I have some unplanned house guests. I'm not yet sure how long they'll be staying, but it will almost certainly interfere with my ability to maintain a regular posting schedule. I'll have to post when I can, and my writing time is almost certainly going to be limited for awhile. I appreciate your patience.
In the meantime, check out the Humanist Symposium #52.
Okay, I told myself I wasn't going to rant any more over the latest series of Catholic child rape scandals and systematic efforts by the Church to hide them until I had calmed down at least a little bit. I was doing okay until I saw this article from the BBC. From this article, I learned that Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, the Pope's own personal preacher, has compared the criticism the Pope has faced in the aftermath of news of his role in concealing molestation by priests with anti-Semitism and the "collective violence" Jews have suffered. That loud sound you just heard was my head exploding.
You know who should be compared with the Jews and the violence they have suffered? All the innocent children raped by Catholic priests.
Today is the day that many Christians still celebrate the supposed resurrection of a man who has been dead for over 2,000 years (if he lived at all). Some go so far as to claim that they have a "personal relationship" with this re-animated corpse and that they love him. You know, I love horror movies as much as the next guy, but this seems like a bit much even to me.
Still, there is something worth celebrating today: the joy I feel in knowing that I managed to escape this delusion and move on with my life. I suppose I get to celebrate that every day, but today is a great day to spend some time reflecting on it. Happy Zombie Jesus Day!
Some thoughts from Easters past:
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I don't recall where I found this picture. It is all over the Internet this time of year. It has to be a joke, doesn't it? What does it say about Christianity that it is even possible that something like this might be serious? And even if it is a joke, we've all seen tracts that were even stranger than this one.
When I see this sort of thing, it makes me think about how the Southern Baptists in my area react to Halloween. They actually seem to be scared by the idea of demons walking the Earth! So why is it that much of a stretch that we'd be able to find Christians quaking in terror over the idea of innocent children playing with Satan's balls? Subscribe to Atheist Revolution
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Easter
If an atheist said the following about Christians, charges of "militant atheism" would be widespread:
To the teams that desire making it this far next year: Gear up! In the battle, set your sights on next season's targets! From the shot across the bow - the first second's tip-off - your leaders will be in the enemy's crosshairs, so you must execute strong defensive tactics. You won't win only playing defense, so get on offense! The crossfire is intense, so penetrate through enemy territory by bombing through the press, and use your strong weapons - your Big Guns - to drive to the hole. Shoot with accuracy; aim high and remember it takes blood, sweat and tears to win.
Focus on the goal and fight for it. If the gate is closed, go over the fence. If the fence is too high, pole vault in. If that doesn't work, parachute in. If the other side tries to push back, your attitude should be "go for it." Get in their faces and argue with them. (Sound familiar?!) Every possession is a battle; you'll only win the war if you've picked your battles wisely. No matter how tough it gets, never retreat, instead RELOAD! [Italics in the original]
So you think atheism is worthwhile, do you? You'd like to see more people abandon religious delusion and embrace reality, huh? You'd even like to see atheism become the norm in your country, wouldn't you? Okay, prove it.
What if I told you that you could promote the atheist meme without even having to leave your home? What if you could do it from where you are sitting right now, without having to spend a dime, and with almost no effort whatsoever?
Whenever an atheist brings up the many problems associated with the inclusion of "one nation under god" in the pledge of allegiance, one can be sure that other atheists will dismiss the complaint as unimportant. I've been on the receiving end of this dismissal countless times, and I expect at least some of you can relate. Of course, the criticism is not usually that correcting the pledge is unimportant but that it is less important than so many other areas of necessary action. It is a matter of deciding how to pick one's battles.
