Monday, November 06, 2006
Crimes Against Humanity
(1)
The Goon Bible Project is a fun view of the story of Job. I remember hearing at least two sermons on the subject of Job way back in my teenage Catholic days. I was not impressed. It seemed to me that God (now known as WHTZSFCKNGNM) actually conspired with His arch enemy, Satan, to punish Job for being such a great fan of God! It was an Almighty Ego trip. It turned my stomach then and it turns my stomach now. Funny that I don't remember the fate of Job's children. Did Satan really kill them? If so, then those priests must have glossed over that unfortunate aspect of the story. Yuck. What a Prick.
An Atheist's lament is a fine article by Sam Harris (The End of Faith) lamenting the unfortunate juxtaposition of ancient religion and a modern world. Nothing good can come of it.
As I was reflecting on these two links a few days ago I came up with the idea of putting God on trial for Crimes Against Humanity. Such a trial would resemble the trial of Saddam Hussein. Much of the evidence for the prosecution of such a trial would come from the very old and odious Word of God Hisself (The VOOT). Is this not a delicious idea?
I envision such a trial beginning in Genesis with The Creation. The prosecution would show that God created two totally innocent new beings, then set them up for a catastrophic fall which they had absolutely no chance of avoiding. The game was rigged against them from the start. And when those unfortunate victims of God did indeed fall (sin against God by eating the Forbidden Fruit), God did not limit His vengance to them alone, but included all their future children in the bargain. How grotesque!
I predict that such a trial will find God 'guilty as charged.' I furthermore predict that such a trial will make Saddam Hussein appear saintly by comparison. Go get 'im, boys!
The Goon Bible Project is a fun view of the story of Job. I remember hearing at least two sermons on the subject of Job way back in my teenage Catholic days. I was not impressed. It seemed to me that God (now known as WHTZSFCKNGNM) actually conspired with His arch enemy, Satan, to punish Job for being such a great fan of God! It was an Almighty Ego trip. It turned my stomach then and it turns my stomach now. Funny that I don't remember the fate of Job's children. Did Satan really kill them? If so, then those priests must have glossed over that unfortunate aspect of the story. Yuck. What a Prick.
An Atheist's lament is a fine article by Sam Harris (The End of Faith) lamenting the unfortunate juxtaposition of ancient religion and a modern world. Nothing good can come of it.
As I was reflecting on these two links a few days ago I came up with the idea of putting God on trial for Crimes Against Humanity. Such a trial would resemble the trial of Saddam Hussein. Much of the evidence for the prosecution of such a trial would come from the very old and odious Word of God Hisself (The VOOT). Is this not a delicious idea?
I envision such a trial beginning in Genesis with The Creation. The prosecution would show that God created two totally innocent new beings, then set them up for a catastrophic fall which they had absolutely no chance of avoiding. The game was rigged against them from the start. And when those unfortunate victims of God did indeed fall (sin against God by eating the Forbidden Fruit), God did not limit His vengance to them alone, but included all their future children in the bargain. How grotesque!
I predict that such a trial will find God 'guilty as charged.' I furthermore predict that such a trial will make Saddam Hussein appear saintly by comparison. Go get 'im, boys!
Labels: Atheism, fear of God, Saddam Hussein
Friday, October 13, 2006
Eternal Life
(4)
And what a glorious freedom it is!
I should address the fear of Satan too, while I'm on the subject of Existential Fear. Fear of Satan relates to fear of God: both are figments which have no basis in reality. Likewise, the fear of Hell. There is no Hell, no Heaven. Someday you will die forever. You will never return. As one of my favorite web sites proclaims: 'Life is short: make fun of it!'
The downside of nonbelief is that you will have to live with the idea that you will die forever. At first glance this is a horrifying prospect. But is it? Think:
The Universe began about 13 billion years ago. You only arrived recently. You missed the first 13 billion. Do you feel sad about that? Not exactly. Did you really miss it? Not exactly. You weren't there!
The Universe may last for another 13 billion years (or many more). You will die forever and therefore you will miss all those years. It might be a trillion years and you will miss them all. Should you be sad about that? Not at all: you won't be there either. You weren't there for the first 13 billion and you won't be there for the last trillion. Thank God! It could be much worse.
But you long for eternal life. You want to live forever. You equate the two. Wrong: you will not live forever but you already have Eternal Life.
And what a glorious freedom it is!
I should address the fear of Satan too, while I'm on the subject of Existential Fear. Fear of Satan relates to fear of God: both are figments which have no basis in reality. Likewise, the fear of Hell. There is no Hell, no Heaven. Someday you will die forever. You will never return. As one of my favorite web sites proclaims: 'Life is short: make fun of it!'
The downside of nonbelief is that you will have to live with the idea that you will die forever. At first glance this is a horrifying prospect. But is it? Think:
The Universe began about 13 billion years ago. You only arrived recently. You missed the first 13 billion. Do you feel sad about that? Not exactly. Did you really miss it? Not exactly. You weren't there!
The Universe may last for another 13 billion years (or many more). You will die forever and therefore you will miss all those years. It might be a trillion years and you will miss them all. Should you be sad about that? Not at all: you won't be there either. You weren't there for the first 13 billion and you won't be there for the last trillion. Thank God! It could be much worse.
But you long for eternal life. You want to live forever. You equate the two. Wrong: you will not live forever but you already have Eternal Life.
Labels: fear of God, religion
The Existential Fear of God
(3)
What I would like to address tonight is your fear of God. You may not even aware of it, but if you fear God, that fear will subtly influence much of your behavior depending on what you think about 'the will of God.' Your fear will in a sense form your behavior. Hence the 'fear of God' is a 'cultural fear' which is far more significant than, for example, your 'fear of heights.'
'Fear of God' figures prominently in the modern social phenomenon known as 'The Culture Wars.' Jews (boom), for example, sexually mutilate their male children on the eighth day after birth out of their fear of God - the God they invented. Muslims follow that unfortunate Jewish sexual prescription. Both religions rely on sexual mutilation to suppress male masturbation because both religions regard that very normal activity as displeasing to God. The result is intercultural (boom) penis envy, not to mention huge amounts of sexual misery.
Your fear of God will be amplified if you think that God can read your thoughts. Your fear of God will be doubly amplified if you think that God cares about what your thoughts really are. If you think that God can read your thoughts and that furthermore God makes judgements about what you think you will be concerned into changing your behavior to conform with whatever religious mores you are inclined to believe. This effect is even further amplified if you believe in a life after death wherein God 'takes revenge' on those whose thoughts and actions displeased Him.
And if you believe that God will punish you forever in Hell for what you think and do while you are alive then you will be literally terrified into behaving in certain stereotypical ways.
The key word here is, 'believe.' You must believe. If you don't believe, you are free: free from the Existential Fear of God.
What I would like to address tonight is your fear of God. You may not even aware of it, but if you fear God, that fear will subtly influence much of your behavior depending on what you think about 'the will of God.' Your fear will in a sense form your behavior. Hence the 'fear of God' is a 'cultural fear' which is far more significant than, for example, your 'fear of heights.'
'Fear of God' figures prominently in the modern social phenomenon known as 'The Culture Wars.' Jews (boom), for example, sexually mutilate their male children on the eighth day after birth out of their fear of God - the God they invented. Muslims follow that unfortunate Jewish sexual prescription. Both religions rely on sexual mutilation to suppress male masturbation because both religions regard that very normal activity as displeasing to God. The result is intercultural (boom) penis envy, not to mention huge amounts of sexual misery.
Your fear of God will be amplified if you think that God can read your thoughts. Your fear of God will be doubly amplified if you think that God cares about what your thoughts really are. If you think that God can read your thoughts and that furthermore God makes judgements about what you think you will be concerned into changing your behavior to conform with whatever religious mores you are inclined to believe. This effect is even further amplified if you believe in a life after death wherein God 'takes revenge' on those whose thoughts and actions displeased Him.
And if you believe that God will punish you forever in Hell for what you think and do while you are alive then you will be literally terrified into behaving in certain stereotypical ways.
The key word here is, 'believe.' You must believe. If you don't believe, you are free: free from the Existential Fear of God.
Labels: fear of God, religion
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
An Epistomological Nightmare
(2)
In what follows you might detect an unhealthy interest in little boys. You will be wrong about that: Little boys (indeed big boys and men) have never interested me sexually. The scene is an interview between God and a 14 year old Jewish (circumcised of course) boy.
gd: What is your question?
lb: Why am I so horney?
gd: (to me: You said you screened this kid. I'm gonna get you for this. Just wait.)
gd: Mother Nature, my son. Mother Nature.
lb: Mother Nature made me horney?
gd: Exactly.
lb: So why don't my parents let me fuck my sister? Are they against Mother Nature?
gd: Sisters are verboten.
lb: So who do I fuck? My mother?
gd: Also verboten. You must learn to suppress your sexual desires in My Name.
lb: Why?
gd: Sex revulses Me. It's disgusting. I hate watching it.
lb: So... don't watch?
gd: That won't work: I have to watch. It's my job. I'm the Main Watcher.
lb: So close your eyes.
gd: I have no eyes. I am everywhere. I know but do not see. Thus I must 'watch.'
lb: Sounds like an epistomological nightmare.
gd: That it is.
lb: My folks say that I was circumcised for Your sake.
gd True.
lb: But what about me? I'm horney. My Catholic friends jerk off constantly but I need lubricant. It's expensive. I don't have a job.
gd: Get a job.
(Gassed by (boom) RLG as I finished that.)
In what follows you might detect an unhealthy interest in little boys. You will be wrong about that: Little boys (indeed big boys and men) have never interested me sexually. The scene is an interview between God and a 14 year old Jewish (circumcised of course) boy.
gd: What is your question?
lb: Why am I so horney?
gd: (to me: You said you screened this kid. I'm gonna get you for this. Just wait.)
gd: Mother Nature, my son. Mother Nature.
lb: Mother Nature made me horney?
gd: Exactly.
lb: So why don't my parents let me fuck my sister? Are they against Mother Nature?
gd: Sisters are verboten.
lb: So who do I fuck? My mother?
gd: Also verboten. You must learn to suppress your sexual desires in My Name.
lb: Why?
gd: Sex revulses Me. It's disgusting. I hate watching it.
lb: So... don't watch?
gd: That won't work: I have to watch. It's my job. I'm the Main Watcher.
lb: So close your eyes.
gd: I have no eyes. I am everywhere. I know but do not see. Thus I must 'watch.'
lb: Sounds like an epistomological nightmare.
gd: That it is.
lb: My folks say that I was circumcised for Your sake.
gd True.
lb: But what about me? I'm horney. My Catholic friends jerk off constantly but I need lubricant. It's expensive. I don't have a job.
gd: Get a job.
(Gassed by (boom) RLG as I finished that.)
Labels: circumcision, fear of God, Jews
