A Liberal, Progressive Church in America? Logic Fail

Reuters again.

The U.S. Episcopal Church gave its clergy the go-ahead on Friday to bless some same-sex unions, such as civil partnerships in states that legally recognize them, setting the stage for further conflict with the wider Anglican world.

I was raised Anglican, and can vouch that the Church of England is pretty tame compared to some other religions.

The drama is unfolding against the backdrop of America's wider debate over sexual orientation issues, such as gay marriage, child adoption by same-sex parents and the status of homosexuals in the military.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the United Church of Christ is alone among major U.S. Christian denominations in officially recognizing gay marriage. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America may decide in August to sanction same-sex marriage as well.

Polls consistently show gays and lesbians enjoying growing acceptance in American society. But fast-growing faiths in the United States such as many evangelical Protestant churches and the Mormon church regard homosexual relations as sinful and proscribed by scripture.

Yay, for progress. But something in the back of my brain tells me that this is a business decision by the Episcopal Church.

I'm also reminded of this quote: "Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine."

In related news, our first local Gay Pride Parade is taking place on August 1st. I have a couple of friends attending, and I'm thinking about showing my support and take it in.. maybe take a few photos and blog about it.

Old Testament - Torah - Short Version

In the beginning of this story, a man named Adam and his wife Eve are kicked out, or leave on their own, a town named Eden.. for being atheists. They saw the tricks of the town leaders and their stories about god(s), for the lies that they were, and how those lies controlled the public to the leaders' advantage. They founded a new town elsewhere which gave in to superstitions a generation or two later.

Elsewhere, a man named Noah raised livestock near a river. Noah was a bit odd, for, as others had small boats in the river, he also built a raft near his barn. One day the river flooded its banks, and all the villagers lost their livestock. Except for Noah, who was able to save enough goats, sheep, and chickens to repopulate his flocks in a few years.

Sometime later, an illusionist named Moses travels between Egypt and the Dead Sea, performing his tricks and acquiring these and many other stories from all over the lands, including stories from the silk and spice roads. He writes these down, edits, embellishes, and makes sure to add some wonderful stories about himself for good measure. He's likely an opium user, as he has a penchant for talking to shrubbery.

Others add to these stories over the years, and intertwine some allegory, some local history, some moralistic messages, and some bat-shit crazy fiction.

Then a strange thing happens... people start believing these stories, despite all the crazy fiction, and then somebody decided to take advantage of those fools and their easily parted money.

The End.

The Parable of the Pawnbroker

This story comes via a poster named wiploc over at talkrational.

I was a pawnbroker. This is a true story. This guy came into my store, drew a chain out of his right-side pocket, and said, "How much will you give me for this fine gold necklace?" I figured, because he said it that way, that he was lying, that it was a fake necklace. I don't like being lied to, and this guy had already given me enough, by my standards, to justify my disbelief.

But I didn't tell him so. I politely looked at his necklace. It was fake. I pointed out to him the chintzy clasp, totally unlike what would be on a necklace of value. But he still insisted that it was real; so I cut the chain with a file, ready to test it with acid. But I didn't need the acid: the inside was brown, not even gold in color.

The guy dropped the chain in his left pocket. He drew another chain out of his right pocket, and said, "This one's the real thing." This one's the real thing? That was like admitting he'd known all along that the first one was fake.

I showed him that this one didn't say, "14K," like real gold would. It said, "14KEP," meaning it was electroplate. It wasn't even pretending to be real. But the guy still insisted it was real. So I cut it with my file, and showed him it was another fake.

Can you guess what he did then? He dropped it into his left pocket, pulled a third chain from his right, and told me that this one was real. I was happy to file this one too, ruin it, so he couldn't try to fool anyone else.

He pulled out a fourth chain. He said it was real. I showed him that it wasn't.

He pulled out a fifth chain. He said it was real. I showed him that it wasn't.

He pulled out a sixth chain. He said it was real. I showed him that it wasn't.

He pulled out a seventh chain. He said it was real. I showed him that it wasn't.

He pulled out an eighth chain. He told me that this one was real. Here's the thing: I had I detected a pattern. Two patterns.

First pattern: When this guy said a chain was real, that didn't carry any weight. His apparent sincerity was an act or a pathology, not an indication of actual truthfulness. His saying something was legitimate didn't make it legitimate, didn't even increase the likelihood that it was legitimate.

Second pattern: This guy's chains were fake. I had yet to examine his eighth chain, but I already believed it was fake.

I was willing to be surprised; if the chain turned out to be real, I would have accepted that. But I believed it was fake. And that was a justified belief, reasonable in the circumstances.


This story is analogous with my experience with Christianity. Somebody will tell me that the ontological argument is solid gold proof of the existence of Jehovah. I point out that it is patently absurd, and he pulls out another argument.

He doesn't blush or backpedal. He makes no apology for having indiscriminately swallowed a lie and repeated it as a truth. He doesn't tell his friends, "Hey, don't be using thiss argument anymore." No, he just tells me that the modal argument for necessary greatness is absolute proof of god's existence. When I point out that this argument is no stronger than its opposite, the modal argument for the nonexistence of necessary greatness, what does he do? Is he taken aback? Does he say he'd better rethink whether his god really exists? Of course not. He pulls out another argument, and says, with all the sincerity of a seller of fake chains, "This one's the real thing."

For decades I have examined these arguments, tested them, found them to be not merely false but transparently false. They say "14KEP" right on them. They are not such as would fool anyone but those desperate to believe.

I see the pattern. I believe that the next theist argument will also be false. And my belief is justified. It is just as well founded as my belief about that eighth chain.


Now it's certainly possible that I haven't heard all the arguments. And it is theoretically possible that one of those that I've never been exposed to is legitimate. But I don't think that's the case. Here's why: If the theists had a good argument, they would present it. The only reason they use bad arguments is that they don't have any good ones.

They not only want to believe, they want to win other people to their beliefs. For those purposes, good arguments would work well---but bad arguments work only poorly. So I feel justified in believing that, if they had good arguments, they would use them.

But they don't use them. They use only bad arguments. The arguments of Christians then, are good justification for believing that Christianity is indefensible. The arguments of Christians justify atheism.

Using nothing but the books themselves for evidence, if we were to assert that Tolkien's great work, The Lord of The Rings, was an actual account of historical events, somebody would believe it to be truth. And the apologists would explain that Balrogs, Dwarves, Elves and Hobbits once roamed the earth, and an enchanted ring made its wearer invisible to all.

Stories, myths, fables, legends, lore, song, dance, poetry..
These are some of the ways humanity learned and passed down information through the millenia. Then humanity became literate, and able to read for themselves, and not rely on somebody else's interpretation of texts. They could reference other sources and discern what was true, what was false, and what was allegory.

Big claims demand big evidence. A book written by man about a god is no more evidence for a god, than another other book written by man, is evidence for Hobbits. Plus, the book about Hobbits is a much better work of fiction, with plenty of moralistic messages, and nobody demanding that it is an historical account of anything.

Betty Bowers Explains Traditional Marriage to Everyone Else

America's Best Christian takes time to explain to less informed Christians the curious details of the Lord's concept of marriage.

Tip of the hat to Lionel.

Stay Classy Bill

Bill Donohue, President of the American Catholic League, and World Class Asshole. He doesn't like that people are upset by the report that lists the systematic abuses that took place in Irish Orphanages.


Update:
Bill takes on comedian Louis C.K. and fails at reason. Who elects this guy?

Steve Harvey - Super Genius

Yes, Steve... us atheists have no morals whatsoever.



If only atheists could be more moralistic, like good God fearing Christians, the world would be a much better place. Look how nice they treat people.

One Law For All - Against Sharia Law in the UK

The UK needs your help, and all you have to do is sign their global petition.

The movement is starting with a global effort to support the UK national petition called One Law for All. The UK is in a similar position to that in which Canada found itself before 2005. In the UK, though, Sharia has already crept in and is being integrated into normal everyday legal systems under the initial guise of a viable arbitration mechanism. However, it must be stopped dead in its tracks right now. And be reassured, it is possible. It is not too late. Because of a similar petition and campaign supported globally by people all around the world, in 2005 Canada was able to remove this biased and unjust system of law and uphold equal and citizenship rights for all. A massive campaign is being organised in the UK to support this petition and drive this loathsome form of legalised inequality and prejudice from Britain too.



Visit the One Law For All website, and sign the petition.

Must not name the criminals, they did it in the name of Jesus

Testing... check... check... sibilance...
Welcome to Newfie's Screech.
I will screech about things good and bad.

My first blog entry is about bad things, and the bad people who do them. It's about the bad people who hide the bad things and the bad people from you, and then proclaim that they are the good people.

They most certainly are not. They are the evil that inhabit this planet. They tell you lies, tell you that you are broken, tell you they have the cure, and will sell it to you for a price. What price has humanity paid for the Roman Catholic Church? How much more will we pay?


I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
-Mohandas Gandhi