My video on Islam & Unitarianism has had
two views (so far) from Saudi (as per the stats page for the video). They're
checking me out...
Here's a video of an atheist visiting Mecca:
The previous occurrences of the account were deleted via trolls. For example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGmOpVrYJ5Q has been terminated. So watch the newest incarnation of the atheist in Mecca video while you can.
And here again is a film where an apparent atheist visits a Mormon temple, to view the ceremony where they show a film:
and here's the version of the Mormon temple ceremony that has live actors:
Hi again, guys and (hopefully) gals from Saudi Arabia. Thanks for checking out my videos. I'm glad you were able to stop by...
January 19, 2013 video commentary on atheists, exmormons, and people who've left other religions "moving on."
Are you uncomfortable being around atheists, ex-mormons, ex-Muslims, or people who've left other cults - people with a lot of "religious baggage?"
Here's a video commentary for you, and also about whether people are free to speak their mind while inside various religions or not. Also avoiding cults of personality, even in atheist groups.
Even some some atheists wonder about the anger of exmormons & fellow atheists.
Why? Why? Why are we so angry?
Because we have damn good reasons to be. Check out the links above. Read what people actually say.
All that baggage. Why don't we just "get over it?" We do live our lives and we move forward. But we never completely "move on." Why? Because the petrified penis of Mormonism still stands tall over Salt Lake. Because the "Miracle of Forgiveness" is still sold in the Mormon Church distribution centers. Because asshole Boyd Packer is still spewing human spirit destroying filth. Because the Mormon Church continues to oppress people. Because we're upset at being lied to. Because some of our families disowned us. Because some of our fellows committed suicide because of the pain.
Some people who had a fluffy exit from Mormonism, or who were only ever liberal religionists or who have always been non-religious, these people often have no idea what life was like in Mormonism or other conservative cults.
Why don't we just "get over it?" Ask us in a more respectful tone & maybe we'll tell you.
I will not disparage people for seeking social support after they leave a cult. You shouldn't either.
Why is it such a mystery to some why these people have "so much religious baggage?" Because they do. And maybe they need some help learning how to be more free from the cult they spent many years inside.
Atheist groups serve as a social support for people who leave various religions. People with a "lot of religious baggage" may well show up to such meetings, and if that offends you, too bad. It's par for the course at such meetings. Maybe those people need your help.
Related site & a good quote: http://new.exchristian.net/2011/02/why-are-atheists-so-angry.html
"...Atheists are fully justified in their anger, and that anger may be the last, best hope for our species surviving our own ignorance and gullibility. If religious forces ever manage to quell our anger, then they will have won the battle . . . and lost the world..."
I think his views are influenced in part by the death threats he has received due to his past writings & work. Nevertheless I agree that more can be done to keep guns out of the hands of nuts, and perhaps out of the homes of people who have nuts living there.
Death threats do tend to sharpen the mind I'm sure. All these people tend to be hawks when it comes to Islam, and for good reason - because they have first hand experience with what happens when we encounter a medieval cult still with wide reaching power over people.
Pat Condell - I very much appreciate his tone & his positions on religion. I may not agree with all of his politics, but I nevertheless love the way he states his positions: http://www.youtube.com/user/patcondell
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video commentary is from January 9 & 10, 2013 videos combined into one
As an atheist I whole heatedly disagree with Peter Singer’s positions on abortion, infanticide, and human rights.
Notes from video commentary, with additional thoughts:
Religion is a natural phenomenon. So the good that comes from religion is natural. There are atheists who are concerned about abortion, and who absolutely do not agree with Singer.
Without god everything is permitted? No. There is no god, and not everything is permitted. So the answer is no to that proposition.
In Averick's article on Singer he doesn't need to paint all atheists as immoral. We aren’t - we’re human just like him, and humans have human morals.
And as for Singer, I recommend you read this post and an earlier post, which includes notes on Sam Harris & Christopher Hitchens, on the problems with moral & cultural relativism, and an advocacy for discouraging abortion.
Can a middle road be taken on abortion? How about: First & second trimester: legal but highly discouraged. Third trimester: illegal. After birth abortion: equivalent to murder. How's that?
Morality comes from a combination of socialization and genetics. Check out Steven Pinker, Sam Harris, & Daniel Dennet on the subject of morality, religion, and the thankfully evolving & improving moral zeitgeist.
I admit that I have built in morals, as do most people except for sociopaths, and except (in part) for people currently tied down by meme sets that are infecting their brains & making them less moral than they would otherwise be.
Religion can make people less moral than they would otherwise be (eg: suicide bombers as one example). The ivory tower of academics can do the same, for example where students learn the "value" of moral & cultural relativism, and the lie of the blank slate.
Did your god have sex with Mary the mother of Jesus? Does your god live on Kolob? Is Mohamed god's messenger? If you don't believe any one, two, or three of these three points, then maybe it's notillusory to be a so-called atheist.
We aren't required to choose between the ass hole tea baggers of Fox News & the current Republican Party, and the similarly anally retentive feminazi zero population growth ultra lefties who love PETA and similar groups, and who believe that women who're homemakers are selling themselves short. A pox on both of their houses. We're moving forward, as natural humans who're interested in truth and what science reveals about everything. And when your preconceived or inculcated notions are debunked, then drop them. I'll try to do the same.
What is the influence of Islam on Islamic women in America. At a school an adult employee covers up her rear end and tight jeans with a large pillow. Previously she allowed her sexy behind to be seen by all. Another Islamic female employee changes her head covering so that it covered even more of her face - closing the circle ever tighter. During Ramadan employees of the school are obliged to not ear their lunch in front of Islamists present, or in their building, for fear of offending them. W-T-F?
Silverman doesn't speak for all atheists. Atheism is not a religion per se, and we aren't required to join hands with everyone who may be classified as an atheist.
Merry Christmas. Happy Solstice. Merry Festivus. Whatever. I don't have a problem with any of these unlike Silverman.
And Singer's past comments are disturbing, wrong, and amoral. Religion is a natural phenomenon. Whatever good comes from religion still is natural, not supernatural. So Dinesh should make note of that, if he can. And at the same time, being an atheist doesn't have to mean being a zero population growth ultra-leftie.
I don't have a problem with American Atheists as a group per se, but I'm not into leader-worship though. So Silverman is just plain wrong on the specific point of Singer's morality or lack thereof. Since atheism is not a religion per se we're not obliged to kowtow to arguments from authority.
There is a theme of relativistic amorality in the ivory tower. I agree with the assessment of Steven Pinker and Sam Harris about the state of higher education in America, with their belief in the blank slate, and advocacy for cultural & moral relativism so anally retentive that it's no problem for these people if religions oppress their own people. Who are we to say what's moral? We are. And not everything is relative...
''...the authors argue that what we
call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a
newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is,
including cases
where the newborn is not disabled..."
While I agree that abortion in the first two trimesters should remain legal, I think there's good arguments to be made for highly discouraging the practice at the very least during that time, and good reason to bar it legally after the first two trimesters:
So, I do differ with Singer. I'd rather see all the dogs and pigs on this planet destroyed than to see one innocent human child killed. So, how's that for atheist morality?
It's not the atheism or theism that's the issue here. Most people have built in morals, except for psychopaths and sociopaths, and people who've spent far too much time in the morally & culturally relativistic sewer of academia.
“For nearly a century, the moral relativism of science has given faith-based religion--that great engine of ignorance and bigotry--a nearly uncontested claim to being the only universal framework for moral wisdom. As a result, the most powerful societies on early spend their time debating issues like gay marriage when they should be focused on problems like nuclear proliferation, genocide, energy security, climate change, poverty, and failing schools.”
"...the consequences of moral relativism have been disastrous. And science's failure to address the most important questions in human life has made it seem like little more than an incubator for technology. It has also given faith-based religion -- that great engine of ignorance and bigotry -- a nearly uncontested claim to being the only source of moral wisdom. This has been bad for everyone. What is more, it has been unnecessary -- because we can speak about the well-being of conscious creatures rationally, and in the context of science. I think it is time we tried."
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1-8-12 addendum:
Video commentary added:
And another blog post:
atheist morality: response to Peter Singer, Moshe Averick: after birth abortions, infanticide, and human rights http://jonathanshome.blogspot.com/2013/01/atheist-morality-response-to-peter.html
Micro-managing bean counting nazis. But, do I want to switch to Linux
full time? Not really. The community helps fight back against what M$
may do. Apple is no better & controls their users even more IMO.
Vista was a slow draggy POS best avoided. Windows 7 was much better. And now, 8 may well be a POS best avoided if possible. Can't they just stick to one interface and stop stripping good stuff out? Or at least allow more choice? If not, we'll f-ing do it ourselves...
...The First Presidency has interpreted oral sex as constituting an unnatural, impure, or unholy practice. If a person is engaged in a practice which troubles him enough to ask about it, he should discontinue it...
And a relevant quote from the comments section of linked to blog:
President, I have a very embarrassing yet pertinent question I feel I
must raise. As a daughter of Zion, I have always kept myself pure unto
the Lord, which has led to some difficulties in the marital bed. My
dear husband has discovered the key to unlocking my glorious God-given
pleasure center is through his own oral skills. In fact, I cannot
achieve a certain high point without such activity. If we follow our
Lord's annointed's advice, I fear I shall never achieve sexual
satisfaction again. What is more important do you think? Perhaps
continue this practice and then repent once we are old and don't care
about sex any more? Oh help me President, I am so torn!!
As for the Pompeii bath house art shown above, I've found that there's apparently other humans with similarly healthy exuberance also.
Trey Parker has apparently had a fascination with Mormon culture, although as an outsider he doesn't quite understand everything. For example his portrayal of a Mormon family in the South Park episode All About Mormons he portrays a Mormon family as being more happy than other families, and that a kid in that family didn't really care about the wacky stuff in this religion. But his portrayal of what life is really like in Mormon families is not quite accurate. There's also a lot of pain,stress, and guilt. Also in Utah there's a great deal of anti-depressant use. Here's the video of the episode: http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s07e12-all-about-mormons
and more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_About_Mormons
When I first saw Orgazmo several years ago I knew the best thing that could happen would be for all Mormons, especially all old the fart Mormon leaders, to immediately receive the influence of the following device, an orgazmorator.
When they're up there in General Conference giving stuffy nosed I-am-so-important-when-I-speak-in-a-low-voice pompous pious speeches, the best thing that could ever happen would be for such a device to be activated, so that they & all the crowd assembled would be similarly affected.
