Monday, April 29, 2013

What Is An Atheist?


What Is An Atheist?

We live a life free of prayer and dread
And find our way in our own good time.
Without a misguided book of promises
Our world is simple and sublime.

We love our children and our mate
A choice clear and strong.
Our only reason for living each day
To give love, gentle and long.

When asked about a creator
The answer is simple and plain.
We can’t believe in a ghost or spirit
A god to us is a being inane.

We do not attend a church or hall
We find our solace in our selves.
The books that scream eternal hate
Are left upon library shelves.

Preachers come and go,
Their mission to enlist.
We laugh and smile at their supplications
We know that no god can exist.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

What Dreams May Come


What Dreams May Come

It seems that mankind has always needed gods. I'm suggesting that fear of the unknown, even before we became "intelligent", created the need to pile our anxiety on something greater than us.  At that time, our fragile world of survival was dominated by a bunch of things that could and would kill us.  Predators, unexplained illness, accidents and natural disasters all fed the need to be protected.

The thunder god, shaking earth god, the sun god, moon god/goddess, the list seems endless. 

The advent of society and the spoken word created the holy man.  Then, with written text, came the first holy books (probably stone or wood tablets, then paper books later).  Problem is, the gods became more powerful with the written word.  Religions could be standardized and whole countries could be controlled.

I submit that as our understanding of the cosmos has grown the need for gods has decreased. We now understand what thunder is and why the earth shakes.  We know where the sun goes at night and how our own bodies can kill us.  The god of the gaps is fading ever so slowly.


Understanding does not necessarily equate to intelligence and acceptance.  Sometimes dreams are sacrosanct and inviolable.  Seems it's easier to accept far fetched ideas than reality.  For some, dreams are harder to kill than reality.

It's high time we started dreaming of something that actually works.

Walk the Path in Grace

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Why Do Things Happen?


Why Do Things Happen?

The news is full of tragedy and horror.  People are abused by man and nature.  We hear of explosions, animal attacks, car accidents and buildings collapse.  Cancer, diabetes and heart attacks kill us on a daily basis.  Babies die.  Lives are changed forever and we wonder why.

Not so much in the news is the other end of the scale.  Lotteries are won, people escape accidents that completely destroy a car with barely a scratch and one hundred ten story buildings collapse but spare a few people in a stair well.  Marriages happen and babies are born and we rejoice.  Some of us live well past ninety years.  And, we wonder why.

There are those of us who chose to believe something or someone higher than humanity is in charge.  They pray to a god with the hopes that their supplication will not fall on deaf ears.  They gather in groups large and small to celebrate the remote possibility that they will find a better life after this one is over.

It’s their god’s will that a whole town is destroyed by a tornado and it’s a miracle that the same storm spared a two year old but left him an orphan.  A miracle?

On the other hand, it’s luck when someone wins a large sum of money or narrowly escapes being hit by a runaway truck.  Sometimes I think God’s nickname is luck.

The bottom line is that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.  This is because chaos rules the universe.  Chaos is fair and doesn’t pick sides (thanks to @iraqvet1980 for permission to use his tweet).

It’s called chaos, fate, random chance and many others but it’s definitely not a god’s action.  There is no way to reason why or intent; it just is. 

Maybe the religious among us need to believe in a higher power to maintain their sanity.  Maybe they need to be close to others who believe the same to gather strength from them in times of need.  It’s sometimes called looking at the world through ‘rose colored glasses’.

Atheists look at it from a completely different viewpoint.  We know that strange things happen that are out of our control.  We take actions to prevent the bad things from happening whenever possible.  And, yes, we look out for our neighbors by trying to keep them safe, too.

Chaos is a subtle creature.  Its stealth is what surprises us.  It sneaks up on us when we blink or when we’re careless.  Chaos is generous, too.  It can reward us with joy, happiness and material things.  There is no reasoning why and there is never a reason given.

Whatever happens to you, remember this:  Life is life, live it as if every day is your last.

Walk the Path in Grace

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Islam: Religion of Peace


Islam: Religion of Peace

With the bombings in Boston, Islam is in the news again.  There is hue and cry about the ties to the ‘Religion of Peace’. There are those that say it’s extremism and that the true Islam would never do something so vile.  There are those who defend the actions of the two brothers as a blow against the great Satan.

I challenge anyone to say that Islam is a ‘Religion of Peace’.  Muslims will tell you repeatedly that Islam wants to be a productive member of the world’s population.  That’s taqiyya, an intentional lie to deceive us into thinking Islamists just want to get along.

But, you don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you shoot a young girl in the face for wanting an education.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you throw acid in a girl’s face or cut off her nose for an innocent glance at a boy.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you condone the marriage of an old man and a 9 year old girl.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you assassinate a female political leader when she returns to her homeland.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you kill innocents by strapping a bomb on someone and setting it off in a crowd.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you cut someone’s hand off because they stole a piece of bread.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you kill everyone who doesn’t believe as you do.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you stone a woman to death for disobeying her husband.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you train very young children to hate.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you deny the holocaust ever happened.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you deem a woman as half the value of a man.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you kill your daughter because she ‘dishonored’ your family.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you force your women to cover their entire body because you can’t control your animal instincts so that you commit rape.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ when you plant a bomb that kills an 8 year old boy while you, a coward, walk away.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’ as long as you practice taqiyya.

You don’t get to be a ‘Religion of Peace’……EVER…but I get to hate you for what you are….Evil and Inhuman…..And, I’ll continue to hate you until you change or go away.

Walk the Path in Grace

Part of God's Plan?


Part of God's Plan?

I'm always amazed at this (thanks to Almighty Atheist): Convenient how when the prayers of #theists go unanswered it was simply not part of "Gods plan".

The religious will say that prayers are necessary.  They will also say that God hears all prayers.  And they say that prayers are answered but sometimes the answer is 'no'.

And still, they continue to pray to a god that, according to the Bible, has killed millions, allows millions to starve and allows diseases like cancer to kill millions more.  Why?

What does a supplicant get from the act of prayer?  What benefit?  Does the act of begging absolve someone from responsibility?  Perhaps, it allows someone to forget their problems for a while.

Everyone needs inner peace. It's essential to a progressive productive society. Walking around constantly worried, shamed or enraged can never allow a society to reach its full potential.

Here's the problem: Throwing all responsibility on to a god, imaginary or real, allows a person to feel special.  But, it also allows that person to think that what they did will be forgiven or what they need will be supplied.

Forgive a crime against humanity (When you think of it, all crimes are crimes against humanity)?  Get that new gaming system?  Get enough to eat today?
Stay alive another day while cancer ravages your body?

I challenge anyone to prove to me that prayer works.  God's plan indeed!

Walk the Path in Grace

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

So, Now You're an Atheist, What Now?


So, Now You’re an Atheist, What Now?

So, you’ve decided that there is no God or any god for that matter.  This is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.  And, to make it worse, this is completely foreign territory for you.

When a person finally decides to step up and formally deny that there are no gods in the world, it can be terrifying.  I remember every time I thought about it, I would feel intense fear.  So strong a fear that I would immediately retreat from the subject.  I was indoctrinated very young and it took 50 years to finally break free.

Twitter, facebook and the other social media places didn’t exist then.  I remember there were a few chatrooms then but my internet connection was so slow that I couldn’t really use them.  Lonely really doesn’t begin to describe my situation living in a fairly remote countryside.

So….my advice to you New Atheist.  Reach out. Go to Twitter.  Go to meetup.com to see if there’s an atheist group in your area.  Google is your friend.  There are more of us out here than you realize.

If you feel brave enough wear a shirt with the big red letter A on it.  I realize that it will take a lot of courage to do this but when others see it, they will wink at you or give you a “thumbs up”

My wish to all new atheists and established ones, too, is to be brave and know that you are not alone. 

Email me anytime and I’ll help if I can. rklauka@yahoo.com

Walk the Path in Grace

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Another Trojan Horse?


Another Trojan Horse?

As the story goes, the Greeks built a giant horse sculpture and left it outside the City of Troy.  The Greeks left the horse there after a fruitless ten year siege and sailed away.

The Trojans pulled the statue inside the city gates as a prize of war.  Little did they know, there were Greek fighters hidden in the thing and came out at night to defeat the Trojans.

That‘s where the term Trojan Horse Virus comes from.  The virus can infiltrate your computer and cause all kinds of ruckus.

Fast forward to today and we are too sophisticated to fall for a hollow horse statue outside our gates.  Instead, there is other subterfuge afoot.

Our friend, the modern Islamist, is using another form of Trojan Horse.  Have you heard of the term “taqiyah”?  Probably not.  The Islam holy book called the Qur’an has a passage that basically says “it’s okay to lie to and outright deceive a nonbeliever into thinking that the Muslim is a friend.” All the while, they are plotting to defeat the unsuspecting victim.

Imagine that! The ‘Religion of Peace’ is actually intending to pretend to live among us and, I suppose, someday rise up and do us harm.  We have seen it in bombings and violence in America and I’m sounding the alarm that this is only the beginning.

At one time, I respected Islam. I believed their outward appearance of peaceful worship.  But our world has grown dark with the threat of a holy war and we are allowing the enemy to live among us because we are a trusting people.


Let’s hope I’m wrong and I have to eat my words.  Only time will tell.

Walk the Path in Grace

Friday, April 19, 2013

Savage vs. Civilized


Savage vs. Civilized

I saw a tweet the other day that said, "So and so country is savage." And, it made me think about what the words 'savage' and 'civilized' really mean.

The human race is made up of nothing more than very smart animals. I use the word smart because intelligent means something else entirely.  An animal, when trapped, can turn into the ultimate savage and humans are no different.

On the other hand, we can be very civilized, too.  We can be very generous when someone else is in trouble or danger.  We read of incredible generosity when the tsunami killed so many people in 2004.  And again in Haiti after the earthquake there.

 All you have to do is look at charities to see both civilized and savage.  Some charities will give a great majority of cash received to the needy while others will give pennies on the dollar.  Civilized vs. Savage, indeed.

We humans can never escape our animal nature.  Some of us can sublimate it and work toward being civilized.  We become altruistic, giving and loving.  Others, struggle to reach upward to what most of us would call unfriendly.  It's sometimes a very difficult effort for them to care about society at all.

Here's the problem: All of us, every one, is trapped somewhere between the two.  There is a long distance seperating savage and civilized and we all walk the path between.  Sometimes nearer to one end and then, in an instant, nearer the other; but never fully at one end.

My wish for anyone who reads this is that you struggle to stay as near to the 'good end' as you can.

Walk the Path in Grace

Thursday, April 11, 2013

What Harm Does It Do?


Harm?

What religion are you? What god do you believe in? How important is your religion to you?

Ya know what? I really don't care.  You can worship the Sun or the Moon. You can pay homage to an oracle who lives in a cave.  Maybe fall to your knees for a god that has no name.

It doesn't matter to me who, what or whatever you worship.  Means absolutely nothing to me until....

Do you come to my door with, "Have you heard about Jesus?"? Do you post huge billboards proclaiming "My religion is the ONLY religion!"? Maybe you secretly put religious tracts in public schools.

Do you protest when someone who believes differently than you when they want to put their religious symbol in the public park at Christmas time?  Do you sue someone when they want to put up a billboard that challenges your god?  Do you sue a school board when they refuse to "teach the controversy"?

And worse, do you cut off a young girl's nose because she glanced at a young man? Do you picket a soldier's funeral with signs that say, "Thank God for killing soldiers!"? Do you move into a country, start an enclave of like minded people and then demand that the country obey the laws you brought with you?

And even worse, Do you kill your daughter because she wasn't a virgin on her wedding day?  Do you shoot a young girl for wanting to go to school? Is there a huge riot including killing when someone has the audacity to suggest that your holy book is going to be burned?

And now for the worst of it all.  Does your country bow down to this insanity instead of stopping it? Will the sane among you stop the religious bigotry?  When will your countrymen stand up and say, "Enough is enough! We will not tolerate violence and murder in the name of our religion!"?

I don't care what your religion means to you - I care about the harm is does to others.

Walk the Path in Grace

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Deadbeat Dad


Deadbeat Dad

God, I have questions for you.  If you created this world, why did you leave it unfinished?  Why did you create it so hostile to your children?  So hostile that thousands of us die every day of disease, starvation and murder.

Are you a just god? A fair god? 

In Proverbs 3 Verses 7 and 8, you give instructions that, if you were real, could provide food for every one of your faithful.  Surely a few of your recent converts in Africa believe in you so fully that your beneficence should shine upon them.  You MUST have at least 1% who believes in you with their whole hearts.  Just 1%. 

Proverbs 3
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.

If you are real, why not help your children.  Even the most deadbeat of fathers sometimes helps their offspring.  Are you there, God?

We all want everyone on Earth to have health in their bodies and nourishment to their bones.  No one would disbelieve if you just created a bit of rain and provided them some seeds to plant so they could eat.

Surely, you must know that a nourished healthy body could worship you more than a sick one.  Even I know that and I’m just a human being.  I don’t think I’m asking too much here, God.

How about being a good sky-daddy and taking care of your kids?

Walk the Path in Grace

Childish Things


Childish Things

Growing up is very hard. Bills to pay, kids to raise. Time to put the games away and support your family.  We all go through it to some degree. 

Of course, some never do grow up.

1 Corinthians 13

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

When one looks at the Bible with non-believer's eyes, we see some very strange things.  I realize it's 2,000 year old stuff but, still, even when translated into modern language, it doesn't make much sense.

When we grow up, we cut the 'apron strings' that attach us to our parents and their attendant ways.  You are supposed to make decisions and act like a productive member of society.  Doesn't always work out, but you're supposed to try and that's most important.  Yes, I know about breaking the law but that's not my purpose here.

When we were children, we were taught to accept things like a child.  Believe what our parents believe or else.  We are dragged to church/synagogue before we can even formulate any thoughts and are indoctrinated into a belief system that is so flawed that it cannot stand on its own.

As we grow and begin to think, we are exposed to many beliefs other than those we've been trained to accept. All the social media that are available, no one can say they've never heard of atheism or non-belief.

So, to all the religious who may read this: It's time to put aside your childish beliefs of a god who loves you but never shows himself.  It's time to reject a god who will let thousands of people starve to death every week in Africa when a single thought could provide rain and seeds. It's time to tell your god to go to hell for creating Satan just so this same loving god can punish you for very minor infractions.

Please, I beg you, grow up and put this part of your childhood behind you!

Walk the Path in Grace

Monday, April 8, 2013

Just A Few Tweets


Just A Few Tweets

Mary @ Joe'smyMan
Had a bad dream a few weeks ago. Now I'm sick every morning. I hope it wasn't food poisoning.

Joe @ JoetheCarp
Well, the news is out. I never had sex with that cheating bitch and she's layin the blame on me anyway. I gotta marry her! Shit!

Mary @ Joe'smyMan
I swear, I've never had sex.  I mean I gave my cousin a handjob once, but that don't count, right?

Joe @ JoetheCarp
Baby arrived in the dead of winter.  Wouldn't you know it, happened while we were traveling. No motels, no money, had to sleep in a barn.

Mary @ Joe'smyMan
Damn that HURT!  I'm never doing that again.  He's a cute little thing, though.  All that glowing skin really freaks me out.

Twenty some years later:

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Been traveling a lot lately. Made some rad new friends lately. We hang a lot and watch the bazaar and stuff.  Like, it's a bitchin' time!

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Went swimming yesterday with my main man John TB @ SwimIsFab.  He's a righteous dude.  He bogarts the hashish man!

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Some guy tried to make me take some hard dope yesterday.  I almost did it, but then I thought about the "This is your brain on drugs." thing....close one.

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Me and my homie's climbed up this bitchin hill today. The wind was so strong that we had to scream at each other.  Felt like I was in church.

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Saw some guy fall this morning. He said his legs didn't work so I helped him up. Strange dude, man. He kissed my feet and walked away.

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
We ran out of weed and I sent all 12 of my homie's to get some more.  I hope they score the good stuff and not that crap they grow up in Gehenna.

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
I'm gettin to be an old man. Gonna be 33 soon and, wow, am I feelin it.  Got some good dope to get the thru.

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Fucker! One of my crew ratted me out to the Narcs. Now I gotta go to court.  Hope I don't got to do jail time.

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Told my crew not to worry about it. I forgive the rat but he says he feels bad and deserves what he gets.

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Got the worst sentence EVER! Now I gotta hang out with 2 criminals for a while!  Sucks big time! My hands are gonna be sore.

The J Man @ Joe'smyDad
Glad that's over! But, it was only 3 days and now I can PARTAAY!  I'll be gone for a while but do not forsake me my beautiful Tweeps!  I'll be back, I promise!

Petey @ PnPCrew
Man, I really miss The J Man @ Joe'smyDad, but he said he'd get back here in my lifetime.  Time will tell I guess.


Saturday, April 6, 2013

Can God Feel Regret?



Can God Feel Regret?

The Christian God is, if you talk to most Christian, omniscient, omnibenevolent and omnipotent. So, when reading Genesis 6: 6-7, it appears that this all knowing creature can feel regret that something didn’t turn out the way he expected it to.

Genesis 6:6-7

New International Version (NIV)
The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.
 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”
This leaves two puzzling questions.  If this god is omniscient, shouldn’t it have known how things would turn out?  And, it this god is omni-benevolent, how could it have made a mistake in the first place?

Christians will throw the free will rationale at you just about now.  Free will is an illusion at best.  An omniscient god already knows what will happen in every event and to every human being.

Regret has a definition of a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc.”
Now, I ask you, how can an omniscient being possibly be disappointed?  It knows EVERYTHING.  It sees EVERYTHING that will ever happen.

I’m not buying what the Bible is selling in this case.  Just another nail in the coffin.  Stick a fork in it.

Walk the Path in Grace

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Why Was The Bible Written?


Why Was The Bible Written

All books have a purpose for their authorship.  School books are for education, philosophy tomes for their author’s version of the thought process, medical books…well you get the idea.

The Bible is no different.  When man first began to gather in tribes, there was always a struggle for power.  Before language, it was the most physically powerful of the group.  He would beat any challenger into submission and by doing so the rest of the tribe would fall in line.

Who knows if trade/money or language came next, but either way, they changed the way leadership was earned.  Who ever amassed the largest wealth, became the leader and eventually the King.  After the King’s leadership became traditional, the power was handed down through inheritance.

Language could have been used to gain power but I suspect it was through controlling “the gods” by the shamans.  He would demonstrate somehow that his magic incantations could heal someone or drive away the demons and the tribe would automatically give him all the power he wanted.

Of course, when his magic failed him, he could be in jeopardy of losing his position.  He might get away with one or two failures, but eventually several bad things would happen in succession and he would be thrown out of power.

As we progressed into more sophisticated languages, the shaman was replaced by the oracle.  The position was easier to maintain because once the oracle learned to speak in vagaries with multiple meanings, his or her position was very difficult to challenge.

Man invented gods early in the process and the shaman and oracle represented themselves as god’s messenger here on Earth.  Always with the eye on controlling the tribe, town or country the King often used the oracle to communicate with the god de jour.  And it was much safer for the King if the oracle failed.  Instead of the King being killed, it was ‘off with his head’ for the seer.  Early critical thinkers began to dismantle gods and goddesses with regularity, hence the progression of gods throughout history.  Gods died and new more powerful gods were invented.

Then came written language.  Now the world had a way to set down the rules from god in a formal setting and the word could be spread far and wide with everyone worshipping the same god the same way.  It was usually illegal for anyone to read or even own a Bible for centuries and to do so would be punishable by death.

So, why write a Bible if there was a danger of someone reading it and understanding its irrational rules?  It was used to control very large masses of people through fear and guilt.  As we know, the Jewish and then the Christian gods were vengeful creatures and would kill you for looking at him wrongly.

The Jews started to relax their attitude toward their god so an eternal punishment had to be invented to regain the control of the people.  Hell isn’t mentioned until the New Testament came along and a whole new period of fear and self-loathing started.

The downfall of religion started when people were allowed to learn to read.  There were some early critical thinkers who read the words of god and realized how ridiculous they really were.

That brings us to today.  Now that a goodly portion of the world is educated and can think critically, the last gods are beginning to die.  And, they aren’t going peacefully.  If you notice, the most violent people left on Earth are the least educated. Specifically, the Muslim world in the Middle East.

Let’s hope these final gods of mankind die quickly as it will limit the bloodshed.  The longer they take to pass on, the more danger mankind is in.  We stand on the threshold of two possibilities, one is a bright future of rational thinking and the other is too awful to contemplate.

Walk the Path in Grace