Category: Spirituality

Ken Ham’s Response to the Secular Ten Commandments

So,

Not too long ago (and it has been done a few times I think), a secular website released what they called “The Secular Ten Commandments.”

Ken Ham has decided to respond to each of the ten with bible verses.

In case you were wondering, no, the Bible is not going to be a conversion tool for Atheists. Telling them that the Bible says something is a certain way provides no leverage in convincing them of anything.

To an Atheist, the bible is seen in much the same light as modern people see the ancient texts about Zeus and Poseidon. I intend no disrespect to those that follow that pantheon, but people outside of a given religion don’t tend to put a lot of stock in the stories and legend of other groups.

Telling an Atheist that they are going to hell if they don’t follow Jesus is about like telling a Christian that Herne is going to stalk them in the night if they piss off the pagan gods.

His final conclusion of course is that a 10 commandments type list means nothing in an Atheistic world view, because, in his view, morality can only come from God and the bible.

There are many religions in this world. Only one of them (or one Category of them depending on how you look at it) even believes the bible is anything more than an intriguing piece of literature. Not all of those religions believe in the Christian God, and a hand full of them are a little sketchy on the existence of gods all together.

They ALL have morality. They all have life views that provide them a way to see the world, and to see what is right and wrong.

Even a large number of professed Atheists have other disciplines and philosophies that they follow/practice. The word Atheist does not discuss what a person believes, only part of what they don’t believe.

Ken Ham’s ego trip, like so many he has gone on in past, does nothing to convert Atheists. It just provides them fodder for their own conversations/amusement.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/01/03/ken-ham-responds-to-the-secular-10-commandments-with-the-bible/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/12/20/after-2800-entries-heres-a-secular-version-of-the-ten-commandments/

http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2014/12/26/10-atheist-non-commandments/

What Happened at the Congressional Hearing on Religious Accommodations in the Military?

So,

There was this thing recently with Congress. They somewhat set the tone a few months ago, when they up and canceled after all the involved parties had already landed at the airport.

Sadly, the tone continued, and Congress (or at least the sub-comity that deals with the military) has reinforced that they only take religious liberty seriously when it applies to their brand of their religion.

Yes, Weinstein is loud, and flamboyant, and angry, but he is also one of the handful of people who have had the will power and determination to take on this cause. He also was not near as angry a decade ago.

The goal is not to secularize the Chaplain Corps.

The goal is not to stomp out Christianity in the military. The only people you hear talking about that are the talking heads who make money off of fear.

The goal is simply to make room for the measurable number of service members who are currently unrepresented in the military.

In the current environment, there are no Humanist Chaplains, Secular or otherwise. People seeking to become Humanist lay leaders have to run a gambit, and fight an uphill battle, just to prove that they have a right to exist much less be allowed space in the Religious Programs. In fact, a few days ago the one “Atheist” lay leader that the Navy had approved was reclassified by his CO to fall under MWR rather than the Chapel. “This re-designation aligns the atheist-freethinker leader under the appropriate non-religious instruction.” Is how they describe this. I know that the guy apparently considers himself Atheist rather than Humanist, but still…

Some branches are better than others, and some commands are better than others. I personally have dealt with Chaplains that will do everything they can to support everyone spiritually, regardless of faith. I have also dealt with Chaplains though that would be all smiles and politics while a perspective lay leader is in the room, and then once they left specifically suggest that I not support that person because he is not sure he wants their kind in the Chapel.

Christianity is not in any danger of being driven out of the Military. It is not even in any danger of being replaced as the majority religion. There is no danger there. What does feel like a very real and present threat though, especially with the new comity leaders that are coming into place in congress, is the danger that many minority groups may be trampled, with the vast majority of the herd that is trampling them not even knowing it is happening.

The majority of Service Members are Christian. This is true. Not all are though. Many service members are not Christian, Muslims, or Jews. The military handles these three faiths just fine.

A large number of service members either have no religion or fall into a category not currently available in the military records system.

A measurable number of service members specifically consider themselves Humanists. The last time I checked, the reported number was 3.6%. That is a higher percentage than some Christian groups that have multiple chaplains, and have no problems getting lay leaders approved. That is three times the rate of Jewish service members, and the military is actively seeking Rabbis.

Embedded in all of the appropriate documents, from the manuals that organize the military, all the way to the instructions that organize and direct the Chaplain Corps of the various services, is a message of inclusiveness. On paper, the military does not endorse ANY religion, or “faith group,” and supports them all.

In practice, we still have a long way to go.

Humanists have been doing everything they can to express the need for support. Congress has done everything they can to make it known that they do not give a damn what we need.

The most screwed up part is that the party giving us the most grief is the one who has screamed “Support our Troops!” at the top of their lungs for at least as long as I have been alive.

I actually typed most of this a few days ago, but I got side tracked mid-rant. This is probably a good thing, because on review, I think this is a good stopping point for now.

I will include a link to an article on the subject. The first link I saw was written by Mikey Weinstein. He has been in the fight too long, and what he wrote showed it. The guy needs a rest. This article was posted on a Humanist news site, and is a lot more level headed. Anger may be useful for rallying the troops, but it isn’t the best tool for explaining your needs to those who don’t quite understand.

http://thehumanist.com/news/national/what-happened-at-the-congressional-hearing-on-religious-accommodations-in-the-military

The Amazing Great Ape

The idea of evolution seems to scare some people.

For some, it is as if they believe that accepting evolution is to abandon their faith.

For others, it is as if they feel that if they accept that they are categorized as apes, that they will suddenly no longer be able to control their behavior, that they will somehow become more animalistic.

It is as if they believe that somehow, if Human kind is a mere animal, then that makes him less special. That makes his position in the world less prominent.

To me, the idea that a single species could manage at the same time to evolve the ability to stand upright, opposable thumbs and fingers, and the ability to reason at the level that we do all at once is… Well, it is miraculous. It is amazing. It is a thing which is rare and beautiful in the universe.

Our closest cousins in the animal kingdom have opposable thumbs, and the ability to stand upright for a time, but they do not reason at the same level that we do. I mean, sure they can puzzle through simple tasks and even use tools, but they are primitive and their communication skills and social boundaries do not allow them to come anywhere near close to what we have achieved.

Our closest peers, on an intellectual and emotional level, possess the ability to reason as we do. Their societies are much like ours were in the Stone Age. They can talk amongst themselves. They can plan things between families. They can even use tools. They can even communicate with us once a common medium has been decided upon. They however do not have opposable thumbs (or any fingers/claws at all for that matter), and they cannot walk upright.

All of the creatures I have mentioned so far are mammals. Perhaps the next most intelligent creature however, because they themselves are not mammals, even though they can communicate amongst themselves, reason somewhat well, and use and create tools, and even though they have ways to bypass the need for opposable thumbs… Well, we see them as a tasty snack. Sorry guys.

My point is, even if we are animals we are still Humans. Even if Humans are apes, we are still the most elevated among the Great Apes. We have still built civilization. We are still capable of communicating with each other at great distances. We are still capable of reaching out to our fellow creatures and elevating some of them as well. We are still very much the masters of our world and our destiny.

Even if we are animals…
Even if we did evolve from some primordial muck over the course of millions of years…
We are amazing.

What is more amazing? The idea that some creature got lonely and decided to create friends, or the idea that we amongst all the millions upon millions of possible species that ever existed, we among all of those things that fly in the air, and walk on the land, and swim in the sea, that we were the ones to stand up and walk forward proudly into the darkness of night and on into the glorious dawn of the new morning and eventually to the stars?

I think that is pretty fucking brilliant personally.

I think that if the single most amazing thing on the face of the planet is going to shake your faith, then maybe you need to rethink things a bit.

Your Most Important Moments

I overheard a bit of a sermon in which the priest said “The moment of our death is the most important moment in our life.”

It is certainly true that it is an important moment, as it is our last. There is so much uncertainty beyond those moments. However, whether you believe in reincarnation, some sort of afterlife, or just simply that the end is the end, if the final moments of your life are the most important, then you have not lived.

If you believe that there is no afterlife, that once you close your eyes that final time there is nothing more, then to say that these moments are your most important is to say you left no legacy. You left nothing behind of importance.

If you believe in the circle of reincarnation, whether it be the cycle of karma, or simply a continuation of existence, then to say that those final moments are your most important is to say that you have done nothing to improve your lot or the lot of others.

If you believe in an afterlife, a heaven or a realm of the dead, then to say that the final moments are the most important is to say that you walk before your god with nothing to show for your life.

On average, humans live about sixty to eighty years. That is so much time that can be spent taking care of your fellow man, or bettering yourself in some way. That is so much time to do good in the world. That is so much time to make a difference even if it is for just one person.

No, as important as those final moments may be, they are not the most important. Whether you believe it to be the end of ends, a short respite before returning to battle, or a gateway to the arms of your god or goddess, it is still but a moment.

When you leave this world, leave it better for your having lived.
When you return to the cosmos, do so having bettered your karma for your next life.
When you enter the arms of your god or goddess, be sure you have something to show them.

Do not, allow your final moments to be the most important ones. That would be a crime against your self, your god, and your people.

When You Ride The Wind

When you embrace the wind, the wind embraces you.  When you follow the path of the wind, the Mother guides you with a gentle but firm hand.

Those who follow the path of wind do not pray for answer, for the answers are given freely.  Instead they pray first for a new set of answers, gentler easier answers, and then ultimately they pray for the courage to accept what fate has given them.

When you ride the wind is your guide, fire walks beside you, earth holds you up, and water embraces you.  You travel always the middle path, on the edge between joy and fury.

You know the truth, the path opens before you.  You at times pray for it to be otherwise, but in the end, you must walk through the flames.

You must trust the Mother and take that first step.  There are no excuses when you know the truth, seek courage and move forward.

A Different Stance on Christianity

This was originally written as a message board posting, so if you are a Citizen Radio fan, you may have already seen it.

Regardless of what the following may look like, it is not intended as a direct attack on any particular group, but rather something to think about. For this reason, I ask that even if the first part is offensive, keep reading.

My own faith at the moment is in an interesting place perhaps, but I took a long time to get where I am.

My statement, simply put, is this: Modern Christianity’s approach to God is blasphemy against man, and sacrilege against God.

Christians believe that the book of Genesis is the depiction of the creation of the world. Some see it as a literal history, and others see it as more of a symbolic description of a truly massive event. Either way, it is a matter of faith, and happened so long ago that there is not much you can do to prove to most one way or the other. At this point, even the big bang theory is a matter of faith (even if it is more soundly founded in science).

The book of Genesis also goes into one very important detail other than how. It explains “Why?” Most Christians don’t think so much about this detail, and most churches seem to prefer it that way.

If you believe the Book of Genesis, then man was created not to worship, but to fellowship. The “Blind Sheep” concept of worship taught by the church of today (The one that has led to so many atrocities over the centuries) is entirely incompatible with what the ideas presented in Genesis.

It is better that you live as if there was no God at all, than to live as if you were simply an unquestioning servant. When you go before the maker, you should be able to stand toe to toe and say to him/her

“What you have created is Beautiful.”

“What I have created is Beautiful.”

And perhaps most importantly…

“Dude, you know… Some of that shit was real fucked up.”

I am not currently a Christian. I followed that path for a while, but I wandered off of it when it was no longer compatible with my view of the universe and the creator that may or may not be.

I do believe however, that if the God described in Genesis (and most books attributed to Moses for that matter) does exist, then he will not see my decisions as a crime.

I think though, that if he does exist, the modern church is fucked.