«Swearing Muppets Turned Philosophical»

I was writing a reply to a comment on an old post about censoring the Muppets. However my reply was getting too long and not at all related to the video, so it became a new post.

So here's the comment:

I agree.

It's because people no longer believe in spiritual values that make up humanity and if you don't believe in spiritual values what choices are you going to have then to please your physical body which only brings temporary pleasure?

There really is no *Good* or *Evil* but it's more if you have a dualistic mind where you and the other person your pitted against shove each other down the throat.

People often make scapegoats in order to take responsibility away from themselves and

It really doesn't matter what your religion is as long as you believe in the fundamental values of the spirit and love your enemies as yourself or whatever your spiritual texts say that supports that kind of message.

That's the basic of that.

- Comment on "The Muppets Need Censoring"

Everything about being human is temporary. Including any pleasure we seek, anyone we love, and anything we accomplish. I have absolutely no belief in any sort of spirit or soul, reincarnation, or life after death. Quite frankly, this is it. Make the best of it.

As far as the whole spiritual text thing, I have the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster I suppose. But I don't get my values from that. My morals and values come from how I was raised by my parents, the society I live in, and empathy. I'm not what one would call a spiritual person.

I don't see myself "pitted against" anyone. I don't have enemies. I don't view people like that. When I have a disagreement with someone I try to see their side and allow them to see mine. If we reach an impasse, then I simply accept that our points of view are different. Depending on the point argued, I may not want to spend any more time with the person, but I still don't see them as "evil" or an "enemy".

Religions are dangerous (in part) because they form this "us" vs. "them" mentality. Where "us" (we) are in the right and backed by the word of God. And "Them" are a different religion, atheists, gays, pro-choicers, evolutionists, or any other perceived group that have different values or beliefs and are simply evil/immoral/enemies/misguided.

See the rest of “Swearing Muppets Turned Philosophical”»

«Same-Sex Upheld, The Battle Continues»

So I don't fully understand all the circuits and courts, but apparently today the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of allowing same-sex marriage. In 2008 California Prop 8 re-banned same-sex marriage in California, which was then contested as being unconstitutional. It's been tied up in the legal system ever since. It's going to be tied up for a while longer, too. This will get pushed on to the Supreme Court next.

My hope is that the Supreme Court makes a ruling in favor of allowing same-sex marriage that applies to all 50 states and every U.S. territory. That being said, I hope the churches will be excluded from the ruling. There's no sense in "forcing" the churches to perform a same-sex marriage that is clearly against their doctrine.

I've been trying to understand how someone else's same-sex marriage can somehow invalidate or diminish an opposite-sex marriage. Especially when celebrity marriages exist. Best I can figure it's a perceived notion that legalizing same-sex marriage will validate them "under God", and to that I say we have separation of church and state. Clearly it's not a family or parenting issue. Canada hasn't fallen apart and same-sex marriage is legal there.

So if the Catholic church (and various sects of Christianity, or others) don't want to perform same-sex marriages don't force them to. They've already established themselves as discriminatory organizations, and no-one seems to mind. So I don't see why discrimination laws should apply here and force them to perform same-sex marriage. Separation of church and state is a 2-way street. There's other ways to get married. Other religions that will. State officials such as Judges for example.

In preparation for the Supreme Court ruling maybe I should brush up on marriage ceremonies. There will be a high demand for marriage officiants and if the main-stream churches turn them down I feel it is my duty as a minister to answer the call. My church fully endorses same-sex marriages.

See the rest of “Same-Sex Upheld, The Battle Continues”»

«The Reverend Marf»

This is what I believe to be the most epic thing I've done since starting this blog. It's all sorts of silly, epic, and to some I'd imagine offensive. I have officially renounced my atheism. If that sentence can even make sense. One can't really renounce a non-religion, can they?

I am now an officially ordained minister of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I'm now The Reverend Cody Durkin. I've seen the noodly light of Pastafarianism. Note the raised gold seal. This is a legitimate document.

Click image to view full.

If that isn't the biggest slap in the face to the validity of religion, I don't know what is.

I can legally use Reverend in front of my name now. Seriously. I can also officiate wedding ceremonies. Laws do vary between states (even counties) in the US, and I haven't researched international laws. Weddings are such a business in Nevada (go Las Vegas!) that they have some unique requirements. However, in most other states including my resident state of Idaho, one only needs to be a judge, governor, mayor or an ordained minister of any denomination. [Idaho Code Section 32-303]

Any. Denomination.

FSM is a real, legitimate religion, as much as any other. The fact that many see this is as a satirical religion doesn’t change the fact that by any standard one can come up with, our religion is as legitimate as any other. And *that* is the point.

- http://www.venganza.org/join/

They'd have one hell of a First Amendment case on their hands if they tried to deny it.

What's that sound? Yeah, I didn't hear it either. I expected to hear the sound of the sanctity of marriage draining away, but I guess celebrities already drained that. The "we must protect the sanctity of marriage" people need to wake up to reality. Same-sex marriage is the least of their worries. I can now legally perform marriage ceremonies, that are recognized by the government, in the name of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Some religions oppose same-sex marriage. My religion supports it. The government has no right to deny my people their Noodle-given right to marry someone of the same sex any more than it can deny a man and a woman to get married under the Christian God. And *that* is my point.

See the rest of “The Reverend Marf”»

«Science Saves Souls»

Science Saved My Soul.


"There might yet be a heaven, but it isn't going to be perfect, and we're going to have to build it ourselves."

See the rest of “Science Saves Souls”»

«Oh, So Much Truth»

So much truth about how atheism is viewed by society it hurts.

Double Standard


I'm sorry for the lack of posting. I'm just not feeling the whole daily blogging thing. I do acknowledge that I need to post more...

See the rest of “Oh, So Much Truth”»

«You Know What This Means»

Apocalypse Not: Harold Camping wrong – again – about 'The Rapture'

You know what this means, don't you? The Rapture DID happen today, and everyone on Earth was left behind. Think about it, everyone breaks something the Bible commands of you. Newborn babies have original sin. You really think someone like that would be "saved"?

So life continues after the Rapture. Pretty much exactly as it did before the Rapture. Almost like it never happened...

See the rest of “You Know What This Means”»

«Feeling Pinkie Keen Controversy»

One of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episodes sparked a bit of a controversy among some of the fans. The moral at the end in the form of a letter:

I am happy to report that I now realize there are wonderful things in this world you just can't explain. But that doesn't necessarily make them any less true. It just means you have to choose to believe in them. And sometimes, it takes a friend to show you the way.

- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Keep in mind, most of the outspoken fan-base are like me; denizens of the darker side of the internet (4chan). There's a disproportionate number of skeptics and atheists in the community.

Basically, Pinkie Pie had a precognitive ability that manifested itself as involuntary twitches. Twitching tail means something's about to fall, for example. The scientific-minded Twilight Sparkle wouldn't accept a supernatural explanation, and was determined to find the true reason for Pinkie's ability. In the end, she gave up and just accepted it (and thus the moral).

This may seem like an odd thing to become an issue in a cartoon that has regular use of magic and mythical creatures. However, the magic is portrayed in the series as an extension of science. That being specific spells have a predictable and repeatable outcome, and it can be studied and understood. It's not presented as a supernatural thing that "just is". Twilight Sparkle's ongoing studies to understand the literal Magic of friendship shows this.

The general issue with it was that kids are gullible enough as it is. They shouldn't be taught to believe something without proof just because they're told by someone. It was perceived to promote noncritical thinking; a sort of "don't bother trying to understand things" message. And yes, Santa Claus and religion were pulled into the big discussion.

Lauren Faust's response on her DeviantART site was:

Wow. It's so not what I ever hoped anybody would ever take away from that episode. It's a really awful message and I'd never dream of suggesting it.

I'm so disappointed, especially since it's seems to be completely ruining what I thought was one of our funniest episodes.

I'm really sorry and if I could have anticipated such a misunderstanding, I would have revised it.

- Lauren Faust

I think ourimaler summed up quite nicely how I feel about the episode:

Dear Mrs Faust,

I (and several others from rpg.net) have been among those who have criticized the message of "Feeling Pinky Keen". Most of us, however, admit upon further thought that we overreacted:

Part of it, as another commenter has said, probably stems from identifying with Twilight. Part of it, perhaps, is from projection between Pinky Pie's precognition and claims that real-world skeptics debunks. But beside that...I think a large part of it is that some of us have gotten USED to seeing the "skepticism is bad, m'kay?" message in media - to the point that when we watched this episode, we reflexively saw it instead of the intended "hubris is bad".

Does that mean I think there was NOTHING wrong with the episode? Eh...I wouldn't go that far. The chasm scene will always bug me, there was some unfortunate phrasing, and I do believe the message got muddied a bit in the end. I admit, however, that my negative reaction probably stemmed less from problems with the episode than my own defensiveness.

- ourimaler

I have to say the moral in this episode had a very different feel, and I still am left feeling a little unsettled and at odds with it. I wouldn't say it ruined the episode for me though.

Here's the episode, if you are (wo)man enough to watch 22 minutes and 1 second of My Little Pony.

My Little Pony : Friendship Is Magic - S01E15 - Feeling Pinkie Keen - vostfr

See the rest of “Feeling Pinkie Keen Controversy”»

«Seven»

I bet this was thought up by the same people that subscribe to the 911 truthers... And those that try to read too much into the Nostradamus "predictions".

THE AMAZING FIRST VERSE OF THE BIBLE - You MUST see this film!

See the rest of “Seven”»

«Religiousil»

About the same success rate as prayer.

Religiousil

See the rest of “Religiousil”»

«Mall Scavenger Hunt Encounter»

Sunday my roommate and I were wandering around the mall with a lack of anything better to do. I was dressed as I always am, temperature permitting: in a black trench coat.

As we were approaching the food court, a group of people approached us. They said something about a scavenger hunt and were looking for someone in a trench coat. I figured they were on one of those hunts local radio channels do sometimes, with a cash prize for the person who finds the goal. I was just about to say that I didn't know of any such contest and wish them good luck on their hunt... However, once they had our attention they started proselytizing... "Have you heard about the word of God?"

They were dressed normally, not in suits and ties or anything. You've got to admit, it's a creative way to get someone's attention. Pick out a unique feature and tell them you've been looking for someone like that. My roommate told them we're in the state if Idaho, it would be hard NOT to hear about God. I didn't think to ask them what sect of Christianity they represented. I let them go on their scripted speech for a few moments, then told them I was an atheist.

Oh but they had a plan for that, too. One of the guys claimed he was an atheist before he saw the light. I asked him, out of actual curiosity now, what caused him to convert? The story that ensued was a cliche disappointment.

He told me was a member of a band and did heavy drugs trying to fill the void in his heart. He tells me one day he was trippin' hard on LSD and had a spiritual experience. It was like nothing else he'd ever seen. God himself came down and straitened him out. My roommate interjected "that must have been a hell of a trip." Everyone else laughed, the guy seemed a little annoyed.

So why the church doesn't distribute LSD to the masses to bring them closer to God I don't know. That THC Ministry in Amsterdam might have the right idea after all. But how convincing is that really? Some guy has a crazy LSD trip and that's suppose to convince me there's a God? The human brain does some crazy shit when chemicals are imbalanced. Out-of-body experiences, feelings of euphoria, all sorts of unexplainable feelings when the brain is trying to make sense of what's happening.

Why is it that every ex-atheist conversion story involves a band, drugs, and women? Rhetorical question. It's because they want to convey atheists as these immoral, selfish monsters. I myself have never tried any illegal drugs. No LSD, no marijuana... I don't even have more than one alcoholic drink at a time. I am an upstanding, law-abiding citizen. I'm just an atheist, and because of that I'm somehow immoral?

At this point, I find this whole encounter hilarious. I asked what lead him to Christianity instead of some other religion, like Islam. He went on to say that the tone of the Bible is like a mentor, where the other religious texts are like a dictator. He clearly had no knowledge of the Koran. He was very quick to distance himself from Islam, seeing as how demonized it has become in American culture. He then went off on some tangent about creativity and that I needed God to fully realize my true potential.

I don't believe the guy really ever was an atheist. It's just a story they came up with to try to relate to any atheists they come across. They failed. Miserably. Even if the guy was an atheist at one time, It wasn't for the right reasons.

See the rest of “Mall Scavenger Hunt Encounter”»

«Motivational Monday: The Bible»

It's the unerring word of God. The Bible itself even says so.

See the rest of “Motivational Monday: The Bible”»

«Giant Jesus»

Jesus rises in Poland


So they couldn't think of any better use for the money? I'd be embarrassed by it too.

See the rest of “Giant Jesus”»

«God's Banana Fail»

The banana is the atheist nightmare, not


Through hybridization and selective breeding, humans have over the years designed a lot of the foods we now eat. So yes, the banana was designed to be perfect for human consumption, but not by God.

Here's the video of Ray Comfort's banana example. This earned him the title of "Banana Man".

Atheist Nightmare


Now to be fair Ray Comfort has since apologized for this, stating that he was not aware the banana had been so modified by humans. He fell back on the old "God gave humans the knowledge to do it themselves" position. When a believer falls back to that, you know they have utterly lost the argument.

See the rest of “God's Banana Fail”»

«Motivational Monday: Petty God»

If there were a God, we'd be far too insignificant for him to even care. It's like when I had seamonkeys; I had better things to do than sit there and watch the tank 24/7.

See the rest of “Motivational Monday: Petty God”»

«Instruction Manual for Life»

Because this is how indoctrination works.

Instruction Manual for Life [cc]

See the rest of “Instruction Manual for Life”»

«9/11 Mosque»

He's still yelling, but his last couple of videos have been better because they are directed by Cody Weber.

America: Mosque or Mausoleum?


My own thoughts on the subject are no different than TJ's (aka TheAmazingAtheist). I just have a softer voice...

See the rest of “9/11 Mosque”»

«The Great Flood»

And people literally believe the Noah's Ark story?

Atheist Comedy - The Great Flood

See the rest of “The Great Flood”»

«Motivational Monday: Christian Disposal»

Now if only it were possible to dispose of the idea without disposing of the person... Oh well.

See the rest of “Motivational Monday: Christian Disposal”»

«Fuck Texas»

If Texas wants to secede from the union, I say let them! Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

They can declare Christianity as their official national religion, make prayer and creationism mandatory in schools, homosexuality illegal (punishable by death of course), erase Thomas Jefferson from history, and execute death row inmates with a vengeance only surpassed by their god... And all the nation's fundamentalists can move there and be with their own kind¹.

Meanwhile, the rest of us can finally get on with our lives unimpeded. Texas would become some sort of militant extremist Christian country, and the rest of the US would become more like Europe. Win-win for all!

Of course, the world would be fucked... If Texas secedes, Chuck Norris would become Supreme Arch-Theocrat of Texas.

^1: You know I hold no personal contempt toward you, Looney.

See the rest of “Fuck Texas”»

«Amoral Agents of Satan»

Wait... Is that an ankh on her necklace?

Yes, I do see the hypocrisy in me posting this sort of thing. While not to that extreme, I am outspoken against religion. Superstitions, magical thinking, and false beliefs can and do have a detrimental impact on all of us; not just the believers.

See the rest of “Amoral Agents of Satan”»