Ain't Christian: Morality and ethics

Showing posts with label Morality and ethics. Show all posts

Atheist Morality Blogalogue

All eyes on the "Babble, bullshit, blasphemy and being" blog. No pressure guys...

I have begun a blogalogue with theist blogger Rhology on the subject of morality. Both blogs will carry the full text of the conversation. Do we need a god to be moral? Let's find out. Rhology opens things up with the first post.

http://choosedoubt.blogspot.com/

Don't leave comments here... leave them there. What are comments anyway? I'm glad I don't make a living from comments. I do recommend you click on the adultfriendfinder link at the bottom of my page and join up so I can make some pocket money. Yeah, good idea eh, find an adult friend to play backgammon with, or find a friend, or a date, or a swinger couple, or a F.B. Hmm, now that wouldn't be very ethical... for some I suppose, what was this blog about? Moral and ethics... find a moral and ethical adult friend.

The (oldy but a goldy) Golden Rule

This article was obtained from the Humanist Bulletin Spring 1997, Vol. 4 - No. 2

If anyone should tell you that, without the benefit of Christian teaching, we would all lack the Golden Rule, share with them the following:

Do not to your neighbor what you would take ill from him.-- Pittacus, 650 BCE

Do unto another what you would have him do unto you, and do not do unto another what you would not have him do unto you. Thou needest this law alone. It is the foundation of all the rest.-- Confucius, 500 BCE

Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing.-- Thales, 464 BCE

What you wish your neighbors to be to you, such be also to them.-- Sextus, a Pythagorean, 406 BCE

We should conduct ourselves toward others as we would have them act toward us.-- Aristotle, 385 BCE

Cherish reciprocal benevolence, which will make you as anxious for another's welfare as your own.-- Aristippus of Cyrene, 365 BCE

Act toward others as you desire them to act toward you.-- Isocrates, 338 BCE

Do not do to others what you would not like others to do to you.-- Hillel, 50 BCE

Then, some time later . . .

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.-- Jesus of Nazareth, circa 30 CE

Christian Porn Again - the bible way!

Is all porn completely vile? Well, it depends on the viewer. The ability to look at the uncovered genitals and mammary glands of a woman is considered by some to be abnormal and/or sinful. But the idea of publicly sharing such imagery was promoted by the Bible's Solomon who believed it was something to behold and be shared under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that is.

As far as erotic literacy goes, it's a fairly racy book. I came across a guy online somewhere who is slowly illustrating the whole bible verse by verse. Well, I'd be very curious as to how he draws the Song of Solomon with all its romantic metaphors.

The Song of Songs (aka, the "Song of Solomon") is like nothing else in the Bible. It's an eight chapter poem, narrated by two lovers. She's dark, young, and foxy. He's strong, sexy, and seductive (and he may even be Solomon, the purported author of the song). No doubt some Bible scholars claim that the song is just an allegory, and that the lusty images and panting verses are really enthusiastic prayers. But it sounds like sexy fun bible time. The song is a duet, with the lovers alternating passages. She starts, and begins with a bang: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine." Now that's an opening line.

Song of Songs 8:10 - Dear brothers, I'm a walled-in virgin still, but my breasts are full? And when my lover sees me, he knows he'll soon be satisfied."

Song of Songs 4:5 "Your two breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies."

Song of Songs 1:13 "My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts."

The dirtiest verse in the bible! :

Ezekiel 23:20 Yet she increased her whorings, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt (20)and lusted after her paramours there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose emission was like that of stallions. KJV- 20 For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

Song of Songs 3:4 "Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of the one who conceived me."

So in other words, she was not married to him, and when she found him, she took him back to her bed room to have illegal sex with him? If she were married to him, she wouldn't take him to her "mother's house". She would take him to their house.

Song of Songs 5:4 "I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My lover is knocking: 'Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.'

I have taken off my robe (i.e., she showed her rude bits to him), must I put it on again? I have washed my feet, must I soil them again? My lover thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him."

Christian erotica?

By the way, Jesus freaks, thy tongue is firmly in my cheeks.

A tribute to those who are Christian by name only

You call yourself a Christian, but

You still haven't read the Bible all the way through, even though you usually have the 'Fifteen Minutes a Day' it takes. You're conveniently avoiding the numerous tricky scriptures atheists throw at you.
You get in slumps where you only pray to "God" when you need something, or things are going bad.
You're secretly happy when circumstances prevent you from going to church.
You sometimes can't help tuning out the sermon (because it's so "damn" boring)
You often feel embarrassed by your fellow arms-in-the-air/crying zealot.
You get annoyed when you're requested to stand (you were obliged to get up early on a weekend; who can blame you?).
You act like the offering plate is a hot potato when it's passed to you.
You have closed your eyes or slept during sermon.

You call yourself a Christian at HOME

You call yourself a Christian, therefore you believe God will always provide, so why do you sometimes jip God of his tithe because you feel you've wasted money on something that month?

You call yourself a Christian, but you like watching Desperate Housewives just as much as the next guy.

You call yourself a Christian, but you "witness" to other people about as often as you tell them your blood type (or you're in the other extreme and all sense of being "Christ-like" goes out the window when you do).

You call yourself a Christian, therefore are against abortion by default, but what about the millions of half-children you're killing every time you whack off (to porn?).

You call yourself a Christian, so why is it that various sources say that your faith has the highest divorce rate, while atheists have the lowest of all? Ironic, don't you think?

You call yourself a Christian and are against abortion, but when was the last time you gave money or time to crisis pregnacy centres.

You call yourself a Christian and never have the highly advertised "Quiet time with the lord." You think you can make up for it by listening to Christian music in the car, even though most times you aren't even paying attention.

You call yourself a christian, but revel in the idea of eternal torment for those that disagree with your belief system.

You call yourself a christian but find it acceptable that the people you love so much may be sent to eternal torment because they said or thought something contrary to your beliefs.

You call yourself a Christian, but have an idea that some sins are worse than others. Distorting the truth can be justified if it results in a "win" for God, but being gay is undoubtedly an offense worthy of death and eternal fire.

You call yourself christian,but can't accept all other god beliefs, not even the 30 000 plus religious flavors of christ.

You call yourself a Christian, but you adhere to "selective morality" when it comes to obeying what The Word teaches. Don't you love God enough to do what He says? Consider the following:

People should give one-tenth of their income to the Lord, which Biblicists equate with church (“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s...And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord”--Leviticus 27:30-32)
“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak”-- 1 Corinthians 14:34
Christian women are supposed to dress discreetly (“...that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire”--l Timothy 2:9 RSV
Shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God”--Deuteronomy 22:5
“If any man come to me, and not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sister, yet, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).
"Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" (l Corinthians 11:14)
Here is perhaps the mother of verses ignored: “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) and “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged, condemn not and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). I have yet to meet a Christian who has not judged my atheism.
repetitious and monotonous praying is in violation of Matthew 6:7. “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
(“But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also”-- Matthew 5:39).
Biblicists are not allowed to call anyone “father” (“And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9).
Christians are not supposed to plan or prepare. God will provide (“Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or that ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on... Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, not gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedth them. Are ye not much better than they?”
Tattoos are anathema: (“You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks upon you. I am the Lord”--Leviticus 19:28)
Money cannot be lent at interest to your brother, only to foreigners (Deuteronomy 23: 19-20) Ahhh, I’m recalling all the Christian banking corporations....
Eating pork is forbidden (Deuteronomy 14:8). Hmm, I’ve never met a Christian who DIDN’T enjoy bacon and eggs.
A man must marry and have relations with his dead brother’s wife (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). This goes without explaining of course.
A seducer must marry an unengaged virgin whom he seduces (Exodus 22:16-17)
A raped, unengaged virgin must marry her rapist and they can never divorce (Deuteronomy 22:28-29). What justice the “moral majority” advocates.
Bastards can’t enter the Lord’s congregation. (Deuteronomy 23:2) Hey, I know this is harsh, but God commands it, hence it must be “just”.

There are several petty and silly little verses in the O.T., but none the less, they are to be followed. I guess it’s okay to disobey the lord for fashion’s sake. Beards can’t be rounded (Leviticus 19:27); A garment composed of wool and linen can’t be worn (Deuteronomy 22:11)

What would Buffy do? (WWBD)

Buffy and Angel were at the height of pop culture not too long ago and was a brilliant mythology written by the great Joss Whedon (who seems to love killing his own characters off). I'm a proud fan and yes, male? It can be a little embarrassing to admit just how many books and articles I have read about the television show, but I find many of the unlearned didn't take it seriously because of the title, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It's a clever oxymoron of sorts... She a chosen one to save the world and she has the strength and wisdom passed down through the ages... and her name is Buffy (that's comedy).

If you try to put your enthusiasm into words, people look at you funny. Unless they are one of the lucky ones who have actually seen the show, and then their eyes light up with glee.

As one critic put it, "Buffy" is the most religious show on TV, (although I'd say The Simpson should take that title - seriously) a "secular universe saturated with grace." There are many spiritual metaphors concerning the slayer's personal spirituality, to an examination of what could be called the show's prophetic themes: saving the world and deliverance from evil. Buffy can be examined as a self-sacrificing savior; as can her catchphrase 'death is a gift'; the power of friendship; and the necessity of going through negative emotions.

"Buffy is a Christ figure, but only insofar as she is constantly averting the apocalypse through self-sacrifice. On Buffy, people atone for their own sins. Redemption is hard work and it us up to us. Redemption is a process requiring action; words are not enough. There's no salvation by grace in the Buffyverse. Angel and other characters find salvation only in work, self-sacrifice, and courageous choices."
"Buffy is all about confronting our dark sides and learning to live comfortably--or at least co-exist nonviolently--with our monster selves. Many people would rather deny their dark shadow, pretend it isn't there. But ignoring it entirely, according to the show, is a dangerous as allowing it to rule our lives. As Willow learns she doesn't have to be a bigger, badder badass than the source of all badness. She needs to control the darkness so it does not control her. In the end she discovers that it's enough just to be Willow, with all of her complexiities, all of her darkness, and her much stonger goodness." (pages 117-118) Click book picture above to source it from Amazon.

Well, I could go on and on about buffy, but I won't. All I can say is that it's a good pop-cultural way of sorting through all sorts of spiritual odds and ends to find what is good and beautiful. Actually I will go on a bit more. This is a respond to your request EekyJo, It's a long list and I trimmed it down from the original 150 - I can't seem to hedge off anymore - so here's the 71:

Everything I've learned I learnt from "Buffy The Vampire Slayer":

TV is the idiot box. The computer is the good box.
Testosterone is the great equalizer; it turns all men into morons.
The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.
Variety is the spice of bad.
Blood is life. It's what makes you warm, makes you hard, makes you other than dead.
Don't eat the principal.
Strong is fighting. It's hard and it's painful and it's every day, but it's what we have to do.
Love makes you do the wacky.
Always carry a beeper in case the apocalypse comes.
A good day to break up with someone is any day but Valentine's Day or your wedding day.
The world is what it is. We fight. We die. Wishing doesn't change that.
Be careful what you wish for. And whom you make wishes to.
There comes a time when you either have to move out of your parents' basement or buy yourself a Klingon costume and just go with it.
Live in the now.
Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead.
Embrace the pain, spank your inner moppet, whatever. But get over it or pretty soon you won't have the friends you have now.
There is no problem that cannot be solved by chocolate.
Home schooling: it's not just for scary religious people anymore.
All men are beasts.
Want. Take. Have.
Sarcasm is an end in itself.
Stalking a girl is not a turn-on.
Beer is bad. And also foamy.
Magic and medicine don't mix.
There's nothing like getting your ass kicked to make your ass hurt.
People in love are always a little crazy. And a little dangerous.
There are a lot of different kinds of families.
It's not always about you. Unless you're MothandRust.
Find out the returns and exchanges policy on all gifts.
Tell people you love them over and over until it makes everyone uncomfortable, just in case.
Life is like becoming vampire: it's a whole big sucking thing.
The geeks shall inherit the earth. Or possibly conquer it.
In life you can either do things the hard way or...actually, there's just the hard way.
Smart chicks are hot.
Sometimes life is one big scavenger hunt.
It is a statistical impossibility for a teenage girl to unplug a phone.
Schools are just factories, spewing out mindless little automatons... Who go on to be very valuable and productive members of society and you should go.
Never kiss your best friend. (Exemption for impending death situations.)
Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. No, really.
They don't make angry mobs like they used to.
No matter how good it sounds, a robot is not a good substitute for a real relationship.
Tact is just not saying true stuff.
Saying "as long as nothing bad happens" is the ultimate jinx.
Society has rules and boundaries and an endzone.
Everyone has an evil twin.
Chicks really dig that billowy-coat-king-of-pain thing.
Vengeance is not justice.
You always hurt the ones you love.
Life's a show and we all play our part.
Dancing and songs don't always lead to hugs and puppies.
Witty repartee will throw off your enemies.
Life's not a song. Life isn't bliss. Life is just this: it's living.
Always laugh in the face of danger. And then hide until it goes away.
Everyone should get a chance to watch and mock and laugh.
Logic has no place in a rant.
Men like sports. Men watch the action movie. They eat of the beef and enjoy to look at the bosoms.
Graduation is a pointless ceremony where you sit around and listen to boring speeches till you get a little piece of paper that says you graduated, which you already know.
The "he started it" defense only works in six-year-old court.
The earth never opens up and swallows you when you want it to.
To forgive is an act of compassion. It's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it.
Some lies are necessary.
Loneliness is about the scariest thing there is.
There are three kinds of people that no one understands: geniuses, madmen, and guys that mumble.
Bruises fade but cowardice has an unlimited shelf life.
When you leave someone at the alter, it's really hard to go back to dating her.
Lesbians are really less about the hating of men and more about the girl-on-girl action.
Sometimes the most adult thing you can do is ask for help when you need it.
It is sometimes possible to save the world with just words, love, and a yellow crayon.
Love is pain. The slayer forges strength from pain. Love, give, forgive, risk the pain.
There's only one thing on this earth more powerful than evil. And that's us.
You think you know. What's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

You pray for me, I'll think for you

Before the great debate with that shmuck Kirk Cameron (I'm thinking shmuck and kirk cameron should get a lot of hits as keywords in google searches) he said he'd pray for the guys, and the response from the response squad was that they'd think for them. I tried this line out on a Christian in a forum I visit and it didn't go down well.

The bible says to 'pray without ceasing' but I think 'think without ceasing' makes much more sense... that's my motto.

so think on this Mothman; I pray for people for no other reason than to ask God to keep them safe and well. God loves you whether you acknowledge Him or not, SO THERE.

Ya know what I think? I'm sure you believe your god loves me, how could he not - I'm a great guy, but to use the words you believe are his, 'It rains on the just and the unjust', it doesn't matter if you pray for someone or not because the odds are that they are not going to be any better off than if you don't. Damned if you do damned if you don't.

Which gets me to thinking... no wonder it feels like everytime something bad happens it'll be evened out by something good. Blessing and cursings are just part of the balance, in the same way that gravity brings down what goes up. Superman defies these laws, but unfortunately he's as real as the god who loves me (truthfully, I'm not always that lovable).

I suppose Christians feel they can counter-balance this karma by petitioning their deity to offset it. I'm thinking that doesn't work, because I know just as much shit happens to Christians as it does to non-christians. On the other hand, if Christians do stick to the morals and ethics passed down through generations in much the same way the other religions do with their holy books then good is more likely to come to them by the very reasoning that spurs along the golden rule of spreading niceness.

They say that bad things comes in threes, but if you practice throwing a dice like we do in Primary School mathematics you'll notice that approximately every 6th throw lands on a 6. Three good things will then eventually balance out the bad. That's the balance, in my opinion, and it's just simple maths. The new agists are preaching lately that positive thoughts have an effect on random chance and can provide the bias that'll send your life into prosperity... Tony Robbins style... but those guys are just plain crazy, but at least they're thinking for us.

Know what I mean?

Kirk Cameron is a complete Shmuck: Nighline Debate - Christians and Atheists argue the Existence of God

Has anyone seen this debate that aired on Nightline the other night? I just watched it from the website. Kirk Cameron (the Christian rapture poster boy) and his sugar daddy, Ray Comfort, took to challenging the 'Blasphemy Challengers' Rational Response Squad with the claim that they could irrefutably prove God's existence... and do it with scientific evidence. Here's a rough video taken from the audience. It fares better than the biased edit that the major public saw.

On a positive note, the unedited version from the Nightline website has been viewed by over 200 000 viewers in the last few days.

Let's hear their best evidence as to why God doesn't exist, and let the audience decide whose evidence is based on faith and whose is based on fact. We cannot only prove that God exists, but we can prove that the atheist doesn't." Says Ray Comfort.

In short... they didn't.

Kirk tried to prove God's existence by telling his personal 'salvation' story. It proved squat.

Ray tried to prove god scientifically by showing a Coke can and asking if the coca-cola liquid could have made the can over millions of years... wtf? He also used the 10 commandments as further proof with his tired and flawed argument that if you've ever lusted after a girl or told a lie then you are guilty and are going to Hell. The rules of the debate stipulated that the bible wouldn't be used to validify god... Ray just wanted to make sure he preached his 'terrorism'... the man is a complete wank.

Kirk and Ray's argument fell even more apart when they said it was obvious that a creation needs a creator (first of all you need to believe life IS a creation). When the atheists asked them 'Who created god?', they just sat there without a reply for an uncomfortable while and then babbled that god exists outside of 'time'. Their argument was void of any scientific data. They believed that god has to be eternal but didn't deny the idea that the RSS offered that the universe could equally be considered eternal...

Ray comfort is infamous for his banana story but it is so supremely stupid it's actually painful to watch. If a banana is a perfect example of God's handiwork because of it's convenience to humans, then what the hell is a pineapple? Ever try to harvest and eat one? Ouch!

Top 10 Reasons To Be An Atheist

Here is my personal top 10 list of reasons to be an atheist. Most of the items in this list could be categorized as 'top 10 reasons not to be a Christian', but you could easily substitute other religious beliefs as well.

10. No reason to listen to Christian contemporary music. Boy, does it suck! (especially the repetitively dull Hillsong happy happy joy crap).

9. Free to enjoy real life and not worry about an imaginary afterlife. We atheist look forward to a bright future for mankind and not to the destruction of the world in holy wars or Armageddon.

8. Atheists can sleep-in on Sundays. Of course, we realize that most self-proclaimed Christians also do this, but we don't have any guilt over it.

7. No Bible (or other holy book). We atheists don't have to spend an inordinate amount of time defending ridiculous ideas, contradictions and atrocities from 2 thousand year old books.

6. Guilt Free Mocking of Pope and other religious nuts. Religion has given the atheist a plethora of wonderful characters to deride and mock at will such as Pat Robertson, the Nazi-youth Pope and Fred Phelps.

5. SEX! Atheists do not feel obligated to be ashamed of our natural human instincts and biology. We can fully explore our sexual selves without any inappropriate guilt imposed by some fisherman or religious nut 2 thousand years ago (or any other author of religious texts).

4. No Rejection of Science and our own intellect. Atheists do not have to ignore scientific evidence which demonstrates the falsehoods of religious dogma. We are free to explore our intellect without any 'blind spots' imposed by faith. I suppose this is why the average atheist is smarter than the average believer.

3. Atheists are in Great Company. Atheists and agnostics have always been leaders in the advancement of mankind from primitive thinking to an enlightened view. Here is a great list of famous atheists. Even if we (atheists) are wrong, think of how much fun Hell is going to be! I am sure that Mark Twain has swindled Beelzebub from power and Einstein and Thomas Edison have probably worked out the whole Hellfire problem to achieve a climate not unlike St Petersburg, Florida.

2. No Sky Daddy. Is there anything creepier than the idea of a great 'Sky Daddy' looking down at you at every moment? Or even worse, your dead relatives peeking in on your life at inopportune moments. We atheists take responsibility for our own actions and answer to our fellow man, not to some Santa for adults.

1. No Christians after the Rapture! This is assuming that they are right, which is completely unlikely. But even so, could an atheist imagine a better world than one in which all the 'true believers' were suddenly whisked away to free the world of religious division and hatred and allow mankind to put our effort into improving the real world and this life for a change!

George Carlin on religion

I bet you hardly ever gamble

I remember hearing it said in church that shares were just another form of gambling, but is gambling actually that sinful? It's probably stupid most of the time, but it's a fun way to lose money. Where's all the thou shalt not gamble scriptures? We used to get a verbal caning if we hinted at buying a scratchy ticket. I put a used scratch-it ticket in the tithe bag once.

What matters apparently is the gambler's receiving an undeserved gain while others lose. Gambling is, then, a violation of Jesus' most basic commandment. It seems then that praying for gain is just wrong but at the same time, the God Squad say that if we want peace in the Middle East, we should pray for it. So... praying to God for success at gambling cheapens religion and God - but then they already did that by telling people to pray to God for other things instead of putting in the effort to gain them by the sweat of their brow.

Praying for more mundane issues that people face on a daily basis is nothing more than the logical and expected conclusion of a process that started when people were asked to have faith in God rather than in themselves and their own hard work. - Austin Cline

Isn't bank investing just a gamble but with better odds... or any sort of investing? Life is a gamble. Going out for a drive is a big damn gamble sometimes. Our church members seemed to get sucked into every muli-level pyramid marketing scam that came our way - a product of a naive and overly trusting people? I've seen heaps of Christians lose many thousands to pyramid scams... over and over again! The definition of insanity?

Anyway, I remember most pastors in our area to be pretty shrewd stockmarket investers. They have to be, because, honestly, most people I knew didn't tithe much. Heck, as if giving away a good Sunday afternoon wasn't giving enough.

the odds are better with shares, but it's still a gamble. For that matter, buying real-estate can be a bit of a gamble, and many types of investments... and so can walking down King's Cross with a decent Nikes on. My point is - the bible doesn't directly forbid gambling and the actuality of what a gamble is is subjective to the punter.

The following website offers some scriptures, none of which directly forbid gambling. Perhaps this is one of those isues where you have to make up your own mind without tatooing a scripture to the back of your hand.

All I have belongs to God ("The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1).

The normal means of gaining money is through work ("Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands" - Ephesians 4:28).

It is better to earn money than to gain it quickly ("Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it" - Proverbs 13:11).

Penn and Teller believe the Bibles is Bull waste product (Bullshit)

Bullshit! (also known as Penn & Teller: Bullshit!) is an American television show hosted by the magicians/comedians, Penn & Teller. They aim to debunk a host of popular fads, pseudoscientific ideas, and misconceptions. They criticize often citing ulterior or financial motives.

The stated aim of the show is to apply critical thinking to misconceptions, and like the title, they are characteristically blunt and aggressive in their presentation, which I find fun to watch. Sure they sensationalise and spin to sell their show... sure, they've sometimes got egg on their faces later on, but these guys confront and challenge the snapfrozen mindsets with some hot topics.

I found the following videos on Youtube etc. but they keep disappearing and moving around as the copyriters see them. Do some searches for the guys and you'll find their stuff.

Noah's Ark

Creationism ----- The Bible: Is it fact or fiction?

Near Death Experiences

Sweet Chocolate Jesus - this is my body, take and eat

Art is art and anything that produces a reaction or an emotion can be art. Jesus has had his image modelled more times that Princess Diana was photographed, but his 'graven' image is a bit too much of a statement for some. Remember the 'Piss Christ' that caused such a furore some years ago? It like shis is a statement and it's intepretive. I think that Christ being chocolate, nude, shaved and dark are all interestingly bizarre. To mention the chocolate bar would be sacrilicious, so I won't (Mmmm Sacrilicious - Homer J. Simpson).

NEW YORK - A planned Holy Week exhibition of a nude, anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ was canceled Friday amid a choir of complaining Catholics that included Cardinal Edward Egan.

The "My Sweet Lord" display was shut down by the hotel that houses the Lab Gallery in midtown Manhattan, said Matt Semler, the gallery's creative director. Semler said he submitted his resignation after officials at the Roger Smith Hotel shut down the show. The six-foot sculpture was the victim of "a strong-arming from people who haven't seen the show, seen what we're doing," Semler said. "They jumped to conclusions completely contrary to our intentions."

But word of the confectionary Christ infuriated Catholics, including Egan, who described it as "a sickening display." Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League, said it was "one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever."

The artwork was created from more than 200 pounds of milk chocolate, and features Christ with his arms outstretched as if on an invisible cross. Unlike the typical religious portrayal of Christ, the Cavallaro creation does not include a loincloth.

Speaking of appetite, in Pennsylvania, Jesus became the subject of a holy war over candy as chocolate lovers questioned whether they should consume bars featuring the image of the Son of God.

"I just don't think that you should eat anything that's Jesus," Liz Samuel told the Bucks County Courier Times. "It's OK to eat the cross as long as God is not on it."

Chocolatier Pamela Roberts told the paper she was reluctant at first to sell "The Last Supper" bars: "Sometimes I think it could be a sacrilege. But the nuns just love them."

Fox News were debating - I am not making this up - if the Easter Bunny should have his name changed.They were also talking about how some people are now getting chocolate crosses in their Easter baskets.

I think the that whole idea of a giant bunny that gives chocolate eggs in the middle of the night is a little...creepy, but do christians really think that when Jesus comes back he'll want to see another cross?Isn't that about like giving the Kennedy children chocolate sniper rifles? (Link)

----Jesus Flapjacks?----

An Evolutionary Theory of Right and Wrong

Who doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong? Yet that essential knowledge, generally assumed to come from parental teaching or religious or legal instruction, could turn out to have a quite different origin.

Primatologists like Frans de Waal have long argued that the roots of human morality are evident in social animals like apes and monkeys. The animals’ feelings of empathy and expectations of reciprocity are essential behaviors for mammalian group living and can be regarded as a counterpart of human morality.

Marc D. Hauser, a Harvard biologist, has built on this idea to propose that people are born with a moral grammar wired into their neural circuits by evolution. In a new book, “Moral Minds” (HarperCollins 2006), he argues that the grammar generates instant moral judgments which, in part because of the quick decisions that must be made in life-or-death situations, are inaccessible to the conscious mind.
. . . .
The proposal, if true, would have far-reaching consequences. It implies that parents and teachers are not teaching children the rules of correct behavior from scratch but are, at best, giving shape to an innate behavior. And it suggests that religions are not the source of moral codes but, rather, social enforcers of instinctive moral behavior

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Are we all just evil bastards destined to destroy our own planet?

I don't think we're evil, but are perhaps overly self-centered and self-serving when left to our own devices and instincts. In our defense though we've needed to survive under harsh environments and have sometimes had to look after ourselves while we've evolved or progressed. Our peripheral vision and perception of reality is solely ours and we look out primarily for number one. Of course I think maternal/ paternal instincts and social rules dictate that we love each other and try to work as communities if we want to be happy.

Our survival instincts are not themselves evil (but maybe that's just semantics and a matter of perception)... We just have to go beyond ourselves and work as teams rather than sole entities. Then as teams or tribes we also tend to become self interested and cliquey -sigh- so we defend our tribes or selfishly invade others to make our tribes bigger and stronger. Again, not evil, just the way we work as sentient beings who are condition for the survival of the fittest.

I just don't know about describing myself or ourselves as evil. Sure I'm a freaking wally sometimes, but not inherently evil (That's a matter of opinion though as I do know a few people who wouldn't hesitate to label me that way). The word implies an unnatural state of being to me and I don't think we deserve it. Although men are all 'bastards', I know of some girls who are just plain unevil.

A few million years from now the sharks may evolve and come out of the water to ravage the land in their cold-hearted plight to rule this world. They won't be filled with a supernatural 'evil' but will rather be running on the instincts that drove them to evolve in the first place. It's a drive... a purpose. Who knows? Perhaps the dinosaurs actually died out because they got so big and driven that they eventually ended up eating each other until there was just a few hungry T-rexes running around.