Okay, that’s it, I’ve finally been dubbed a moonbat, however as Nubian doesn’t actually hold the view that race conquers all, instead going so far as to actully coin the term “Oppression Olympics” for that sort of pissing contest, I feel that Alon Levy may not be an authoritive, nor official classification.
There’s only one thing for me to do: Fly into Vox Day’s haircreature and finally conclude the on going arguement that surround the competing theories of Creationism and Evolution (more…)
One of the many many things lost within the whole sportset hoo-haa and the subsequent metacommentary on arguements themselves, is that the advert for the sportset is yet another piece of definative proof for the existence of the “blaming lobe”, as all peice of propaganda for the patriarchy are.
Now the importance of the blaming lobe to feminists should be obvious, because it provides a physical source for the way everyone blames the patriarchy, and make no mistake, I mean everyone, from the most hardcore radfem to the most hardcore rapist – none are free from the power of the blaming lobe to urge people to examine their lives for patriarchal oppression.
We know everyone blames because, since time immemorial the patriarchy has used some version of this empowerment culture that all you crusty geezers are chatting about these days.
And the reason that proves the existence of the blaming lobe is simply thus: the empowerment culture is a direct result of everyone’s innate propesnity to blame, turned towards the ends of patriarchy. (more…)
On a previous post, hypocrite troll Jason asserted that calling a religious person a godbag was akin to using the worst racial slurs imaginable. I reminded him that there’s a bit of a difference between hating a “race,” a completely illogical categorization of people by the surface-level qualities with which they are born, and ripping on a club full of people who have chosen to opt into its belief system. Certainly Jason found his jabs at us as liberal, anti-Christian atheist nutjobs to be acceptable, and I think we all expect to absorb the criticism of the institutions and clubs into which we willfully enter.
To help Jason understand what makes a religious person a godbag, I thought I would provide him with a few helpful hints. I figured something in the style of Jeff Foxworthy would be right up this evangelical wingnut’s ass alley.
If you believe in God, a god, or gods, you are not a godbag.
If you would do anything to convince other people to believe in your god/s, you are a godbag.
If openly argue that your god/s is/are the only true god/s and everyone else’s gods are a bunch of phooey, you’re a godbag.
If you attend services intended to pay honor to your god/s you are not a godbag.
If you run formal versions of those services, you are a godbag.
Similarly, if you collect money in the name of or try to make a living off of people’s beliefs in god/s, you’re baggin’ it god-style.
If you’ve ever used someone’s belief in god/s to get them to do what you want, vote the way your want, or pit them against others, there’s godbaggery in them thar hills.
If you’ve ever wanted to go to war to defend your god/s or attack someone else’s, you are the ultimate godbag.
If you don’t really believe in god/s but invoke them for personal gain, you are a stinky godbag.
If you act and speak in a way that directly contradicts the supposed teachings of your god/s and then claim to be doing it in the name of your god/s, by jove, that’s godbaggery.
If you’ve ever used your god/s to shame others into irresponsible behavior, sexually or socially, tu esta el godbaggo.
If you’ve ever blamed women for society’s ills in the name of your god/s, you’re probably one helluva godbag.
If you’ve ever argued against teaching empirical science in favor of some magical belief system, the godbag is strong with you.
If you’ve ever used someone else’s poverty or misfortune as a way to manipulate them into believing in your god/s, you are one with the godbag.
I’m sure there are other indications of a godbag, but hopefully these will help Jason and other trolls out there better understand why we call them godbags.
St. Thomas Myers poking some religious dude in his spaz hole, but will he follow through to pwn him fully?
Now as PAB’s resident crazy multicultural agnostic I have a few, kinda major, objections to PZ Myer’s recent antics.
The first, and most obvious one, is that he’s trolling the hell out of christians, and not being too subtle about it either.
I don’t care if Myers is one of those weirdo proselytyzing atheists who’s shit I’ve seen ruin waay too many bachanalias to be amused by it any more, if you must troll a religion, at least do it with some sense of decorum, I mean really.
The second is that he makes the same mistake regarding televangelists and naziism that wingnuts often do with stalinism, i.e. confuse the side issues of the political belief, the bits that are nothing more than window dressing – like work schemes or nationalised public services, with the really fucked up badness of the movements in question, the proclivity for mass murder and the frequent use of hatred and fearmongering to serve their personal goals.
For example (more…)
Finally. Flow charts are necessary when you try to understand bullshit like Christian science.
There’s nothing I love more than having a friend tell me how weak and pathetic I am. Maybe this is why I want so badly to be friends with Dawn Eden:
As I looked up at the stained-glass windows, the white walls, and the high ceiling, I thought about a friend of mine who loves truth but does not yet admit knowledge of God.
It struck me very suddenly that my friend was a nonbeliever not because he hated sanctified things, but because he was in some sense frightened or disconcerted by the concept of sanctity — its breadth, its depth, its sheer immensity. After all, if one believes that God is holy, one discovers immediately that holiness is all around. One experiences this awareness with special intensity in a church, surrounded by images of people who, throughout the ages, lived out their faith in a way that is too beautiful and too self-sacrificing for us to fully conceive.
It reminds me of what C.S. Lewis said — I think he mentioned it in Mere Christianity and illustrated it by example in The Great Divorce — about how the most ordinary person whom we pass by every day and to whom we never give a second thought, might in Heaven be a creature too bright and dazzling for us to behold.
Wouldn’t it be cool to be Dawn’s friend and find about about her little revelation? “Hey pal, it hit me in church that you can’t handle the immensity of holiness all around us, that you’re actually frightened by the idea of everything and everyone around you being so luminous. I just wish you’d stop being such a frigging wuss and admit your knowledge of God.” Mmm mm. Bet that would go over like gangbusters.
Of course, maybe Dawn considers me a friend after I introduced her to Bluey. I don’t believe in God, so, heck, maybe she’s even talking about me. If so, I would like to politely offer the following response to my buddy.
Hey Dawn! I was thinking about you at the bar the other day. I was drinking with some friends and it hit me why you believe in God. You’re scared to death of the yawning abyss of oblivion, terrified of the idea that you are nothing more than a temporary collection of atoms flitting about in a tiny pocket of a purposeless universe. If you had to cope with the knowledge that the self you understand as your limited consciousness will someday cease to exist, you’d probably pass out in terror.
Of course, to admit knowledge of no God, you’d also have to derive self-esteem from who you are and what you do instead of the idea that you’re important to an imaginary voyeur. You’d have to admit that you _aren’t_ holy, that none of us are, and that the only way we rise above our selfish brutal nature is by banding together in the here and now to help each other out. Shit, it would mean you’re no better than the beggar on the street even though you cuddle with the Holy Spirit. You can’t even ignore his suffering by rationalizing it as righteous justice for past sins or a challenge from God to test his mettle.
It would also mean people couldn’t just look at the deteriorating conditions around them and shrug it off with an “oh well, at least _I’m_ going to heaven!” People would actually have to do something to protect the precious little bit of existence they have. And sometimes you stub your toe or get hit by a bus and there’s only random chance to blame. That sucks for sure.
Don’t forget that what you consider the “easy route” would also force you and your wingnut pals to accept that those kids you all send to die in Iraq aren’t kicking it with a mai-tai on a puffy cloud. That’s the real scary thought, isn’t it?
I’m sorry, Dawn. Look at me. I’m as bad as you about this whole judgment thing. Dang it. Then again, when I’m doing it I’m not perpetuating the existence of a filthy rich, frighteningly cruel institution that considers the peons who fill its coffers nothing more than sin-crazy filth bombs queuing up for a one way trip downtown. Got a divorce? Going to hell! Don’t want to tote around a leeching zygote thingy? Going to hell! Don’t come to mass or give to the church enough? Hell! Priest wants to have sex with a consenting adult? Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go straight to hell! Or at least out of the Church! Priest wants to have sex with underage child? Er, well, common mistake. Have a bon-bon.
I grew up Catholic, Dawn. All I remember hearing was a lot of drivel about how you should do nothing, say nothing, be nothing, but give what little you have in terms of free time or loose change to the Church. All I remember seeing was a bunch of timid sheep slavishly performing nonsensical ritual built around the hilariously offensive concept of Canon Law. All I remember knowing was that the Catholic life is one only of unnecessary denial, self-loathing of normal desires, and a way to distract you from bettering the human condition. Because God forbid all the people of the world achieve some baseline of happiness.
If they did, what the hell would they need his minions for?
Okay, I’m jealous of the perks associated with running discoballmousetarianism, and I think it’s time for the punkasses of the world to unite under my banner of Geniustry, the new official religion of punkassblog.com.
Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: “Who needs another religion in this workaday world? I never miss an episode of 24 or the Sopranos as it is. I’m all booked up.” But I ask you: does your religion sound as smart as something called Geniustry?
That’s what I thought.
I wouldn’t call something Geniustry if it wasn’t grounded in actual, scientifically-proven genius. Think of the self-esteem you’ll gain when you can say things at the neighborhood barbecue like, “An Episcopalian, eh? Do they use forceps for that? [insert spontaneous-sounding belly laugh] Me? I’m a Genius. Yep, got the card and everything.”
And you better believe there will be cards. And badges and trophies and certificates for levels of achievement that will make all your Christy-christ do-gooder pals look like a bunch of underachieving numskulls.
Before they subscribe to Geniustry, some of the skeptics in the audience will want to know what they have to believe in to subscribe. All you need to believe in for now is _you_. You’re a snowflake blah blah blah so just remember that this is about making you a Genius. We’ll cover the rest after you’ve paid for — err, earned enough medals to prove you’re serious.
Okay, so you’re ready to be a Genius. That’s great! I’m still sorting out the details, but I think it’ll work something like this…
So, yeah, we have some light threats, but it’s mostly about love and personal growth with some cool telekinesis-type powers thrown in as a sexy bonus.
Wait, what? You think it’s too much? You wouldn’t accept a religion founded on these principles?
Then I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s possible I cribbed a few of my ideas from a group that already exists. I don’t want you to accuse me of being a Kaavya Viswanathan or anything, but it’s possible that reading about a little group called Scientology could have, um, inspired a few of my choices. In the interests of full disclosure, I might have incidentally perused the following:
But some people, the officials admit, refuse to be handled. What happens to them? “Then I guess not believing in Scientology means more to them than not seeing their family,” Davis says.
Fine. You caught me borrowing a little from L. Ron Hubbard, but who doesn’t have to play the moral grey area to set up a religion? As Mr. Hubbard himself said, “THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CONTROL PEOPLE IS TO LIE TO THEM. You can write that down in your book in great big letters. The only way you can control anybody is to lie to them.”
Here’s hoping that plagiarism is the next best thing.
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