Secondly a serious look at what causes a belief in god and religious dogma.
And finally a religious wackaloon, Matt Slick.
Part 1.
Part 2.
If you don't find them educational, you should at least find them humorous.
Just a quick rant; when I type the words atheism and christianity in this post, the spell checker wants to capitalize the word chrisitianity and not the word atheism. Why is that? Could it be a bias?
And finally a recent article I wrote for the April 2009 issue of the Aircrafter, a union news magazine.
So, what can you do to help protect our environment?
You may have asked yourself this question many times, or not. For those that have, there are many things you can do. Some are very easy, some are not, some are inexpensive and some are not.
No matter what your level of interest or concern is, there is something for you.
Although the list of things you can do is long, it is not daunting. Don’t worry; you don’t have to do them all to make a difference. If you chose just a few things from the list and practice them, you will make a positive contribution towards saving our planet.
Here are five things you can do right now that have a huge impact, with very little effort.
1. The three “R’s”. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. You can reduce waste by simply using cloth bags instead of accepting plastic bags when you shop. Also by using cloth bags while you shop, you have made a commitment to Reuse. Recycling is the last resort and should only be considered when Reducing and Reusing is not possible. Visit http://www.fs.utoronto.ca/recycle/rrrr.htm for more information.
2. Saving energy. Replacing energy inefficient appliances with ENERGY STAR approved appliances and incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs can save a substantial amount of electricity and money. Visit http://powerwise.ca/ for more information.
3. Buy local. Have you noticed that when you go to your local supermarket, almost all of the fruits and vegetables come from other countries? Canada has now become California’s largest fruit and vegetable importer. Things have gotten so bad that even our oranges come from California and not Florida. Of course some fruits and vegetables are seasonal but, before globalization we managed to make do. Canada is now importing canned fruits and vegetables from China, http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=98&x=story&xid=377144. Fruits and vegetables shipped half-way around the world create huge amounts of pollution and global warming gases. Visit http://www.ofvga.org/movie.html and http://www.thegrower.org/index.php for more information.
4. Drive smart. Instead of driving to the store, walk or ride your bike. Consider public transit or car pooling when ever possible. By leaving your car at home more often you will be helping the environment, saving money and improving your health.
5. Eat less meat. If you eat a meat free meal just once a week, overall you will be cutting meat out of your diet for over a month each year. It’s good for the environment, the animals and your health. Google, “factory farming and climate change”, for more information.
These are just a few of the many ways you can help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere everyday.
For those who still doubt the science of global warming I ask.
Would you pollute your home and then blame it on someone else? Would you then wait for them to come and clean it up? Would you stand by while someone entered your home, dumped garbage every where and then left without a word? I doubt it.
Yet, you listen to the polluters who tell you that they aren't harming the environment. When they tell you that dumping garbage in your home is actually good for you, you unquestioningly believe them. They tell you that the people who tell you otherwise have a hidden agenda, with the sole purpose of controlling you.
WAKE UP! The only people controlling you are the polluters. Open your eyes. Think for yourself. You can do the research for yourself. It's not difficult, start with Google and go from there. Good luck.
Kalama Sutta Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. But after observation and analysis, when you find anything that agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all then accept it and live up to it. -Buddha
Sounds like the Buddha was a skeptic.
This bit of wisdom from 2500 years ago, sounds like something a skeptic should take to heart.
For me, it agrees with reason and appears to be conducive to the good and benefit of one and all.
The "new atheist" is speaking out. The "new atheist" is standing out. The "new atheist" is coming out.
The Out Campaign is all about atheists standing up for what they believe in.
The "flock of god" is always quick to point out that atheists don't believe in anything. This shortsighted response assumes that if you don't believe in god, you must believe in nothing. There is no other choice.
Bullshit!
Just because atheists don't believe in a mythical supernatural power that controls everything, doesn't mean they automatically don't believe in anything.
Atheists believe in reality. Atheists believe in asking questions about the world around them. Atheists believe in seeking the evidence necessary to answer the questions they ask. Atheists believe in continuing to seek evidence even after the question has been answered.
Atheists do not accept the argument from authority as the answer to every question. Atheists do not accept answers that are not supported by evidence.
Atheists are open to accepting evidence for an argument if the evidence is falsifiable.
For those who don't understand falsifiability.
Fal´si`fi`a`ble a. 1. Capable of being falsified, counterfeited, or corrupted. 2. able to be proven false, and therefore testable; as, most religious beliefs are not falsifiable, and are therefor outside the scope of experimental science.
Taken from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by C. & G. Merriam Co.
As someone who grew up without any religious belief, I'm actually amazed that not believing in a supernatural control freak has to be defended. Until recently I was being respectful in my dealings with my religious friends by claiming to be a "soft" agnostic. But, I now see that position as nothing more than pandering to the flock. If I continue to allow the "flock of god" to push us back into the dark ages then I am no better than they are.
So here it is. I am an ATHEIST !!!!
I see absolutely no reason to believe in the hypothesis that god exists as it adds nothing to the world we live in.
For those who don't know what a hypothesis is:
hy·poth·e·sis Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural hy·poth·e·ses Etymology: Greek, from hypotithenai to put under, suppose, from hypo- + tithenai to put — more at do Date: circa 1656
1 a: an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument b: an interpretation of a practical situation or condition taken as the ground for action. 2: a tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences. 3: the antecedent clause of a conditional statement.
From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
Until real, falsifiable and verifiable evidence is revealed for the existence of god, I will live my life, happily I might add, without constantly bowing to a non-existent supernatural being.
So stop and think. Before you object because god is "real to you" and you simply can't come up with any explanation for the natural world so it must be god. Don't bother to post a comment. I don't care how real he is to you because that has no bearing on the question of his existence. If you've bothered to read the post this long, than you should already know what is required to prove the existence of god to me as well as every other atheist. If not, than I probably can't help you anyways.
And no I'm not lost or just looking for a way to come to god. Nor do I hate god, how can you hate something that doesn't exist. I'm also not waiting for an epiphany to happen to me that will "open" my eyes to god.
On April 23rd, my wife and I will be attending the "Why Green Energy? Renewable Solutions with Dr. David Suzuki & Dr. Hermann Scheer" talk at the UofT.
Time for chocolate bunnies! Oh, the 1lb solid bunny is the best!
Last night I watched most of, 3 hours, the Ten Commandments. What can I say, it's a classic. Yule Brynner, Charlton Heston and lots of Egyptians, cool.
During the commercial breaks I read some of Christopher Hitchens "God is not great."
When I'm watching TV, which is not very often, I like to read during commercial breaks.
So in celebration of Easter and bunnies I found this video.
Christopher Hitchens frustrates Todd Friel on Wretched radio.
Friel decides to play a little game of "What if?" in the hopes of trapping Hitchens into accepting god.
Hitchens kicked this guys ass!
Todd, don't feel bad, you're among good company. You're not the first religious wackaloon to be humiliated by Christopher and I'm sure you won't be the last.