April 3, 2010

Happy Easter








33 comments:

Higher Meth said...

LOL @ the second video. That's some funny shit, I gotta admit.

One question I'll pose to the "enlightened" among your readers. How do you explain the creation of matter and our universe ex-nihil? I just want to hear an enlightened person like Keith explain to me how all this came into being.

And please, spare me the chemical reactions deep in space/under the sea arguments for I'll only ask the next logical question: how did the elements and chemical compounds come to be formed? I like the idea of the big bang theory, but I sure would love someone to explain how that matter came into existence ex-nihil and coalesced to form that big star. I certainly don't believe in fairy tales any more than the next atheist, but I've always been perplexed by this question that is so easily glossed over by our friends in the scientific community.

Banana Republicrat said...

If any of you want a peak into the rotten soul of single party American politics (at the risk of bringing up your share of the Easter ham) check out Greg Palast's recent work on "vulture funds".

http://tinyurl.com/yfnxnp6

http://tinyurl.com/ybdt953

http://tinyurl.com/yl6xzeb

Anonymous said...

Jesus Christ saw the corruption and GREED among the ELITES. He went directly against the ESTABLISHMENT and they nailed him to a stick.

We could use a JESUS right about now. This time , let's hope he wins.

Jeff said...

"Easter" is actually a slang word for "Ishtar" : queen of heaven, originating in Babylon. Modern Christianity is the daughter of Catholicism, which is different from what Jesus Christ and his apostles preached and practiced. Jesus was a Jew.... modern Jews are the descendants of the ones who rejected Him.

blogger said...

Higher Meth - that's easy

god caused all to come into being. including putting a soul into you so that you could then develop and eventually come here to S&A and post that question.

I myself don't understand athiests. How do they think everything came to be?

However, I think "is there a god" is a MUCH different question than "what man-made organized religion is correct". Especially since almost every person thinks the correct religion is the one they were born into, based on geography in most cases.

For christians, can you imagine yourselves as muslims? If you were born a few thousand miles to the east, you wouldn't have to imagine. You'd be a muslim. Or a jew. Or a hindu. Or if you were born in Utah, you'd probably be a mormon.

Is what it is.

Happy Easter.

Higher Meth said...

Keith,

Fair enough. I'm glad we can at least accept the possibility of a higher entity. What puts me off about hard core atheists is their unwillingness to acknowledge the question I put forth, and generally dismiss anyone who doesn't share their "enlightened" view.

As per the religions of man . . . agree 100%. Bullshit each and every one of them. The biggest liability? Willingness, nay, eagerness to kill each other and those of differing faiths. The sooner they perish the better.

Anonymous said...

Or if you were born in Utah, you'd probably be a mormon.


Records: Percentage of Mormons in Utah declines
Nov 20, 2008 ... Records: Percentage of Mormons in Utah declines, Mormons now make up 60.4 percent of the state's population.

Of those 60% there are a lot of beer drinkers as evidenced by the many, many micro breweries.

Home of Polygamy Porter and Evolution Ale

Just FYI

JaneZ

Pay Lay Ale said...

Happy Zombie Jesus day!!!

"One question I'll pose to the "enlightened" among your readers. How do you explain the creation of matter and our universe ex-nihil?"

Saying that GOD created the universe BEGS THE QUESTION, WHO or WHAT created GOD? Then you're back to square one.

"how did the elements and chemical compounds come to be formed?"

That's a fun question to ponder, but no one will ever have the answer to that.

"Jesus Christ saw the corruption and GREED among the ELITES. He went directly against the ESTABLISHMENT and they nailed him to a stick."

That's a logical fallacy since there's no evidence that Jesus was a real person. It appears that Paul made it all up.

"What puts me off about hard core atheists is their unwillingness to acknowledge the question I put forth, and generally dismiss anyone who doesn't share their "enlightened" view."

Anyone that says that there isn't a god is not being intellectually honest because you can't prove a negative. I say, "In all likelihood, there is no god and if there is a GOD, he/she/it does not intervene in human affairs."

The problem of evil is evidence of that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_evil

"Records: Percentage of Mormons in Utah declines
Nov 20, 2008 ... Records: Percentage of Mormons in Utah declines, Mormons now make up 60.4 percent of the state's population."

Mormonism is falling apart. There's a lot of younger people like myself that use The Google and The Innerwebnets and have found out the truth about mormonism and left. The Innerwebnets and The Google are to mormonism what the printing press was to Catholicism.

UT also has a growing illegal alien population which have a higher birthrate than mormons.

Anonymous said...

remember, show Easter spirit, rape an altar-boy for jesus!!


/This message bought to you by the pope.

edd browne said...

.

[reggae version]
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yXRGdZdonM&feature=player_embedded

aloha19 said...

Get real Keith and higher Meth. We are not being enlightened - we are rationalists who believe in science. If that makes us enlightened, then so be it. You have absolutely no proof of a "Being" who created the universe. Like Carl Sagan said, incredible beliefs require incredible evidence. So until, you have the evidence of this being - you have nothing to stand on, except that you have not grown up and have to hang onto some mythical big brother type to get you through life. Science has revealed that our universe was created by a BIG BANG - and the universe has been expanding for billions of years since. Will it expand keep expanding or contract on itself. No one knows the answer so far. Why can't you just be amazed and humbled by the mystery and magnitude of the universe knowing that we will never know all of the answers?

Peace

blogger said...

aloha - as you know by reading the blog I'm a huge believer in science. that said, I think the big bang is actually the biggest proof of a god. that and DNA. Best things scientists have given to religion in my book. And the super collider could be the next big gift.

science and spirituality can go together. science unlocks what were once the secrets of god. And no, humans will never and can never understand what this 'god' thing is, and why it did and does what it did and does. So be it. But they can figure out some of its secrets.

Now, science and man-made organized religions? Not so much. Those two really can't co-exist. Unless you believe people have lived to 800 years old, and the earth flooded and all animals and creatures were on a boat together and didn't eat each other.

aloha19 said...

Good points Keith. But why do you have to believe that a "God" put this all into motion. What is, is... Saying "God" created the universe is bringing an outside entity into the picture. The Universe just is - and always has been. Why can't we just be satisfied with that - instead of bringing our human ego into it and needing a creator.

Peace

tom12008 said...

Happy easter Keith!

You've helped me reclaim some love for what used to be my favorite holiday (yes, more than Christmas). I hope you are right in proclaiming that a new and better day is dawning for America as many celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection.

The date for Easter used to follow Passover,so it was tied to the Jewish calendar for the first few centuires. This wasn't such a big deal to many Christians in the East, as they accepted the Jewish origins of their faith, and often were on good terms with their Jewish neighbors.

However, some Church authorities and laypersons were repulsed and frightened by this ecumenism, and took steps to stop it. Tying Easter to the lunar cycle was one of the "subtler" initiatives to curb such "interfaith dialogue".

The name "Easter" is Germanic in origin, not Semitic. I think Jeff is thinking of the Queen of Heaven mentioned in Isaiah and Jeremiah, as well as some other cognate goddess names. However, Ostara and Ishtar are fertility goddesses, so there's still a link between Easter and ancient fertility rites.
See below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%92ostre

Again,
Happy Easter, Feliz Pascua, Joyeuses Paques and Frohe Ostern to you and all S&A'ers everywhere,
Tom

blogger said...

That's just it aloha - THIS universe at one point was not. And then at a different point (in human brain monkey time) it was.

Was not.

Then was.

That takes an immoveable mover I believe.

And the beauty of this is that in this lifetime, you or I will never know for sure. Some secrets cannot be known.

Now, what we can likely agree on is the childish nature of man-made religions. Monkeys trying to make sense out of things, inventing fantastic stories, and pretending to know god. Who weirdly is an angry, hate-filled, murderous god in many cases.

If I had to create a religion, I'd start and end with a god of love. A fantastic god. A god of awe.

I'm surprised this "murder cheating women, murder gays, murder teens that don't listen to their parents" human-type god religion got many followers at all.

Bottom line? the bible needs an edit. Bible 2.0. The guys who wrote it got a lot of it wrong. Especially leviticus. That book is major screwed up. No way god dictated that one, that's from a f*cked up mind. That whole passage needs to be whacked. I'm surprised jesus didn't take care of that one himself. "Oh, Leviticus - ignore that one folks. The Father loves ham, mixed fabrics, and all his children, even on their periods"

And don't get me started on the koran, talmud, dianetics or my favorite, the hilarious joke-filled mormon bible.

Enjoy your easter hams. And just hope leviticus isn't watching.

Payt Lay Ale said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlzH5Mo6NsY

This has more spirituality in it than all of YHWH's evil Torah.

NihilistZerO said...

"I myself don't understand atheists. How do they think everything came to be?" - Keith

By that argument how did your God come to be? If he is eternal, time infinite forward and back, why cannot the energy that makes up the universe be infinite as well? Even if it's form in infinite history was beyond our comprehension.

I cannot subscribe to the God delusion. Occam's Razor comes to mind...

"The simplest solution is usually the correct one."

Why cannot the universe be the result of random interactions just like life on this planet? If intelligent design was so intelligent, why the gaping flaws in humanity? Are we God's experiment? If so for a being of infinite knowledge and power he is a sick dude...

I mean Stalin, Albert Fish, Ted Bundy, David Lereah...

Anything that can allow that type of human suffering while having the power to stop it doesn't deserve to be called God. The Devil maybe...

Anonymous said...

'Saying that GOD created the universe BEGS THE QUESTION, WHO or WHAT created GOD? Then you're back to square one.'

My answer to that is that I agree with Keith that some things are just unknowable. Yes, people, there really are concepts that we with our limited capacity just will never be able to truly grasp, much less explain. Let's accept that and move on with it. We cannot edit the 'holy' literature that we have to work with. But we can embrace the common concepts of empathy and spirituality that they offer us and seek personal peace and mutual well being - as best we can.

blogger said...

It's nice to have an intelligent and civil thread amongst people who disagree. As it should be.

The hate filled idiots and the ignorant must have the day off. Although I'll bet they'll be back tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Un-ignorant and un-hateful post for Easter:

Bringing Jesus Christ to everyone using 3D Technology.

http://www.history.com/shows/the-real-face-of-jesus

The Real Face of Jesus?

As the Shroud of Turin is put on public display for the first time in 10 years, new data reveals more than just a flat image embedded in the ancient cloth, but an astonishing, three-dimensional, sculpture-like figure. Using the principles of physics, cutting-edge digital technology, and the revolutionary CGI process pioneered in Stealing Lincoln's Body, HISTORY brings that image to life, unveiling the most accurate representation ever seen of what many believe to be Jesus Christ.
--------------------------------
Is on this afternoon, and once again this week.

The end of the show shows how they recreate the Shroud using an office scanner. Apparently, the image on the shroud wasn't created from within the body. The body of Jesus was scanned from outside the body. Wait til the Alien Abduction Folks latch on to this.

Things that make you go hmmm.

JaneZ

Angry Leprechaun said...

Happy Easter Keith!
My take on God? It is similar to the fact that my own relationship with my biological father is different than the relationship my brother has with him. Neither is better but they are different.
We all have different relationships with whatever this higher power thing is. Spiritually, mentally, physically, and culturally we are all different and these will all affect our different outlooks and understandings.
What drives me nuts about religion? The egos and the my god is correct and your god is wrong mentality. Neocon Christians? They are fighting a religious war and are to ignorant to realize it. Ron Paul said it best when he stated, ‘What if Christianity acctually teaches peace and not preventive wars of aggression?”

Anonymous said...

I think of God, Allah, Jeh-vah, etc as specific names for an abstraction. A great big unfathomable abstraction.

Happy Easter,
xomm

NihilistZerO said...

"Let's accept that and move on with it. We cannot edit the 'holy' literature that we have to work with. But we can embrace the common concepts of empathy and spirituality that they offer us and seek personal peace and mutual well being - as best we can." - Anon 5:44

Well said. And to quote the philosophy of my second favorite comedian Bill Hicks...

"We are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death. Life is but a dream and we are the imaginations of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather."

long beach, ca said...

to all the assholes in here who call themselves christians in name only. i give you matt 7:21-23. not everyone who says to me, 'lord, lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. on that day many will say to me, 'lord, lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'and then will i declare to them, 'i never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.'
to everyone else, eph 2:8,9. god either gives you the free gift of salvation or he does not. that's predestination.

Anonymous said...

KEITH RE:

"The hate filled idiots and the ignorant must have the day off. Although I'll bet they'll be back tomorrow."...

Bwwwa!! Thanks for the best laugh all day Keith! Five-Stars * * * * *

Anonymous said...

.



Oh ye of little faith



.

tom12008 said...

Keith,
I hope this cheers you up. Remember when people like this were revered so much more uncritically than today? Me too.

http://tinyurl.com/yh8q685

Anonymous said...

http://store.mormonsexposed.com/images/JesusLovesYou.jpg

Anonymous said...

.



Faith cannot be explained by science.

You can't see the wind, just the result of it(i.e. dust, leaves, etc.)

so does wind exist?

Just have faith

Let go

and let God


.

edd browne said...

All I know for sure,
is that I don't know for sure.

One hundred "realities" can be wrong.
One hundred religions can be wrong.

Study of pre-history, quantum mechanics,
astrophysics, and endocrinology turns
many certainties into doubts in a hurry.
[try some reading; it won't take so long]

So I live and think by tangible principles,
not books of oral legends, nor intuition, nor faith.

Afterlife insurance should be integrity in life.
Anything else is just pretense for protection.

That's a better risk than some perfection in faith;
but it's a gut check to act on that choice.
.

I Kahn O'Clast said...

To address the question of where the universe came from there are several possibilities currently under consideration.

I won't address the lines of thought regarding our linear concept of time being a useful illusion because most people can't get their heads around that one.

However among the other possibilities is that the Big Bang represents our universe's emergence from another universe, possibly reflecting the effects of a massive black hole - possibly formed from the collapse of that other universe.

We come back to the question, of course, of where that Universe came from. First of all, it is not apparent that the laws of physics in every universe are the same. That we have the ones we do may not mean that they were the same in the one from which we sprung. One thing that does appear to be the case, according quantum mechanics theories, is that time does not necessarily flow in only one direction. The past is what it is because it confirms the state of the present. It could well be that some things have been altered in the past to make the present consistent.

I know that this seems absurd on the face of it, but it does appear to be the case.

Anonymous said...

"Bottom line? the bible needs an edit. Bible 2.0. The guys who wrote it got a lot of it wrong. Especially leviticus. That book is major screwed up. No way god dictated that one, that's from a f*cked up mind. That whole passage needs to be whacked."

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Anonymous said...

"Bottom line? the bible needs an edit. Bible 2.0. The guys who wrote it got a lot of it wrong. Especially leviticus. That book is major screwed up. No way god dictated that one, that's from a f*cked up mind."

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

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