Category: Critical thinking

The bastards got me

Integrity and intellectual honesty can lead a person out of the dogmatic prison of Christianity and the blatant profiteering of religious organisations

This is by far the longest poem I’ve ever written. It’s available on video at my YouTube channel here but I wanted to put out the text itself.

It’s not exactly brilliant poetry although I hope it’s not actually terrible. It is heartfelt though. This narrative poem describes my journey into and out of Christianity. Here I describe the cynical, opportunist exploitation of the evangelist, preying upon the desperate, the grief stricken and the depressed. I explain, at least in principle the not so subtle ‘carrot and stick’ trap that leads people to abandon actual knowledge in favour of bronze age stories written by people who genuinely didn’t know where the sun went at night.

Finally I explain how integrity and intellectual honesty can lead a person out of the dogmatic prison of Christianity and the blatant profiteering of religious organisations.

You can download the PDF below or go to the resources section of the blog. I hope you find it helpful.

The bastards got me poemDownload

Part 2 with Jonathan

It is my belief, which I told Jonathan several times throughout the discussion, that he simply is not equipped for this type of discussion.

This is both the longest and the most infuriating conversation I’ve had with a Christian. It’s definitely what you might think of as ‘long form’. It is my belief, which I told Jonathan several times throughout the discussion, that he simply is not equipped for this type of discussion. I have advised him to learn the basics of his religion and to actually read his Bible.

In the second half he demonstrates his utter contempt for anyone who doesn’t agree with him, his dismissal of any notion of equal rights and just how much he deserves the rarely applied (but in this case very well deserved) label of ‘Christofascist’.

His misogyny, racism, homophobia and xenophobia are expressed with a smug pride that has to be seen to be believed.

If we give people like Jonathan an inch they’ll drag us all straight back to the bronze age!

The rapture: before and after

But then I learned about the much more serious human tragedy that ensued

Two videos…

This week saw yet another in a very long line 0f failed raptures. There have been prophets and other assorted scoundrels promising apocalyptic rhapsodies since before that ancient Pharaoh had his minions put the first sandstone blocks together like ancient lego-based experiments in geometry.

At first I thought this was just another amusing interlude. Another crank claiming to know the end was nigh. That was my attitude when I posted this video…

But then I learned about the much more serious human tragedy that ensued. So I made this…

Discussing religion and mental health

Religion is NOT a mental disorder

I’m on the latest episode of the Unshaw podcast explaining why religion is NOT a mental disorder.

Just read the book!

Christians claim to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and yet they usually can’t even be bothered to read what it says.

Christians claim to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and yet they usually can’t even be bothered to read what it says. Surely if they really believed it was inspired by the most powerful (and interested) being in the universe – the Deity with the power over their eternal souls they might find the time to see what it actually says! I know I did when I was a believer.

He promised me a ‘brawl’

My debate with a man who seems to be a cross between an animist and a deist.

About a week ago Aaron Fauth issued a challenge on Facebook

Aaron’s challenge

I was happy to accept the challenge, if only because I was intrigued by his complete misunderstanding of atheism and of atheists in general.

I invited him to join me in a discussion with the two basic conditions I always include:

  1. We both have the option to record it.
  2. We can both publish the video UNEDITED wherever we choose.

This video is the result of our recent online conversation. What’s your opinion? Did Aaron live up to his challenge?

The Burden of proof

If I said I’d risen from the dead you’d say I’m playing games, If I claimed 500 witnesses you’d want to know their names.

If you want to convince me that something is true, If you’re making the claim then the burden’s on you. If I said I’d risen from the dead you’d say I’m playing games, If I claimed 500 witnesses you’d want to know their names. And if I said God wrote my diary, I’d anticipate inquiry. How you’d react to my diary, Is how your Bible seems to me. Of course, my diary’s bollocks, as you knew, As to the Bible, the burden of proof is on you!

Something instead of nothing

One of the silliest questions asked by theists: Can atheism explain why is there something rather than nothing?

An old mate of mine asked…
“Can atheism explain why there’s something rather than nothing?”
I was surprised because he’s a bright guy. One of the most intelligent lads in my old Grammar school as it happens. And yet his question was so ridiculously stupid I could hardly believe he’d asked it.
However, since it’s not uncommon for atheists of less intelligence than him to ask this same question I put my answer into a video so I won’t need to keep typing out the answer every time some theist presents the question as though it’s some sort of ‘gotcha’.
Spoiler alert… it isn’t.

Atheist epistemology?

I CAN ACCEPT SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE AND I CAN ACCEPT SOMETHING THAT EITHER HAS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OR WORKS IN PRACTICE.
I CANNOT BELIEVE SOMETHING THAT NEITHER MAKES SENSE NOR HAS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE.

I was challenged in a FaceBook group recently to discuss a series of points pertaining to religion, atheism and the philosophical bases of each.

Unlike the majority of these requests, things like

“Give me scientific proof that you’re an atheist”

which are too ridiculous to bother making a video about but this one was different. This demonstrated an intelligent approach apparently genuine issues that my interlocutor actually seemed to be serious about – and not just another theist troll.

Religion is not mental disorder!

Asserting that religion is mental illness is unethical, unreasonable and extremely arrogant!

I recently found myself talking to another atheist online.

This person began by asserting that religious belief is a mental illness. In fairness to him he did climb down from that very generalised position after a while but I know that many others are just as dismissive of their fellow men and women. Many theists think the same of all atheists and that’s just as silly.

In this video though my focus is on the general irrationality of all humans and how that is factored into the diagnostic process. My view is that all such assertions are unethical, unreasonable and extremely arrogant.

What do you think?

Let me know in the comments. And don’t forget to subscribe and share!