Religious values influencing policy?

Apparently some morons need to believe someone is watching to behave morally. What annoys me about this delusional individual is how he implies that atheists are immoral. And not only that, but he implies that the "immoral" (i.e. nonreligious) are somehow a problem in the world. If we actually look at who harms society and who doesn't, it seems fairly obvious that atheists if anything are a good in society (atheist dominated countries have the lowest crime rates). If anything it is the delusional belief that we are moral because a god exists that is causing us problems (we relied on religion way too heavily as a source of values). There are a lot of religious people in prison, and I see a lot of gang members wearing big goofy crosses around their necks...yet atheism is the problem. Believing in absolute "truths" prevents the brain from learning (those that believe they know it all tend to not be the best learners).

Well, I'm rambling now. Rabbi David Saperstein obviously believes what he says, and that is why I believe he is not the brightest bulb in the pack. Leave atheists alone! :(

The demise of sex's forbidden appeal?

As we know all to well, sex sells. Historically people were very conservative with sex-related issues (e.g. clothing, social practices, and other behaviors). This made sex much more desirable (it was the forbidden fruit). Now sex is far from being a forbidden fruit. And what has this done? It has caused a proverbial arms race (in the spirit of $$) to "turn people on" (which has caused sexual desensitization and relationship problems). 

The purpose of this blog post is to bring attention to the psychological forces behind sex, along with what a person can do to bring the "forbidden fruit" back to life. Sex is special because we believe it is special--it is our socialization that has created this perception--and it can be a great tool to facilitate social organization and reproduction. 

Hypothetically, let's say we take two individuals (Bob and John). 

Bob

Bob is raised in a sexually conservative environment. His family tells him that sex is only appropriate when married. Through the grapevine Bob is told (or overhears) that sex is the most pleasurable thing imaginable. The combination of sex being both "special" and "pleasurable" creates a perception of sex as being highly desirable and highly intimate (can only engage in the behavior with one other person, which in-turn makes it the most intimate behavior on earth). This serves as a intensely strong motivator to be successful in finding a long-term relationship (i.e. marriage), as well as a motivator to protect the relationship from inner and outer threats (because it is special). Also, being that sex it is highly intimate and pleasurable in Bob's universe, sex is an incredibly strong bonding tool for his relationship. For Bob, sex is the most intimate act he can do/has done, which has emotionally super-glued him to his wife. Now that they are emotionally "super-glued", they form a social unit fit enough to survive the long haul. 

John

John was raised in a sexually liberal environment. In other words, he is taught that sex is not an intimate experience (between the lines), and that it is "normal" to have sex with multiple partners. Sex is far from being a forbidden fruit in John's universe. John's first sexual encounter is with his girlfriend at the age of 15 (a norm in today's world). Sadly, John and his girlfriend ended up breaking off the relationship after a few weeks because of boredom issues (girlfriend was sexually promiscuous and John wasn't able to keep her attention). Ten years later, and after many sexual encounters, he finds himself alone and frustrated. Sex has become slightly more personal than a handshake and he is alone due to the fact that he has lost his "emotional glue" (can't romantically bond with anyone). 

For John, sex has lost its potential usefulness...

1. Forbidden fruit

2. Intensely strong emotional bonding

3. Pleasurable (which 1&2 amplify)  

4. Long-term relationship (sexual conservatism motivates individuals to seek out long-term relationship goals).

Just because a value is "new" does not make it psychologically healthy, and when it comes to sex, context context context. Otherwise the usefulness of sex (as previously listed) is dissolved. I believe an obvious correlation can be seen with the rise of sexual liberalism and the high divorce rate. We humans psychologically need meaningful relationships to attain emotional equilibrium (and develop a sense of loyalty and trust). On a positive note, I bet the pharmaceutical companies love their billions gotten from anti-depressants (see a trend?). 

The "emotional glue" sex should be providing has become less sticky and much more slimy. But, it's not too late to help remedy this situation. If you have lived a sexually promiscuous lifestyle the best thing you can do is STOP. What this means is....

-Stop having all sex

-Stop thinking sexual thoughts (yes, it can be done)

-Avoid porn

-Don't recall past relationships (and/or cognitively distance yourself from them).

If this is done for a year or more (5 years would cause a near total psychological and physiological cleansing), the intimacy should return (at least as good as it can)

Obama on Atheist Discrimination.

I'm not sure why an atheist would even want to join a faith-based organization. In my opinion the government should not have influence over who hires who. If you run a business/organization you should have full control over who gets hired and who doesn't. In our country we have (typically) no problem allowing people to hire family and friends over strangers, but we have a problem when factors like beliefs or race come about. I believe having a reverse discrimination for race and belief fuels more hatred, it doesn't make it better. No one should be forced to employ anyone they don't want to, and I don't believe a religiously-based organization should be forced to hire an atheist (but the government shouldn't be connected with them either).

Can religion cause paranoia?

Perhaps I'm biased (being an atheist), but I believe religion can cause paranoia, and it has to do with the thought patterns associated with belief. And when I say 'religion' I'm referring to the big religions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc. In other words, religions that believe in a god. The main thought pattern that I believe leads a believer to paranoia is the belief that "God is always watching". I don't believe a person can escape paranoia with the belief that they are constantly being watched and strictly judged (to determine whether a soul gets tortured forever or rewarded). Personally that would drive me nuts. From what I've seen of religion's influence on people, it seems to be mostly negative, but maybe I'm biased.  

freedom of choice & what its limits should be.

The one thing the vast majority have in common is a belief in freedom of choice. Unfortunately, some people hold a double standard when it comes to personal choice. In other words, they believe in their own freedom to chose what they want for themselves, but don't believe in it for others. I hold this view not out of love for all people, but for the sake of "weeding" out the misfits from the socially productive. Right now it seems that our government (United States) wants to hold everyone's hand, but should this really be the job of the government? To micromanage people's lives/personal choices? If a person wants to behave in a way that is sell destructive, why not let them? Isn't not letting the self-destructive dig their own graves prolonging the inevitable? I believe so. And how hypocritical are we to claim that we live in a free country? This is a country where a person can jump over 20 buses on a motorcycle (probably breaking every bone in their body and/or dying), but get thrown in jail for smoking marijuana. We are a backwards people.

The limits of freedom of choice should be with basic things like: murder, rape, stealing, verbal assault (i.e. threats/intimidation), destruction of property, etc. Politically we are so damn concerned about what other people are doing, and this is not in the spirit of our founding fathers (overseas and at home). 

We need to value values again.

Many atheists don't want to admit it, but the demise of religion (majority of Americans are very casual, and one step away from being atheists/agnostics) has left a gaping hole in our societal values. Not that religion is the only possible source of these values, but the majority of people have no other understanding of the importance of values. Many Christians believe that if God isn't real, there is no purpose to things like ethics, morals, and values. The real problem here is our societies reliance on religion as a source of values. Without religion, we as a society are left with a hole that the culture industry is apparently (and destructively) filling. It's why I believe along with math and science, kids should have a class focus on values and morality. This is going to be a short blog post, this is just food for thought.

How can we create an alternative for religion to formally (a must) teach children how they should behave?

ItsTheSuperFly vs. Thunderf00t (atheist drama on YouTube?)

Here is the video ItsTheSuperFly is referring to....



This doesn't make atheists look bad at all. Thunderf00t was just having some fun with these headcases. And he isn't a  pervert (only a dumb-ass would think he was); he is simply interpreting the King James Bible in a way that most people would—in a modern context. Reality check: The King James Bible IS the bible the Westboro Baptist Church utilizes. Who is to say that the writers of that version didn't intend for it to be euphemistic? To say that two men are lying together in a bed IS inferring that they are having sexual relations. Within the context of the King James Bible, Thunderf00t isn't wrong. A Greek version of the bible is completely irrelevant here, the Westboro Baptist Church DOESN'T USE THAT BIBLE. The problem appears to be with the interpretation of those that wrote the KJV (they are known for their errors).

It's odd how someone that claims to be an atheist has such a reverence for biblical scholars. Someone that "dedicates" (i.e. wastes) that much time studying mythology is a waste of space. If you read this ItsTheSuperFly, perhaps you should use your all-mighty biblical wisdom and attack Christians, not atheists (you're wasting your time). Atheists have better things to do with their time than read the bible. I mean, I like to flip through the book for some laughs from time to time, but to make a serious effort in studying it is a complete waste of time. Christianity shouldn't be debated using scripture, it should be debated using science (an area where Thunderf00t is an expert). Atheists shouldn't strive to be biblical scholars, that would be dumb as hell.

Derealization (Disassociation and Depersonalization) and Anxiety

From my experience as a major anxiety sufferer, disassociation and depersonalization have been major problems in of themselves. I believe most people have experienced these things at some point in their lives, but if you haven't, you probably wont be able to understand it.

For me, I would describe derealization as coming on in attacks (like a panic attack). Like, it comes on all at once, and everything seems very confusing and unreal. I remember this one time in school... just sitting in the class room, and bam! (a derealization attack hit). This event happened early on in high school. If you have a real derealization attacks, it is one of the weirdest things you will ever experience. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like the soul completely (or almost) disconnects from its life. You can still observe things, but it has an incredible simplicity of focus, and nothing seems real (not even yourself).

Here, I'll just list the symptoms of a derealization attack:

-Intense mental fog
-Feeling disconnected
-Everything seems dream-like.
-Cognitive ability/control severely diminishes.
-Paranoia
-Euphoria
-Perceptual changes (you see both the world and self very differently).
-Fear of going insane/losing control.

Sounds like fun right? Probably not, lol. It can actually be one of the scariest experiences a person can have. But, it doesn't need to be scary. If we are able to recognize it when it comes, and be aware that it isn't permanent, it can be mind-expanding to an extent (although I wouldn't recommend it). The best thing to do is to not be afraid of derealization—if anxiety is the cause of the derealization, than being fearful of it will only exasperate it.

I've found the best cure for derealization is mindfulness. It seems to greatly help both anxiety and derealization. If you don't know what mindfulness is, basically it is a strong focus on the senses which leads to a stronger awareness of the self (which consequently reduces worrying thoughts, which typically is the cause of anxiety). Mindfulness can pull an anxious person out of the gutter (i.e. their imagination). If you're worried about things that are real, be mindful, all that is real can be seen there. Thoughts are thoughts, nothing more, nothing less—stop believing that your daydreams/dayterrors are real—they are just thoughts, focus on reality.

Diversion

Diversion is a technique that all sufferers of anxiety should possess in their arsenal. What is diversion? It is anything that takes the focus off your anxiety. One of my favorite diversion tactics is to count (1...2...3...4...) until I feel mentally relaxed. I find that once I reach between 500-1000, I feel much better. What diversion does is disrupt the sequence of thinking that causes anxiety. Another method of diversion (and probably the best, but takes practice) is mindfulness.

I remember back a little while ago at the college, I would use the counting diversion when walking between classes. It seems crazy, but it is much more sane than the alternative. Another tactic I've used is focusing on my breathing, again, this and all other forms of mindfulness take time to develop. It's important to be aware that diversion is NOT running away from the anxiety, it's a process of switching the thought process to something that isn't anxiety provoking. The main source of anxiety is our thoughts, and if we can control our thoughts, we can control our anxiety.

Of course there are many many times of diversion, and the key is to find the right type for yourself. Here is a list of ideas...

-Positive self-talk
-Reading
-Watching TV
-Mindfully listening to music (relaxing music)
-Going on a walk
-Writing
-Counting
-Meditation
-Talking with people (avoid stress-producing topics, talk about things that are happy/interesting)

The key is to stop your mind from worrying. One of the biggest worries people with anxiety have is the anxiety itself. So never worry about anxiety. In fact, embrace your anxiety. Anxiety is your friend, worrying is your problem. If you didn't have anxiety, you would never become aware of the real problem—worrying. Think of anxiety as being like a smoke alarm, alerting you that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Many anxious people are so used to worrying, that they don't even notice that they are doing it (it's part of their habitual routine).

For those readers with anxiety problems, try doing some diversion, and let me know how it works. I'm very interested in any and all feedback.

If Atheists Acted Religious

I thought this video was funny, so I figured I would throw it up here. Atheists tend to be a quite demographic, and only "speak out" when they are being attacked. On the other hand, atheists that try to express their views are quickly confronted about it. There is a double standard in this country. Fortunately it seems that things are getting better for atheists, and this country seems to be becoming more tolerant. At the end of the day, people should be free to both have and express their beliefs (within reason) without being attacked.

The maker of this video is DarkMatter2525, check out his channel if you liked this video.

Don't worry about your anxiety

My anxiety used to be terrible. The high levels of stress caused a depression so bad that I literally wanted to die. Overtime I begin to turn my focus on the things I was worrying about. Instead of trying to cure myself of anxiety, I sought to cure myself of the troublesome thoughts. And I've found that one of the main things a person with an anxiety disorder worries about is the anxiety itself. Ask an anxious person what the symptoms of anxiety are, and they will more than likely have a long, detailed list. Anxiety should never be worried about, anxiety is NOT the problem. Anxiety is a symptom of a problem, it is not the problem itself. In reality, anxiety is a very useful tool; it is a powerful alerting mechanism.

Anxiety alerts us that there is a problem. Without experiencing anxiety, we would go a long time without being aware that anything is wrong (why treating the symptom is counterproductive in the long run). Like people that are unable to experience pain, they end up constantly hurting themselves more than a usual person because they don't have the "woah, something is wrong!" alert to protect them. The problem is worrying, and our anxiety is trying to tell us that. This is why awareness is key to overcoming anxiety. It is very important to be aware of the thoughts we are thinking. When we become aware of the thoughts we are thinking, and label them as thoughts, our experience of reality becomes much more realistic. After a thought is properly labeled, we then are able to dissect the thought, and determine if the thought has any usefulness. A thought should only be encouraged if it is useful. A useless worry—like worrying about anything that is "out of our hands"—is completely pointless. The only outcome of worrying about useless thoughts will be stress. If we stress ourselves out, we harm our ability to deal with the things we can control. If you notice a worrying thought, go through the following steps...

1. Become aware that what you are experiencing is a thought, and label it as a "thought". 
2. Tell yourself that the thought is just a thought, no matter how real experiencing it seemed. Reality is found in the senses, not in our thoughts. The past and future are not real, just thoughts, and thoughts need to be properly labeled.
3. Ask yourself if you can realistically do anything about the worrying thought in reality. If nothing can be done about the perceived problem, then try make yourself to understand this by making an effort to accept it. 
4. Bring your focus back to the senses, to reality. Typically the scariest things we experience in life are our own thoughts. Daydreams (or dayterrors) are the primary source of anxiety for most people. To tell yourself that "it is just a dream" (or as I said earlier, a 'thought'), takes the emotional sting out of it.    

I believe awareness and a realistic worldview is the key to overcoming anxiety. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to leave a comment. Also, I'm going to be putting in a new chat room very soon.

My take on the "anxiety cycle"

I have recognized a clear cognitive cycle that perpetuates my anxiety symptom. I have some worrying thought (a thought that I believe to be real), this causes the release of stress hormone, and this causes the anxiety symptom.

Random Thought: Anxiety itself is a symptom of a problem, not the cause.

In order to stop the anxiety problem the cycle must be broken. Oftentimes with anxiety problems the biggest source of worry is over the 'anxiety symptoms'. So medicines are used to treat the symptoms, which reduce worrying, which stop (hopefully not temporarily, but more than likely not permanent) the cycle of anxiety.

But there is a much easier way to stop the anxiety cycle. The answer is to stop worrying. Worrying is caused by improperly labeling thoughts as being MORE than thoughts (if we believe a thought, it has the power to cause a stressful response in the body). The answer is to properly label a thought as a thought, whenever we experience it. Such as, if a thought about a past event, a stressful one, pops into my awareness, and I think of it as being MORE than just a thought, it has an effect on me. If I am able to become aware that the thought entered my awareness, and properly label it as just a thought (which is what it boils down to), then it will not cause the stressful response.

And that's it! To stop anxiety we must stop delusionally believing our thoughts are MORE than thoughts. Get into the habit of becoming aware of your thoughts, and properly labeling your thoughts as 'thoughts', and label your mental state when being aware of your surroundings as 'reality'. Creating this distinction is the true cure for anxiety (the cause is the lack of distinction between reality and thoughts falsely believed to be reality). Remember, thoughts are nothing more than thoughts.

I have found the answer to solving anxiety (and many other cognitive disorders)

Big claim? It's true, I have found the answer to solving anxiety. It came from a realization I have recently had that anxiety is caused by thoughts. You're probably thinking: "No, sh!t". But this is an important realization for curing anxiety. A thought causes a stressful reaction within the body when we believe it is more than just a thought. When a child believes the thoughts they are having about the boogieman are real, their bodies generate a stressful reaction. The problem here is not the thoughts, but the perceptions of the thoughts. Perception is the problem. We can think a thought all day long, and it can only causes a stressful reaction if we believe it is true. The easiest way to sort all of this nonsense out is to correctly label a thought as being a thought. Thoughts are nothing more than thoughts, and all that is real is mindfulness (the immersion into a strong awareness of the senses). The mere fact that the thoughts of an anxious person are bothering them so much clearly reflects a distorted reality (i.e. that thoughts are real, and thus causing the physiological reaction).

Well, anyways, just food for thought. I am going to make a huge effort to make people aware of the true root cause of anxiety. On this blog I'm going to talk about my journey overcoming anxiety (the realization hasn't permeated all of my worldview yet). I'm also starting a YouTube channel (click me for channel).

Thunderf00t -Westboro Baptist Church (full interview)

I threw a short clip of this earlier up on this blog. Here is the full interview. Aren't Christians adorable? :)

That old hag is probably the most annoying bitch I've ever seen. She barley let Thunderf00t get a few words out before she would cut him off. She simply isn't open to the opinions of others. She (I use the word 'she' loosely) is the perfect example of close-mindedness in action. A person who is confident with their worldview should not be afraid of the opinions of those that disagree with it. She is obviously very angry; anger is an emotion born out of fear, and it is safe to say that she fears atheism.

BTW, didn't Jesus teach love? The Westboro Baptist Church's message is the polar opposite of the one Jesus had.

Thunderf00t Vs. Westboro Baptist Church (hilarious, much watch!)

"You're a filthy pervert"

Oh, that is probably the most hilarious thing ever. When the bible says "when one man lie with another man" or "sleeps in the same bed", it is referring to homosexuality (duh?). It's funny how easily offended and insecure those woman are. Thunderf00t made their day complete. I bet that is the last time the Westboro Baptist Church members have an interview with an atheist :P

How to destroy atheism?

I found this video on YouTube (surfing around out of boredom), and I must admit, I feel like atheism has been completely proven wrong by this video. Sarcasm aside, none of these arguments discredit atheism (i.e. prove a god exists). One of the most F@cked up things about this video is that the narrator is infering that atheists believe pedophilia is morally permissible. Some people have some really twisted minds. When we hear about a pedophile, it typically isn't an atheist (at least the pedophiles that I've seen in the news).

"The god of atheism is science". 

If science was a god to atheists, the atheists wouldn't be atheists (duh?).

"In an atheistic world, everything is in a constant state of flux or change"

....dot dot dot.....This point here is such a great one for debating atheism, that things change over time. How could we atheists have been so wrong as to think that things change over time? I mean, everything today is the same as it was yesturday....there must be a god!

"But if evolution is true then we are just biological bags in motion."

Kent Hovind was apparently this guy's biology teacher.

"In atheism man is just another animal"..

Human dignity has nothing to do with atheism. "Man" is not JUST another animal. Obviously humans are special, and it is also obvious that it is up to humans to determine their level of dignity. Believing in God does not create a sense of dignity, it detracts from dignity and turns humans into play-things for an all-powerful being. Atheism has improved human dignity by liberating man from the tyranny of organized religion.

Atheism and moral-relativity

Atheism is often linked (wrongly) with moral-relativity. Before I go any further, let me make it clear that moral-relativity is NOT morality, but a belief system that seeks to destroy morality. Many famous atheists try to promote moral-relativistic ideas under the banner of atheism, and impressionable herd-atheists automatically accept these ideas. The great majority of atheists are not freethinkers in reality (most people in general aren't), they blindly follow atheists leaders in the same way that Catholics follows a priest. It is especially the herd-atheists that typically are moral-relativists, those that go to the moral-relativism stance on their own are just not very "bright". For those moral-relativistic atheists that are reading this, think of an actual example for where moral-relativity applies. And remember, I'm looking for an ACTUAL example, not a made-up one.

The fact of the matter is that there are right and wrong answers to each and every situation. Moral-relativists use fantasy to imagine how moral rules don't apply in every situation, and this allows them to ignore the rule completely (and/or ignore individuals that violate moral rules). I've written many posts going into detail for why moral-relativity is stupid (just search for "moral-relativism" in the search bar at the top).

The biggest problem I see with atheists associating atheism with moral-relativity is that it creates the false assumption that people can only be moral if they believe in God. In other words, that without a belief in God, a person can't be moral. If a person claims to be a moral-relativist, people automatically assume they are an atheist (which is obviously another problem altogether). It makes people assume that atheists are all amoral or immoral, which isn't the case for all atheists. We are beings that do exist, and there are behaviors that promote psychological well-being and flourishing, and behaviors that do the opposite. There are moral answers to all questions, the "anything goes" moral system is bogus. And it makes the atheist community look bad when an atheist promotes such nonsensical ideas.

Atheism causes depression?

http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism_and_depression

In the above link, www.conservapedia.com claims that atheism causes depression. And as I'm going to write, I believe this could be possible (but not directly because of atheism, but because of laziness).

Yes, it is possible that atheists are more likely to be depressed than theists. Atheists tend to not believe that life has a purpose (one of those falsely associated beliefs with atheism). Atheists simply need to do a better job thinking about purpose/meaning of life. It is not that religion is amazing in this department, it's just that atheists are not handed meaning and purpose from a book—atheists must come up with these things on their own. For those atheists that believe we are just chemicals and the product of chance, and that life has no meaning, such a worldview would obviously cause depression. Atheists are free to believe anything other than a god (to maintain their atheism). For example, an atheist can believe in souls and destiny (I do). Everyone should find meaning and purpose in life, religion does this easily, atheism requires work in this area. Atheists do no necessarily have to be more depressed.

Religion perhaps does create a greater sense of well-being. Believing that there is a God that is holding people accountable probably helps clear up psychological turmoil created by the immoral. Chaos (the true nature of the universe) is not psychologically beneficial to be aware of, a false sense of order no doubt can be helpful. The image of an evil person burning in hell creates a sense of balance in the minds of believers.

APB #6: If only Adam and Eve didn't sin....

This blog post is going to be about what would have happened if Adam and Eve didn't eat the 'forbidden fruit'. Obviously I'm an atheist, so I don't believe the story actually happened—but, I'm going to play the devil's advocate here (pun intended).

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve sinned because they ate a fruit, and then became embarrassed about their nudity. This caused them to cover their genitalia—which apparently angered God (God lost his eye candy). If Adam and Eve didn't sin by eating the fruit, all humans would still be naked. This shows that God's intention is for people to not wear clothes (i.e be naked), and that wearing clothes is unnatural/against God's will.

Isn't that such a heartwarming story?

What is the message behind it?

Don't eat fruit that will make you wear clothes?

It's as if God wanted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit...why else would he put the damn tree there?

The tree the fruit came from is called the "tree of knowledge of good and evil". Apparently being naked is evil, but why would God want people to not be aware of what is good and what is evil?

From an objective perspective, it's a weird story (a weird story among many in the bible). That's the nice thing about being an atheist, I don't need to seriously ponder such questions—unlike a Christian who has to make sense of nonsense like that. 

APB #5: Pat Condell on Islam and 'left-wing pricks'

Left-wing pricks...gotta love to hate them ('hate' too strong of a word?).  Political correctness is the enemy of free speech (free speech rights are pointless if we can't offend someone). It seems that 'left-wing pricks' want to create a nerf-world for everyone to live in. Left-wingers claim to want to change the world so that it is a better place—but things cannot be improved unless some people get offended. All political correctness does is perpetuate hatred by not letting it settle itself out. A person should be free to communicate their ideas freely, no matter how controversial (unless the intent is to cause physical harm to others).

I believe most atheists are on the same  page when it comes to protecting freedom of speech, but I'm sure some have been brainwashed to fight against it (as with nearly all groups). People need to grow thicker skin.

APB #4: (4th of July) my thoughts on patriotism and the state of the country

I'm not exactly the most patriotic person in the world (probably not second either). I, unlike many Americans, will not blindly be proud of something because I'm expected to be. But that doesn't mean that I don't like living in the United States—I do. To put it simply, I don't like the country enough to feel proud of it. There are some historical moments I'm proud of (and some that disgust me)—but I'm talking about the country in its present state. Watch the television, go on the internet—the country is in a pitiful state for many reasons. Anyways, that is not the point of this blog post; in the next few hours it will be the 4th of July, and so will come another celebration filled with fireworks (which symbolize body-dismembering explosives).  Hopefully, in time, we become known for something other than being good at war.  

APB #3: Atheism is spiritually liberating

The image used in this blog post is one shot by the Hubble telescope. Thinking about the vastness of the universe is incredibly spiritual for me (as it should be for all people). Before I was an atheist, I was a Christian. I found theism to be incredibly limiting spiritually (this I noticed in hindsight). While many atheists have thought themselves out of thinking subjectively—such atheists are really ignoring the closest thing to truth that they can ever experience—the self. And it's a shame too...many atheists leave one spiritually limiting belief to take on others. Even though atheism doesn't necessarily cause people to ignore spirituality, it certainly has many associated beliefs that do. Anyways, a perfect example for how atheism can be liberating is the fact that many Christians refuse to practice yoga because they believe it is evil. An atheist is free to practice things like yoga and meditation without having to worry about what "God thinks". Obviously I can't speak for all Christians, but I remember how I felt discouraged to think about anything that went outside or contrary to what was taught by the church. I suppose that I had this paranoia about thinking the wrong thought, and ending up in hell. I suppose people have different interpretations and experiences with Christianity, but for me, going to atheism was intellectually very liberating—and it requires a free intellect to explore the subjective.

Attribution: image by NASA-hubble (http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

APB #2: Abortion is immoral if...

Abortion is immoral if we place a value on human life. If you are pro-choice, this blog post will be like nails on a chalkboard. I've found that most atheists are pro-choice, which doesn't seem reflective of a group of individuals that claim to be 'thinkers'. I believe atheists are pro-abortion (pro-abortion = pro-choice) because many of them are overly objective, and are unable to understand the value of human life beyond its superficial appearance. The matter that makes up a human being is surely not what gives it its value (the matter that makes up each person can't be worth more than $10)—no, it is potential and joy of experience that gives life its value. Pro-abortionists argue their case by dehumanizing (by objectifying) human life by labeling it as 'a mere ball of cells' or 'just a fetus'.  Pro-abortionists refuse to think of human life as being human life (which is obviously delusional).

Pro-abortionists often point to how millions of sperm die on a regular basis, and that each one of them is a 'potential human life' in the same way that an embryo or fetus is (similar argument is made using the eggs). Again, this is an attempt to minimize the disgusting act of having an abortion (the killing of offspring). And it's a poor argument. It's like saying that a bullet and gunpowder are completely harmless—ignoring the fact that if the gunpowder is in a copper shell with a bullet, it has the potential to kill. Alone, the sperm and egg are not a potential human life, but when combined, the product is. Human life is more than the cells that make it up. It is the potential of pleasurable experience that makes life worth living (it is why we work and sacrifice), and to get an abortion is to deny an entire life—typically for the sake of convenience.

Pro-abortionists—I tend to find—are immature and illogical (at least when confronted with pro-lifers). Here is a good example of this. In this video there is an off-duty police officer spraying pro-lifers (who are doing a peaceful demonstration) with water and vinegar 

(Part 1)



(part 2)

This probably would have been a bigger issue if it was a pro-lifer spraying pro-abortionists during one of their demonstrations. Gotta love the media bias. This incident occurred in Ventura California, and according to a news report, no charges were filed. However there is some "internal investigation" within the police department. 

APB #1: Can Atheists Be Moral?

I'm going to be changing my blog up so that it is more orderly. From now on I'm going to be numbering my blog posts (this being the first I'm numbering). By doing this I'm hoping to make it a little bit more pleasant to follow (APB = Atheist Perspective Blog). This first blog post is going to be about atheist-morality. Morality is one of those areas that are still open for debate (part of me believes in belief for some people, but that is not the subject of this blog post). I see a lot of Christians using fear, guilt, and reward to motivate people to behave "good" (a sociopathic-morality in my opinion).


Can Atheists Be Moral?

Many people believe that atheists cannot be moral because it is "impossible" to be moral without God. While I'm not going to sugarcoat it—many atheists are not all that moral (many are)—this doesn't mean that atheists are unable to be moral. I like to think of myself as being a moral person (as I suppose most people do). And I believe that atheism liberates people from the pseudo-morality that God provides. I say that morality that God provides (or rather from the belief in God) is 'pseudo' because it not genuine at heart. The "morality" provided by God is born out of fear—true morality is born out of love (being good to avoid going to hell =/= being moral in my book). Being "good" because God is "watching" is acting out of a fear of the consequences. For example, when I was in middle school, I found an envelope on the ground. It wasn't sealed, and I saw that there was a ton of money inside (probably around $300). School was getting done when I found this—I could have easily pocked the money—but the thought never crossed my mind. Instead, I immediately went to the office, explained what happened to the secretary, and left her the envelope. That is what moral behavior is...no God needed. I returned the envelope because I was concerned about the person that lost the money; my actions were motivated by empathy, not fear of the consequences.

Be good for the sake of being good, not for the sake of avoiding punishment or being praised. Christians (or any similar religion) have a tough time finding a true source of morality (at least in my opinion) because they are constantly distracted by behaving out of fear or reward—this is what they learn morality is, which is wrong. Atheists are not as distracted, perhaps because the stakes are not as high for them (avoiding eternal punishment vs. eternal reward). If you see an atheist doing a good deed, he/she is more likely to be doing it out of the goodness of their heart. It's hard to tell if a believer is just being good for browny points, or in spite of the fact that they are being "watched and judged".

Benefits of an imaginary god?

Everyone (except atheists and agnostics) have an imaginary god. Are there psychological benefits to having one? I'm going to list the pros and cons of having a god. I used to have one before I became an atheist, so I feel this list is relatively accurate. (The list of pros and cons is not in any particular order.)

Pros:

- Source of confidence.
- Increased sense of control over surroundings.
- Feeling of loneliness is less present.
- "Sinners" are punished (making it easier not to hold onto hatred).
- Fear of death is easier to overcome.
- Increased sense of purpose.
- Increased sense of order in the universe.
- Feel safer.
- "Someone" to talk to about problems.
- Increased sense of belonging.
-Easier to attain peace of mind.




Cons:


- Potential feeling of always being watched/judged.
- Potential decreased ability to distinguish between objective reality and imaginary reality.
- Potential fear of nonbelievers.
- Potentially manipulated by those that claim to represent your god.
- Potential fear of science.


Those are all the pros and cons I could come up with at the top of my head. If you disagree, or wish to add things to the list, put the addition into the comment section, and I'll consider adding it. I'm an atheist that believes in belief, sorry (not really) to those atheists that want a hate fest. I see the belief in a god as a useful coping mechanism. Some people's minds are more suited for utilizing this coping mechanism than others (to put it nicely)--and even though I don't share this "ability"--I do respect its usefulness. 

Pat Tillman's family insulted for being atheists by Army

It seems that only atheists are offended by atheists being attacked like this. If a similar statement was said about a Muslim in the military, it would have been a much much bigger issue.

While it seems trivial here, atheists don't believe in 'nothing' (would be impossible). Atheists believe in things, we just accept our ignorance and don't believe a god exists. Some atheists believe there is nothing after death, but this doesn't mean all atheists do. But even if an atheist doesn't believe there is anything after death, this doesn't make them any less of a person. This a major empathy problem, it seems some (more or less) members of the military lack this trait. We always here about some dumb-ass in the military saying or doing something terrible (like rape, torture, and so on). It seems the military needs to work on its empathy skills a little bit, it has killing down pat.

Atheist Officer Resigns From Military

This video was made in 2006 (ancient in YouTube years), but I'm sure discrimination against atheists is still a problem in the military. Being that the military is run by the state, it is really hypocritical to claim that there is a separation between church and state. Atheist or not, a person should not be subject to discrimination based on there beliefs (or lack there of). I tend to find that believers are much more paranoid about the beliefs of others than atheists are. While some atheists get all worked up over trying to convert the world, it seems to be a drop in the bucket when compared to Christians (% wise). 

YouTube DixonRants: Discrimination against atheism in the military? (+response)

The military doesn't want people that don't believe in God killing people. (Perhaps atheists are not as good at it?)

But it seems that this is religious discrimination in general (if the information in the video is accurate). I'm sure Muslims wouldn't feel very comfortable being subjected to such 'spiritual' tests either.

When it comes to spiritual beliefs and beliefs about the meaning of life, atheists are not left in the dark. Atheists can have both. Spiritual beliefs and meaning of life are areas that many atheists believe they are exempt from--even an atheist should possess beliefs on these things. To claim that an atheist cannot have a meaning/purpose of life is to imply that such things can only be had if God exists (which is bogus). For example, many atheists believe the meaning of life is to pursue happiness (I tend to agree with this).