Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Week 24 - "Jesus & His Impact On The Old Testament"

I've heard you and countless other xtians claim that the rules and brutality of the Old Testament were rendered obsolete when Jesus came and changed everything for the better. That he was a dove, a lamb, the son of God (and God himself? Still trying to figure that one out.. he's his own father and his son?) Anyways, I've never been one to believe that bullshit, and rightly so. The whole Bible is riddled with disgusting, abhorrent, violent, vicious, racist, murderous riff-raff, and for a good reason. Xtians claim it to be the word of their god. If it is the world of god, then every word must be true. If it's not, then I could see why people would ignore the parts they don't like. But if it is - it makes you a bad xtian to ignore those parts. If those parts were obsolete, then there should be no reason to keep them in the Bible, not even for historical reference, because science and REAL history has proven time and time again the stories of the Bible are only stories and nothing more. And even as stories, they're horrifying, traumatizing, highly inaccurate, and in no way should they be taught to children. But they are, and they're taught as truths, which is especially alarming. Anyways, moving on to the real point of this post. I came across another blog today, explaining in very good detail on how Jesus' intentions were never to render the rules and teachings of the Old Testament obsolete, infact it was quite the opposite. This is yet another fine example of Xtains getting their own book and faith wrong, and changing it to suit their own personal motives. There is almost nothing "Christian" about modern day Xtians whatsoever.

Below is mostly a copy and paste of the original blog post that I found. I'll make sure to credit the original author wherever I can, and I want to make it expressively clear that I had no part in writing this blog post and take no credit, incase the author stumbles across this and is concerned that I may be stealing his work. I'm not.


No, Jesus Did Not Soften the Old Testament–In Fact He Did the Opposite, and Here’s What That Means
By Daniel Miessler on June 21st, 2010

Moderate Christians love to talk about how Jesus fixed the Old Testament, or, in other words, obsoleted the horribly offensive parts about slavery, keeping women in their place, killing gays, etc. In fact, he did no such thing.

I’ll be doing two things here:
  1. Show you that Jesus fully supported everything in the Old Testament
  2. Show you exactly how horrible that is.

So first, here is Jesus speaking specifically on the topic of Old Testament teachings:

The Law Stands
“For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:18-19 
“It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid.” (Luke 16:17) 
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17) 
“Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law” (John7:19)  
Keep in mind, this is Jesus Christ saying this–in the Bible that all Christians own and cherish. Don’t take my word for it; look it up–it’s all there.

So now that we understand that he fully supported what’s in the Old Testament, let’s take a look at what he actually just commanded us to uphold.

The Law That Stands

Blasphemy is Punishable by Death
One who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death. (NRSV) — Leviticus 24:16
Cheaters Must Die
If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. (NIV) — Leviticus 20:10
Dishonoring Your Mother or Father is Punishable by Death
Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death. Such a person is guilty of a capital offense. (NLT) — Leviticus 20:9
People Who Work on Sunday Should be Killed
You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. (NLT) — Exodus 35:2
If a Woman is Not a Virgin When She Gets Married, She Has to Die
“If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,’ … and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones … (NKJV) — Deuteronomy 22:13-14,20-21
There’s Nothing Wrong With Slavery
Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. (NIV) — Leviticus 25:44
Gays Should be Put to Death
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. (NRSV) — Leviticus 20:13
Women Should Shut the Hell Up and Do as They’re Told
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. (NIV) — Timothy 2:11-12

Keep in mind, these aren’t suggestions. They’re not optional. Remember what Jesus said, “Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven…” He also said they’re not open to any personal interpretation. It’s all very clear to anyone willing to actually read their Bible.


But don’t listen to an atheist, we’re the last people you should trust. Read your own Bible. All the references are there for you. It is you who must reconcile this evil.


But luckily there’s an easy solution: Ask yourself which is more likely:


  1. God and Jesus really are evil (which the Bible’s own text proves, if you open yours and look) or…
  2. It’s actually all made up, so there’s nothing to worry about.

The answer is #2. God is not evil, and neither is Jesus. Man made them up in order to control other men. Few things offer better proof of this than the actual teachings in the Bible. You, my kind and thoughtful Christian friends, do not need this. You are above it. 



Original blog post found at http://danielmiessler.com/blog/no-jesus-did-not-soften-the-old-testament-in-fact-he-did-the-opposite-and-heres-what-that-means Original author, as stated above: Daniel Miessler, June 21st 2010

So there you have it. I'm sure it will do no good to point this out, Xtians have brainwashed themselves so good that part of their religion is flat out denying blatant evidence, it's what they call faith, and it is a virtue; as in, the more "faith" you have, the more "virtuous" you are, and the better Xtian you are. It's a really sickening loop of ignorance. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Week 23 - "20 Things You Didn’t Know about Atheists"

It's been a while since I've kept up with my once a week post, and at this point I don't care anymore. I'll post when I have time and that'll be it. I doubt you even read these anymore so what's it matter if I stay consistent with our deal if you aren't.

20 Things You Didn’t Know about Atheists


Some atheists are well known and open about their non-belief, while others are more noncommittal. Kevin Bacon’s name graces many lists of celebrity atheists. Given the Six Degrees of Separation game, we wondered what would the Six Degrees of Freethinkers look like?

Further, when we think of the concept of atheism, many of us think of it as a phenomenon that describes a sense of lacking, or the absence of something. But seldom do we stop and think about what atheists do have, or what they do bring to the table as a group of self-described non-believers.With that in mind and whether you believe or not, consider the following list of 20 things we bet you didn’t know about atheists and atheism:
1. There are roughly 4.9 million declared atheists in the United States.
2. A 2010 survey found that those identifying as atheists or agnostics are on average more knowledgeable about religion than followers of major faiths. 
3. A recent Washington Post article states that atheists are likely to outnumber Christians in England in 20 years. 
4. Sociologist Phil Zuckerman analyzed previous social science research on secularity and non-belief and concluded that societal well-being is positively correlated with irreligion. His atheism-related findings state that compared to religious people, “atheists and secular people” are less nationalistic, prejudiced, anti-semetic, racist, dogmatic, ethnocentric, close-minded and authoritarian. 
5. Zuckerman also found that in the US, in states with the highest percentages of atheists, the murder rate is lower than average; and that conversely, in the most religious US states, the murder rate is higher than average. 
6. It’s not so much that atheists are adamant in their disbelief in a god. Instead, they believe that the burden of proof lies not on them to disprove the existence of God, but on the theist to provide a solid rationale for theism. 
7. Although in Western culture atheists are often not religious in any way, many of them consider themselves spiritual. 
8. Though it may sound like an oxymoron, Jewish atheism is practiced by atheists who are ethnically, or culturally, Jewish. Because Judaism encompasses ethnic and religious elements, the term doesn’t really imply any contradiction. Because Jewish law is based on matrilineal decent, even the most Orthodox Jewish authority would have to accept an atheist born to a Jewish mother as fully Jewish. 
9. Atheism figures in many religious and spiritual beliefs within Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Neopagan movements, such as Wicca. 
10. In the 20th century, atheistic thought found recognition in a wide variety of other philosophies, such as existentialism, anarchism, Marxism, and feminism, and the general scientific rationalist movement, to name a few. 
11.The prevailing myth is that atheists hate God; however, one cannot hate something that he/she does not believe exists. 
12. According to atheism educator Austin Cline, a person who truly enjoys and appreciates his or her life will take pleasure in it and enjoy it, regardless of whether any sort of afterlife exists. 
13. New Atheism is the name given to a movement among some early-21st-century atheist writers who advocated that “religion should not simply be tolerated but should be countered, criticized, and exposed by rational argument wherever its influence arises.” 
14. Although the term atheism originated in 16th-century France,  ideas that would be recognized today as atheistic are documented from the Vedic period in India and the classical antiquity. 
15. One common myth about atheists is that “there are no atheists in foxholes.” The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers works to assist non-believers in the U.S. Army and promote awareness of atheists in foxholes. The idea that life-threatening circumstances magically convert atheists to theists is likely wishful thinking on the part of religious believers who have a hard time thinking of anything outside the context of their own religion. 
16. The Oxford English dictionary defines atheism as the disbelief or denial of existence of a god. 
17. The only religious group that’s growing in all 50 American states is “No Affiliation,” according to researchers, Daniel M. Abrams, Haley A. Yaple and Richard J. Wiener;  and census data from 85 regions worldwide, show the same trend away from identification with faith. The Netherlands is already 40 % irreligious, Australia and the Czech Republic are both 60 % God-free. 
18. The group American Atheists has erected controversial billboards—in Hebrew in Brooklyn, NY, and in Arabic in Paterson, NJ—that say: God “You know it’s a myth… and you have a choice.” 
19. Atheist feminism is a movement that advocates the equality of the sexes. Atheist feminists believe that the majority of the religions are sexist and oppressive to women. 
20. On March 24, 2012, “The Reason Rally” will take place on the National Mall in Washington D.C.. The Rally is a movement-wide event sponsored by the country’s major secular organizations, with the goal of unifying, energizing, and emboldening secular people nationwide and dispelling the taboos about secularism that prevail today.
Original article: http://www.mamiverse.com/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-atheists-6985/