.
Bog99 @roxannerosas Most atheists are only doing what most Christians do// fair argument. That would indicate "atheism" has religious overtones...
Bog99 @roxannerosas ... I'm neither very religious or very atheist, but from a biological standpoint it looks like Christianity is a good deal...
Bog99 @roxannerosas ... for women. Christianity is very women oriented in places where it's growing rapidly (asia, africa). seeing as how it ...
Bog99 @roxannerosas ... can provide a reproductive advantage for women, it may be that that is "what counts" in the long run, despite its faults.
So like I said in the intro, twitter is just not acceptable for having real discussions. This person (Bog99) approached me after I RT (re-tweeted) some of my friends religious discussions that I found interesting. He seemed to think that my handful of atheist tweets meant I was "bent out of shape" when I was literally LOL at some of their stories.
His argument that I should become Christian weird me out for three reasons.
1. He claims not to be religious or atheist - then why bother? If you don't care, why do you think I should become Christian?
2. As a woman, do you really think my chances for reproduction are my only concern? I actually don't want children, even though I think they're adorable. I have my mind set on my job currently.
3. His arguments are so odd. Women should "use" the church to keep their husbands minds on the family and women fare better with Christianity than without? Really? Ever been to Africa or the Eastern countries where women and children are still killed for being supposed witches?
I am not bent out of shape. I merely find the topic of religion and atheism interesting. I merely "spread the word" as most Christians do because I think people need to hear both sides of the story. As a former Catholic, I understand the believers side of the argument. As a current atheist, I understand the need to keep society secular for the sake of peace. It's just like when you go to a bar, the only topics not allowed are religion and politics, or you're asking for a fight.
An Introduction
Hi and welcome to my brand new blog. This is separate from my personal blog because this one will deal solely with my view on religion and lack of. I decided to start this because dealing with random tweets of only 140 characters just doesn't cut it sometimes.
I hope you (the reader) will understand that as an atheist, I am not a raving lunatic crying out to end all holidays. In fact, I really enjoy Christmas. I love getting together with my family and watching all the kids open gifts and get super excited about their new toys. I miss those days actually, but we all have to grow up eventually.
One day those kids will learn that there is no Santa, no tooth fairy, and no monster in their closet. And if they're anything like me, they'll start to question everything they're parents ever taught them and learn that even though we're tricked into believing some pretty outrageous stuff, it doesn't mean our parents don't love us.
It's great to question everything. You learn a lot and life is just so much more interesting. I used to thing analyzing books and movies for homework assignments took the fun out of them, but when I learned how to do it properly, I found an even greater respect for those forms of entertainment.
Same goes for the Bible. Now that I have a better understanding of history and culture, I can respect what the Bible was trying to do. I just also think that when children grow up, it's time to put childish things away.
Hope you find this blog interesting and I will do my best to respond to everyone. Including those of you who want nothing more than to convert me. (Which won't happen if you've ever studied Christianity from a historical viewpoint). And if I can't answer your question, I promise to do my best to research an answer or put you in touch with someone smarter than I.
I hope you (the reader) will understand that as an atheist, I am not a raving lunatic crying out to end all holidays. In fact, I really enjoy Christmas. I love getting together with my family and watching all the kids open gifts and get super excited about their new toys. I miss those days actually, but we all have to grow up eventually.
One day those kids will learn that there is no Santa, no tooth fairy, and no monster in their closet. And if they're anything like me, they'll start to question everything they're parents ever taught them and learn that even though we're tricked into believing some pretty outrageous stuff, it doesn't mean our parents don't love us.
It's great to question everything. You learn a lot and life is just so much more interesting. I used to thing analyzing books and movies for homework assignments took the fun out of them, but when I learned how to do it properly, I found an even greater respect for those forms of entertainment.
Same goes for the Bible. Now that I have a better understanding of history and culture, I can respect what the Bible was trying to do. I just also think that when children grow up, it's time to put childish things away.
Hope you find this blog interesting and I will do my best to respond to everyone. Including those of you who want nothing more than to convert me. (Which won't happen if you've ever studied Christianity from a historical viewpoint). And if I can't answer your question, I promise to do my best to research an answer or put you in touch with someone smarter than I.
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