Quote Of Note - PZ Myers

“Religion is an act of sedition against reason. Whatever religion is most seductive and likely to draw in victims to surrender their skepticism is the worst.” PZ Myers

Charlotte Allen

From Why is Charlotte Allen so mad at atheists? by PZ Myers:

Charlotte Allen is very, very angry with us atheists -- that's the only conclusion that can be drawn from her furious broadside in The Times on May 17. She can't stand us; we're unpopular; we're a problem. What, exactly, is the greatest crime of modern atheists?

We're boring.

Read the rest here.

One Reason Why I Am Anti-Religion

In the jargon of the blogosphere, PZ Myers nails it.

From Will we ever stop running away from the source of the problem? by PZ Myers:

This story about the struggles of a high school biology teacher in Florida is depressing. David Campbell, the teacher, is a hero — but it's the kind of hero sent off to suffer and fail in a misplaced struggle, who dutifully falls in battle, a victim of bad leadership and poor strategy. It's the same old tactics the educational bureaucracy has been pushing for 50 years or more: tip-toe gently about the subject of religion, never challenge the idiocy students bring into the classroom with them, always strain to allow them to accommodate science to their personal superstitions…which means pretending that science doesn't directly contradict their cherished myths. It doesn't work and has never worked, and the problem gets worse and worse every year.

Throughout the story, the teacher is striving to be respectful to religion (he's an Anglican himself) while the students are being arrogant dumbasses who refuse to listen to this evolution stuff. There is a villain here, but the article doesn't point a finger directly, nor does David Campbell place the blame: but the willfully anti-science students are victims of church and dogma. It's gotten so bad that it's not just parents and students who are opposing good science education, it's some of the teachers themselves. One of Campbell's fellow biology teachers is busily inculcating students with stupidity, too.

Animals do adapt to their environments, Ms. Yancey tells her students, but evolution alone can hardly account for the appearance of wholly different life forms. She leaves it up to them to draw their own conclusions. But when pressed, she tells them, "I think God did it."

Mr. Campbell was well aware of her opinion. "I don't think we have this great massive change over time where we go from fish to amphibians, from monkeys to man," she once told him. "We see lizards with different-shaped tails, we don't see blizzards—the lizard bird."

That that woman is a public school science teacher is an indictment of the educational system in this country. We can tell right away what has made her stupid, though: I think God did it. She's been infected with religion.

Read the rest here.

Religion, by definition, stomps on the smoldering embers of critical, factual thinking of the youngest among us until the embers are dead. It is not always possible to ignite them again, and most of those among us spend their lives in the dark. They become “sheep” following some of the most insane “shepherds” the world has to offer.

Why does this trouble me? Because I must live in this world with them. They undermine our educational system, as PZ Myers points out. Also, they are responsible for violent leaders like George W. Bush coming to power. How many atheists do you suppose voted for Bush? My guess would be none.

Religion is a dangerous disease.

PZ Myers Has Killed Jesus Christ

To all you Catholics out there who haven’t heard the news: Jesus Christ has been killed, yet again. PZ Myers has admitted that he is the one who stabbed Mr. Christ to death. He then threw his body in the trash. After committing this horrible act Myers simply said, “It is finished.”

People have been puzzled by the reason “Mad” Myers gave for carrying out this horrendous crime. “It’s a frackin’ cracker,” he was quoted as saying. What is even more puzzling to this humble blogger is that Myers has not been arrested for murder. After all, he killed Jesus Christ, yet again.

If you are not Catholic you may not realize this. You may not know about transubstantiation. It means: “The miraculous change by which according to Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox dogma the eucharistic elements at their consecration become the body and blood of Christ while keeping only the appearances of bread and wine.”

All good Catholics know what transubstantiation means. It means that PZ Myers killed Jesus Christ, yet again. The response from Catholics who have come forward to comment on this incident is, once again, puzzling. The venom directed toward Myers is almost too much to take. The worst of it was when Myers was accused of being a “biology teacher.” I shudder to think of the meaning of this. I cannot comprehend such evil.

Catholics from around the world have come forward with various comments about Myers. Rod Dreher has decided that the death penalty is too good for the evil Myers. Instead he has taken the matter of justice into his own hands and has resorted to… name calling. Dreher has called Myers a “coward”, a “Christian-hating fanatic”, and “Big Man.” (Will Clarence Clemmons sue?) The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy asks “all Catholics of Minnesota and of the entire nation to join in a day of prayer and fasting that such offenses never happen again.” Ouch, now we all know that’s worse than life imprisonment or lethal injection.

Myers himself seems to be aware of his guilt. In what can only be thought of as self-flagellation, Myers reads and publishes thousands of comments concerning his disgraceful act on his blog, which is called Pharyngula. Only a deranged murderer would give a name like that to his blog.

Yet despite literally thousands of comments from Catholics on this matter, no Catholics are calling for the arrest of PZ Myers. It is almost as if they do not believe that Myers killed anyone, let alone their Lord and saviour. This cannot be, can it?

Add Another Christian To The List

How well do Christians love their neighbor?

Some like to kill doctors. Some like to threaten biology teachers. And a certain Baptist minister likes to say disgusting and violent things about Barack Obama.

I suppose there is a reason why the television news reports (at least the ones I saw) that reported Jesse Jackson’s recent faux pas didn’t quote him verbatim.

I did not know what the fuss was about until I found the truth from Bruce.

PZ Is Hitting Nerves

And all the dialog that is ensuing is a good thing, no matter what side you are on. Here are what some bloggers are saying in response to IT'S A FRACKIN’ CRACKER.

Here is part of Mike Haubrich’s comment found in response to another comment found on Crackergate And Why PZ May Be Wrong About One Thing:

A Church which preaches the dignity of suffering over allowing people to choose suicide, or a Church which has effectively hampered stem cell research because of the favoring of blastocysts which would otherwise be discarded because of the dignity of human life, a Church which continues to lie and cover the transgressions of pedophilic priests all the while confessing grief (yet offering nothing to show that they are truly contrite) and a church which teaches that abstinence is the only form of birth control, a church that teaches that women must be put at risk of death instead of allowing for a partial-birth abortion, a church which doesn't allow women or active gays to be ordained and condemns another church for doing so in the misguided hope that some day the Anglicans will "Come back to their senses" is insane.

There is more (for those of you who have not yet had your fill of holy cracker), and I’m not saying I agree or disagree with the following:

But really people...IT IS A CRACKER!!!

The Case of the Communion Cracker III - Bill Donahue

It's a frackin' cracker! (from Pharyngula)

Pissing off the Catholics

Holy Breakfast

Body of Christ?

I will say that Pissing off the Catholics and Body of Christ? are my two favorites.

What Would Jesus Do?

He’d get his gun and kill all the fuckin’ atheists. That’s what.

Now they have brought out armed goons to protect that which is not real, except as some form of non-nourishing nourishment.

And Jesus said: “Bring out the armed goons to kill all who would desecrate a cracker.”

Can the world possibly get more insane?

From 'Body Of Christ" Returned To Church After Student Receives Email Threats:

One week after a University of Central Florida student snatched something sacred from church, armed UCF police officers stood guard during Sunday Mass to protect what Catholics call "The Body of Christ."

Read the rest here.

Just how powerful and all-knowing is that stupid Catholic god anyway, that he needs “armed UCF police officers” to protect "The Body of Christ"? Where are the lightening bolts and locusts? I think he’s just some old fart that has lost all his powers.

Crackers And Wafers And Rudeness, Oh My!

Some other bloggers, internetters, and unmentionables think that PZ Myers was rude or abusive to the Catholics because he “didn't accord the Eucharist proper respect.” Some think that he is a jerk. Some find his conduct reprehensible. Just what is the proper respect that an atheist should have for the Eucharist?

Here’s what Catholics believe about atheists like Mr. Myers and myself:

We will spend eternity burning in hell. They believe this just as much as they believe in transubstantiation.

How rude is that?

The god that the Catholics believe in is a fucking asshole.

How rude is that?

For a more sane perspective on all of this visit Majikthise.

The world would be a better place with no religion at all.

Some Bloggers Are Total Idiots

Like yours truly. I’ve just discovered that I’ve been spelling PZ Myers last name as Meyers over and over again in every post I’ve had where I either wrote about him or linked to him. Sorry Mr. Myers, I apologize. I believe I have corrected all my errors in this matter.

I need a good proof reader.

One Man's Body Of Christ Is Another Man's Frackin' Cracker

This is a long one. Father forgive me, for I know not what I do.

It seems to me that we have yet another case of faith versus reason, of religion versus science, of belief versus fact. Who will win this time? Whose side are you on? Will it cost a university biology teacher his job? I hope not.

Just how evolved are we? Not very, if PZ Myers loses his job over this.

From Communion wafer held 'hostage' raises holy heck by Paul Walsh:

A Minnesota university instructor and avowed atheist is jousting with a national Catholic watch dog group over a smuggled communion wafer, which the associate professor dismisses as a "frackin’ cracker."

Paul Z. Myers, who teaches biology at the University of Minnesota, Morris, on his blog this week expressed amazement that a Florida college student who briefly took a wafer "hostage" from a church ceremony has been receiving death threats for an action that was characterized "a hate crime" by the Catholic League.

Under the headline, "It’s a frackin’ cracker!" Myers wrote in an at-times profane blog entry: "Crazy Christian fanatics right here in our own country have been threatening to kill a young man over a cracker. This is insane."

"It is hard to think of anything more vile than to intentionally desecrate the Body of Christ," Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a news release. "We look to those who have oversight responsibility to act quickly and decisively."

Read the rest here.

I would like to point out that Mr. Myers’s blog is called Pharyngula.

If there isn’t a term called “Universal Acceptance”, then there should be. (And give me the credit for coming up with it, if there isn’t.) I’ll give some examples, in order to define what I mean by Universal Acceptance. I would say that murder is universally accepted as being morally wrong and that people should be punished when they commit murder. Anyone disagree? No? That is Universal Acceptance. It is different from Majority Rule. Universal Acceptance stands the test of time, Majority Rule does not. Universal Acceptance always “wins” in the end, Majority Rule does not. Universal Acceptance is always right, Majority Rule can be right, but it can also be wrong. Slavery is an example of this difference. The earth being thought of as flat, but now being accepted as being round is another example. Universal Acceptance has truth on its side, Majority Rule does sometimes, but not always. Universal Acceptance can give power to minorities, Majority Rule does not. The Republic of the United States of America gives us a good example of this. Universal Acceptance is Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all believing in the Constitution together. Majority Rule is one of the parties electing a good or bad president. The Constitution endures, the president can be remembered (Lincoln or Washington) or fade away (Franklin Pierce). Universal Acceptance is the Constitution saying “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Majority Rule is Christians thinking the United States is a Christian nation. Deciding who has committed a Universally Accepted as wrong murder is decided by Majority Rule (a jury), and that decision is sometimes right and sometime wrong. Science is Universally Accepted, religion is Majority Rule. Religion really is Majority Rule and not Universally Accepted, even though most religions claim they are a minority, and that they are persecuted. If religion truly was Universally Accepted, there would only be one religion and no atheists.

Although it may appear that they do, these statements do not contradict one another: “Universal Acceptance is always right.” “The earth being thought of as flat, but now accepted as being round is another example.” “Science is Universally Accepted, religion is Majority Rule.”

Even though scientists of the time thought that the world was flat, this belief was Majority Rule and not Universal Acceptance. Scientists can change their minds to suit the facts. Theists are not supposed to change their minds, and are supposed to ignore the facts. Universal Acceptance is dictated to by factual evidence, Majority Rule is dictated to by people who have been influenced by some combination of factual evidence, emotions and belief. I can’t think of how to say it better. (Please forgive this humble blogger.) The “some combination” means that any of the three could be set to zero, so to speak. For example, factual evidence does not need to be part of the equation. Majority Rule could be dictated to by people who have been influenced by emotions and belief without any factual evidence. Or by people who have been influenced by emotions only. And so on.

From IT'S A FRACKIN’ CRACKER! by PZ Myers:

So, what to do. I have an idea. Can anyone out there score me some consecrated communion wafers? There's no way I can personally get them — my local churches have stakes prepared for me, I'm sure — but if any of you would be willing to do what it takes to get me some, or even one, and mail it to me, I'll show you sacrilege, gladly, and with much fanfare. I won't be tempted to hold it hostage (no, not even if I have a choice between returning the Eucharist and watching Bill Donohue kick the pope in the balls, which would apparently be a more humane act than desecrating a goddamned cracker), but will instead treat it with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented here on the web. I shall do so joyfully and with laughter in my heart. If you can smuggle some out from under the armed guards and grim nuns hovering over your local communion ceremony, just write to me and I'll send you my home address.

Let’s assume that PZ Myers has gone ahead and done the deed.

I propose that PZ Myers is not desecrating the body of Christ in the form of a wafer. He does not believe in the body of Christ in the form of a wafer. Mr. Myers believes he is desecrating a wafer. Is that a crime? Now, you may point out that many Catholics believe the wafer IS the body of Christ and that Mr. Myers should respect that belief. Why? Jewish people do not believe that the wafer is the body of Christ. If Mr. Myers were to respect the beliefs of the Catholics in this instance, isn't that disrespectful to all Jewish people? (Let's not even consider any of those heretical atheists.) Buddhists do not believe it, either. Anyone from a non-Christian religion does not believe it. Only in the minds of Catholic believers is PZ Myers actually desecrating the body of Christ. For the rest of us the body of Christ decomposed a long time ago. Where do you draw the line?

I say it is time to call on a super hero. Let’s bring out our hero: Universal Acceptance. He is always right and knows just what to do.

Clearly this matter flunks the Universal Acceptance test. Why? Because I said so. I believe in Universal Acceptance. And I get to decide what’s right and what’s true. And I made it all up, just like the Catholics made up all the stuff they believe in. I'm only playing by their rules. Seems fair to me. If the Catholics can use the argument of belief, then why can’t I? And why can’t PZ Myers? He believes that the wafer is not the body of Christ. PZ Myers should get to keep his job, and Bill Donohue should shut the hell up. He has a right to believe what he chooses to, and so does PZ Myers. And they both have the right to talk about it, even though I just said Bill Donohue should shut the hell up. Let’s just stop all the death threats, job threats, and all other threats of any kind. OK? Except for crackers and other inanimate objects. Go ahead and threaten them all you want. (And if you want to insert a joke here about Bill Donohue being both crackers and an inanimate object, go right ahead. Just remember that I didn’t put that joke here. You did.)

But wait! There’s more!

I can think of many things that are more vile than desecrating the body of Christ. George W. Bush comes to mind immediately. A war criminal responsible for who knows how many senseless deaths. A war criminal who will probably never be punished until he arrives at that non-existent hell that he and Mr. Donohue like to believe in. (Like I said, he will probably never be punished.) What could possible be more vile than that? Then just round up the usual suspects: murder, rape, war, pedophilia, necrophilia, etc. Even vomit is more vile, for Christ’s sake.

Next I have a question for Mr. Donohue. (I already know his answer, and I think it’s a stupid answer. See if you can guess the answer and not win a prize.) How could anything that PZ Myers or Webster Cook do to your precious “body of Christ” be any more desecrating than placing this “body of Christ” in one’s mouth and causing this “body” to pass through the human digestive tract, then a toilet, finally ending up in a sewage system. And millions, if not billions, of Catholics do this every day. They have been doing this for a very long time, and unfortunately will probably continue to do this for a very long time. Over and over and over again. Talk about desecration! Talk about vile!

Some more questions for Mr. Donohue or anyone else who has seen the light. Why does an all-knowing, all-powerful god not tell his popes, cardinals, bishops, priests, brothers and sisters to just un-consecrate that little cracker that has fallen into the hands of someone like PZ Myers or Webster Cook? Then everyone could be happy. “He just desecrated a cracker. Ha ha. Good one, PZ.” God sure seems to like to leave Jesus hanging. Why does Jesus always get the short end of the stick? Or cross, or cracker, as it were. Help Jesus out here God, just tell the idiots to un-consecrate your son's body and turn him back into a cracker. Why do people choose to believe in an all-knowing, all-powerful god who seems to be so stupid and spiteful, someone who hates his own son so much? And again I know the answer to that one: “Mumbo jumbo, gibberish, and more mumbo jumbo, and don’t forget to put some money in the collection plate.”

Lastly, no religious people are allowed to criticize what I have written here. It is all true, factual, and correct. Because I believe that it is. That is all that you believers should need to know.

God, I’m tired.

Hungry too. I think I’ll go eat some crackers.

Portraits Of George W. Bush

From Portrait of a president by PZ Myers:

I never thought I could actually like a portrait of George W. Bush, but this one isn't bad. Go ahead and click on the link — the overall portrait is fine, and you may not notice anything at all disturbing (well, except for the fact that it is George W. Bush) on seeing it. You might not want to click on the links to details in the image, though; this picture is a collage made from pictures of anuses snipped out of porn magazines.

It ain't pretty, but it's art that speaks the truth.

From American War Dead Peer Out from the Portraits of Their Killer:

August 4, 2004: Two different initiatives have put the presidency of George W. Bush into perspective. At last count, nearly 1,000 American soldiers were sent to Iraq thinking they were fighting for American security. They returned to America in boxes, hidden by their Government in the darkness of night. They now have their proud faces peering out from the portraits of the man who is responsible for their death.

I Will Obey PZ Myers!

I Will Obey PZ Myers!

Expelled.

Expelled.

Expelled…

Whoopee! My First Negative Comment

First off, let me say that I take my blog seriously, and put a lot of effort into it. I’m very new to this blogging thing and I haven’t received many comments from readers so far. However, today Jed Rothwell sent me my very first negative comment. So I thought I would honor Mr. Rothwell with this post.

I’m probably opening up a can of worms, Pandora’s Box, and even more when I say that I want my blog to be open to all opinions from all people. I don’t believe in censorship, but I hate trolls. Therefore, if you choose to comment, I only ask that you back your opinions with facts and logic. I would also hope for some courtesy and civility.

That said, here is the comment from Mr. Rothwell:

Cold fusion was not a flop. The cold fusion effect was replicated by hundreds of world class laboratories such as Los Alamos, and these replications were published in mainstream, peer-reviewed journals. I suggest you review the literature before commenting on the research. You should not repeat ignorant, unfounded nonsense from the internet without checking original sources.

You will find a bibliography and hundreds of full text papers here:

http://lenr-canr.org

- Jed Rothwell
Librarian, LENR-CANR.org
March 24, 2008 9:47 AM

This email is in response to my post entitled Easter And Cold Fusion. There seems to be great debate over whether cold fusion was a flop. If you check out the website that Mr. Rothwell recommends you will find a section containing news articles. If you check out some of these articles you will find that many of them are about this debate. If you check out Wikipedia’s entry for cold fusion you will find that it is locked to “editing until disputes are resolved.” So much for the blanket statement “Cold fusion was not a flop.” Some say it is, and some say it isn’t. I didn’t say anything about cold fusion myself. I really don’t consider myself to be qualified. I just linked to PZ Myers, a blogger who is also a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris. He is also friends with Richard Dawkins. Remember the old saying: "You can tell a lot about someone by the company he keeps." I don’t think that PZ Myers and Richard Dawkins (published author and a professor at Oxford University, for christsake) contribute much “ignorant, unfounded nonsense” to the internet. Or to anything else for that matter.

So, Mr. Rothwell, I will post whatever I want to on MY blog, and you telling me I shouldn’t is not going to stop me.

One last thing, Mr Rothwell. Do you work the day shift? Are you firing off angry emails to poor hapless bloggers like me when you really should be working?

UPDATE - Tuesday, March 25, 2008: Mr Rothwell, has any scientist ever named an asteroid after YOU?

Easter And Cold Fusion

PZ Myers writes about This day in history:

This is Easter, the day Christians everywhere set aside to celebrate the day they were hoaxed by a gang of Middle Eastern charlatans into believing a local mystic rose from the dead. Zeno finds that this year it's also a day to remember another flop: the cold fusion debacle.

Read the rest here.

PZ Myers Is God

Oh, wait a minute, Eric Clapton beat him to it. I still like the way PZ Myers writes, even if he isn’t a deity. If you are curious, try these on for size:

Friction-free morning

Which brings me to my big complaint: I get up early in the morning, and I step outside, and the sidewalks are all these beautifully smooth sheets of ice; it's like a Zamboni has gone down the streets of Morris, polishing everything.

Rare hyperbole

It's more like a meeting of the mindless. Ben Stein has had a friendly meeting with that old fraud, Ken Ham, and apparently they were perfect for each other.

Now blind in two senses

Or, more likely, that if you mail all your money to a preacher, you'll get rich.

Chris Hedges wastes everyone's time

And what about the atheists? Are there utopian dreamers among us? Sure, but not many — it's hard to be too optimistic when you're a minority surrounded by glib believers in balderdash. I think we tend to be realists: humanity has done fairly well for itself, and has potential to do better, but human nature is not a perfect ideal, nor is it perfectable, and we're always going to have conflict and compromise. The question is whether we're going to resolve those conflicts with reason, or with tribalisms and superstition.

Why Does God Hate Mike Huckabee?

PZ Myers ponders the relationship between God and Mike Huckabee over at Pharyngula. It appears to have gone sour. Maybe God is smarter than I think he is.

Jesus Will Come And Then You'll Be Sorry, Atheist Dog

PZ Myers on Intelligent Designers:

“…they'd rather just whine that they don't understand something, so we must not, either.”

I outright stole my title from the second comment which was by Glen Davidson. I hope he doesn't mind. I just couldn’t resist it.