ProfMTH

I strongly encourage people to look at ProfMTH's videos. He is very good at analysing and destroying scripture.

I know how you all love zeitgeist

I don't agree with all of zeistgeist but they do make a few good points (in amongst the bollocks).

Religion is just child abuse

Response to Josh

No Josh, your blind idolatorous faith in a book overtakes your ability to act rationally.

"Jesus says that one of the things people will see is the destruction of the temple, which was fulfilled"

Yes, ONE of those things, but is it ALL as the context requires?

"and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake."

So, were the early christians hated by ALL nations, how about the chinese and japanese, or the mayans? Of whom there was no contact, nor any knowledge.

"this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations"

So, was the gospel preached in North America during the generation of Jesus's time? Perhaps you ought become a follower of Smith? Did the Inca ever receive this Gospel during that generation - no.

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

So, if this great Tribulation happened in the generation of Jesus, then does that mean the extermination of the Jews was less terrible? Or the wars of the 20th century?

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken"

Firstly, Jesus thinks the moon creates its own light - WRONG. Secondly, the stars are still up in the sky A LONG TIME AFTER THAT GENERATION IS ALL PASSED AWAY.

I could go one further, but what is the point, your zealotry retards your ability to reason or even understand that these things you believe are false. Should you have an ounce of humility, you would renounce your faith and accept the truth: THERE IS NO GOD.

Freedom of Speech

The term freedom of speech is oft bandied about in our society, yet many do not appreciate what it really means. Freedom of speech means not only the freedom of each of us to make our opinion known, it is also the obligation to let others say as they will about us. Our laws protect only against statements of defamatory imputation and no more. To limit the ability of others to criticise us is, in reality, an open move against the freedom of speech.

Religion is known for limiting freedom of speech. Emperor Justinian burnt all opposing (non-christian) temples and schools of study and made the crime of heresy punishable by death. They moved against freedom of speech. Hitlers first command when he obtained Chancellory was to limit press freedoms and then silence the Courts. They moved against freedom of speech.

Why do people that hold themselves out to be true, right and correct, fear the criticisms of others? Could it be that they know they are not right at all.

We know only that limiting the Freedom of Speech is a step towards darkness and recklessness. A man who has courage and honour will brook any words made against him. A tyrant and coward, one and the same, will always seek to limit freedom of speech. Shame on that tyrant and coward alike.

Challenge to Christians

Could any of Jesus's God bothering cronies please answer this for me:

John 7: 38 states

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

I've looked and looked, but I can't find a quote in the Bible that "He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water". Or any words to that effect. This can obliges any person that cannot find such words to conclude that:

1. The Bible is not complete, and thus not the perfect word of God; or,
2. John 7: 38 is incorrect, and thus the Bible is not the perfect word of God.

A Perfect Circle

If anyone out there hasn't heard A Perfect Circle's - Judith then I thoroughly recommend it to you. Here are the lyrics and a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23eZMdixAuk

You're such an inspiration for ways
That i will never ever choose to be.
Oh so many ways for me to show you
How your savior has abandoned you.

Thank(fuck) your god.
Your lord, your christ
He did this,
Took all you had
And left you this way.
Still you pray, never stray,
Never taste of the fruit.
Never thought to question why.

It's not like you killed someone.
It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side.
Praise the one who left you
Broken down and paralyzed.
He did it all for you.
He did it all for you.

Oh so many ways for me to show you
How your dogma has abandoned you.
Pray to your christ, to your god.
Never taste of the fruit,
Never stray, never break,
Never choke on a lie,
Even though he's the one who did this to you
Never thought to question why.

It's not like you killed someone.
It's not like you drove a spiteful spear into his side.
Talk to jesus christ as if he knows the reasons why
He did this all to you.

He did it all for you.
He did it all for you.

Wonderful video

Correspondence

Mimi of California asks:

I am amazed that so many people take God and Hell so lightly. CASE, what is the reason for this?

I chose the psychological angle to explain why non-believers (and even believers) do not constantly cower in fear of the supposed afterlife BBQ:

The reason is psychological and the same reason that theists come to fear death, even though they assume they are "saved".

The human brain has two sources of information, logos (logic, reality) and mythos (fantasy, imagination). These sources appear to be identical to the conscious mind, however, the subconscious retains some understanding that:

1. Logos can be trusted, in this way, we know that if we jump off a building, we will fall. There is no fear that we will not fall.

2. Mythos is untrustworthy, in this way, we know that although we think we are good looking, we have doubts about our personal attributes when we ask a girl on a date.

Similarly, if we are bungee jumping for the first time, our expected experience is only imagined (mythos) and we have doubt or fear about not stopping the fall in the face of our knowledge (logos) of gravity.

Because the brain knows that religious activity is mythos (fantasy and imagination), it does not create the same fear effect as if we were standing on a precipice over a ravine. That is, essentially, the reason why people take God and Hell so lightly.

However, there are many situations where the fear created appears to be logos deceptively. For instance, a child that is beaten, berated, socially ostracised or suffers some other coercion if they disagree with the Bible will naturally form the rule that disbelief brings about greater fear than professing belief and thus, will not tend to treat the matter lightly. Of course, this is a strong reason behind the use of peer groups in churches, particularly, youth groups. The sad conclusion, however, is that these children live in a world where the only alternative on any religious issue is fear, which is damaging to the psyche and potentially destructive to the life of the child.

Need say no more

We know there is no God in the same way that we know there are no square triangles.

Assume: the definition of God is an intelligent being who decides to begin the universe, including time.

A decision is a transition from indifference to will. Such transition may only take place within time. Thus, we ask the question when did God make the decision to begin time, before, after or during the actual commencement of time:

1. Since all decisions require time to already be in effect, God cannot make the decision until time has already commenced in operation and accordingly, he cannot make the decision before or during the actual commencement of time;

2. Since time was already in existence after time commenced, God cannot be said to create it.

Thus, the definition of God as presented CANNOT exist because, like the square triangle, the definition CANNOT be show to exist in reality and thus, there CANNOT be a God.

However, this proof only shows that an intelligent being could not create the universe. It does not prevent the universe being the result of natural causes, something without decision making ability or chosen will. Accordingly, as far as I see it and to the extent of the validity of the argument, which I cannot flaw myself, the argument about the existence of God is now over.

Calvinism, hating the poor and working hard

Josh,

I remember where I heard about Calvinism! It was during my studies of criminology and the early modern philosopher, Max Weber, who penned a study of protestant churches in Europe, a note from the commentary:

Weber traced the origins of the Protestant ethic to the Reformation, though he acknowledged some respect for secular everyday labor as early as the Middle Ages. The Roman Catholic Church assured salvation to individuals who accepted the church's sacraments and submitted to the clerical authority. However, the Reformation had effectively removed such assurances. From a psychological viewpoint, the average person had difficulty adjusting to this new worldview, and only the most devout believers or "religious geniuses" within Protestanism, such as Martin Luther, were able to make this adjustment, according to Weber.

In the absence of such assurances from religious authority, Weber argued that Protestants began to look for other "signs" that they were saved. Calvin and his followers taught a doctrine of double predestination, in which from the beginning God chose some people for salvation and others for damnation. The inability to influence one's own salvation presented a very difficult problem for Calvin's followers. It became an absolute duty to believe that one was chosen for salvation, and to dispel any doubt about that: lack of self-confidence was evidence of insufficient faith and a sign of damnation. So, self-confidence took the place of priestly assurance of God's grace.

Worldly success became one measure of that self-confidence. Luther made an early endorsement of Europe's emerging labor divisions. Weber identifies the applicability of Luther's conclusions, noting that a "vocation" from God was no longer limited to the clergy or church, but applied to any occupation or trade.

However, Weber saw the fulfillment of the Protestant ethic not in Lutheranism, which was too concerned with the reception of divine spirit in the soul, but in Calvinistic forms of Christianity. The trend was carried further still in Pietism. Baptism diluted the concept of the calling relative to Calvinists, but other aspects made its congregants fertile soil for the development of capitalism--namely, a lack of paralyzing ascetism, the refusal to accept state office and thereby develop unpolitically, and the doctrine of control by conscience which caused rigorous honesty.

The "paradox" Weber found was, in simple terms:

* According to the new Protestant religions, an individual was religiously compelled to follow a secular vocation with as much zeal as possible. A person living according to this world view was more likely to accumulate money.
* The new religions (in particular, Calvinism and other more austere Protestant sects) effectively forbade wastefully using hard earned money and identified the purchase of luxuries a sin. Donations to an individual's church or congregation was limited due to the rejection by certain Protestant sects of icons. Finally, donation of money to the poor or to charity was generally frowned on as it was seen as furthering beggary. This social condition was perceived as laziness, burdening their fellow man, and an affront to God; by not working, one failed to glorify God.

As per usual, it seems you know less about your own theology than the atheist.

Brisbane Atheist Meetup Group Agenda - Feb meeting

Brisbane Atheist Meetup Group - February Meeting - 9 February 2009

Introductions
News from this month

- Catholic Church involved in Holocaust Denial Row
Bishop Williamson, who said the Nazis did not use gas chambers and killed "only" 300,000 Jews rather than six million, admitted last week his remarks had been "imprudent" and apologised to the Pope for the "anguish" he had caused. However, he did not withdraw his claim, nor did he apologise to the Jews.

- Papal Choice for Bishop describes Hurricane Katrina as "Act of God"
Father Gerhard Maria Wagner, 54, a parish priest at Windischgarsten in Austria since 1988, said in the parish newsletter four years ago that the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was "divine retribution" for excessive sexual permissiveness, including tolerance of homosexuality, in the city.
He noted that Katrina destroyed not only nightclubs and brothels in New Orleans, but also abortion clinics, saying: "The conditions of immorality in this city are indescribable."

- London Bus "religion wars"
The latest to hit the streets with pro-God buses are The Christian Party, the Trinitarian Bible Society and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Christian Party is paying for buses to carry the slogan: 'There definitely is a God. So join the Christian Party and enjoy your life.' The Trinitarian Bible Society has chosen a line from Psalm 53: 'The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.'

Current Activities

We presently don't have any on-going projects

Martin Rady has suggested that we carry out some kind of charitable endeavour:

- Food collection for homeless people?

Also, is anyone interested in producing a promotional youtube video for the Group?

Religion in the Spotlight: Pentacostalism

- Predominantly infest Northern Queensland.
- Descended from the mid-west United States in about 1901

Pentecostals generally believe
- The Bible is the innerent word of God and thus the world is 6,000 years old;
- Salvation is only through being re-born with Jesus
- Good works won't get you to heaven
- some Pentecostals believe true christians can handle snakes without being bitten
- glossolalia or speaking in tongues:
Acts 2:4: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance
- Currently they operate a witnessing program in the Queen St Mall on Friday nights.

General Discussion

William Lane Craig is a douche

The God Challenge

If you wish to enter into a written agreement to formalise this Offer then please email me on acstewart81@hotmail.com

Contradictions in the Bible

Im still trying to get Movie Maker to work, tell me if this is too fast.

Movie

This is my first movie, sorry about the poor quality.