Sunday, June 20, 2010

The street

I came to slowly…it was a Wednesday afternoon.

The man told me that I should be dead. I struggled to compose myself and to remember, but my last recollection was of lying on the wrong side of a locked door, at a time when I thought everyone who knew me would be gone for a while. The rest was fuzzy.

After three bottles of antidepressants and a handful of blood pressure medication, this was my punishment. This man with a wilted mustache and a bad haircut was going to remind me how lucky I was to be alive, and he was going to fill me in on the true meaning of life.

I was hooked up to machines. My motion was restricted, spare left and right movements of my head. Regardless, he implored me to look out the window. Our view was of a congested east Memphis street on a gray winter day.

“Don’t you see, don’t you SEE?”

“See what?”

“Don’t you see that life is ugly and meaningless? Without the Lord, Jesus Christ, life has no meaning. Life is ugly and dark. Life is shallow and petty. If you don’t find strength in Christ, you will be dead by this time next year.”

Though this was nearly eighteen years ago, I sometimes wish I could find that guy and shake his hand. Though his reverse psychology was unintended, I remember thinking that perhaps there was more to life than the bleak vision that clouded his perception. As the days progressed, my resolve to straighten out my life grew stronger, yet this man’s determination that my only route to salvation was a spiritual one never faded. I tossed aside a Bible that he left on my bed, and I was sentenced to another month of treatment as punishment. Though I began eating again and faced therapy with an air of determination and resolve, he still offered me only one prognosis…damned…and dead.

Oh, little man with the sad mustache, do you still see only crowded, lonely streets?

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Doomsday Psychology

I will not deny that 2010 has gotten off to a rocky start. This year has brought along with it a myriad of earthquakes, oil spills, floods, volcanoes, and other disasters (both natural and manmade). Every time the big media outlets begin their zealous over-reporting of these happenings, I have to force myself not to read the comments sections. Doing so reminds me why the media gets so excited over “Doom and Gloom” stories: People in general (and fundamentalist Christians in particular) absolutely love to fantasize that the end of the world is nigh and God is in the process of casting his final judgment.

Throughout history, man has attempted to foresee the end of the world. Some of the greatest examples of failed doomsday predictions include The Prophet Hen of Leeds of 1806, the Halley’s Comet hysteria of 1910, our dear friend Pat Robertson’s 1982 prediction (along with his more recent suggestion that God smited Haiti), Heaven’s Gate in 1997, the Y2K panic of 2000, and God's Church Ministry of 2008. Each time a prediction never materializes, doomsayers just brush it off and eagerly start looked towards the horizon for the next evidence of a coming cataclysm.

The 2012 Mayan prophecy amuses me more than any others. The blatant misinterpretation that the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012 is an absolute insult to an extinct society; it was nothing more than an attempt for movie producers and book publishers to cash in. Amazingly enough, cash-in they did, for fundamentalists will even turn to extinct pagan societies and religions in search of evidence pointing towards “the end”.

Why are Christians so seemingly eager for the apocalypse? When I try to imagine what is going on in the mind of a typical doomsayer, three distinct possibilities emerge: 1) The Bible always speaks of war and strife (both internal and external), and the apocalypse signals an end to struggle. 2) Christians use the apocalypse as an attempt to convert non-Christians and sinners. “Repent, the end is near!” 3) Christians are really, truly miserable with their lives, and their only motivation is the hope that one day they will get to look down upon other sinners and doubters as they ascend into heaven.

The first scenario is very general and makes the most sense to me. The second scenario is based on my personal experiences with fundamentalists - lacking any true evidence of God or a coming tragedy, they attempt use fear and guilt as a motivator. However, the final scenario probably most accurately depicts the true psychology of a doomsayer. How many times have you heard a fundamentalist say things like “may God have mercy on your soul?” or “I will pray that God forgives you?” Such statements disprove actual concern for the sinners and instead indicate that the doomsayer considers him/herself to be in a higher position than that of the sinner. (Let’s be honest…everyone likes to feel superior in some way or another). But I digress. I am going to assume that the real reason Christians anticipate the end of the world is because they are simply sick and tired of their lives.

The Bible itself clearly states that no one can predict the end of the world. Granted, the Bible also contradicts itself by offering “teaser visions” of the apocalypse in Revelations and other chapters, but we all know that there is not one subject that the Bible doesn’t contradict itself on.

Luke 12:46 – “the Master will come on a day and at an hour when He is not expected.”

Matt. 25:13 – Jesus says “watch therefore, and be prepared, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

James 5:7 – “be patient until the coming of the Lord. Those who try to predict disregard this inspired teaching.”

Thursday, April 8, 2010

something a little different....

As you all know, I am not a follower of any religion. The narrow-minded teaching of organized religion has contributed to multiple wars, cultural divides, hate crimes, racism, and sexism. The repressive nature of religion hinders education and progress; hell, without the Dark Ages, it is hard to imagine how far our society could have come.

However, people often assume that atheists do not believe in anything. Religious people are often surprised to learn that I find life to be complex, exciting, and full of meaning. I simply do not claim to have the answers to what might lie beyond. I believe it is human nature to need to understand things that are beyond our grasp, and the easiest way to cope with fear of death and what lies beyond is to have “blind faith” that a supreme deity is waiting on the other side, ready to give us all a big hug.

While I do not believe in Gods and other mythologies, I am open-minded about the possibilities of other metaphysical aspects of life. As we open our minds to new ideas such as string theory and parallel universes, we realize that we are playing a part in something that is just too big to imagine.

The past few months, something strange happened to my family. My sister, mother, and I are extremely close, and we have always had an unexplainable connection. Around October of last year, my sister and I both became inexplicably ill. My hormones suddenly went haywire, and my reproductive cycle simply crashed. I was devastated to learn that I might be going through menopause at the age of 32. At the exact same time, my sister began having heart problems and debilitating dizzy spells. She went in for testing, had an abnormal EKG, but nothing definitively could be found wrong. However, my sister (who is not prone to being dramatic) decided that she was dying. My sister and I would call each other every day to talk about how we were falling apart, physically and mentally.

My mom got swept up in our constant obsession over our physical problems and decided she needed to have herself checked out as well. She went in to have her first mammogram in seven years. The next week, she received the call that she had breast cancer. She has since had the tumor removed, and we were happily amazed to find that it had not had a chance to spread. She doesn’t even need chemo.

The doctors said that if she had waited any longer, the prognosis would not have been good. They estimated that the tumor had been growing for several months - right around the time my sister and I began getting sick. The crazy part is, the day my mother received her diagnosis, I got my first period in six months, and my sister’s heart and blood pressure episodes immediately disappeared.

I don’t know how or why this happened, but I do know that it did happen. There is so much in life that I don’t understand, but there is one thing that seems clear; we are ALL interconnected in some way. Love yourself, and love those around you. We are all we’ve got.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Time to retire "Scary Bible Verse" feature...

I decided over the past couple of weeks that there is not much point to posting about scary Bible verses. Most religious fundamentalists are already aware of them, and many have chosen not to take them literally (thank goodness). Atheists also already know about them; in fact, most atheists I have met are extremely educated about the readings of the "Good Book". Therefore, I simply don't see much point in excessively mocking other people's religion. I will still continue to write about the many problems I see associated with organized religion, but the buck needs to stop at blatant slandering.

However, I will be adding a new feature called "ridiculous Fox News comments". One of my guilty pleasures is finding some of the most inflammatory headers for a Fox News article and then have a laugh fest at the many misspelled, grammatically butchered, and uniformed comments. Of course, some liberal and progressive readers are also guilty of bad writing and poor manners in the comment sections, but Fox News commenters...well, you will just have to read for yourselves.

Today's Fox New fun surrounds this title link: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/04/fossil-missing-link-human-evolution/ . There have been quite a few "missing link" findings over the past year or two, and nothing seems to stir the ire of creationists more so than any possible findings that prove we didn't form from a pile of loose dust shaped by the hand of the Almighty. Please note that I have left all statements in their original form, with no spelling or grammar corrections.

Comment #1 "You did read this carefully right? Before they based evolution on parts of bones they found. I found a deer skeleton and elk skeleton which one evolved into what? Who evovled into plants to be eaten. Just think about evolutions answers. If you wait billions of years there is a change based on a need. Well if the water was drying up how can you take billions of years to grow a lung. Forget about where the 1st cell came from. Never, not even in the science lab has a mutation resulted in a stronger or more improved species only weakness and death. you don't have to believe the Bible but you have to question evolution as an answer. Try reading actually reading what Darwin wrote. Not what people say he wrote but read his writings you will see how ignorant you are for following evolution."

This comment isn't exactly horribly written, but it proves that this guy is horrifically uninformed. Studies have proven that genetic mutations where the proteins were involved usually lead to undesirable results in 70 percent of cases. DNA repair is often used to correct such mutations. Therefore, the optimal mutation rate for a species involves a trade-off between the costs of a high mutation rate, such as deleterious mutations, and the metabolic costs of maintaining systems to reduce the mutation rate, such as DNA repair enzymes.

Some of the examples of such "good mutations" can be seen in lice. It has been learned that exposure to lice shampoo has caused genetic mutations in some of these critters that cause them to be resistant. This is great for lice, but not so great for the scalps of affected children. There are many other examples, and the species we see all around us have been improved through various mutations over the years which threw them into the ranks of natural selection and allowed the species to transform and flourish. But I digress; let's move on to the next comment!

Comment #2: "WHY does anyone want to believe we came from the apes? Better yet, from a rock, as the 'Big Bang theory" suggests...or from nothing, or smaller than the period at the end of this sentence?!? Come on people read what is being taught and paid for with OUR tax $$$$!!! We are NOT that DUMB!!! Are we??"

Yes, I believe very much that you just might be hopelessly dumb. Next comment.

Comment #3: "Question? Your car evolve? How about the computer you used to submit you brillant comment? How about your house? How about the toothpick; did it evolve? It must have right? Billions of years ago branches fell from the trees and the slowly evolved into tiny toothpicks? If you stare at your house long enough it will someday evolve into a million dollar mansion. The car you drive everyday just oozed up from the ground from prehistoric crude; right? The only missing link is from the brians of those who actually believe in evolution! Just purchase a new car and set it your back yard and wait twenty years. Quess what will happen? It won't evolve, but fall apart, just like your useless theory!!!"

I do believe that this guy's ancestors endured some mutations somewhere along the line, but these must have been the protein mutations I discussed earlier.

Final Comment: "And WHY are intelligent people still discussing evolution? EVOLUTION IS IMPOSSIBLE! And here is the cold, hard, non-partial, unbiased math to prove it. Did you know the probability for one protein to have evolved is 10 to the 75th power. Cool huh? Did you know that you need 60,000 proteins in 100 different configurations just for ONE simple cell? That means that the probability for ONE SIMPLE CELL to evolve is 10 to the ready? 4,478,296 power. That is a BIT of a problem. Did you know the number when something stops being statistically possible and becomes statistically IMPOSSIBLE? The number is 10 to the 150th power. So, for a simple cell to have happened by chance is statistically impossible by a power of 4,478,146. Face the fact: evolution is IMPOSSIBLE."

Suddenly I have doubts! This guy obviously took quite a bit of time off from studying Quantum physics at Yale to leave this impressive comment.

Friday, March 12, 2010

short post on prayer

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer last week. I live in the South, and most of my friends are Christians. Therefore, I have received many prayer requests for the swift recovery of my mother.

Please allow me to make the point that I am not offended by the prayers. I believe that prayers are a powerful resource for many people, and if you find value out of something, then so be it. My mom, however, has hinted that she is tired of it all.

If mom were religious, she would be praying along with the thousands of others who are suffering from the same condition. Wouldn't it be haughty of her to believe that God would consider her more special than the thousands of others who are suffering from the same ailment, and therefore grant her leniency from the disease?

While this website may sound ridiculous at first glance, it raises a very important question about the true capacity of prayer.

http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/important.htm

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The Gender Gap: Will women ever move ahead?

A new study conducted by the World Economic Forum yielded completely unsurprising results - American women are making zero progress in terms of workplace pay equity and job satisfaction. In an era where corporations always seem to pay lip service to workplace equity, why does this gender gap remain?

The 2010 WEF project was the first study to cover the world's largest employers across twenty countries and analyze the workplace environment for women, effectively benchmarking them against the gender equality practices that should actually be in place. The survey contained twenty-five questions regarding representation of women within their establishments and the use of gender-equality practices such as target-setting, work-life balance policies, and availability of training and mentoring opportunities for women. The results were staggering.

While the US has the highest percentage of female employees (52%) across all levels, these workers are concentrated primarily in entry or middle-level positions and remain scarce in executive, board director, or senior management positions. The pay gap was found to be a universal problem, and American women still make only 78 cents for every dollar that equally qualified men earn. 72% of companies surveyed admitted to not even tracking gender pay gaps, though 40% claimed to be setting quotas or other affirmative action devices to help close the gap.

While the study didn't address regional differences within the U.S., it is well-known that the South boasts an even greater gender pay gap. I once had a male manager from a prior job attempt to justify this inequity by explaining to me that women cost corporations about 25 percent more than men do, considering the "extravagant expenses" associated with health insurance for expecting mothers and FMLA pay. I was stunned that anyone would even try to argue this point. If all women stayed at home, then the added insurance costs would be pushed over to their working husbands. Additionally, the average U.S. woman has two children and takes only six weeks off for each child. Does three months out of a woman's entire life justify a 22 percent pay decrease? I think not.

I noticed one major exception in the WEF study: Sweden. Sweden has a government regulation in place that mandates a minimum of 40% of each gender on the boards of public companies. Apparently, compliance is not a issue, as more than 40% of Swedish women are executives or board-level. Why can't other countries follow suit? While I do have some personal issues with quotas and affirmative action, if American minorities and religious groups deserve to be protected by such means, why don't women deserve the same treatment? At the very least, shouldn't there be some loose regulatory force that actually analyzes pay across American corporations and identifies and investigates unexplained gaps?

The practice of pay discrimination benefits no one. The WEF estimates that closing the pay gap could increase U.S. GDP by up to 9 percent. Research has also indicated that workplace morale and productivity generally increase in environments where men and women work together in tandem. I can only hope that by the time my three-year-old is out of college and entering the workplace, he will be joining an environment where professional, educated women are treated with the same dignity and appreciation as their male counterparts. However, considering the amount of progress we have made in the past 30 years, I honestly have my doubts.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Daily scary Bible verse

"And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:"


Deuteronomy 28:53

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Why do blue laws still exist?

Blue laws are defined as Unites States laws that were originally designed specifically to enforce religious standards. While many have been deemed unconstitutional and have thus been overturned, most states still have laws banning the sale of alcoholic beverages and restricting commerce on Sundays. The rationale behind the Sunday restrictions is that people should be in church or respecting Sabbath instead of drinking or shopping.

Blue laws seem to be more extreme the father south you travel. While my husband and I were driving to Florida last year, we decided to stop at a Ruby Tuesday's late one Sunday evening for dinner. I attempted to order a glass of wine to go with dinner (it was our anniversary), but the waiter just stared at me in shock. "You do realize it is Sunday, don't you?" he asked, with mouth agape. I quickly realized my mistake and apologized, but he continued to examine me with a concerned glance which clearly read "I think you are a sinful alcoholic."

The most extreme examples of blue laws are dry counties, which can be found all throughout the southern states, including my home state of Tennessee. Dry counties engage in varying degrees of prohibition; many do not allow the consumption, transportation, or sale of alcohol under any circumstances. Critics of dry county laws suggest that prohibition actually leads to higher incidences of alcohol related crashes considering residents are forced to drive father away to drink. Additionally, many studies have proven that moderate alcohol consumption offers many health benefits, including decreased risk of Atherosclerosis.

If separation of Church and State is a guaranteed standard of American living, why do blue code laws still exist? Many U.S. residents are still forced to live under regulations that are centuries old, and repeated attempts to overturn them have failed. How is this not considered religious discrimination, considering the fact that the "Sunday laws" apply only to Christian principles and do not offer Jews and Muslims a day of worship? If the U.S. chooses to legislate morality, how to we chose which mediums of morality to enforce?

daily scary Bible verse!

"Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them"  ~Colossians 3:18-19

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Daily scary Bible verse

"But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you." ~Deuteronomy 22:20-1

Here we go again...

I was saddened to hear about the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile today. My heart goes out to all of the men, women, and children who are without food and shelter at this time. As with Haiti, I hope that the U.S. will step forth as much as possible to send aid and assistance to the victims.

There has been a marked increase in earthquakes lately, and scientists are now acknowledging that there is some geological change going on. However, I would like to state for the record that these earthquakes are NOT a punishment from the forever-angry Guy in the Sky.

I was not surprised at all to read comments on all of the major news sites from Doomsayers regarding "the end of times." Ugh, I have had enough of this shit! If there was such a thing as an omniscient God, wouldn't he just blow the world up in one big bang instead of making innocent adults and children suffer horribly?

Friday, February 26, 2010

Daily scary Bible verse!

"And Ehud came unto him: and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he rose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that the could not draw the dagger out of his belly: and the dirt came out. "  ~Judges 3:20, 21, 22

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

daily scary Bible verse

"With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food when my people were destroyed." ~Lamentations 4:10

education in America

If you have been following the news at all, you have probably heard about how one particular school in Rhode Island decided to fire every single teacher before this year's end. Even though this school was in dire straits in terms of academic achievement, I am not sure that the individual teachers are to blame. The mass firings, in my opinion, were nothing more than a local public relations stunt, and the real reasons American elementary and high school students are so far behind those in other countries aren't being addressed.

In December 2007, a test dubbed "Program for International Student Assessment" was provided to 15-year-olds in 30 industrialized countries. The test's primary focus was math and science, which are the usual subjects examined in international comparisons. The average science score for U.S students was lower than 16 of the other countries. American students did even worse in math; the average score was lower than 23 other countries. The countries that performed best were Finland, Hong Kong, and Canada.

These trends are not improving. In 2008, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development revealed that the U.S was slipping even further behind other countries in major academic areas. Considering the "No Child Left Behind Act" and other dramatic measures taken by public officials, why are we doing so poorly?

Our education system has been struggling with religious arguments over evolution and creationism for years. When I was in elementary school, reliable, tested theories of evolution, carbon dating, and natural selection were barely touched, and the emphasis was always on creationism. Granted, this was a private education, but my parents decided it was the lesser of two evils. What is astounding is that this situation has not improved in over 25 years! While secular nations are roaring ahead with higher literacy and graduation rates, the U.S. is still plodding along while conservative politicians are constantly trying to find loopholes which would favor religion over logic in the classroom.

I am not saying that creationism is the sole cause for our educational demise. There are many other cultural, economic, and political factors that are holding us back. However, I believe that we would all be doing ourselves a huge favor by dropping the Intelligent Design and Creationism arguments for public education. How can anyone not agree that religion is a personal matter between parents and their children?

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Daily scary Bible verse

"17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

18But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves."
Numbers 31:17-18

Monday, February 22, 2010

Conservapedia

Move over, Wikipedia, and make room for a newer, more modern source of online information!

Conservapedia graced the internet late last year as an attempted "answer to the liberal bias of Wikipedia". Also self-dubbed the "Trustworthy encyclopedia", this informative gem offers such features as a daily Bible verse, news updates dedicated solely to the bashing of liberal media and figures, and articles of the year. (This year's article is a bunch of "scientific data" supporting creationism.)

Here is an excerpt from Conservapedia's "About" page:

“No other encyclopedic resource on the internet is free of corruption by liberal untruths. Please look around while you're here, share this with others, edit your favorite entries, and enjoy the benefits of new insights that you never realized before. For example, do you know why pretzels have their shape? Click it to find out!

Here are some of our favorite entries:

Bias in Wikipedia
Atheism
Evolution
Conservative
Liberal
Hollywood Values”

Let's have a look at some of Conservapedia's views on these "favored entries." The below excerpts are in their original form (any misspellings or grammatical errors will remain).

On evolution: "In addition, biblical creationists can point out examples where the scientific community was in error and the Bible was clearly correct. For example, until the 1970s the scientific consensus on how lions killed their prey was in error and the Bible turned out to be right in this matter.[196] Also, for centuries the scientific community believed that snakes could not hear and the 1988 edition of The New Encyclopedia Britannica stated the snakes could not hear but that was mistaken and the Bible was correct in this matter."

On homosexuality: "In regards to the issue of homosexuality and choice, given the existence of ex-homosexuals and given the existence of human cultures where homosexuality has apparently not existed, the position that homosexuality is ultimately a choice in individuals or at the very least can be a choice in individuals has strong evidential support. In short, there is a strong argument that one can leave homosexuality. In addition, given that the homosexual population has significantly higher rates of many diseases and the homosexual population also has significantly lower rates of various measures of mental health it can be strongly argued that engaging in homosexual acts is a bad choice for individuals. Another other factor that makes engaging in homosexual acts a bad choice for individuals is the significantly higher rates of domestic violence in homosexual couples. In addition, according to experts homosexual murders are relatively or quite common and often homosexual murders are very brutal. Also, the homosexual population has a greater propensity to engage in illegal drug use."

On feminisim: Specifically, a modern feminist tends to:


*believe that there are no meaningful differences between men and women (The most significant belief underlying contemporary feminism is that there are no sex differences; therefore advocacy for equal rights must be extended to advocacy for equal results or outcomes.)


*oppose chivalry and even feign insult at harmless displays of it (see battle between the sexes)
*view traditional marriage as unacceptably patriarchal
*detest women who are happy in traditional roles, such as housewives,[4] and especially dislike those who defend such roles
*shirk traditional gender activities, like baking[5]
*support affirmative action for women
*prefer that women wear pants rather than dresses, presumably because men do[6][7]
*seek women in combat in the military just like men, and coed submarines
*refuse to take her husband's last name when marrying[8]
*distort historical focus onto female figures, often overshadowing important events (Eg: Henry VIII's wives take precedence in common knowledge to his actual reign.)
*object to being addressed as "ma'am," or feminine nicknames such as "sweetheart" or "honey";[9] object to other female-only names, such as "temptress"

If you have a few hours to shit away and are stocked up on plenty of Pepto and Dramamine, then be sure to take the time to review this fine online resource for yourselves.

http://www.conservapedia.com/

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Today's scary Bible verse!

Hosea 9:11-16 - Punishment for Isreal and slaughtering of children:

11 Ephraim's glory will fly away like a bird—
no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.
12 Even if they rear children,
I will bereave them of every one.
Woe to them
when I turn away from them!
13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre,
planted in a pleasant place.
But Ephraim will bring out
their children to the slayer."
14 Give them, O LORD—
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that are dry.
15 "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,
I hated them there.
Because of their sinful deeds,
I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;
all their leaders are rebellious.
16 Ephraim is blighted,
their root is withered,
they yield no fruit.
Even if they bear children,
I will slay their cherished offspring."

Friday, February 19, 2010

Racism and Barack

A recent study conducted by the Stanford Graduate School of Business revealed some dumbfounding information: racism DOES affect how people view our current president.

Oh really? It took Stanford graduate students to figure this one out?

I remember some of the viral emails that went around when Obama was running for presidency. There was one that said "It's the WHITE House, not the BLACK House." Another one showed a picture of a pimped out car with rims and dice on the rear view, with a caption stating "new presidential transportation." Of course, we all have seen the one that showed a pic of Obama in traditional Muslim attire while visiting in Kenya...obvious proof that our president is a terrorist, right?

Some of the same people who forwarded those emails to me have become defensive when I stated the obvious fact that they were racist. Seriously? I don't understand racism. Furthermore, I don't understand why most of the people I know who are the biggest racist offenders are also Republican, fundamentalist Christians. Does anyone else have an answer? Thoughts, anyone? I would love to open up a discussion.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Today's scary Bible verse!

"From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths."  2Kings 2:23-24

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Couldn't have said it better myself...

While reading MSNBC news today, I found an article that was discussing the fact that there has been a reduction in prenatal congenital diseases and defects as a result of increased genetic testing and screening. It was a wonderful, inspiring article, but the first thing I thought when I read it was "Oh, no, the religious fanatics are going to label this eugenics or ‘Satan’s work’ and pan the crap out of this article." I took a few minutes to read the comments, and sure enough, I was correct.

For every two conservative fanatics, there was one rational responder to the article. One person said it the best:

"Yes, that is the "Christian" way. For instance, the Catholic Church had rather millions of children be born and starve to a slow death than a woman use birth control or have an abortion. God help her if she tries to protect her and her children from AIDS by using a condom.


Of course, these Right Wing zealots don't care about children. They are in love with fetuses. Once that child is born, it can die of a dreaded disease or starve to death because these "Christians" do not want to give them health insurance or welfare. Once again, sheer evil wears the cloak of Christianity. May God protect us from the righteous. "

Here is a link to the article, and you can read the comments for yourselves.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35430449/ns/health-pregnancy/

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Today's scary Bible verse!

"Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces." Malachi 2:3

Monday, February 15, 2010

New Migthy Melbot Feature...Daily scary Bible verse!

Statistical research has proven that only 10 percent of Christians actually read the Bible. I honestly believe that if more people read it, they would realize that the Biblical god is not the loving, caring figure they imagined. According to the "Good Book", the Christian God was responsible for 2,270,365 deaths. Satan, on the other hand, was responsible for roughly 10.

In order to help educate people on the true nature of the Bible, I will be adding a daily "scary Bible verse" feature to my blog. Enjoy!

Deuteronomy 20:10-17:

When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. . . . This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.



However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.

Friday, February 12, 2010

What Would Jesus Drive? Christianity Vs. Global Warming

Long before the media began drawing connections between religious attitude and belief in global warming, I began to notice a negative trend between the two. I would read viral emails from republican, "Godly" sources which mocked the very idea that spewing CO2 into the air at record levels could have any negative consequences. Later, the conspiracy theories began.

I have attached a link to a very interesting article from a Christian source that further clarifies the connection between Christian fundamentalists and denial of global warming. The article shines some light on the inherent distrust that many religious people have in science which has led them to dismiss the majority of scientific theories.

Of course, I realize there are many Christians who do believe that global warming is real (and vice versa). However, I have heard several Christians make ominous statements along the lines of "the end of the world is nigh, and we need not concern ourselves so much with future generations." Religious attitude seems to be deepening the divide between the general population and scientific learning, and I find this to be very disturbing.


http://www.evangelsociety.org/sherk/wwjd.html

I also attached a link to a current, legitimate scientific article which supports the theory of global warming.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html#

Thursday, February 11, 2010

God class

As I mentioned previously, I will be attending nursing school this summer. Even though several family members and quite a few friends are nurses, I had a hard time figuring out which college offered the best program. After doing quite a bit of research, I discovered that only three colleges in Memphis offer a four-year degree: UofM, Baptist Nursing School, and Union University. You know what finally made me choose UofM? Baptist and Union are both extremely religious schools.

On top of the fact that Baptist and Union are both at least four times more expensive than UofM, they each require you to take five classes on religion. Now, I respect the fact that these are private schools and can wear their religion on their sleeves, but is it fair to require students to spend between 5 and 10 thousand dollars on "God classes"? I mean, by the time students reach college age, they are pretty much set in their beliefs. Therefore, the only purpose of forcing students to take multiple religion classes is to make money.

Before I knew about these ridiculous religion classes, I sent my application to Baptist. They never emailed me back or contacted me. They never even requested my transcripts. Considering the fact that I have extremely high ACT scores, graduated with honors, and am ready and able to pay for classes, the only thing I can assume is that they noticed that I left the "religious affiliation" line blank. I guess I am not godly enough to change catheters, wipe asses, and give enemas.

I plan on using the 10K I save by not taking these stupid classes to attend the university’s international nursing class in 2011. This class gives students the opportunity to fly to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and other impoverished countries to provide basic health care. While Baptist students are learning about talking donkeys and snakes, animal sacrifices, angels, demons, and ghosts, I will be helping those less fortunate. Baptist and Union don’t even offer similar programs. Doesn’t that seem a little strange? Just saying…

Friday, February 5, 2010

time on my hands...

Considering I have about four months to kill until my classes begin, I figured I would start playing around with affiliate marketing to pass the time. I am surprised by how well it is going!


I am proud to introduce my newest venture... http://funkyfunclothesshopping.blogspot.com/ . My inspiration for this site came from several failed shopping attempts at local retail outlets over the past few months. What is going on with fashion these days? It seems like Bill Cosby sweaters, scrunchies, and sequined rainbow/tie dye designs are coming back in fashion. I can only assume that there are a multitude of women in the age 20-40 demographic who are desperately looking for reasonably priced, non-repulsive clothing.

My next project is going to be a funky/fun maternity wardrobe outlet. I never thought that working from home could be so fun! I might as well enjoy it before I have to hit the scrubs and face workplace reality again.

That which comes back to haunt us...

I logged into SiteMeter today, and was surprised to find that one of my prior employers has been snooping on my blog. Normally, I would feel a little disturbed by such an intrusion, but I am actually sort of flattered. Even though this blog is getting roughly 400 hits a day now, I cannot imagine how my ex-boss could have found it.


That being said, I would like to extend a warm "hello" to Bankrate.com. How is business these days?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Everyone must see this.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-2-2010/story-hole---children-s-cartoons-from-hamas

P.S..There is some glitch going on with Blogger which makes it impossible to embed links. I am hoping to fix this shortly.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Conan...to believe, or not to believe....

I am not a huge fan of television. However, the couple of times I have watched Conan O'Brien, I have been fairly impressed. I loosely followed all of the drama that went on between him and NBC, but my attention was really captured by his "Goodbye Tonight Show" Speech.

For those who never had a chance to hear or see it, here is the text:


"Before we end this rodeo, a few things need to be said. There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can't say about NBC. To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at Saturday Night Live, The Late Night Show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I have worked with NBC for over twenty years. Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we're going to go our separate ways. But this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.


Walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I've had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we'll find a way to make it fun.


And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational.


To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere.


Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."

I was completely moved by this speech. It seemed optimistic, intelligent, forward-thinking, and practical. However, the deepest, most skeptical part of me wonders if it is all bullshit.

The fundamental view of atheists is that *we* are in control of ourselves (verses some supernatural deity.) I have always preached that the most important thing a person can master in life is to obtain as much control and self-discipline as possible. I have never once witnessed the miracle of prayer. Oftentimes, people pray and beg for good things to happen, and they do. Just as often, they don't. After all, life is a game of chance, and good things are just as likely to happen as bad.

I guess what I am getting at is that I am beginning to doubt *everything*, including my own ability to control my personal outcome in life. I know that I am intelligent, capable, and determined, yet I still continue to get the shit end of the stick. How do I remain motivated as I continue to see a lack of connection between cause and effect for myself and everyone around me?

Monday, February 1, 2010

Haiti poll - There will be no judgements made about your responses!

Fox News

OK, I completely understand that there tends to be a liberal bias within news reporting agencies. However, I hope that the American people really don't believe that Fox News is the one, golden network that has risen above to be truly "fair and balanced."

Has anyone else noticed how Fox News likes to add a bunch of crappy, derogatory polls to their pages? They always seem to pan out like this:


"Tell us what you think! Is Obama steering this country in the right direction?"

1: No, Obama is a radical Muslim who washes down his hummus dinner each night with the blended hearts of Arian children.

2. No, Obama's too busy engaging in torrid butt sex sessions with Chavez and other dictators to make time for this country.

3. Not sure.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

tolerance

One of my friends emailed me today with the following question.

"Haven't fully read your blog, but I will. My initial question though is this - why are you so angry at Christians/Christianity?"

I had to think about it for a second. Am I really angry at Christians? No. When I lived up north, I rarely even thought about religion or Christianity simply because no one ever talked about it. It didn't consume people's lives, affect workplace environments, and divide friendships and families quite like it does in the South. That being said, I would like to add this link as a gentle reminder as to how the world views atheists.

http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/StateConstitutions.htm

Friday, January 29, 2010

atheist adoption

One topic that I am not very fond of is abortion. While I would never chose to have an abortion myself unless my child's quality of life would be majorly reduced by some birth defect, I still believe the procedure to be a private issue between a woman and her doctor.

That being said, why is it that the same people who oppose abortion seem to have no support for the plight of impoverished children whose parents chose not to have an abortion? I feel like people often fail to see the obvious cause and effect; if a woman cannot afford to have a child, but does so anyhow, American taxpayers will end up paying for that child.

The only real solution for such a circumstance is adoption. Yet, so many impoverished children (many with birth defects) remain unadopted. Maybe this situation would be improved slightly if atheists would be allowed to adopt children in all states?

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877155,00.html

church and state

I am so tired of hearing arguments about why the Bible should be taught in public schools. Do people want this country to be a theocracy or a democracy? Why don't people consider religion to be a private, personal thing the should be restricted to the home environment?

The republicans who are pushing mandantory Bible classes for high school students claim that it will be conducted from an objective point of view. Of course, this would all depend on the teacher. My question is, if learning about the Bible is essential to a good education, then why not also make it mandantory to learn about the Koran, buddhism, etc. etc.?


http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1601845,00.html

precious memories

As my ten-year career in accounting and finance comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to lovingly reflect on many of the wonderful things that happened to me during this exciting time.


1. The last company I worked for assigned me to a boss in NYC. Since we couldn't communicate in person, he would call me several times a day about nothing. His opening line was always "Now remember, Melanie, that you work FOR ME!" During my last few weeks of working for him prior to being laid off, he asked me to start spying on my coworkers and collecting any information about them that could be deemed negative. The purpose was so that they could begin gaining ammo against them and fire them instead of laying them off. I refused. A pink slip followed shortly.

2. When I worked at Power and Tel, I became pregnant three months after getting hired. To add to the "scandal", the father (now my husband) was one of my coworkers. The day that we broke the news, a pamphlet about "the sins of premarital sex" was laid out openly for all to see in the break room. As my pregnancy progressed, my boss started complaining about the amount of time I spent in the bathroom. I thought everyone knew that pregnant women constantly pee, but my boss decided that I needed to keep a detailed spreadsheet of all of my "comings and goings". He literally wanted to know the number.

When I was seven months pregnant, I was assigned to warehouse work for the annual audit. My duties involved moving 100 lb boxes back and forth. When I complained to HR, they moved me to a desk job, but then punished me by writing me up later for eating food at my desk. Of course, eating food at one's desk wasn't even against the rules. I walked out of that job a few days later.

3. AutoZone...aww, how the memories of the wonderful gray cubicles and male-dominated management still grace my dreams! After a week of working there, I was pulled into a conference room by my first boss. He told me (in a stern, condescending voice) that he had been watching me performing the company cheer during the last conference call. For those of you who don't already know, AZ required their Autozoners to spell the name of their company...with their bodies. Anyway, he told me that my cheer was "lacking basic form and enthusiasm", and that I would not be getting any promotions or raises until I became more, well, cheerful.

AutoZone required their employees to dress up in the standard store dress every Monday. The uniform was comprised of black pants or skirts, "polishable black shoes", a black belt, and red or gray polo shirt, with various pins and flare on the right collar. We actually had to endure "uniform inspections" every Monday AM. During one of the inspections, I actually had my skirt measured with a ruler to make sure it wasn't too short.

One day, I was about ten minutes late getting back from lunch. I had gotten stuck in traffic. My second boss (I had several) sent me an email asking me where I was. The catch was, she had manipulated the time on her computer to make it look like she had sent it 20 minutes later, even though I was sitting at my desk when it was sent. I walked out of that job as well, and the whole department crumbled soon after. That boss was fired.

4. Fed Ex's Credit Union. There are too many stories to tell about this one, but I will start with the fact they paid me just over minimum wage to be their Staff Accountant. My boss quickly discovered I was an atheist after I started working for her, yet she would still ask me every Monday "how was church this weekend?" She also asked me to sign off on projects that I didn't have anything to do with during our annual audits.

Oh, corporate America, how I will miss you so!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

the christian wrong

We have all been watching the news and witnessing the pain and disaster in Haiti first hand. While I certainly hope that it shocks, depresses, and brings out the deepest sympathies within my friend and family groups, I am saddened by the reactions of the average person.

I have read commentary from all of the news sites I follow, and the feedback is always the same.

"Those people and their cultures will never learn, just like New Orleans. God was destined to punish them all!"

"Haitian people are like monkeys, looting and stealing and abandoning their young. Why would I give money to them?"

My personal favorite..."Haitians sold their souls to the devil in order to obtain freedom, and the earthquake was sent by god to smite them for their sins."

I don't feel like I need to add much more to all of this. I just have one question...Where is the christian compassion that everyone speaks of? Does it only apply to high income whites? I mean, Haiti is a christian nation, so I guess the fact that some Haitians practice voodoo negates their Goodness. My worst fear, however, is that "good Americans" are allowed to disregard the plight of Haitians based on the fact that many black countries have not had a chance to catch up with other nations due to infrastructure, slavery, etc. etc. God has NOTHING to do with it.