early on in life, i thought i was a writer. i wrote all the time. then i grew up and realized it was all lame BS teenager shit. i quit. to this day i am not sure if that was a good or bad idea. regardless... when i was writing i would often present myself with writing challenges as inspiration for a greater result. one of my challenges was to write 100 short lines about me. so i did. 7 years later (this week) i decided to do it again. i wanted to compare the old me and the new me and see how much had changed. i will put the old 100 first. the first 25 of the second 100 are in direct relation to the old 100. they are things that changed. after that its just 75 other useless things about me.
the first 100
100. My middle name is Daniel
99. I got hit by a car when I was 10
98. I was in the Cub Scouts.
97. I played soccer as a child.
96. Mountain Dew was my favourite drink until I was in high school.
95. My life long goal is to work a Tool show.
94. I started off on WebTV.
93. I didn't start driving until I was 19
92. I am currently living with my parents.
91. I've seen the movie The Highlander a few hundred times.
90. I know all 50 states in alphabetical order.
89. I've been to half of them.
88. I own a John Tesh CD.
87. I sleep naked.
86. I hate animals.
85. I have my cabbage patch kid from when I was very young.
84. I'm obsessed with Nike.
83. Taco Bell is heaven. Try the quesadilla.
82. I am 1 of 4 children, the only male.
81. I have two nieces and one more on the way.
80. I'm some what addicted to buying DVDs.
79. I hate Star Wars with a burning passion.
78. I don't use ketchup.
77. I dropped out of high school at the age of 16.
76. I had my tongue pierced for 4 years.
75. My first job was at a record store.
74. I am everything I never thought I would be, and I'm glad.
73. I am constantly in love.
72. I love Bass, the beer, from the tap.
71. I am amazed by humanity every day.
70. Yes, I am avoiding relationship related points.
69. My most acclaimed achievement is a website I do for free.
68. My first concert was not one I wished to attend.
67. Please, don't serve me sour cream.
66. I don't have health insurance.
65. I am self employed.
64. It hurts to cry.
63. I am selfish
62. A dead body has never passed my line of sight.
61. I wish I had a larger vocabulary.
60. I have the urge to fly kites but never do.
59. There is no god at all.
58. I like to play with electricity.
57. I still have the shoes in which I learned to walk.
56. I want you to ask me about my writing.
55. Fight Club gives me hope.
54. I'm not very good at anything and that scares me.
53. I used to roller skate a lot and often miss it.
52. I stopped wetting the bed (also diaper) when I was 6 months old.
51. I sleep on my top bunk.
50. My current home is the only one I have ever known.
49. I have two guitars that hang on the wall.
48. James Horner makes me sleep better.
47. I hate everything about my mouth.
46. More often that not I fall asleep in my contacts.
45. I could draw very well when I was younger but have since given up interest.
44. Living in a large city is appealing to me.
43. Keep that spoon away from me.
42. I lost my virginity in a hotel room.
41. The summer of 2002 was the best of my life so far.
40. I am never in control.
39. I like to think I have lots of common sense.
38. So what, Brad Pitt IS hot.
37. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have my life.
36. Charles Bukowski makes me try harder.
35. I don't feel as old as I am.
34. I have lied to you about something.
33. My mom washes my whites.
32. $20 paid for a fridge in my room, just for Pepsi.
31. Over 25 Iron Maiden CD’s are in my collection.
30. Talking to girls is difficult.
29. I am not comfortable with my body.
28. I won an award for break dancing.
27. Michael Jackson is still as good as he was 15 years ago.
26. I'd like to live on the west coast for a while.
25. Tommy Girl is a total turn on.
24. I Google my name almost weekly.
23. I am a horrible golfer.
22. I love music, beyond being a fan.
21. History escapes me.
20. Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen) is my personal guidelines for life.
19. Yes, I have been to a strip club.
18. I think the US should use the metric system.
17. I miss her even when she’s right in front of me.
16. I started at 100 so I wouldn't have to think about how many I had left.
15. I used to pray for David Letterman's salvation.
14. I'm not sure I have a best friend.
13. I want to be famous.
12. Buying porn in NYC at 5am is more fun than you'd think.
11. My children will never believe in Santa.
10. My name in a major label CD release would be a dream come true.
09. I wear boxers and briefs.
08. I wasn't expecting this to take so long.
07. I don't spend enough time with my family.
06. I once played drums in the church band.
05. Lisa was to be my name had I been born female.
04. My wife should be a wonderful dancer and I not too proud to learn.
03. Being slightly perverted makes me who I am.
02. I would like to own a Lexus SC430.
01. I don't think this was worth the effort.
BH February 18, 2003
the second 100.
1. Mountain Dew is my favourite drink again... non-alcoholic.
2. I no longer wish to work a Tool show. I think it would ruin my love for them.
3. I stopped with the whole Nike thing.
4. I have 3 nieces, 1 nephew, and a great-niece.
5. I stopped buying DVD's in exchange for broadband delivered media.
6. I will barely touch Bass beer with a 10 foot pole now.
7. My most acclaimed achievement is my work ethic.
8. I have to watch out during sappy movies. I might cry.
9. The only dead body I have ever seen was a strangers, while servicing a funeral home.
10. I don't have a top bunk now. Hell, I don't even own a bed.
11. I have lived in 4 places. Two states.
12. I still have two guitars... one is new. I smashed one of the old ones.
13. I have a hard time remembering the 50 states now... at least past the N's.
14. I've been to all but 3 of them.
15. My life gets better each year.
16. I never ever want to live on the west coast.
17. Bukowski is still the only thing I care to read that isn't non-fiction.
18. I rarely ever Google my own name.
19. My greatest friend is Noah.
20. I absolutely do not want to be famous.
21. I got my name in a few CD releases. It is still cool.
22. I only wear boxer briefs. I removed the and.
23. Being so hammered in Glasgow that you don't remember buying porn, better than NYC porn.
24. I don't care about the Lexus anymore.
25. There is nothing better than a good hot dog.
26. I am a very above average Tetris player.
27. I sometimes make my own beer.
28. XBOX has a major grip on my life.
29. The occupation of guitar tech took my by surprise.
30. It won't be my job forever. I have other things to do.
31. I have no middle ground. I am an extremist.
32. My left arm will never be the same again.
33. I will more than likely always live in Richmond.
34. At some point, I will jump out of a plane.
35. I do nice things and don't tell people about it because I'm scared it will seem like bragging.
36. Gravity is the most impressive thing..... ever.
37. Dessert is not on the menu.
38. I HATE L.A.
39. I think we should use mid-wives.
40. As long as they are both of legal age and they both consent, I don't care who does what naked.
41. I'm really really really not into seeing your band play.
42. I have never shot a real gun.
43. I prefer to drink alone.
44. I wish mushrooms were poisonous. Then they would never accidentally be on my plate.
45. Doritos Spicier Nacho. Best. Chip. Ever.
46. 46, I am very hopeful about 46. I want it to change everything.
47. When I order General Tso, I never say Tso.
48. I eat too much and too fast.
49. I don't really care what you think.
50. I've never been arrested.
51. I keep trying to convince myself that romantic love is a choice.
52. I will buy CD's as long as they are available.
53. Eel tastes better than I thought. That only took 30 years to find out.
54. I used to be crazy, now I don't care how the shampoo bottles sit in the shower.
55. Christina Ricci. Mmmmmm.
56. There is a really good chance that I think you're an idiot. I am sorry about it.
57. I over think.
58. I forget to cut my finger nails. A lot.
59. This is taking even longer than the first time.
60. I hate horror movies and not because I get scared but because they are stupid.
61. I accidentally got high while painting my room using primer with the windows closed.
62. I spend too much money on tools.
63. There is something wrong with my skin. Only on my head and face.
64. I don't enjoy my talents.
65. Five Guys. Nuff said.
66. I own 7 guitar tuners.
67. Somehow, I quote Dumb and Dumber daily.
68. I have a real problem with using paper but not with using paper towels.
69. I can make a really loud popping noise with my ear.
70. NASCAR should be outlawed.
71. I don't like the Beatles. I am sorry.
72. More than likely, I will have a 3rd Mo-Hawk
73. There is no exit strategy. I am not scared yet.
74. I'm ok with Macs. I am not ok with Apple.
75. Shaving is lame.
76. When people are irritated by my finger tapping, I quietly use my teeth.
77. That I can remember, I have never punched anyone.
78. Indifference is a turn off.
79. I speak in superlatives.
80. Real candles are unsafe and I do not approve.
81. I wear the same size jean as I did in high school. Just a lower cut.
82. Drugs are bad.... Mmmkay.
83. Total Google fanboy.
84. Names escape me. Faces last forever.
85. I've been livin' out of this here suitcase for way too long. (19 months)
86. I forget to vote. I justify that by not bitching about politics too much.
87. I enjoy the chase.
88. I have had 4 ingrown toenails treated by killing the nail bed. You can't tell.
89. I out grew a stanosis of the aorta.
90. In high school I ran the mile in under 6 minutes. I'm scared to try now.
91. If I have kids, I want to quit drinking.
92. I wash my (very very very very few) whites with my darks.
93. I keep bottles of water in my car. Just in case.
94. Middle names are useless.
95. The universe blows my mind.
96. I hate swimming.
97. Cash sucks.
98. This took longer the second time around.
99. I only have one “what if?”.
100. This is it. Make it count.
October 30, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
5 things you shouldn't say to an atheist.
i think the blog title says all that needs to be said. no forward needed.
1. "you're just being closed minded"
OK, this one should be pretty obvious but i will answer for the people that always say it to me (as unlikely that it is that they are reading this, i will be open minded to the possibility). i was first introduced to god the same way that i was introduced to everything. as a child. i was told that there was a real god, he was the creator of all things, all things happen as a result of his will and that my eternity will be decided based upon my reaction to free will. all of this was told to me as fact. undeniable fact. certainly to question the existence of a personal and almighty universe creating god would be outlandish and unnecessary.
now, lets say as a child i turned over a rock to see what was underneath it or caught a lightning bug to count how long it takes between illuminations... would you call me closed minded? if i grew up and continued to search for answers and followed through on ideas... would you call me closed minded? if you could, i would most certainly have to argue your deduction. more than likely by writing something similar to this. the notion that an atheist has a closed mind is a complete misjudgment by the accuser. you see, having an open mind is most likely the reason that the atheist came to the end result that he/she is an atheist. we dared to explore different ideas than the very first one planted into our minds. i would actually argue that the person with a religious belief has the closed mind, as they have most likely never explored the possibility that there is another option aside from god.
2. "i don't need proof, i have faith"
well, then you have faith that i bought you that BMW don't you? i mean, i did buy it for you. no, at no point can you drive it or even see it in this lifetime. but its yours. go rush out and tell everyone that you have a BMW. while you're at it, tell them that i bought them one too. what? you don't have faith that i bought you a BMW? maybe you think that because you know my financial status, or that you know there aren't enough BMW's for everyone in the whole world. wait a second, are you thinking rationally about the promise that i made to you? are you deciding, based on logic and reasoning, that there is no way that i can possibly be telling the truth? you sure are. now, when i had faith that there was a god, i started doing the same thing that you just did to my BMW promise. now i am an atheist. go ahead, give it a try. i would bet that you start to reverse the words of question 2.
3. "i will keep you in my prayers"
please don't. some may call this one personal opinion. maybe some atheists consider it a kind gesture and i will try to explain why it isn't. i ask you this... you probably don't believe in positive effects of practicing witch doctors, right? would you let a witch doctor chant over you in order to heal some soft of ailment? see, to me prayer is very much the same thing. that witch doctor wants to heal and help very much like you feel your prayers would help or heal me. but just as crazy as you think that witch doctor ways are, i think yours are. i know that sounds really mean and for that i am slightly sorry but i do want you to understand what is really going through my head as i grin and bear it.
another reason is that i don't feel like it is 100% in the spirit of love and concern for my well being. why? because unless it is required by holy law that i know, my knowing wont effect your prayer. taking that into consideration... when you tell me that you are going to pray for me it is just you getting in the last word. no different than two people arguing and one has to say something completely over the volume of the other and then slam the door as to prevent a rebuttal. you are just doing it with more tact. it is rude. pray for me all you want, just don't rub it in my face.
4. "what if you're wrong?"
i imagine that this one is very common across the board. i would guess that every atheist that is vocal about what they believe has been asked this one quite a few times. it was once asked to Richard Dawkins during the Q&A part of one of his lectures. He did a perfect job in answering it. ill give you the cartoon version as it is slightly more entertaining.
i love this for a few reasons....
first, how arrogant of anyone to assume that they know the answer to things that we currently cant answer. this is probably where you say "but you assume that you're right". this is were i set you straight. you see, i have come to a conclusion about the existence of a supernatural being based on everything that the wonderful world of science has placed before me. it makes the most sense and holds up the best when put against the laws of physics and nature. if tomorrow, someone came up with evidence to prove otherwise, evidence that lead to a more refined and precise conclusion... i would adhere to that. you might say that is what an agnostic is. again, will set you straight. i do not believe in god. i have no reason to believe in god. if i had lived thousands of years ago i would not believe that the earth was round. when someone came to me and put it in my face that it was, i would go "wow, awesome. how about that, a round earth". it isn't that i am unsure about a god. it is that i don't believe in one and will continue on that road until otherwise proven. sorry, i just cant trust the text of ancient people telling me that they got me a BMW.
second, a persons religion is so closely tied to the time and place that they were born that you could pretty much determine which religion they are based upon those two details. this is almost non debatable. sure, there are exceptions but for the extreme majority it is true. this is largely due to what i like to call the tooth fairy effect and touches on certain parts of part 1 of this blog. as children we just take everything that adults tell as truth. i totally believed that there was a tooth fairy. her name was Tia and she lived on a sedan sized island in the middle of the James river in Richmond. kids will believe anything. again, please refer to part 1 and more specifically paragraph 1. it was preached to me that there was a christian god. i believed it. my parents believe it. their parents believed it and so on. it has to be the only answer and most certainly is right. wrong. you think you are right because you were told you are. i think i am right because i went looking for answers. my answers give me a more probable sense of "right" than your religion. my answers have started to take "what if" out of the equation.
third. what if I'm right. why don't people ever ask it that way to themselves first? i will tell you. to ask it that way shines a negative light on their belief. to ask it that way opens up the conversation to the possibility of there being no god and not just the possibility that there is. from my perspective, this reinforces the fact that people under the influence of religion are far more closed minded. if you want to say I'm twisting words and trying to make a big deal over phrasing, go ahead. we both know its a valid point.
fourth. "what if your car explodes today" "what if cell phones cause cancer?" "what it, what if, what if..?". i can not live my life and make my decisions based off of the fear of what i believe isn't real. i will not stop driving just because there is a slim to none chance that my car will explode if i drive it. i will not stop living my life the way that i do just because there is no proof that i will go to a made up place when i die. i feel sad for people who default to believing in god purely out of fear.
5. "well then where do you get your morals?"
um, evolution. duh. now, if you re a creationist... you may as well skip this part. id love for you to read it but you just wouldn't understand. you can skip to the next paragraph. are they gone? good. OK, on with the reasoning. i think its pretty obvious that without morals and an instinctive sense of right and wrong then the species we are would have never come to be. we are not the most fit of all the species in the world when we stand alone but when we come together as a group... that's a different story. we traveled in packs and watched each others back. i can only imagine that if one of the group decided it was in their best interest to act like an ass that the rest of the group would cut them off. i don't see how we could have survived any other way than taking care of each other. looking out for the tribes best interest is just like looking out for the best interests of the individual and is a very integral part of who we are and how we came to be such a dominant species (stealing no credit from our big brain).
welcome back creationists. now we look at your morals. since an atheist cant have any because all morals were created by god then we can only refer to yours. how about that biblical slavery? awesome stuff. and rape? racism? yeah that too. yup, its all there. in exodus we learn that we can buy a slave and keep him for 7 years. now, if he gets married while he is your slave and has kids, you get to keep the wife and kids. the only way that he can stay with them is if he stays your slave. also, slave owners can sleep with slave women at their disposal. you could beat them too. the only catch is you cant kill them. as long as they heal in time it is a-ok. slaves continue even into the new testament where it is told to slaves to respect their owners as they would respect christ and vise versa. um, why not just say "hey, don't keep slaves.... its freakin wrong". rape... Duet 22:28-29 says its cool to rape a girl as long as you pay her dad 50 silver and then marry her and never divorce. i bet she will be soooo happy to marry her rapist. racism.... the slaves were foreigners. the 7 year thing was only for Hebrews, other races you could keep forever and pass down to your kids. you could not enslave an Israelite. WOW!!! morals huh? is this the part that you argue that its all changed now and that the new testament makes it all better? i refer you to that visa versa part from Ephesians. further, if the old testament makes it all different.... why are the ten commandments still so freaking important?
i don't feel like i need to defend myself about morals any longer. it is plain as day that the ethical decisions we make are not at all tied to those of religion. they are tied to the survival and advancement of humanity. besides, at the end of the day i like knowing that i make the honorable choices that i make because i want to and not because i am scared of going to hell.... oh, that's not why you make your moral choices? you mean you'd still make good choices without the influence of god? HA, gotcha.
6. there is no six. this thing is called 5 things, not 6. i just wanted to use the number as a way to notate that the 5th thing is over.
that's it, all done. i wanted to do more (like "what happened to you that caused you to abandon god?") but then i realized how freaking long this thing had become. so i am done. maybe i will do another 5 in another blog a good chunk of time from now.
if you're reading this line, thanks. it means a lot to me that you pushed thru all of the bad grammar and the huge opinions. really, thanks.
me.
1. "you're just being closed minded"
OK, this one should be pretty obvious but i will answer for the people that always say it to me (as unlikely that it is that they are reading this, i will be open minded to the possibility). i was first introduced to god the same way that i was introduced to everything. as a child. i was told that there was a real god, he was the creator of all things, all things happen as a result of his will and that my eternity will be decided based upon my reaction to free will. all of this was told to me as fact. undeniable fact. certainly to question the existence of a personal and almighty universe creating god would be outlandish and unnecessary.
now, lets say as a child i turned over a rock to see what was underneath it or caught a lightning bug to count how long it takes between illuminations... would you call me closed minded? if i grew up and continued to search for answers and followed through on ideas... would you call me closed minded? if you could, i would most certainly have to argue your deduction. more than likely by writing something similar to this. the notion that an atheist has a closed mind is a complete misjudgment by the accuser. you see, having an open mind is most likely the reason that the atheist came to the end result that he/she is an atheist. we dared to explore different ideas than the very first one planted into our minds. i would actually argue that the person with a religious belief has the closed mind, as they have most likely never explored the possibility that there is another option aside from god.
2. "i don't need proof, i have faith"
well, then you have faith that i bought you that BMW don't you? i mean, i did buy it for you. no, at no point can you drive it or even see it in this lifetime. but its yours. go rush out and tell everyone that you have a BMW. while you're at it, tell them that i bought them one too. what? you don't have faith that i bought you a BMW? maybe you think that because you know my financial status, or that you know there aren't enough BMW's for everyone in the whole world. wait a second, are you thinking rationally about the promise that i made to you? are you deciding, based on logic and reasoning, that there is no way that i can possibly be telling the truth? you sure are. now, when i had faith that there was a god, i started doing the same thing that you just did to my BMW promise. now i am an atheist. go ahead, give it a try. i would bet that you start to reverse the words of question 2.
3. "i will keep you in my prayers"
please don't. some may call this one personal opinion. maybe some atheists consider it a kind gesture and i will try to explain why it isn't. i ask you this... you probably don't believe in positive effects of practicing witch doctors, right? would you let a witch doctor chant over you in order to heal some soft of ailment? see, to me prayer is very much the same thing. that witch doctor wants to heal and help very much like you feel your prayers would help or heal me. but just as crazy as you think that witch doctor ways are, i think yours are. i know that sounds really mean and for that i am slightly sorry but i do want you to understand what is really going through my head as i grin and bear it.
another reason is that i don't feel like it is 100% in the spirit of love and concern for my well being. why? because unless it is required by holy law that i know, my knowing wont effect your prayer. taking that into consideration... when you tell me that you are going to pray for me it is just you getting in the last word. no different than two people arguing and one has to say something completely over the volume of the other and then slam the door as to prevent a rebuttal. you are just doing it with more tact. it is rude. pray for me all you want, just don't rub it in my face.
4. "what if you're wrong?"
i imagine that this one is very common across the board. i would guess that every atheist that is vocal about what they believe has been asked this one quite a few times. it was once asked to Richard Dawkins during the Q&A part of one of his lectures. He did a perfect job in answering it. ill give you the cartoon version as it is slightly more entertaining.
i love this for a few reasons....
first, how arrogant of anyone to assume that they know the answer to things that we currently cant answer. this is probably where you say "but you assume that you're right". this is were i set you straight. you see, i have come to a conclusion about the existence of a supernatural being based on everything that the wonderful world of science has placed before me. it makes the most sense and holds up the best when put against the laws of physics and nature. if tomorrow, someone came up with evidence to prove otherwise, evidence that lead to a more refined and precise conclusion... i would adhere to that. you might say that is what an agnostic is. again, will set you straight. i do not believe in god. i have no reason to believe in god. if i had lived thousands of years ago i would not believe that the earth was round. when someone came to me and put it in my face that it was, i would go "wow, awesome. how about that, a round earth". it isn't that i am unsure about a god. it is that i don't believe in one and will continue on that road until otherwise proven. sorry, i just cant trust the text of ancient people telling me that they got me a BMW.
second, a persons religion is so closely tied to the time and place that they were born that you could pretty much determine which religion they are based upon those two details. this is almost non debatable. sure, there are exceptions but for the extreme majority it is true. this is largely due to what i like to call the tooth fairy effect and touches on certain parts of part 1 of this blog. as children we just take everything that adults tell as truth. i totally believed that there was a tooth fairy. her name was Tia and she lived on a sedan sized island in the middle of the James river in Richmond. kids will believe anything. again, please refer to part 1 and more specifically paragraph 1. it was preached to me that there was a christian god. i believed it. my parents believe it. their parents believed it and so on. it has to be the only answer and most certainly is right. wrong. you think you are right because you were told you are. i think i am right because i went looking for answers. my answers give me a more probable sense of "right" than your religion. my answers have started to take "what if" out of the equation.
third. what if I'm right. why don't people ever ask it that way to themselves first? i will tell you. to ask it that way shines a negative light on their belief. to ask it that way opens up the conversation to the possibility of there being no god and not just the possibility that there is. from my perspective, this reinforces the fact that people under the influence of religion are far more closed minded. if you want to say I'm twisting words and trying to make a big deal over phrasing, go ahead. we both know its a valid point.
fourth. "what if your car explodes today" "what if cell phones cause cancer?" "what it, what if, what if..?". i can not live my life and make my decisions based off of the fear of what i believe isn't real. i will not stop driving just because there is a slim to none chance that my car will explode if i drive it. i will not stop living my life the way that i do just because there is no proof that i will go to a made up place when i die. i feel sad for people who default to believing in god purely out of fear.
5. "well then where do you get your morals?"
um, evolution. duh. now, if you re a creationist... you may as well skip this part. id love for you to read it but you just wouldn't understand. you can skip to the next paragraph. are they gone? good. OK, on with the reasoning. i think its pretty obvious that without morals and an instinctive sense of right and wrong then the species we are would have never come to be. we are not the most fit of all the species in the world when we stand alone but when we come together as a group... that's a different story. we traveled in packs and watched each others back. i can only imagine that if one of the group decided it was in their best interest to act like an ass that the rest of the group would cut them off. i don't see how we could have survived any other way than taking care of each other. looking out for the tribes best interest is just like looking out for the best interests of the individual and is a very integral part of who we are and how we came to be such a dominant species (stealing no credit from our big brain).
welcome back creationists. now we look at your morals. since an atheist cant have any because all morals were created by god then we can only refer to yours. how about that biblical slavery? awesome stuff. and rape? racism? yeah that too. yup, its all there. in exodus we learn that we can buy a slave and keep him for 7 years. now, if he gets married while he is your slave and has kids, you get to keep the wife and kids. the only way that he can stay with them is if he stays your slave. also, slave owners can sleep with slave women at their disposal. you could beat them too. the only catch is you cant kill them. as long as they heal in time it is a-ok. slaves continue even into the new testament where it is told to slaves to respect their owners as they would respect christ and vise versa. um, why not just say "hey, don't keep slaves.... its freakin wrong". rape... Duet 22:28-29 says its cool to rape a girl as long as you pay her dad 50 silver and then marry her and never divorce. i bet she will be soooo happy to marry her rapist. racism.... the slaves were foreigners. the 7 year thing was only for Hebrews, other races you could keep forever and pass down to your kids. you could not enslave an Israelite. WOW!!! morals huh? is this the part that you argue that its all changed now and that the new testament makes it all better? i refer you to that visa versa part from Ephesians. further, if the old testament makes it all different.... why are the ten commandments still so freaking important?
i don't feel like i need to defend myself about morals any longer. it is plain as day that the ethical decisions we make are not at all tied to those of religion. they are tied to the survival and advancement of humanity. besides, at the end of the day i like knowing that i make the honorable choices that i make because i want to and not because i am scared of going to hell.... oh, that's not why you make your moral choices? you mean you'd still make good choices without the influence of god? HA, gotcha.
6. there is no six. this thing is called 5 things, not 6. i just wanted to use the number as a way to notate that the 5th thing is over.
that's it, all done. i wanted to do more (like "what happened to you that caused you to abandon god?") but then i realized how freaking long this thing had become. so i am done. maybe i will do another 5 in another blog a good chunk of time from now.
if you're reading this line, thanks. it means a lot to me that you pushed thru all of the bad grammar and the huge opinions. really, thanks.
me.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
instead of something useless...
i have mentioned kiva on twitter before and i think that maybe that pushed to facebook and buzz and whatever else i have connected. i like kiva. you should too. please watch the video and then keep reading.
...also, check out the website. here is a link in case you missed the first two. KIVA.ORG!!!!!!
please finish my blog. thanks.
just under a year ago i found out about this website via a television commercial. i got excited about their idea very quickly. i think i had typed the URL in my browser bar before the commercial was even over. that is one benefit of having your laptop by your chair at all times. i read about the organization on their website, wikipedia, and a few other sites because i wanted to make sure they were true to their mission. i have a real problem with shady causes and charities. like cancer walks that spend too much money on t-shirts and bumper stickers. i was pleased with my research and decided to make a loan.
i made just one at first and within a few weeks i had seen some of that money come back to me. as a result, i made a few more loans. once enough had been paid pack, i re-loaned that same money. as i look back over the past year, it seems as if i am making about one loan per month. the coolest thing about that, a good portion of what i am spending is just repaid money from people who have paid off their loans. the fact that i can impact multiple lives all from the same initial loan is just awesome to me. another great aspect of this (in my opinion) is that you arent just handing money out to a homeless guy that you are worried will spend it on booze or drugs. you are providing help to someone who is committed to making their life better. someone who is accountable. responsible and goal oriented. someone who is improving their local economy. i am a much more satisfied with putting my money into something that has hope and drive behind it.
My Kiva Profile
i am not going to apologize for cliche... but the smallest loan you can give is 25 bucks. do you really not have 25 bucks? i bet if you cut out a few things from your overwhelmingly important and event filled life, you could scrounge up 25 bucks. i dont even need to come up with good ways to do it, because they are all right in front of you. also, i am not saying 25 bucks a month. im just saying 25 bucks. once youre repaid for that, you can lend it again. your 25 bucks will go on forever. or you can be a crap head and get it back once its repaid. just freakin'n do it... and then invite 5 friends to do it and make them invite 5 friends. 5 successful invites gets you another 25 bucks to lend.
thanks for finishing.
...also, check out the website. here is a link in case you missed the first two. KIVA.ORG!!!!!!
please finish my blog. thanks.
just under a year ago i found out about this website via a television commercial. i got excited about their idea very quickly. i think i had typed the URL in my browser bar before the commercial was even over. that is one benefit of having your laptop by your chair at all times. i read about the organization on their website, wikipedia, and a few other sites because i wanted to make sure they were true to their mission. i have a real problem with shady causes and charities. like cancer walks that spend too much money on t-shirts and bumper stickers. i was pleased with my research and decided to make a loan.
i made just one at first and within a few weeks i had seen some of that money come back to me. as a result, i made a few more loans. once enough had been paid pack, i re-loaned that same money. as i look back over the past year, it seems as if i am making about one loan per month. the coolest thing about that, a good portion of what i am spending is just repaid money from people who have paid off their loans. the fact that i can impact multiple lives all from the same initial loan is just awesome to me. another great aspect of this (in my opinion) is that you arent just handing money out to a homeless guy that you are worried will spend it on booze or drugs. you are providing help to someone who is committed to making their life better. someone who is accountable. responsible and goal oriented. someone who is improving their local economy. i am a much more satisfied with putting my money into something that has hope and drive behind it.
My Kiva Profile
i am not going to apologize for cliche... but the smallest loan you can give is 25 bucks. do you really not have 25 bucks? i bet if you cut out a few things from your overwhelmingly important and event filled life, you could scrounge up 25 bucks. i dont even need to come up with good ways to do it, because they are all right in front of you. also, i am not saying 25 bucks a month. im just saying 25 bucks. once youre repaid for that, you can lend it again. your 25 bucks will go on forever. or you can be a crap head and get it back once its repaid. just freakin'n do it... and then invite 5 friends to do it and make them invite 5 friends. 5 successful invites gets you another 25 bucks to lend.
thanks for finishing.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Cowboys and Zombies - Red Dead.
so, red dead redemption (RDR) is getting another download content (DLC). this will be the 4th. the first was awesome, the second was pretty good, the third seems pointless and the 4th.... well, it looks amazing. but i have a problem with it.
well before any DLC was released for this game, it was perfect. it was tasteful and the story was gripping. the characters had great qualities and you could believe in them. and the story, did i mention it already? yeah? well, i meant to. it is that amazing. i have played plenty of video games and not a one of them held me and surprised me as much as that of RDR. it is a story set in the wild west of a man with a dark past who has set out on the journey to set things straight so that he can live a long and prosperous life with his family. everything about it was just right. the pacing of game play in contrast to cinematic, length of campaign. everything was just right. it was a work of art.
i used the word art on purpose.
earlier this year roger ebert posted a blog and in its contents mentioned that video games are not a form of art. well, obviously the gaming developers and community were outraged and came back with a vengeance and made mr ebert eat his words, though not before they could be dipped in molten lava.
the gaming world was right. video games are art. they are scored by award winning composers and scripted by some of the most inspired writers. they have directors coaching every scene. every twitch of a 3d finger. you cant deny the artistic passion that is poured into almost every facet of these games. hell, at times you can hardly even call them just a game.
this is where it starts to get weird.. i mean, not really weird, i just change my mind about video games and art.
you see, the 4th DLC for RDR is going to introduce zombies. DAMMIT!! now, i love a good zombie game as much as the next guy. left for dead blows my mind. but its left for dead. RDR is not. here, try this...
left for dead is to red dead as dawn of the dead is to the unforgiven.
you see? do you understand now why i think this sucks. no? really? you suck. i will try something else. how about this, you dont ride to the top of the empire state building for the thrills, you do it for the grandeur. you dont ride the superman at 6 flags for the grandeur, you do it for the thrills. RDR is a game not just in a class all its own, it is of a class all its own. although shooting hordes of zombies with my ol style repeater seems fun i cant help but assume how generic it will make such a stylish game feel in a matter of seconds.
Mr Ebert was wrong about video games.... at least til they get zombies.
well before any DLC was released for this game, it was perfect. it was tasteful and the story was gripping. the characters had great qualities and you could believe in them. and the story, did i mention it already? yeah? well, i meant to. it is that amazing. i have played plenty of video games and not a one of them held me and surprised me as much as that of RDR. it is a story set in the wild west of a man with a dark past who has set out on the journey to set things straight so that he can live a long and prosperous life with his family. everything about it was just right. the pacing of game play in contrast to cinematic, length of campaign. everything was just right. it was a work of art.
i used the word art on purpose.
earlier this year roger ebert posted a blog and in its contents mentioned that video games are not a form of art. well, obviously the gaming developers and community were outraged and came back with a vengeance and made mr ebert eat his words, though not before they could be dipped in molten lava.
the gaming world was right. video games are art. they are scored by award winning composers and scripted by some of the most inspired writers. they have directors coaching every scene. every twitch of a 3d finger. you cant deny the artistic passion that is poured into almost every facet of these games. hell, at times you can hardly even call them just a game.
this is where it starts to get weird.. i mean, not really weird, i just change my mind about video games and art.
you see, the 4th DLC for RDR is going to introduce zombies. DAMMIT!! now, i love a good zombie game as much as the next guy. left for dead blows my mind. but its left for dead. RDR is not. here, try this...
left for dead is to red dead as dawn of the dead is to the unforgiven.
you see? do you understand now why i think this sucks. no? really? you suck. i will try something else. how about this, you dont ride to the top of the empire state building for the thrills, you do it for the grandeur. you dont ride the superman at 6 flags for the grandeur, you do it for the thrills. RDR is a game not just in a class all its own, it is of a class all its own. although shooting hordes of zombies with my ol style repeater seems fun i cant help but assume how generic it will make such a stylish game feel in a matter of seconds.
Mr Ebert was wrong about video games.... at least til they get zombies.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
It's a blog. Not a forum.
this is my blog. i post things about me or things that are on my mind. this is in no way a forum. i enjoy getting things out with or without anyone every putting their eyes on it. if i wanted to debate or discuss my posts, i would have found an appropriate place to spark the argument.
i also enjoy the comments. its nice to know other people think the same way or sometimes even learn from people who don't. BUT, the comments are in no way ever going to be viewed by me as the spark of debate. besides, blogger isnt really set up that way. it would just be some annoying list of comments that wouldnt be in an order that would aid to conversation. just chronological.
but thanks for trying.
i also enjoy the comments. its nice to know other people think the same way or sometimes even learn from people who don't. BUT, the comments are in no way ever going to be viewed by me as the spark of debate. besides, blogger isnt really set up that way. it would just be some annoying list of comments that wouldnt be in an order that would aid to conversation. just chronological.
but thanks for trying.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
why dont i believe? a tossed together pile of paragraphs about god.
i have always had a blog. this one dates back over 4 years. there was one before this one. i have never kept it private. I have had a twitter account for over two years. i have never kept it private. YouTube, last.fm, xbox, Picasa, all public. this way, friends and family members could read it without having to log in to an account or for that matter, set one up... depending on which of my outlets they were using to keep up with me. occasionally i would get someone i didn't know as a reader and i would just block them. the way i saw it, that's kinda creepy.
recently it became almost impossible to keep all of the strangers away while still letting friends and family members stay current on the happenings of me. so i gave up. now the sarcastic comments, preachy posts, and assorted ramblings are being noticed by a much larger audience than i had planned. as we all know, the Internet is a place where your audience has no patience for being silent. questions and comments abound.
one question stands out. "why don't you believe in god".
i only know one place to start with that. another question "why DO you believe in god?". you know what answers i don't want? i don't want bad ones like "because i can feel him" or "because the bible tells me so". i want a real rock solid reason why. just like the one i am going to try and give you.
so yeah, i don't believe in god. there was no tragedy that made me mad at him. no awakening. nothing instant. it almost makes me giggle that people think that believing in a supernatural power should be the standard and that anything different is unusual and warrants an explanation. Instead for me it was just an ever growing laundry list of things that made it all silly and ignorant and eventually phased out. I don't want to spend forever typing so i will just toss out a few things. again, these are just some. these are not necessarily the compiled few that helped me change my mind... just some that keep it changed.
one of the most fun to me is the misfortune of Galileo. Galileo invented the telescope. using the telescope he could confirm Copernican theory that the universe did not revolve around the earth and that in fact, the earth revolved around the sun. others before him were burnt to death by the catholic church for such claims. Luckily Galileo got off with just house arrest after being forced by threat of torture to say that the earth was the center of the universe by the church court. the church. Good news, the Vatican finally pardoned Galileo in 1992. i bet he is relieved.
if you think about that a little differently than just a brief part of a well documented life, you might see something else....
because of a lack of understanding about how things in the world and even further, the universe work... an idea was "made up". earth at the center. i wonder what the people who decided that the earth was at the center made up about other things. common sense and basic logic would have to leave any thinking person to draw the conclusion that before the ability to draw scientific and fact based conclusions all conclusions are made up.
honestly that right there should be the end of it. why don't i believe in god? because i can't subscribe to the conclusions drawn by people who had no clue. you wont accept that as an answer though will you?
another point. study of other religions and beliefs in other deities. if i showed you a super duper awesome picture that i drew on a piece of tracing paper... would you think it was awesome or would you kinda look at me silly and think "dude, its not that special if you just copied it". well, simply put, multiple religions, namely the concept of Jesus as the Christ and even the birth and childhood of Moses are full on copies of many now disavowed deities from civilizations before. well, after learning so much about past beliefs i kinda look at the tracing paper that is Christianity and go "dude, its not that special since you just copied it". if its broken down as just a copy then we can also refer to the wonderful little atheist quip "i just believe in one less god than you". you see, over time there have been thousands of gods created to explain why and how we are all here. though most are similar i would assume that most people only believe in one... that they disregard all of the others as false. atheists do the exact same thing but just once more than everyone else.
Horus. The OG Jesus.
archeology. dinosaurs, neanderthal man, homo erectus. carbon dating. i will start with dinosaurs. said simply enough.... the story tellers of the bible can remember a dude walking on water but not gigantic reptiles the size of yachts running around biting the heads off of everything they see or birds the size of planes? oh wait, they must have been included in the few days of existence before man was created. you know, the god sized day. the one that is conveniently thought to be of an undetermined length of time despite it clearly saying day much like all of the other times the bible says day and means the typical cycle of day and night. maybe the Hebrew word they used for day in creation means undetermined length of time... check that for me. some people believe that dinosaurs were on the arc, some think that the bones were just placed by god as a test of faith. i say this to you, isn't believing in an all powerful creator that there is no real sign of other than some ancient text enough of a test of faith?
neanderthal and java man. how can you seriously look at the remains found of all prehistoric man and not believe in evolution? unless these bones are all a hoax then one would have to assume that creation as we know it is BS or that Adam and eve were prehistoric and certainly not the type to sit and have intelligent conversation with god or talking serpents about right and wrong.
carbon dating.... this place is old. really old. way older than the bible claims. unless we default back to that god sized day. which in its defense, if he is the creator of the universe he wouldn't have a day the same size as us because he doesn't live on earth. to think of it, would he even have a day? no, not unless he lived somewhere with a rotation. so really, the god day doesn't exist and he couldn't have worked for 6 of them and then rested. but back to the point... other than this god day, the bible indirectly states (through ages of men) that the earth is around 6000 years old. no way, Jose.
to reinforce my earlier statement... before they had a way to research and discover the way that we do, ancient people just fabricated a beginning to all of this. they didn't have the resources that we do now to find evidence to answer life's big questions. they couldn't possibly determine that we evolved and they couldn't possibly discover that there were dinosaurs before man or even man before man. there was no easy way of finding out about the universe and its size and age. they wanted answers just like we do, so they made them up or hypothesized. the funny part about that to me, the god hypothesis is widely believe despite no evidence, but the celestial teapot.... no one seems to buy into. why?
lets not forget the the constant wrong translations (virgin birth) and contradictions. god is love, there is no love in fear, fear god. how about the idea that god wants us to try and be like him... but he is kinda angry and jealous... neither of which we should be. day and night were created before sun and moon and that the moon gives off light instead of reflecting it. this is another topic that i could spend way way too long on so i will just post a picture that is a link. you should click this image and then check out the larger zoom-able pdf so that you can actually read it. it points out actual contradictions in the bible instead of the ones paraphrased off the top of my head.
at the end of the day, its just basic thought and the facts before us that make me an atheist. i was a born again christian and was raised in a christian house hold. even now as an atheist, i miss the companionship of a god. i see the advantages of believing. i just cant possibly let go of what makes sense in order to have faith in something that an uninformed people dreamed up. i cant use a book that has no historical or scientific support as a guidebook for life and i most certainly cant take it literally. that's the issue with the bible too, if you cant take it literally.... then you cant take it at all. some people assume that atheists decide not to believe because it gets them a free pass to be selfish and do whatever they want. some assume that without a god, there are no morals. that's just sad. there isn't a day that i wake up that i don't think about my belief. i know that this one life is all that i have and i better make it good. i better treat people the way they want to be treated and do the best i can to make humanity more enjoyable during the short time we are here.
i know i stuck to Christianity in this blog but can you blame me? its the majority belief in my country. had i been born in India as a Hindu, i would have spent more time on that, in the middle-east as a Muslim, i would have spent more time on that. also, i dont believe in ghosts or spirits or reincarnation.
recently it became almost impossible to keep all of the strangers away while still letting friends and family members stay current on the happenings of me. so i gave up. now the sarcastic comments, preachy posts, and assorted ramblings are being noticed by a much larger audience than i had planned. as we all know, the Internet is a place where your audience has no patience for being silent. questions and comments abound.
one question stands out. "why don't you believe in god".
i only know one place to start with that. another question "why DO you believe in god?". you know what answers i don't want? i don't want bad ones like "because i can feel him" or "because the bible tells me so". i want a real rock solid reason why. just like the one i am going to try and give you.
so yeah, i don't believe in god. there was no tragedy that made me mad at him. no awakening. nothing instant. it almost makes me giggle that people think that believing in a supernatural power should be the standard and that anything different is unusual and warrants an explanation. Instead for me it was just an ever growing laundry list of things that made it all silly and ignorant and eventually phased out. I don't want to spend forever typing so i will just toss out a few things. again, these are just some. these are not necessarily the compiled few that helped me change my mind... just some that keep it changed.
one of the most fun to me is the misfortune of Galileo. Galileo invented the telescope. using the telescope he could confirm Copernican theory that the universe did not revolve around the earth and that in fact, the earth revolved around the sun. others before him were burnt to death by the catholic church for such claims. Luckily Galileo got off with just house arrest after being forced by threat of torture to say that the earth was the center of the universe by the church court. the church. Good news, the Vatican finally pardoned Galileo in 1992. i bet he is relieved.
if you think about that a little differently than just a brief part of a well documented life, you might see something else....
because of a lack of understanding about how things in the world and even further, the universe work... an idea was "made up". earth at the center. i wonder what the people who decided that the earth was at the center made up about other things. common sense and basic logic would have to leave any thinking person to draw the conclusion that before the ability to draw scientific and fact based conclusions all conclusions are made up.
honestly that right there should be the end of it. why don't i believe in god? because i can't subscribe to the conclusions drawn by people who had no clue. you wont accept that as an answer though will you?
another point. study of other religions and beliefs in other deities. if i showed you a super duper awesome picture that i drew on a piece of tracing paper... would you think it was awesome or would you kinda look at me silly and think "dude, its not that special if you just copied it". well, simply put, multiple religions, namely the concept of Jesus as the Christ and even the birth and childhood of Moses are full on copies of many now disavowed deities from civilizations before. well, after learning so much about past beliefs i kinda look at the tracing paper that is Christianity and go "dude, its not that special since you just copied it". if its broken down as just a copy then we can also refer to the wonderful little atheist quip "i just believe in one less god than you". you see, over time there have been thousands of gods created to explain why and how we are all here. though most are similar i would assume that most people only believe in one... that they disregard all of the others as false. atheists do the exact same thing but just once more than everyone else.
Horus. The OG Jesus.
archeology. dinosaurs, neanderthal man, homo erectus. carbon dating. i will start with dinosaurs. said simply enough.... the story tellers of the bible can remember a dude walking on water but not gigantic reptiles the size of yachts running around biting the heads off of everything they see or birds the size of planes? oh wait, they must have been included in the few days of existence before man was created. you know, the god sized day. the one that is conveniently thought to be of an undetermined length of time despite it clearly saying day much like all of the other times the bible says day and means the typical cycle of day and night. maybe the Hebrew word they used for day in creation means undetermined length of time... check that for me. some people believe that dinosaurs were on the arc, some think that the bones were just placed by god as a test of faith. i say this to you, isn't believing in an all powerful creator that there is no real sign of other than some ancient text enough of a test of faith?
neanderthal and java man. how can you seriously look at the remains found of all prehistoric man and not believe in evolution? unless these bones are all a hoax then one would have to assume that creation as we know it is BS or that Adam and eve were prehistoric and certainly not the type to sit and have intelligent conversation with god or talking serpents about right and wrong.
carbon dating.... this place is old. really old. way older than the bible claims. unless we default back to that god sized day. which in its defense, if he is the creator of the universe he wouldn't have a day the same size as us because he doesn't live on earth. to think of it, would he even have a day? no, not unless he lived somewhere with a rotation. so really, the god day doesn't exist and he couldn't have worked for 6 of them and then rested. but back to the point... other than this god day, the bible indirectly states (through ages of men) that the earth is around 6000 years old. no way, Jose.
to reinforce my earlier statement... before they had a way to research and discover the way that we do, ancient people just fabricated a beginning to all of this. they didn't have the resources that we do now to find evidence to answer life's big questions. they couldn't possibly determine that we evolved and they couldn't possibly discover that there were dinosaurs before man or even man before man. there was no easy way of finding out about the universe and its size and age. they wanted answers just like we do, so they made them up or hypothesized. the funny part about that to me, the god hypothesis is widely believe despite no evidence, but the celestial teapot.... no one seems to buy into. why?
lets not forget the the constant wrong translations (virgin birth) and contradictions. god is love, there is no love in fear, fear god. how about the idea that god wants us to try and be like him... but he is kinda angry and jealous... neither of which we should be. day and night were created before sun and moon and that the moon gives off light instead of reflecting it. this is another topic that i could spend way way too long on so i will just post a picture that is a link. you should click this image and then check out the larger zoom-able pdf so that you can actually read it. it points out actual contradictions in the bible instead of the ones paraphrased off the top of my head.
at the end of the day, its just basic thought and the facts before us that make me an atheist. i was a born again christian and was raised in a christian house hold. even now as an atheist, i miss the companionship of a god. i see the advantages of believing. i just cant possibly let go of what makes sense in order to have faith in something that an uninformed people dreamed up. i cant use a book that has no historical or scientific support as a guidebook for life and i most certainly cant take it literally. that's the issue with the bible too, if you cant take it literally.... then you cant take it at all. some people assume that atheists decide not to believe because it gets them a free pass to be selfish and do whatever they want. some assume that without a god, there are no morals. that's just sad. there isn't a day that i wake up that i don't think about my belief. i know that this one life is all that i have and i better make it good. i better treat people the way they want to be treated and do the best i can to make humanity more enjoyable during the short time we are here.
i know i stuck to Christianity in this blog but can you blame me? its the majority belief in my country. had i been born in India as a Hindu, i would have spent more time on that, in the middle-east as a Muslim, i would have spent more time on that. also, i dont believe in ghosts or spirits or reincarnation.
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