The epidemic that is ravaging major league baseball

It's shocking but true. There is an epidemic in major-league baseball. Players on every team have been seen pointing at the sky during games.

As far as anyone can tell, the players seem to think that planes far above their heads are guiding every movement of the bat and baseball on the field. Curiously, it further seems that these players believe they must appease the nebulous agents who operate such planes.

And so in every game you'll see players pointing at helicopters, passenger planes, blimps -- and even clouds that look like planes. It's a painful thing for fans to have to witness. The players are obviously deluded in an extremely serious way. The poor things!

So keep an eye out during the next game. And when a player points toward a plane, pity the poor fellow. He knows not what he does.

Pope again says atheism is fine

Okay, so he didn't put it in those words. But apparently he was asked various "theological" questions in an Italian newspaper. I really liked this answer:

To the 89-year-old Scalfari's question of whether someone without faith who commits a sin would be forgiven by the Christian God, Francis responded: "God forgives those who follow their conscience." 

That's pretty much the definition of atheism. We figure things out on our own and try to do the right thing without, you know, consulting dusty old books.

On the other hand, Ed Brayton had a post up the other day (sorry, no link) that indicated Francis talks out of both sides of his mouth on the topic of atheism. But the pope hit a high note with this remark about following one's conscience. That's the definition of morality: doing the right thing.

There's even talk today about the church putting the kibosh on priestly celibacy. Change is afoot. Now, if only he'd say there is no god. Soon, right?

Why my house is always cold

Although NY is about to enter a four- or five-day heat wave, it's nice and cool in my house. In fact, even in the dog days of summer, my house is always cool -- without A/C.

It's true. In the summer, people walk into my house and say, "Thank god! You've got the A/C on!" But I don't. It just stays cool in here. Why is that?

I think it's because there are demons all over my house. They're attracted to me because I'm an anti-Christian crusader. And you know how ghosts, goblins and demons make a place cold. In the movies, that's always how you can tell they've entered the room. Brrrrr. Demons!

I thank the demons and hereby offer my house as a demon hostel. Come one, come all. Move in and keep this place freezing. I love the demons!

Why I'm an atheist

God.

Don't get excited. The truth is I don't have much to say on this topic. I'm an atheist because the concept of gods is absurd. It has never seemed even slightly appealing or real to me, though I was raised in a Roman Catholic household.

The rest of my nuclear family believes in the nonsense. So do most of the people who live on this planet. I'm shocked that this is the case, but it is what it is. People believe in nonsense that a little child should be able to poke holes through. And they bully and kill in the name of their fairytale "god". Could anything be more reprehensible? To kill for a nonexistent being -- there's really no behavior worse than that. And yet it's going on all around the world.

How could there be a god that created Earth "for" humanity, when there are childhood diseases that disfigure, cause pain and even kill? How? They talk about an all-good, loving god. Get real, folks. If your god is real, he is a psychopathic monster. Progeria, anyone?

So there was no moment when I turned my back on religion. Even when I was six years old, religion seemed a highly suspect enterprise. As far as I could tell, it was just a bunch of old men telling fairytales. That everyone can't see this is shocking to me. Logic, people. Think for a moment. (Oh, I forgot. You're not allowed to think. Never mind.)

There has never been a scintilla of evidence to support the idea that there is a god. Nothing. And everything around us, the very universe itself as revealed through science, assures us that reality came into existence without the help of a sky god.

And that's it, really. There is no need for a god. The idea doesn't make sense and it creates a race of slaves who don't value their lives (or ours, or our planet) because they believe the important stuff will happen after they die.

Duh. How can anyone believe in gods?

Filling the alleged hole

Jerry Coyne has an interesting post today about the tomfoolery of religious apologists. They certainly are a craven lot.

One of the arguments religious apologists can't resist hauling out on a regular basis is that we can't take religion away from people because it will leave a big hole in their lives (or souls, or something). Whatever will they do on Sundays?! Horrors. About this, Jerry says:

As for filling those God-shaped holes, I feel, as I said above, that this will happen naturally as religion goes away, like a hole in the beach eventually fills with water.

There you go. It's like the way I feel when the baseball season ends -- like there's a big black hole in my life and I won't be able to go on. But lo and behold, other things quickly and naturally fill that hole. In fact, there doesn't seem to be a hole. It's just a mirage.

Religion needs to go. It wastes time, effort, resources and money that should rightly be directed toward, you know, saving the planet and other real-life activities.

They speak in tongues

These are the words of Ken Ham, probably the biggest creationist wingnut in the United States:

Atheistic evolutionists do not want any talk of “critiquing” or “thinking critically” about evolutionary ideas, because evolution is their way of explaining life without God, which is why we call evolution a religion.

Uh...evolution is how atheists explain life without god...and that makes it a religion? Lotsa sense there. Tons. It's easy to see why Ham is so admired by the brainless set.

These people don't make sense but their followers never notice. This is because the common factor shared by all wingnuts is that they don't understand logic, don't even know what it is. We truly live in different worlds.

The benefits of atheism

Susan Jacoby has an interesting op-ed at the NYT. Here's an excerpt:

When I try to help a loved one losing his mind to Alzheimer’s, when I see homeless people shivering in the wake of a deadly storm, when the news media bring me almost obscenely close to the raw grief of bereft parents, I do not have to ask, as all people of faith must, why an all-powerful, all-good God allows such things to happen. 

Go read it. It's really good.

The adventures of the popey guy

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Christmas season is kicking off at the Vatican with the traditional lighting of the tree in St. Peter's Square — and a reminder from the pope about what happened when the "lights" of God were turned off in past atheistic regimes. 

Were lots of kids raped? Were they, huh? Those damned atheists!

Religion and illusions

We often hear that believers rely on god for "strength" when they find themselves in adverse situations. Jesus, according to these followers, helps them through difficult times. I'd like to suggest a natural reason for this.

First, an example from real life. Most bodybuilders know that if you're bench-pressing a lot of weight, and you imagine that someone is grabbing the bar to help you lift it -- it gets easier! It's literally like someone is helping you out. You gain strength!

This is a result of the placebo effect. Humans who believe they're taking a pill that will help their condition, actually do feel better. It's as if they give the fake drug a power that it doesn't really have. People are complete rubes when it comes to the placebo effect. We fall for it all the time.

It's the same with religion. If you believe Jesus is giving you strength, you'll probably feel stronger. But it's all in your mind. It's a human capability, this odd way of obtaining help from nowhere. But it's not real.

God does not exist. And any "help" we receive from "Him" is fake.

"Sophisticated" theology

Click for bigger.

I always crack up when someone refers to "sophisticated" theology. This is supposedly different from your typical corner-church theology. Religious apologists tell atheists that if we haven't studied the "serious" theologians, the "sophisticated" religious thinkers, then we know nothing about god.

This reminds me of people who try to improve the quality of a photograph by increasing its dpi in PhotoShop. They figure if they change a 72 dpi image to 300 dpi, they'll see more. But all it does is make a larger blur with more dots.

This is similar to the arguments of theologians. Adding "sophistication" (i.e., increasing the dpi) adds nothing. Why? Because there's nothing there in the center of the argument. No matter how much attention you focus on the god concept, no matter how "deep" your thinking, you're still focusing on nothing.

There is no god. (See how clear that statement is? And I didn't have to use any big words.)

Why isn't life enough for some people?

Heaven (shudder).

I don't understand religious people's obsession with "the afterlife". Why isn't living enough? And more pointedly, why do they consider human life meaningless unless eternal life is waiting in the wings? I don't get it. These people need to get out more often.

Look at the universe we find ourselves in. It's a hostile place out there yet here we are, cozy and comfy on this warm blue marble of a world. There's water all over the place and tons of stuff to eat. Life is good.

Beyond this, we can't help but compare ourselves to the other life forms on this planet. They have it great, too; don't get me wrong. But we're the lucky ones, the creatures who can understand our world and manipulate it to improve our situation. Better yet, by studying the world around us we've discovered awesome things: general relativity, quantum mechanics, evolution, dark energy, dark matter and black holes! Woot!

As a species, we're sitting pretty (while ruining the planet, but that's another post). A human can have a very rewarding life on this planet. Yet somehow, all this is meaningless if there's no heaven? What is wrong with religious people?

John Lennon's lyric -- Imagine there's no heaven -- is ultimately silly. You don't need to imagine anything. Just open your eyes and what you see is a world without a heaven. You're in it, kid. Congratulations!

Religion is a Ponzi scheme

God.

Religion is the most successful kind of Ponzi scheme because it hides the moment of payoff behind the impenetrable barrier of death. There's never any accounting because, ahem, no one survives death.

You have to give them credit for coming up with this one. Not one person has ever come back to say, "You fiends! You liars! How dare you promise me an afterlife?! I'm rotting in my goddamn grave! Damn you!!"

And so it goes. Gullible people will always be drawn to gods, witchcraft and lotteries. And they'll get absolutely nothing for their meaningless efforts and wasted lives.

Way to go, churches! And no one can even prosecute you for your Ponzi scheme! You guys are perfect, untouchable criminals. You must be so proud!

How Norway is handling its terrorism issue

I think this is a story everyone should read. It's an AP report about the way Norway is treating Anders Behring Breivik's trial. He's the rightwing loon who killed all those kids. It's such a departure from the way things are done in our own wildly Christian country, where anger and hatred are the norm.

Note that Norway, by some estimates, is 70% atheist. This is how rational people handle things. It's reassuring to know that some people, somewhere, are reasonable. Judging by our ignorant-git US of A standards, you'd never know this sort of behavior was possible.

AP, by the way, totally missed the boat on this story. They say this:

The subdued atmosphere during the trial of a right-wing fanatic who confessed to slaughtering 77 people on July 22 reflects Norway's almost self-punishing efforts to avoid feelings of vengeance against the unrepentant gunman.

Indeed. Different from your way of doing things, so therefore "self-punishing", eh? They're doing exactly the right thing.

There is no god. Repeat. Repeat again.

Whenever anyone, no matter who, mentions god I say, "There is no god." I don't bring it up on my own and I let "God bless you" announcements fly by without notice (since they're just a tic and bear no relationship to god) but if anyone says "I'll pray for her" or something similar, I jump in.

This is helpful and good. So many people live in a Christian bubble in this country. They have no idea there are people who don't believe in god. To them, this is an inconceivable notion.

I think it's possible to open minds to new possibilities simply by saying that god is a nonsensical idea. So don't keep quiet. Tell people where you stand. Say, "There is no god!" and say it loud and often. Say it to priests, cops, judges, doctors, cashiers and housewives. Say it to anyone who tells you that they believe in god.

It doesn't have to be confrontational (though that's fun, too). Just say it. You may end up helping the person more than you know. Once their closet door opens a crack, the light begins to pour in. And that crack may widen, especially if the person has a curious mind.

So say it loud and say it often: there is no god.

PS: I actually made that shirt and wear it proudly.

We're coming around the bend

Ed Brayton had an interesting post today on FTB (Freethought Blogs). It's about a scholarly study of secularism (life without gods). It told me something I didn't know. Here's an excerpt that lays it out:

Secularists make up some 15 percent of the global population, or about 1 billion people. As a group, this puts them third in size behind Christians (2.3 billion) and Muslims (1.6 billion).

Hoo boy! We're huge! And our group is growing larger every day. All of you: go out, blaspheme and enjoy! Life is great without gods.

I BELIEVE . . .

I BELIEVE there is no god but there is a heaven.

I BELIEVE life is a test.

I BELIEVE that if you think god is real, you fail the test. You are unsuitable for the afterlife.

I BELIEVE that when religious people die, they simply turn to ashes and blow away. There is no heaven for them.
 
I BELIEVE that only atheists go to heaven. To me, it's the only answer that makes sense.

(And don't you go disrespecting my BELIEFS, you hear me? I don't want to find any of you blaspheming me in the comments, or anything. Just saying.)

Small tendency? Small shift? Ha!

There's an article at Yahoo about what would happen if we could double people's intelligence -- a thing that's becoming more and more possible as science progresses. "What if we could double people's IQs so that everyone scored 200?" That's the question.

It's not an incisive article in any way. I was particularly struck by this ridiculous paragraph:

According to Hunt, there's evidence to suggest that many humans, if significantly smarter, would lose their belief in God. "There is a small tendency for people with high scores to be more liberal in their social attitudes and less likely to accept strong religious beliefs. This makes sense; we can know things by reasoning or we can accept something on faith. If we all became very good reasoners, there would probably be a small shift to preferring reasoned over faith-based explanations of the phenomenon of life," he wrote.

Small tendency? Small shift? Get real. If everyone was smart no one would believe in god. Period. Belief in god is dependent on gullibility, stupidity and a lack of curiosity. A high IQ would fix all that and people would begin to take down the churches immediately. Sounds like fun!

A world lit by science

HD 278942: The "Wreath" nebula.

In Ross Douthat's idiotic op-ed on Hitchens' death, duly eviscerated by many bloggers, he used a phrase I've heard before. It's wingnut phrasing, meant to disparage atheists:

". . . the bloodless prophets of a world lit only by Science."

I love how they call reliance on science "bloodless" or "hollow". These people are so totally confused that they think scientists miss out on the awe factor, something they say their religion provides in spades. Indeed. How strange are these people?

But the magic never happens

Even Houdini's magic failed him.

Most people on this planet believe there is a god. Given the reality that surrounds us, this is astounding. But what amazes me the most is that believers don't notice that the magic never happens.

We hear their pronouncements. The world will end on a certain day because the bible says so. Praying will bring about miracles. The prophet will return and carry the saved to heaven. Some guy who rose from the dead after a virgin birth is available to hear your prayers nightly. And don't forget, he'll meet you in heaven after you die.

No religious prediction has ever come true. And in the entire history of the world, no one has been able to come up with any evidence to support the notion that there is a god. An all-powerful being -- yet there's no trace of him anywhere. What could this mean? Duh.

This is what's called evidence. Reality does not allow for elves, magic or gods. So although addle-headed believers constantly predict this and that thing will happen, it's all nonsense, as is everything else about religion. Yet the gullible believers continue to believe. It's an insane situation and a pernicious one that is eroding our world. People everywhere are killing each other because of these cartoon-like beliefs. It's stunning -- and suicidal. 

As I often say here, believers' brains are hobbled. They can't update their contents when new, accurate information comes along. The contents of religious people's brains are like old movies. In that airless room inside their thick skulls, nothing changes and everything is a repeat. They call this empty state of mind "faith" but the rest of us should see it for what it is: ignorance. To be even more precise, faith is chosen ignorance.

The magic never happens. This is a clue. Wake up.

God didn't make man; man made gods

That's the title of a good, though brief, opinion piece in the LA Times today. It's nice to see an anti-religion piece in a major paper, even if it's only on the op-ed page. Check it out if you enjoy this sort of thing. I do.