Dawkins on Evolution

Atheism In The 1700′s

 ABSTRACT OF THE TESTAMENT OF JOHN MESLIER

By Voltaire

Excerpted from a longer volume

In regard to the Lord’s Supper, the first three Evangelists note that Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of His body and His blood, in the form of bread and wine, the same as our Roman Christ-worshipers say; and John does not mention this mysterious sacrament. John says that after this supper, Jesus washed His apostles’ feet, and commanded them to do the same thing to each other, and relates a long discourse which He delivered then. But the other Evangelists do not speak of the washing of the feet, nor of the long discourse He gave them then.

On the contrary, they testify that immediately after this supper, He went with His apostles upon the Mount of Olives, where He gave up His Spirit to sadness, and was in anguish while His apostles slept, at a short distance. They contradict each other upon the day on which they say the Lord’s Supper took place; because on one side, they note that it took place Easter-eve, that is, the evening of the first day of Azymes, or of the feast of unleavened bread; as it is noted (1) in Exodus, (2) in Leviticus, and (3) in Numbers; and, on the other hand, they say that He was crucified the day following the Lord’s Supper, about midday after the Jews had His trial during the whole night and morning.

Now, according to what they say, the day after this supper took place, ought not to be Easter-eve. Therefore, if He died on the eve of Easter, toward midday, it was not on the eve of this feast that this supper took place. There is consequently a manifest error.

They contradict each other, also, in regard to the women who followed Jesus from Galilee, for the first three Evangelists say that these women, and those who knew Him, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary, mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s children, were looking on at a distance when He was hanged and nailed upon the cross. John says, on the contrary, that the mother of Jesus and His mother’s sister, and Mary Magdalene were standing near His cross with John, His apostle. The contradiction is manifest, for, if these women and this disciple were near Him, they were not at a distance, as the others say they were.

They contradict each other upon the pretended apparitions which they relate that Jesus made after His pretended resurrection; for Matthew speaks of but two apparitions: the one when He appeared to Mary Magdalene and to another woman, also named Mary, and when He appeared to His eleven disciples who had returned to Galilee upon the mountain where He had appointed to meet them.

Mark speaks of three apparitions: The first, when He appeared to Mary Magdalene; the second, when He appeared to His two disciples, who went to Emmaus; and the third, when He appeared to His eleven disciples, whom He reproaches for their incredulity.

Luke speaks of but two apparitions the same as Matthew; and John the Evangelist speaks of four apparitions, and adds to Mark’s three, the one which He made to seven or eight of His disciples who were fishing upon the shores of the Tiberian Sea.

They contradict each other, also, in regard to the place of these apparitions; for Matthew says that it was in Galilee, upon a mountain; Mark says that it was when they were at table; Luke says that He brought them out of Jerusalem as far as Bethany, where He left them by rising to Heaven; and John says that it was in the city of Jerusalem, in a house of which they had closed the doors, and another time upon the borders of the Tiberian Sea.

Thus is much contradiction in the report of these pretended apparitions. They contradict each other in regard to His pretended ascension to heaven; for Luke and Mark say positively that He went to heaven in presence of the eleven apostles, but neither Matthew nor John mentions at all this pretended ascension. More than this, Matthew testifies sufficiently that He did not ascend to heaven; for he said positively that Jesus Christ assured His apostles that He would be and remain always with them until the end of the world.

“Go ye,” He said to them, in this pretended apparition, “and teach all nations, and be assured that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Luke contradicts himself upon the subject; for in his Gospel he says that it was in Bethany where He ascended to heaven in the presence of His apostles, and in his Acts of the Apostles (supposing him to have been the author) he says that it was upon the Mount of Olives.

He contradicts himself again about this ascension; for he notes in his Gospel that it was the very day of His resurrection, or the first night following, that He ascended to heaven; and in the Acts of the Apostles he says that it was forty days after His resurrection; this certainly does not correspond.

If all the apostles had really seen their Master gloriously rise to heaven, how could it be possible that Matthew and John, who would have seen it as well as the others, passed in silence such a glorious mystery, and which was so advantageous to their Master, considering that they relate many other circumstances of His life and of His actions which are much less important than this one?

How is it that Matthew does not mention this ascension? And why does Christ not explain   clearly how He would live with them always, although He left them visibly to ascend to heaven? It is not easy to comprehend by what secret He could live with those whom He left.

I pass in silence many other contradictions; what I have said is sufficient to show that these books are not of Divine Inspiration, nor even of human wisdom, and, consequently, do not deserve that we should put any faith in them.   JEAN MESLIER

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Catholic Church Investigators: Children Were Castrated

Dutch government inspectors were aware in the 1950’s that the Catholic Church was castrating young boys and doing it without informing parents…and surely against the boys wishes.

Young boys were being sexually abused by Catholic priests and if they complained to authorities they were involuntarily placed in Catholic run psychiatric institutions and castrated to ‘help’ their homosexual feelings or behavior.

A committee was set up by the Catholic Church itself in 2010 when the abuse scandal broke. It is said to have identified some 800 priests and monks in the Netherlands who were actively abusing children in a 40 year period from 1945 to 1985.

Among other things it found was that church officials, bishops, and lay people were aware of the evil going on in the church and church institutions, but failed to take action

This committee is now under fire for glossing over many incidents and not giving proper weight to the allegations and incidences.  One politician  involved in the original inspection, Vic Marijnen,  was even elected as prime minister of the Netherlands in the 1963.

This politician had tried to get charges dropped against several Catholic priests accused of child sexual abuse.

So again we have the ‘universal church’ showing just how holy and spiritual the Christian religion really is.  Apologists for the Church say it’s not the church, but the humans involved.  However it has been proven that this crap is known by all members of the organization all the way up to the Pope and they all try to wiggle out from under any responsibility, and hide it as much as possible.  This Church is evil from top to bottom (talking church executives, priests, bishops, etc…not congregations) and why any moral and righteous citizen would want to listen to or join with these evil people is beyond me.

The Catholic Church has a very long history of murder and assassinations, priestly misconduct, slave holding, Popes having mistresses and little boy companions, priestly homosexual pimping for the hierarchy, in short they are the least compliant to the supposed  will of God of all the Christian denominations.

They are currently behind the American Republican parties assault on women’s right to control their own sexuality, reproduction, and bodies.  In attempts to control African reproduction, the Pope lies about the effectiveness of condoms in controlling the spread of AIDS.

Polls have consistently found that 90% or more American Catholics use birth control in defiance of Catholic dogma…I suppose the Pope is worried that there won’t be enough little Catholic babies to take up the slack.  Catholics are responsible, at least in part, for the overpopulation of the earth.

They are evil..from beginning times to now.

Parts adapted from DutchNews.nl

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/03/catholic_church_abuse_inspecto.php

Church And State Must Be Separate…Ronald Reagan

To all of those people out there who are following the current ‘Republican Dream’ of establishing America as a ‘Christian Nation’   Perhaps you might want to emulate your ‘Hero’ instead.

“We in the United States, above all, must remember that lesson [of the Holocaust], for we were founded as a nation of openness to people of all beliefs. And so we must remain. Our very unity has been strengthened by our pluralism. We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate. All are free to believe or not believe, all are free to practice a faith or not, and those who believe are free, and should be free, to speak of and act on their belief.”  Ronald Reagan, 1984  My bolding and underline.

The Oppression of Religion…?

“If you think that it would be impossible to improve upon the Ten Commandments as a statement of morality, you really owe it to yourself to read some other scriptures. Once again, we need look no further than the Jains: Mahavira, the Jain patriarch, surpassed the morality of the Bible with a single sentence: “Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being.” Imagine how different our world might be if the Bible contained this as its central precept. Christians have abused, oppressed, enslaved, insulted, tormented, tortured, and killed people in the name of God for centuries, on the basis of a theologically defensible reading of the Bible.”  Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation  My bold emphasis

Muslims Kill Christians

Well its happened again…those super friendly, religion of peace, and non-violent Muslims in Nigeria have killed some more Christians in their ongoing effort to rid the country of a competing religion.   Boy those Muslims, what a crack-up they are.  HERE
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Are Atheists Better People

Science has done more for the development of western civilization in one hundred years than Christianity did in eighteen hundred years.
~ Jeff Burroughs

I predict the continued growth of atheism in America is going to make for some very interesting times. The putative leaders of the Christian Right in America have spent years trying to cast themselves as the victims in a secular society, the facts behind this assertion are kinda slim though. It’s been my experience and observation that the only way that secularism/atheism bothers religion is when it has to fight them (metaphorically) to keep religion where it belongs…out of people’s faces and out of our government.

Atheists are well-behaved and we seem to play well with others overall.

Atheists are not in the news, like the Christian right, for getting caught doing things they tell others not to do.  You know…those nasty little sexual things.  

Atheists almost always co-exist peacefully with religious believing family and friends.

Atheists pay taxes just like the religious believers do.

Atheists are waaay under represented in jails and prisons…we’re actually pretty moral people.

Atheists don’t start wars on behalf of atheism…unlike religion

They do join the military however, and contrary to clichéd belief, they are found in foxholes.

Atheists believe strongly in America and the whole American Constitution, but particularly the First Amendment that separates church and state.

Atheists are secularists who support a government free from influence by any religion. We are not anti-religious, we are Non-Religious.

Atheists don’t take up a lot of space. The non-religious/atheist/agnostic members of American society only add up to a little less than 18% of the whole population…but we are growing.  

Atheists make good neighbors. Chances are, if you live next door, or work with an atheist, you will  never know it.

Atheists in general, are much more supportive of women’s rights and for their right to control their own bodies and lives without church or state interference.

Unlike the religious right people, atheists don’t like to get into other peoples business and dictate how they should live….what they should do or not do.  You know…like who you should marry.

Atheists are not known for going door-to-door to convert people to our way of thinking. We are however, known to help our friends and neighbors with no thought of there being a heavenly reward in it for us.

Unlike many of the present Republican presidential candidates and the religious right in general Atheists do not advocate or align themselves with groups who want to take over our government and reshape America into a religiously ruled theocracy…you know, kinda’ like the Middle Eastern Islamic states.

Atheists, unlike the Republican Right, the Tea-Party, and the religious right, do not go around with guns in meetings and say the President will never take their guns away, or wishing the president would fail and generally disrespecting the President and the office.  Or call him ni_ger behind his back

Atheists mostly do know a lot about religion, as many were raised in a religious family, and they tend to research and know their positions really well.  In recent national polling about religious knowledge, atheists knew more than any religious sub-group.

Hmmm…could it be…could the atheists actually be better citizens and better people to know than theists???  I know I never disrespect, with malice, someone for believing the ‘wrong thing’…I just like to get into friendly arguments/debates with them.

And remember…Atheism cures religious terrorism

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Republicans Will Let Women Die With NO Help

The Republican Party just continues its dangerous attacks on women. They are the most evil people in politics today…and probably tie with the Medieval Borgia’s of Italy.

“In their latest assault on women’s health, this week House Republicans will take up HR 358, the ironically titled “Protect Life Act.” Opponents have rechristened the measure the “Let Women Die” bill because it would allow hospitals that receive federal funds to turn away a woman seeking an abortion in ALL circumstances, even if an abortion is necessary to save her life.  See full story here and here”  (My emphasis)

They have no respect for the lives of any women in our world; they are arguably following the Christian Dominionists and Catholic Church thinking in punishing women for having a sex life.  This particular bill gives people the power to kill women who find themselves in dire straits…without recourse.

It is an evil and deadly thing the churches and the Republican Party are trying to do here.  They are slowly building an American Nazi Party where the ‘State’ can sentence you to death and all you’ve done is have sex.
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Much of Religion is Falsifiable

Fal si fi a ble
“Able to be proven false, and therefore testable; as, most religious beliefs are not falsifiable and therefore outside the scope of experimental science”  Webster’s revised unabridged Dictionary

 The Christian religion makes many falsifiable claims about itself. It likes to tell its members that prayer is answered and is effective in curing sicknesses and helps in almost any situation.  Your pastor or priest or rabbi will not tell you about all the studies that have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that prayer is totally useless, other than as a ‘positive thinking’ or placebo exercise.

Those unlucky people who have had an arm or leg amputation, have never had their prayers answered to regrow said limb…in all of earthly recorded history.

Those two undeniable ‘facts’ completely falsify the Christian claim that prayer does work.  So I wonder why this is?  It seems that Christians would have caught on by now.  Remember Texas Governor Perry having his little prayer meeting trying to get some rain in the state to relieve a terrible drought?   The fires broke out and Texas has had the worst fire season ever…way to go god.

1.  Prayer is a falsifiable claim of Christianity. And it has been proven false.

Since the 1600’s or so science has been relentlessly working on many many projects that have inadvertently invaded the claims and assertions of religion.  Other than the people who write for the Biblical Archaeological Review the scientists whose field is archaeology, paleontology, biology, geology, physical anthropology, or radiometric dating do not work to try and prove the Bible…nor do they work to disprove it.  They simply do their job and report what they find without prejudice.

Likewise the field of genetics, although a relatively new science, it, along with other earth sciences, in just a few short years has made tremendous strides in defining our humanness and ancestry and giving us a sense of history that defies and falsifies what religion has been telling us for thousands of years.

What these sciences together have done is falsify most of the books of Genesis and Exodus.  We now have convincing scientific evidence that falsifies the stories that generation after generation was brainwashed with and told were true history.  From about 500+- AD when the Bible was canonized till the middle of the 20^th century, people who doubted the Christian religion and God were mostly without proofs of what they believed…not any longer.

Now we know where all of us humans came from…Africa…and most likely the Ethiopian area…and most likely about 50,000 + years ago.  Archaeologists and paleontologists have been saying this for years, and just in the last few years genetics and DNA has confirmed this. We have found proof that our ancestors mated successfully with Neanderthals.  There is new evidence (that is not fully confirmed yet), that our ancestors mated with some other ancient hominids.  The evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable…we are not guessing anymore…we have the proof to back it up.

We don’t need a physical ‘missing link’ anymore…we can follow our history in the blood and DNA.  We are the last surviving representative of the genus Homo…which is estimated to be 2.3 to 2.4 million years old…we have really ancient ancestors, we can no longer deny this.  We are not related to a mythical ‘Adam and Eve’ or to the mythical sons of Noah.

2.  Adam and Eve is a falsified claim of Christianity…they are just a Biblical myth. ***

This is going to cost the Christian community a big case of heartburn.  Because of Paul inventing ‘Original Sin’ in the New Testament and placing the blame on Adam and Eve’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden.  ***There are additional falsified claims in Genesis.

Because of ‘Original Sin’ concept Christianity needs the first couple…badly.  The whole of the need for Jesus was Paul saying that through Adam and Eve’s disobedience and downfall, sin passed down to all of mankind, Jesus had to provide a blood-sacrifice to expiate the sins we humans all have.  Think of this…a blood sacrifice to a god…how insane and silly is that?

Does any of this sound suspicious and slightly familiar?  Didn’t the old civilizations in South America and the really old cultures in the Middle East, and elsewhere kill people as sacrifices to god or the god’s?  Blood sacrifices…like Jesus.

From Wikipedia:
“In Trinitarian Christian teaching, God became incarnate in Jesus Christ, sacrificing his first-born son to accomplish the reconciliation of God and humanity, which had separated itself from God through sin (see the concept of original sin). According to a view that has featured prominently in Western theology since early in the 2nd millennium, God’s justice required an atonement for sin from humanity if human beings were to be restored to their place in creation and saved from damnation. However, God knew limited human beings could not make sufficient atonement, for humanity’s offense to God was infinite, so God created a covenant with Abraham, which he fulfilled when he sent his only Son to become the sacrifice for the broken covenant. In Christian theology, this sacrifice replaced the insufficient animal sacrifice of the Old Covenant; Christ the “Lamb of God” replaced the lambs’ sacrifice of the ancient Korban Todah (the Rite of Thanksgiving), chief of which is the Passover in the Mosaic Law.

3.  The need for Jesus as a blood sacrifice for ‘Original Sin’ is falsified by the non-existence of Adam and Eve.

Most archaeologists and earth scientists have known for years that there was never any evidence of the Hebrews (a million + strong) living in and subsequently leaving Egypt.  Repeated surveys of the Sinai desert by the best scientists in their field has never found the slightest bit of evidence for the Hebrew passage and their camping out for 40 years. There are no Egyptian records or writings supporting the myth of half or more of their population leaving suddenly. This is a non-event…it has no scientific attestation at all.

4.  The truth of the Exodus and the supernatural events that follow in the myth has been falsified by over a hundred years of searching for the slightest evidence…and not finding any.

In the thousands of years of human history, magical or supernatural explanations of phenomena have never once been proved…and natural explanations have ALWAYS worked. Never the other way round.

There is more to all of this, but it’s past my bedtime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleontology
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/forensics.shtml
http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookDNAMOLGEN.html
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/lan/en/atlas.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_evolution
http://humanorigins.si.edu/
http://www.becominghuman.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/human/human_evolution/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sacrifice#Judaism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_violence.

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We Are All Children of Africa

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ALL the evidence from ALL the relevant sciences just keeps pointing to Africa, and that the early hominids are our ancestors.  Religionists of course have been denying this for over a hundred years…but the science is relentless and cohesive, we humans are products of evolution, not created ex-nihilo by some imaginary Jewish God 6000 years ago.

Priests, rabbi’s, pastors, Mullah’s, and  theologians on all sides can make all the Grand Pronouncements and split all the hairs they want for eternity, and all we atheists need to do is point to humankind’s KNOWN past and the KNOWN path we took to get where we are today.  And of course the evidence for our ancestry kinda’ kills the mainline established Christian dogma…we now know the old stories are impossible to fit into KNOWN history.

Christianity, as we know it, is on it’s last legs, it cannot integrate the knowledge we now have without major changes to all denominations and theological thought.

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