Apologies, no penalties

So, as we know some priests around the world keep raping boys. The church (catholic that is) has to act. But again, as it does act, it acts without penalties, but merely with words.

As the catholic church constantly has to deal with this openly in the media (being one of the largest), I don't even want to know what can be assumed that is going on behind closed doors of any church.

“It’s all about protecting the institution and, above all, its wealth. The greatest contribution the pope could have made was to stop the abuse of victims, and he’s not even done that.”
Word up, victims' group founder.

“I know some of you find it difficult even to enter the doors of a church after all that has occurred.”

Yipp, Pope Daddy.

ManBearPig, where are you?

We are having snow in late March. And a bunch of it, too.

Makes me think back to the good ol' days of this blog.

Come on!

This is going to explode!

OMG... What is!?


This Blog, at least I think so. At least for a couple of weeks.

For a religion class I am currently reading Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion". And I have to say I love it quite a bit. Everyone in the world should read it.

For now I will just quote something he quotes, that I think is very double-quotable.

Talking about the whole Muhammed-cartoon issue in 2005/2006 he quotes journalist Andrew Mueller talking about the assumptions of religion/Islam:

"the values of Islam trump anyone else's - which is what any follower of Islam does assume, just as any follower of any religion believes that theirs is the sole way, truth and light. If people wish to love a 7th century preacher more than their own families, that's up to them, but nobody else is obliged to take it seriously..."

... Or a 0th century preacher...?

Here are some interesting stories I never heard about before:

Religion as a legitimization for drug use -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzales_v._O_Centro_Espirita_Beneficente_Uniao_do_Vegetal

Tolerating religious values taken a little too far -
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,474629,00.html

More passages and interesting thoughts will follow.

I Heart Googling...

... for interesting Bible quotes.

"If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity."
- Deut 25:11-12

"No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD."
- Deut 23:1

"There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses."
- Ezekiel 23:20

"And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them."
- 2 Kings 2:23-24

2 Kings 2:11 - "As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."
John 3:13 - "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man."

Matthew 5:16 - "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven."
Alright, Jesus! Yeah Baby!
Matthew 6:1 - "Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them."
Ugh... what now?


John 5:31 - "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid."
John 8:14 - "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid."


These were just some of the results after 10 minutes of looking around. Now tell me how anyone can seriously take the bible literally and I will buy you a chocolate bar.

My point, exactly...

This is why I'm in a band

Probability of my jacket being stolen in a club: 15%

Probability of my iPod falling out of the stolen jacket's pocket: 5%

Probability of one of my three friends left finding my iPod - without knowing it was stolen - in a club with 400 people: 0.75%

Them figuring out it's my iPod because songs from my band are on it: Fucking Awesome.

Let's separate the Knower from the Known

Let's do it, baby.

So, talking about knowledge, beliefs, and truth real quick. Seriously, real quick.

I thought about this today while thinking about agnosticism vs. atheism...

If one is an agnostic, and thus doesn't know whether there is a god or not, because he is not sure, consequently one would have to doubt everything in the world just as much. Admitting that you are an agnostic, you say "contrary to no evidence what-so-ever proving the existence of a god or gods, I choose to still not be sure of whether there is one or not." And I am not even talking about the nut-job... excuse me... fundamentalists literal truth god but any god. When one isn't sure about something being not there or actually there that has been disproven by all means of science as far as currently humanly (maybe physically) possible, it should resolve in a lot more questions than just: 

"Is there a god? I am not sure!"

Furthermore:

Is the moon made out of blue cheese? Is gravity really just invisible goblins constantly winning a invisible tug-o-war against invisible griffins? Is everyone dead, is life a dream, am I dead, am I awake? I am not sure!

Having similar doubts all the time would require a lot of creativity, but would also seriously blow ass.

Constantly everyone involved in the process of living chooses to accept scientific concepts, laws of nature, or anything that surrounds us and we perceive through our senses as truth - as something that we can know. I don't want to say that this is the ultimate way, but it certainly enables ANYONE (fundamentalists, atheists, agnostics, butchers, tap-dancers, and many more) to live life without constantly worrying about floating away into space or worrying about whether the world is going to explode in one second.

(BOOM - Oh Shit.)

In short, without this we wouldn't be able to live. So we do make constant decisions (unconscious or not doesn't really matter) to accept certain visible things as truth. How then do we draw the line when it comes to a god or religion? How is it that some people decide to accept it as a truth, some people decide to deem it as "unknowable," and some are certain that it's baloney (Bologna, yeah, whateffz)?

Seriously, I can understand the religious side of this triad of theism in this argument better than the agnostic one. Obviously I am on the atheist side, but I can see how you choose a truth that has been taught to you over decades by family, friends, and the clergy/priests/really nice people in big buildings with symbols on the roof. But I can't see how you can be a non-religious person on the basis of not-knowing-for-sure. Because, as established, what the f do we really know for sure? We pick and choose on many things (2+2=4 ... Truth! Hooray, let's have a cup of tea.) based on our education, experience, genes, history, bla. It's just me, but picking and choosing beats "I don't know man..." any day. Especially when you have access to the information required to make a pretty educated guess.

This by no means is a suggested argument against doubt or the concept of it, because as atheist or as theist you should still doubt. But declaring your position as the position of the one without a clue, you are picking the easy way out, dude.

Short is short and long is long. This might not be as short as promised, but I am done.

... OR AM I?

Muahahahaaaa....

Merry Christ... we don't even know when... mas!

I love Christmas.

In a pagan kind of way... in a family-come-together-celebrate kind of way, in a I-get-to-go-home-way, in a give-me-some-fucking-presents kind of way, in a spread-some-awesome-love kind of way. Short: in the way in which everyone should love it. Maybe not exclusively, but definitely includingly (not a word, not a problem)!

I mean, we celebrate it - and it's kind of Christian, cause it has "Christ" in it - but in the end we barely know + - 10 years when Jesus was born. So how come we are so certain it's today?

So let's all enjoy it, atheists and non-atheists (achm... Christians!) of the western world (or eastern, if you wanna come along for shits + giggles)! Because it's awesome and it's positive. And it is a great opportunity to have some time off and spend it with family, friends, and partying with those.

And good wine.

Good Night and Merry Christmas to the whole lotta ya'll!

Post scriptum:

Love it, cause Hitler can't steal your seat anymore!

If you fly...

Hope for a blue sky.

Kansas City to Cincinnati delayed,

Mechanical error they said.

Flight to Paris fled, instead

In Cincinnati I stayed.

Cincinnati, woman in blue said,

"It was the weather's fault.

Therefore: you pay. Default!"

I pay and hang my head.

"At least Business class tomorrow,"

I think and go to sleep.

Next day, DELAY AGAIN, I weep.

In Atlanta I land, 10 minutes from sorrow.

I run and climb and sweat and curse.

Arrive at the gate and see my plane!

But the doors are closed and I strain

My voice to make my claim

That I need to be on this plane.

My pleas in vain, oh what a shame,

Another plane left and I remain.

Another woman in blue, and I converse.

"My plane left without me!"

"I understand, rebooking in progress.

No flight tonight, but do not stress,

Maybe tomorrow, or Tuesday."

"Tuesday you say!? 2 more day!?"

"It is the weather! Hotel! You pay!"

"I will not pay, there is no way!"

"The Woman in Red, I guess,

Has more power, less stress."

To the Woman in Red I flee.

"There are no flights,

but what do you claim?

The flight from KC is to blame?

A mechanical error you say it was?

Records say, 'Maintenance was the cause.'

They made you pay? A shame!

Hotel on us, glad you came."

Savior in Red, 2 free nights.

Hotel is nice, friendly, and large.

In my room, a flat screen TV.

And also, on floor three,

A gym, free of charge.

I hope to be,

In Germany,

With family,

By Christmas.

Lev says it for me...

This pretty much sums up how I feel about this topic fairly well: