I said the other day that Derren Brown had found a new fan…Well, now I have a new HERO, after watching his special about how easy it is to convert people. Derren isn’t afraid of a challenge, so he goes about trying to “convert” people that doesn’t believe in God, and you’d be surprised at just how easy that is.

Consider this a little bit of education for all you “unbelievers” out there, on just how easy you can be brought back to the frays of irrationality.

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There’s a long stranding belief that Astrologers, psychics, and Tarot readers generally do no harm. Most people who read their horoscope do so out of sheer curiosity, and because they enjoy being surprised by the occasional reading that seems genuine. Of course, this belief often disregards the giant disfavor that is done to individuals who often rely on such quacks to tell them what do wit their lives.

The technique every psychic relies on is called “cold reading”. There’s nothing too difficult about it. First, you start off with a rather general statement about a person based only on their appearance and demeanor. You can then proceed by making educated guesses on what might be bothering someone. Human beings are generally very similar, and we all share the same fears that others would in our situation. In fact, a psychic could simply be reading the same generic profile and have every single client belief that it was an extremely accurate representation of their personality.

Enter Derren Brown. Derren is a performance artist who doubles as a debunker of psychics. He puts on shows to demonstrate to others how easily they can be fooled. In this particular video, he exposes just how easy it is for someone to fill in the gaps in their personality, by simply applying the most basic cold reading. Derren does not even need to be one on one with the person. A prewritten “assessment” and the victim’s imagination are all he needs to have them completely under his “spell”

It’s interesting to note that after the initial embarrassment and subsequent enjoyment of the performance, many of the participants left feeling more confident in their ability to apply rigorous skepticism to claims of paranormal talents. Some no doubt left with a distaste for the relatively cheap parlor trick being played on their friends and loved ones. Many probably left the studio wanting to warn them of just how easy it is to be fooled.

It takes professional entertainers to be able to fully awaken the rest of us to the dangers psychics can represent. An illusionist is aware that the same ability to fool people can be used to entertain as it can be to control, confuse, and abuse. They can appreciate the vulnerabilities of the human mind because it is their job to exploit them for our entertainment. No doubt they must look upon their counterparts, who claim supernatural powers while simultaneously bilking their fellow human beings of their hard earned money, with a great deal of contempt and anger. Mr. Brown has found an avid new fan with his obvious display of compassion. Keep up the good work!

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Remember Mother Teresa? You may recall that still today, every time someone fails to commit an act of selfishness, they are automatically criticized for not being like her. This woman is still revered by many as a symbol of goodness and generosity. Unfortunately, it would seem that her saintliness was not a result of her religious conviction. It seems to have been only a facade, as recently published letters indicate that for years, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu had completely lost her faith.

This stunning revelation is made all the more confusing by the fact that its publisher, Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, released the letters in order to bolster Mother Teresa’s chances at sainthood. Why? Well, according to this obviously confused preacher man, it supposedly demonstrates her tortured nature, and difficulty in accepting what can only be described by this humble writer as reality. Here are a few choice quotes from her:

“Where is my faith? Even deep down… there is nothing but emptiness and darkness… If there be God” please forgive me!

Such deep longing for God:¦ Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal

What do I labor for? If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true.”

She had asked that the letters be destroyed after her death, to cover up the fact that for almost a decade, she had completely lost her faith. The church decided otherwise, for reasons that are still quite baffling.

It’s a strange reminder that those that shroud themselves in the vales of saintliness often do so to cover up some gigantic flaw in their character. Obviously, I’m not saying that her faithlessness was such a flaw; on the contrary, it was a woman admitting to herself that there simply was no real evidence for her belief. Still, you have to wonder how many other high profile religious folks are simply closet atheists, hiding secret diaries that would otherwise expose their inability to admit to themselves and the world that they have stopped believing in fairy tales.

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I’ll be recording the podcast a little later in the week, but I thought I might ask my readers to participate in a little contest. It’s very simple: in the upcoming show, I’ll be talking a little bit about the legend of Atlantis. I recently watched this video, and was completely awestruck by just how ludicrous and ridiculous the claims are. In fact, they are so out there, my contest is to dare anyone to make a claim that is even more outrageous than the ones in this “documentary”. My entry goes a little something like this:

The lost continent of Atlantis is actually inhabited by lilliputians. In fact, the story of Gilligan is really just based on ancient texts regarding the tiny size of this lost world. The continent never sank; it is, in fact, the size of a soccer ball, and has merely never been detected. We know it’s location to be somewhere in the Atlantic, but beyond that, we can only guess. These tiny, technologically advanced humanoids are the descendants of an ancient race of space dwellers that were previously as big as mountains. When they saw the earth, they wished to colonize it, but realizing that they were too big, they used their understanding of magnets to shrink themselves down in a device called “The Minutron”.

I’m not entirely convinced this is actually less silly than what the video proclaims…it’s up to you to do better!

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CNN wrote an interesting article concerning the fact that over a quarter of Americans adults had read no books this year. It of course seems ironic that such a report is likely to go unnoticed, but I thought I might make a little comment regarding this sad state of affairs, and also of the underlying religious corollary behind it.

It seems a little bit funny that one of the people they interviewed, a man from Texas, claimed that reading made him sleepy. No doubt the idea of furthering one’s education, or even vocabulary, would seem to be an exhausting chore. Mr. Richard Bustos would much rather spend time in his pool, enjoying the benefits of living in a society where knowledge and intelligence is not a pre-requisite for success.

Now, I’m trying to make my living writing, so these kinds of stories tend to depress me a little. However, an interesting tidbit, which most would have probably ignored, was the interesting finding that those who did not attend any church services read more than double the amount regular attendees did. Also interesting was the fact that the Bible was the most popular book listed as those read in the survey, proving once again that despite the fact that it never seems to crack the best sellers list, the book still seems to dominate our modern culture.

With all that said, it’s a wonder that authors aren’t flipping burgers just to get by. It’s also equally sad that there the general population is getting less and less educated, despite the fact that we possess a fantastic opportunity to be the most educated civilization in history. The fact that as reading levels decrease, religious doctrine gains a greater foothold on the masses. It is within our interest as atheists and humanists to ensure that at night, the lights stay on a little longer…

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What you believe about the supernatural has a powerful influence over how you treat the natural, physical world. For instance, if you think that life begins right at the moment of conception, you may feel the need to deny the rights of others to terminate unwanted pregnancies. It wouldn’t matter if you lacked any real evidence of this; it’s inconsequential. Some can be so convinced of this fact that they would be willing to try any tactic to deny the ability for others to seek, what is essentially, a medical treatment.

In Denver, a Planned Parenthood facility is being built. Although they had attempted to construct it in secret, word quickly got out, and now, the Colorado Right to Life organization is attempting to protest its construction. Their objection comes from their theological conviction that contraception is evil, all fetuses should be brought to term, and that any planning beyond getting married and have more kids is probably the work of the devil.

All of this joyful protest would normally have gone right over my head, had it not been for an interesting article I read in the New York Times recently. It involved a study that found that 90% of pregnant women who have had a Down syndrome test choose to abort the fetus. Now I’m no mathematician, but the pro life group in the US doesn’t have those kinds of staggering numbers. That’s because when the issue of not having a normal pregnancy comes biting them in the face, many pro-choice have to consent that life can often be relatively cruel and hard, and that the benefits of being able to avoid the burden of a serious mental handicap often outweighs their supernatural convictions. In other words, the real world doesn’t always obey your simple, black and white, good and evil platitudes.

This is what this issue boils down to, really. People that are pro-choice and believe that an individual should have sovereignty over their own bodies don’t force young teenagers in Texas into having abortions. Many of them will quietly respect their neighbor’s right to procreate and raise children in their own fashion. Pro-lifers, however, do not generally have the same respect of their counterparts. They wish to suppress and deny these rights, if only due to their religious conviction. Whether they like it or not, the issue of when life develops, and deserves the same right as a breathing, thinking human being, is not a black and white issue, just as the termination of fetuses with Down syndrome isn’t. Just what is the right thing to do?

I don’t pretend to know the answer. I can only hope that we give people the chance to make the right decisions. In this case, it’s to allow someone the option of choosing the direction and course of their lives. I, for one, would never protest a facility that offers choices to people, since perhaps one day, I may be faced with a similar decision to make.

source: denver post / new york times

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A few weeks ago, I wrote a little article about a woman who cut down a tree and found the supposed face of the Virgin Mary. Having just destroyed what was obviously a water damaged overgrowth (which explained the dark stains in the wood), I commented that it looked rather like one of the helmets for the Lord of the Rings franchise. If I chased every religious icon story, this site would be overrun by one ridiculous story after another, which is obviously something I want to avoid.

However, one story seemed too delicious to ignore, and so I thought I’d share it with all of you. It’s regarding a chocolate shop owner, which celebrated their one year anniversary of the discovery of what is perhaps the saddest piece of chocolate I’ve ever seen; the Choco-Mary. Ok, that’s my name for it, but what am I supposed to call a giant glob of chocolate dipping which should otherwise have been thrown into the dumpster? Instead, the highly religious workforce sought to place the dripping in a sealed glass container, and allow droves of tourists to witness the delicious “miracle”

I won’t even tell you what it looks like; in any case it doesn’t matter. Had the dripping occurred in India, it probably would have been revered as being Vishnu. The point is that people see what they want to see. The employee who discovered the fatty treasure disclosed that she had been going through a crisis of faith. Obviously, this crisis was so serious it took a misshaped bit of dripping to overcome. What a miracle.

Is there a day when humans will stop seeing the Virgin Mary in a cheese sandwich? I’ll admit, the ability for humans to see, and to seek out patterns in nature is perhaps the biggest reason why we are artistic and creative. But we must come to understand that these symbols we create only have power and meaning so long as we GIVE them these properties; and we should be careful indeed over what powers we allocate to inanimate objects. Why are we so willing to put our faith in a piece of chocolate, when the rest of the world needs our attention and love?

source: cbsnews (come on guys, is there really nothing going on today?)

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The Quebec government has threatened legal action against a small group of Mennonites who operate a small school in the little town of Roxton Falls. The school, which does not teach the theory of evolution, and which relies heavily on the Bible for all of its classes, has no accredited teachers, and their programs have no been provincially approved. The religious group has therefore decided to uproot themselves, and move on to greener pastures. Although it remains to be seen which province will welcome their Dark Age teachings, these Mennonites have expressed regret that their “sacred” classes could not continue.

I for one, applaud the government for finally having some common sense. The fact that this school was even allowed to operate for more than an afternoon baffles me. It’s also encouraging that my home province in Canada is so willing to enforce strict adherence to tried and tested curriculum. The fact that none of the teachers were accredited, for fear that having studies outside their sheltered community would have “poisoned” their minds, demonstrates the innate fear many highly orthodox institutions have regarding the outside world. For them, it is not only a place of sin, but also of vile corruption. They so easily distrust any knowledge that does not stem directly from their holy book.

Of course, it’s ironic that their very exodus will likely be facilitated by the advances of technology; the cars they will drive, the telephones they will use to make arrangement, and perhaps even the website they will rely on for directions. All of these marvels of technology exist because we have an understanding of the physical world that a dusty old tome can never equal. We know how electricity works, and we harness it. We know how chemical reactions occur, and so our vehicles can propel themselves forward. Yet, despite these “wicked” technologies, Mennonites reap the benefits of others having a keen understanding of the natural world.

I don’t want to senselessly bash all Mennonites. They do good work; many take an active role in their community, and the religion places a high degree of emphasis on volunteerism. Unfortunately, what we don’t need are a bunch of Bronze age platitudes in the stead of real learning, and as a consequence, any “school” they open must follow the standard curriculum, whether they like it or not. They already live in a world that violently contradicts their most cherished beliefs; they just have to learn to deal with it better.

source: cbcnews

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A few days ago, I posted a letter I sent to my Christian counterpart. Here was his reply, and My answer to him:

Dear goodatheist,

Thanks for replying.
I just read everything you said and I agree on some issues with you.
I also can understand why you became an atheist. If I was probably in your position I would become one too because of the bad experience and of the education the Greek Mythology class.
I also bet that after that you did many reasearch [sic] on the issue of faith and religion and that bullet proof you beleif.

Many people believe in God by faith only and their hardcore evidence is the miracles and their spiritual testimony.
That’s fair enough for me, but I do believe that there is more evidence than just having faith and feeling somethings, in fact, we have to be careful and test our beleifs [sic] by also studying the facts and not just by feelings, I agree with you on that. For me it’s a balance. And the going only by feeling and emotion issue has created many different religions and beleif [sic] system, some of them factual and some of them erroneous.

Now. Here’s my claim.
I don’t believe in religion. I believe that religion is man made and can become a bondage just like any addiction.

But I also can’t come to the conclusion that God doesn’t exist, because as I already studied, it takes much more faith to believe in evolution and atheism than to believe in God.

I do believe in the Bible.
I’m a Chrisitan [sic], I don’t use is as a religon [sic] but as a lifestyle, and I do not take it by faith only.
I believe there has to be a balance of faith and reason and as I have discovered Christianity fits them both.
I like to study the facts answer logical questions and come to conclusions.

Now, when I ask a logical simple question to many atheist and I see that all of them instead of answering it they begin getting mad at me and even insulting me, that’s one of the proof that I have for not to believe in atheism because they just can’t answer my simple question. Or questions I should say. Now I hope you don’t take any offense in this, on the contrary I hope you understand me.

Now, if you want and are willing we can discuss this issue of faith and reason. Seeing and reading what you wrote and how you wrote your screenname I can see that you are a very nice person. That’s the reason I wish to take this discussion further.

Oh, here’s a book I recomend [sic] you to read.

The Case for Christ – by Lee Strobel

This guy was a profecional [sic] journalist and atheist who used to ask many of the questions many atheists ask today and how he found the answers by investigating the facts through reliable sources.

Now here was my reply:
Well, I’d like to first say that I appreciate your kind words, and your willingness to have an open debate with me. You may not, of course, like some of my answers to your queries, but I will try to answer and respond to them as best as I can.

Undoubtedly, you may have talked to a number of atheists that expressed frustration at your belief. They probably automatically assumed that you must not be educated, or perhaps are ignorant. I cannot make such a claim, as I’m sure there are people that are vastly more intelligent than I that are believers. It’s true that there are many atheists that are “rebels without a religion”. Their decision not to believe is a response to the overwhelming frustration and abuse they may have suffered at the hands of a church.

With that said, you must understand that a large number of atheists are not rebels without a religion, but rather are people with open minds that have examined the evidence and have become convinced there is none regarding the issue of god. You mentioned that it takes “faith” to believe in evolution. This may be for two reasons: #1. You may not have a good idea of what evolution is. Do you know what punctuated equilibrium is? Are you aware of how mitochondrial DNA works? Are you familiar with how inheritance works, and how speciation occurs? My guess is that you do not. It’s true that others who believe in evolution may do so out of blind belief. They may hold a reverence for people in lab coats and assume these people as their chaplains. But you must understand this very important point: That the evidence of evolution is there for you to discover. This process is not one where faith is needed at all. If you study how evolution works, your belief in its accuracy is no more a leap of faith than if you carefully examine a car and determine that it is in good shape. Its existence is manifest in that understanding.
#2. You believe that life is too complex to have originated by chance. This is a fairly common fallacy, since people are generally confused about how evolution works. Natural selection is not the product of chance. Although there is an element of randomness involved, only those traits that allow the organism a slight advantage over its competitors are carried over. This is due to the unique way genes work.

There are many common examples where we can see evolution at work. Since the agrarian revolution roughly 10,000 years ago, human beings have been selectively breeding plants and animals to serve their purpose. Different strands of wheat, rice, and corn still exist in the wild, but the version we eat now was crafted out of millions of different generation. Each time a yield increased, human being made the selection and continued the lineage. The same is true for dogs. In roughly the same amount of time, particular traits, such as aggressiveness, speed, and size have all been bread for. This is how evolution works.

It has also occurred to me that you may believe in the Bible without actually having read it. If you believe in the bible, you must take the position that it is the infallible word of God. But doing so puts you in a very precarious situation. Why? Because the Bible is filled, not only with countless contradictions, but also with many elements that we find morally repugnant today. In Deuteronomy, God commands that any person that tries to divert you from God, be it your sister, friend, or even parents, are to be stoned to death.

Now you can say that the Bible is sometimes the word of God, and sometimes simply the human interpretation of his words. However, this creates a new dilemma: which parts are we to believe? It’s convenient and easy to simply ignore the elements of the Bible that we feel no longer serves our lives, but which ones must you discard, and which ones should you keep? You could say that the 10 commandments are a good start, but only 2 really deal with laws that we find useful today (for murder and thievery). It is also, quite clearly written in the Bible that these things apply between Jews, and were not to be applied to other tribes. This is why Joshua was so easily incensed to commit genocide to the Canaanites and the Hittites.

As for the existence of Jesus, the story of the messiah comes as a direct consequence of the death of King David. It was prophesied that one of his descendants would come back and re-instate the kingdom of Zion. But even Mark and Mathew cannot agree on the actual lineage of Jesus. In any case, both believed that Joseph was of David’s lineage, but “immaculate” conception places Jesus outside such a lineage anyhow. It now begs the question: why would Mark and Mathew need to create a lineage that had no merit anyhow?

The answer, and the very answer I have regarding the existence and history of Jesus, can be answered during the council of Nicea, in the 5th century. This is when the books that comprise the Bible were gathered, translated, and made into the contemporary Bible you know of today. However, these books were translated from ancient Greek, and in Greek, the word for young maiden translates to young VIRGIN. By doing so, the council of Nicea initiated a drastic change in the mythology of Jesus, and cemented the legend of his birth forever…

You may not in actual fact be aware of just how knowledgeable I am regarding both the Bible, and many other religions. It is this knowledge that has given me the clarity of mind to realize that the need to believe is sometimes more powerful than the need to know the truth. I can fully appreciate that wanting to believe in God is a natural human need, but this need does not describe objective reality. The balance that you seek, between rationalism and faith, exists because issues of faith are never open to discussion. As such, no real balance exists. Instead, you live the majority of your life using reason (such as when you buy a used car, or when you solve a math problem). But when you are faced with an important decision where you do not know what to do, you would rely on faith to tell you the answer. I would much rather admit that I don’t know the answer to a question than automatically assume that I knew the answers to the most pertinent questions in the universe.

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