Religion « Honjii's Harangues

Hey Charlotte, what about the rest of us?

March 16, 2012 at 12:17 pm | Posted in Atheism, insanity, Religion, social comment | Leave a comment
Tags: Charlotte, Charlotte North Carolina, Jesus Christ, prayer, Religion, stupidity

Thanks to Always Question Authority.

A group of ~~morons~~ good christians in Charlotte have found a unique and simple (as in Keep It Simple Stupid) method to alleviate their city’s problems. How very christian of them to keep their solution all to themselves. Hey, what about the rest of us?

Religion is like…

February 9, 2012 at 4:54 pm | Posted in Atheism, humor, Religion | 1 Comment
Tags: Atheism, Religion

Check out Humor Blogs.

Opinions wanted

September 21, 2011 at 9:39 pm | Posted in Atheism, Religion | 13 Comments
Tags: Judaism, Rabbi, Religion

Several days ago I posted, Your god is a psychopath with a twisted sense of humor. It begins with a story about some odd religious practices engaged in by a sect of orthodox Jews. My post was precipitated by a discussion with a a group of friends, a few of whom are Jewish, who told the story of a rabbi in their home town who, to their surprise, engaged in this practice.

A few years ago I had occasion to meet the aforementioned rabbi in a quasi business situation. To be perfectly clear, this meeting took place in the secular world, where I live, and had nothing whatsoever to do with religion. When introduced to the rabbi he was so completely detached it was as if I were invisible. I’m not the most social person in the world but I do have a considerable amount of experience being introduced to people, and understand how people generally behave upon meeting one another. This man wasn’t even on the same planet with normal behavior. During the hour or so the group was together I happened to encounter the rabbi a few times and attempted to be polite and was completely ignored. I noticed that he was amiable with other men and women in attendance and wondered what the hell his problem, with me, was. At one point I did check the mirror to see if perhaps I had, by some strange twist of fate, become invisible…I had not. I concluded that the rabbi was simply a major jerk-off. Of course, now that I know the somersault story it occurs to me the guy may have rolled on his head one too many times.

I mentioned the rude rabbi, later to another member of the group, a somewhat knowledgeable Jew, who explained the rabbi’s sect segregates men from women and he doesn’t deign to speak with women unless absolutely necessary. I maintained that is all well and good in his own little religious community, but if he chooses to venture out into the real world he should respect its social mores and conventions…just as I would be expected to respect those of his community should I visit; which I plan on doing as soon as the temperature in hell drops to below freezing. I expressed the belief that if it’s not possible for him to manage some slight behavior modification perhaps he should either: not venture outside of his community, or live in a place where his behavior is the social norm. Should I/we be expected to adjust my/our behavior to accommodate the religious beliefs of the outsider, or should the outsider respect the rules of the culture he is visiting ? My Jewish friend, who I suspect might be biased, thinks I’m dead wrong. What say you? I’m very interested in what others have to say about this.

How to grow an atheist

August 24, 2011 at 6:12 pm | Posted in Atheism, god, Religion | 10 Comments
Tags: Atheism, Christianity, god, Religion

In recent discussions with an atheist who happens to be coupled with a non-atheist (read christian) some thought and concern was given to how the hypothetical children might be raised. This got me to thinking about the basic differences in the approaches to child rearing between religious folks and atheists.

Clearly I cannot speak for all atheists, but I can speak from my own experience and my observations of others with whom I am personally acquainted and share my non-beliefs. My ex-partner in marriage shared my views on religion and god so it was rarely, if ever, an issue of discussion in our home.

When we had a child we didn’t raise our child to be an atheist. In fact, since god seems to be everywhere…and not in the religious sense…it was inevitable that our child would be exposed, on some level, to god and religion. To us, this was not a problem; we both believed our child should be allowed exposure to any and all beliefs and be allowed to choose freely. There were occasions, when coming home from school, my child discussed god. I listened and was engaged in the discussion of what had been experienced or learned, but never once did I say to my kid, “There is no god.”

Once, upon seeing an old poster from the Nixon era, in which Nixon appeared as a large dominant figure clutching dog leashes restraining his cronies in the Watergate debacle; my child said, “Look mommy, that’s a picture of god.” I asked where god was and, sure enough, the index finger pointed to Nixon. Amused, I simply replied, “So that’s what god looks like.”

Like all non religious children, my child heard, from kids at school, talk about church and god. Wanting to fit in, my kid went to church, with friends, on several occasions (at various stages of childhood) and decided against pursuing it further.

In religious families, it seems important that the children be taken to ~~indoctrination stations~~ church (synagogues, mosques, etc.) from the beginning, so that young impressionable minds can be molded before the capacity for independent thought develops. By the time a child reaches puberty these beliefs have become so ingrained that it would never occur to most of them to question their teachings. Put simply, religious parents raise their children to embrace their own beliefs.

This is part of the dilemma for the atheist and the non-atheist should they decide to go forth and procreate. I suppose one solution would be for the atheist to concede and allow any offspring to be taken to the indoctrination station, and upon reaching a certain point in their lives be told, in the same sitting, there is no Santa Clause, Easter Bunny, or god…it’s all just good childish fun. Though I think it is more likely deprogramming, much like that used in recovering a brainwashed child from a cult, would be required. Another approach, and to my mind a better one, would be to raise a free range child (like mine) who is allowed to ask questions and explore wherever curiosity takes him or her and when the child reaches an age where they can engage in critical thinking the religious parent can then expose the child to their ideology.

I wonder how many people would have taken a different path had they not experienced this early indoctrination. Had those with strong beliefs in the invisible magic man in the sky and various forms of religion been raised in a fashion more like my child I think the world might be, at least slightly, a more sane place.

Grief Beyond Belief — How Atheists Are Dealing With Death (gretachristina.typepad.com)
The Cutting Edge of Atheism (onistee.com)

Stuff that just came tumbling out of my head

January 30, 2011 at 1:10 pm | Posted in Beliefs, I'm just saying, Miscellaneous, random thoughts, Religion, social comment, stupidity | 4 Comments
Tags: airport security, Christ, Christianity, congress, Facebook, Jews for Jesus, Religion, Transportation Security Administration, TSA

Not only do people sometimes make mountains out of molehills, they then try to force others to climb them..

Some congressional representatives would more be more aptly called representatives of rich corporate America.

Have you ever noticed that during a discussion, debate, argument…the higher the decibel level of someone’s voice is directionally proportionate to their level ignorance?

I saw a sign on a store saying they sold new and used antiques. How is this possible?

I’ve heard of such religious organizations as Jews for Jesus and Cops for Christ. I have some ideas for more:

Sluts for Salvation
Prostitutes for Prayer
Whores for Holiness
Criminals for Christianity
Rejects for Resurrection
Jerks for Jesus (In doing a search to see if any of these might exist I actually found a site for this one.)

I could probably think of a dozen or so more, but I really should stop now.

If the TSA (which may stand for Touch Some Ass) is going to get personal with us perhaps they should become a more kinder and gentler agency where the screeners are more like the wait staff at a trendy bistro, something like this:

Businesses are becoming as needy as people. They all want you to like them on Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook, is this really about networking or a contest where whoever collects the most friends wins?

If you have 538 friends on Facebook does that make you feel like one of the popular kids in high school? Does it boost your self esteem? How many of them do you actually know? How many have you even met? And more importantly how many of them will help you move, drive you to the airport, or be willing to take your call at three AM when you need someone to talk to? The answer to the last question is the real number of friends you have and I’m guessing it’s not in the triple digits and in most cases not even double. Facebook has re-defined friend.

I’m just saying…

Religion ala carte

January 22, 2011 at 8:39 am | Posted in Atheism, Beliefs, god, hypocrisy, Jesus, Religion | 7 Comments
Tags: Atheism, Jesus, jews, Judeo-Christian, Religion

Freedom From Religion Foundation Image via Wikipedia

I have, recently, on a several occasions heard someone I have known for a very long time refer to herself as being half Jewish. I am puzzled by this new identification because this person is an atheist who was raised by atheist parents – no religious upbringing, training, or indoctrination whatsoever. I’m stumped, especially since the basis for Judeo-Christian religions is a belief in the big G. If you don’t believe in the invisible man in the sky, STOP right there, you are NOT a Jew, a Christian, or a Muslim, PERIOD.

I think it’s quite strange when people who have been raised in religious homes, with parents of different religions, refer to themselves as half this (pick a religion) and half that. I’ve heard this declaration from both those who are and are not religious. How can this be? If you consider yourself to be a member of a religion you either subscribe to its set of beliefs and rules or you don’t. The duality of being half one religion and half another must make life complicated and full of contradictions, which may be a bonanza for a shitload of shrinks.

Am I missing something? Has some new study found that religion is in our genetic code, as is our eye color, hair color, race or ethnicity? This question is, of course, rhetorical because the answer is NO, NO, NO, and NO!

I’m sure I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Though one may or may not be born into a religious family, one cannot be born with religion. We are born as blank slates. Religion is a fairly complex system of beliefs and as such can only be learned, developed, and adopted over time. The religion one is born into may teach (as most probably do) that all offspring are automatically members of that religion. This is the religious catch 22. In reality, it’s just another religious belief and if you do not believe in a god or reject religion then you reject this belief as well. I cannot stress this enough, one cannot be born with a religious belief system any more than one can be born with a knowledge of physics, world history, or the ability to play a musical instrument. If you go through your entire life claiming to be a member of a particular religion simply because your parents are members, and you have never questioned those beliefs, or consciously decided to accept them then you are, in my opinion, dumb.

The fact that we, as humans, are at the top of the evolutionary chain makes us one of the most complex organisms on the planet. It is for that reason we have longer gestation periods, and once born are more dependent (on our parents) for much longer periods of time than most other animals. We come out of the womb knowing nothing other than what instinct dictates, which doesn’t go much beyond getting our basic needs for food and comfort met. Everything else is learned, even religion.

We also learn to think, at least some of us do. We can and should be able to be critical of everything we are taught and have the ability to decide either to accept or reject what we learn. If one decides to accept religious teachings, then accept them. How can you call yourself a member of a religion if you don’t actually believe in, live by, or practice the tenets of that religion? How can you call yourself a member of a religion if you choose only the parts you like and reject those you don’t? This philosophy seems more secular than religious. And do you know what else it seems like? Hypocrisy.

The god gene – or is it a meme? (openparachute.wordpress.com)
Is Buddhism more rational that the other world religions? (beinghuman.blogs.fi)
Op-Ed Columnist: Religion and Representation (nytimes.com)

Are you smarter than an atheist?

September 30, 2010 at 11:00 am | Posted in Atheism, Religion | 10 Comments
Tags: Religion, religion knowledge, religion quiz

One of my good friends emailed this quiz on religion posted on the Christian Science Monitor’s website. Though the quiz starts with this introductory paragraph:

Are you smarter than an atheist? A religious quiz

Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups in a 32-question survey of religious knowledge by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. On average, Americans got 16 of the 32 questions correct. Atheists and agnostics got an average of 20.9 correct answers. Jews (20.5) and Mormons (20.3). Protestants got 16 correct answers on average, while Catholics got 14.7 questions right.

How will you do on the quiz? Write down your answers as you go.

- Staff writer

I wasn’t going to bother taking the quiz because I assumed, incorrectly, it would be about christianity and I don’t know many specifics about the bible. But I decided what the hell because my friend who grew up in a religious home and is very knowledgeable about the bible (but is now an atheist) said he’d gotten 26 out of 32 right. I wanted to see if I could top that. As it turns out I did with a whopping 28. My friend and I are very competitive. YAY I won! As it turns out most of the questions are not specific to christianity but religion in general. You will need a pencil and paper to answer and score because the site was (presumably) designed by christians, not atheists, therefore it is not equipped with the technology that would allow you to submit and record your answers. The questions are in reverse order starting with 32 ending with 1 and all but three are multiple choice.

I’d be interested in your scores (believers and non believers) if you’d like to share.