Jonathan H. B. Lobl

What are you saying? That it's not legitimate to take a stand on principle? There are times when your intellectual purity is hard to endure.

If you really want to go there: There are several varieties of evangelical cooks. They feel entitled to force their meat into everybody's mouth -- and then make them swallow. How strange. People are often resentful of their efforts. It turns out that even people who enjoy meat, don't like it forced on them.

Christian and Jewish Scriptures are full of pious fraud. Written text is not the same as true history.

A meatless world would not have a word for vegetarians. Atheists have the same need, to say what they don't want on their spiritual plate.

Look at the efforts of the Jesus Project, to separate fact from fiction. Written text does little good if the origins are not true.

The Aborigines are not political. They never took it upon themselves, to travel across the world -- replacing all the other mythologies with their own.

But so worth it. "No deposit, no return."

Yes.

Everything is rushed out to market. The days when all the bugs are ironed out, before being rushed to market are all gone. Now, we all buy the product for the privilege of being beta testers. Things change.

As Humanity matures -- We project different things onto God. Slavery is no longer acceptable. Neither is genocide. So we no longer imagine that these are God's values. Alas, we are stuck with the written word. The printed page is frozen in time. Since people are so shockingly ignorant of Scripture, God culture continues to mature.

This part of religion has always been obvious. The pious are depicted as being sheep. Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want." Do you know anything about real shepherds? They kill their sheep, eat their flesh and wear their skins.

God belief creates problems in philosophy. How could God -- All Good, All Knowing, All Powerful -- How could God possibly have allowed this to happen? Take God out of the equation and things become much more simple. Nobody let this happen. That's life. For me, tragedy without God, is much easier to live with, than tragedy with God. None of that crap about God being mysterious.

When I was a teacher, I burnt out my parental urges. There is no "we" any more.

Praise the Load.

Welcome to the board. Join in anywhere.

1. Does it? Perhaps in the sense of not teaching critical thinking skills. The Public School system is not tasked with the destruction of religion. Neither Christianity, nor Islam, nor any other irrationality. 2. Better medical care. Safer conditions. Not more sanity.

The religion of Love vs. the religion of Peace. It's a sour fun. Still -- When smug clashes with arrogant --- And the extremists on both sides know it all --- In case it needs to be said. I think Jewish Orthodoxy is as crazy as any other variety. It's not my imagination. The world is getting more crazy.

More like their Father -- who art in Heaven.

In Saudi Arabian Law (capital L) -- Atheism is regarded as a form of terrorism. Terrorists, including Atheists, are executed as enemies of the State. This is in addition to all the laws regarding blasphemy, showing "respect" to the Prophet and Koran -- and a loose category of crimes against hurting the feelings of Muslims. I don't think they make a lot of distinctions between Atheists, Agnostics, Brights, Secularists, Objectivists, Humanists, etc. On the other hand, it would be hilarious to watch all the Christians, become known as Free Thinkers. That is, in the original sense of the word.

In large measure, America does have a Christian culture. There are small things that add up. Football culture comes to mind. Watching the President take his oath of office, with his hand on the Bible. The City Council meetings that begin with prayer. So many tiny, insignificant things. Like snowflakes. But they add up like snowflakes in a blizzard. What irks me is when Christianity puts on the secular front. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing. The Pledge of Allegiance? Only a secular statement of loyalty. In God we trust on the money? Another secular statement. I am so tired of the buffoon, who says to give him my money, if I don't like it. Nativity scenes in front of the Public Library? Just a winter festival. Every public Christian display is secular. The Ten Commandments monuments in front of a court house? A historic display. The depth of Christian hypocrisy is stunning. Little things. Lots and lots of little things. The A.A. meetings that define God as the "higher power" -- or "God as we define Him." Then they join hands and recite "the Lord's Prayer". The icing on the cake, is when Christians, in America, claim that they are being persecuted. Lots and lots of little things. But oh, what a stench. Recently, I have been seeing studies of American demographics. These studies insist that as Christianity declines, it will be replaced, not by Atheism, but by Islam. That Islam will be the dominant religion in America by 2040. Atheist that I am, I am not looking forward to an America where Islam is the dominant cultural force. On the other hand, I think this will be the cause for much gallows humor. I will be laughing while I look at all the Fundamentalist Christians -- who mourn the passing of Secular Society. This is the way of things. Religious minorities always think that equality is a wonderful thing. With minorities treated with respect. Until they become dominant. Of course, when the dominant groups become minority, they discover the virtues of fairness. For the first time.

I would enjoy seeing proof that I'm mistaken. That means I have to be careful of confirmation bias. From where you are, in the Secular Netherlands, of course, your perceptions are different. Where I am, the inmates are running the asylum.

If you insist.

The general public can't be told anything. They are all convinced that they know. The less they actually know, the more convinced they are. The worst of them, are the idiot preachers, who think that God and prayer will fix anything.

Jesus commanded his followers to love their enemies as they love themselves. What does this count for if you don't love yourself? Meditate. Keep your blood pressure under control. Then take your improved health and serve the needs of others. If you don't take care of your own needs, who are you going to help? Like breath mediation. Help yourself, Help others. Help yourself, Help others. Balance.

About a year ago, there was a major scandal here in New York City. The police were called in to deal with an out of control 4th grader. The police were as ill equipped to deal with the student as the teachers. So they put her in cuffs. Then the poop hit the media. All about the poor little girl, cuffed by the brutal police. If a trained NYC cop doesn't know what to do -- what do they expect from the teaching staff?