demons are hopelessly unambitious

shitigotbanned:

I had watched a TV program (forgot the title) talking about the “real-life story” of a family whose house was haunted by supernatural beings, including a powerful demon.

According to the family, the demon caused them to have nightmares, accidents and scary apparitions. The family hired a group of professional “psychics” in order to be rid of the supernatural presence. The psychics said the demon, whose name was Seth, entered the human world when, many years ago, a ritual was done in the house that opened a portal to hell.

The “psychics” said they got rid of the demon through incantation, and all was well again until a new demon entered the human world through to open portal. Then the family left the house, and they have had a normal life since.

Demons are terrifying beings that are supposedly more powerful than any human. So why do they choose to limit themselves to haunting a single house and causing nightmares, (non-fatal) accidents and spooky sounds and sightings in a single family rather than, I dunno, using their powers to actually take over the Universe?

And if demons were so powerful, humans with their silly chants and charms and incantations should never be able to get rid of them.

And why do they have to wait for (mortal, weak) humans to generate a portal before they can get here? Why can’t they create their own portal with their superpowers?

And this issue about the Devil seeking the ruin of souls… What a shallow activity to occupy one’s infinite existence! Why does the Devil want to ruin and collect souls, anyway? To piss God off? To have a collection of humans which he can torture at his leisure? Hey, if I had nearly unlimited power like the Devil’s, I would be doing something far more productive (or far more destructive) than seeking the ruin of souls.

So, either demons are hopelessly unambitious, or the ones who made them had limited imagination…

The mainstream Christian conception of both Satan and demons is a little weird. It’s tempting to attribute it wholly to the misguided attempt to treat the Bible as a single work. However, there’s much in your account above and my own experiences with Christianity which leads me to believe a lot of things are passed down in an oral-tradition fashion in churches.

What I’ve seen in my other studies leads me to speculate that the oral tradition has accrued a lot of details from occult obsessions but at this point I’m speculating so many steps in I wouldn’t put as much stock in it as a weather report predicting snow in my city tomorrow.

AIDS Denialism on World AIDS Day

doubtingmarcus:

For all the intellectual and financial damage that pseudoscience does nothing in the realm of skepticism really compares to the colossal harm that can be and has been done by the spread of misinformation about AIDS. The South African government’s AIDS denialist policies alone are estimated to have caused more than 330,000 premature deaths. Fortunately those policies ended when then end of Thabo Mbeki’s reign as Prime Minister in 2008 but it demonstrates that even a handful of ill-informed individuals in positions of power can devastate a population.

The good news is the misinformation surrounding HIV/AIDS is largely divorced from the types of political and religious baggage which makes combating creationism and climate denialism extremely difficult. There are also numerous internet outlets outlining the basics of HIV/AIDS, and a short list of those can be found below, so there’s little reason why anyone should continue to be lead astray by repeatedly debunked myths and by conspiracies about drug companies. Just as the spread of HIV can be limited by knowing basic facts the spread of AIDS denialism, which in turn leads to the spread of HIV, can be largely curtailed by creating an informed population.

AIDS Denialism

AIDSTruth.org - A site presenting the scientific evidence on HIV/AIDS and with a wonderful FAQ on common AIDS denialist myths.

Ben Goldacre: The Doctor Will Now Sue You - A chapter on AIDS denialism and alternative medicines for HIV/AIDS initially left out of his book Bad Science

AIDS Denial is Pseudoscience - Perhaps the largest collection of articles and resources about AIDS denialism on the web

C0nc0rdance: 30 Million Lives - A great video series on AIDS denialism which details the science of HIV/AIDS and the culture of denialism

General HIV/AIDS Information

Avert.org - Likely the most popular site online regarding HIV/AIDS information and with good reason as it’s information is plentiful and easily understandable for a layperson

AIDSvideos.org - An alternative to reading lengthy texts this site provides all of the basic information about AIDS in videos in many different languages and can  also can be found on Youtube.

Mental Illness and Why The Skeptic Community Should Give a Shit: JT Eberhard’s Talk at Skepticon 4

[tw: frank discussion of mental illness, disordered eating, self-harm, ableist slurs]

This video was very difficult for me to sit through because it runs very close to my own triggers but I think it’s important for the skeptical community as a whole.

Source: freethoughtblogs.com

My Gawd! It’s a Miracle!

This is the introduction to an article written by Norm Allen for Black Skeptics on Freethought Blogs. Please follow the link at the end to read the entire article.

On October 29, 2011, the Associated Press ran a heartwarming story about an adorable dog that cheated death. (“Stray dog awaits adoption after surving gas chamber,” The Buffalo News, p. A7.)

On October 3rd, a new operator of a gas chamber run by the Animal Control Department in Florence, Alabama, placed the dog into the chamber with other animals. Carbon monoxide was fed into the chamber. The lucky dog was the only survivor.

Surely a genuine miracle of a religious nature must have occurred. After all, there is no other possible explanation as to how the dog could have survived. Indeed, workers at the animal shelter named the dog Daniel, after the biblical hero that made it out of the lion’s den.

Not so fast.

[Read More]

helvetebrann: I am furious.  This is a teacher who graduated from the same teaching credential program as me.  Once I say my piece, I will be removing her from my friend’s list. I do not associate with people who believe that it is ok to use their position of power to brainwash children into thinking that they need to and can “accept Jesus” into their hearts. This disgusts me.  She works at a public school.  FUCK THAT SHIT. (P.S. I am Tiffany.)
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helvetebrann:

I am furious.  This is a teacher who graduated from the same teaching credential program as me.  Once I say my piece, I will be removing her from my friend’s list.

I do not associate with people who believe that it is ok to use their position of power to brainwash children into thinking that they need to and can “accept Jesus” into their hearts.

This disgusts me.  She works at a public school.  FUCK THAT SHIT.

(P.S. I am Tiffany.)

not so quick to dismiss the Bible

puttinglifetogether:

History of Thucydides, 460-400 B.C.: Thucydides is regarded as one of the first true historians. His documentation of the Peloponnesian Wars is the only source for a crucial period of Greek history. There are seven manuscripts, the earliest being 900 A.D.

The Annals of Caesar, 100-44 B.C.: Roman historian Tacitus documented the reigns of four Caesars including Julius Caesar, Tiberius and Nero. There are ten manuscripts, the earliest being 900 A.D.

New Testament, 50-95 A.D.: There are 24,633 manuscripts, the earliest dated at 120 A.D.

I’m tired of uninformed Bible bashing. Tens of thousands more manuscripts. Written much more shortly after initial autographs. Can we at least give it a look?

I have given it a look but more importantly, so have objective, peer-reviewed historians and scientists. Look up JEPD, Redaction Criticism, and look up Bart Ehrman. Redaction Criticism is wonderful and easily approachable. Without even needing to refer to Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew texts, lay persons can see the seams where the gospels were patched together and begin to piece out the elements which are likely to have some grain of truth to them from the parts which are politically motivated alterations.

With knowledge and access to the original text, I’m sure the effect is much more pronounced.

I’m not here to attack your beliefs. If you behave yourself (e.g. enthusiastically support equality for gender and sexual minorities, don’t try to use the law to force your religious moires on others, and don’t terrorize children with fear of hell), I don’t care if you believe every other raindrop is made of vodka and St. Joseph picks your lottery numbers. I do care that you’re misrepresenting the historicity of your claims and that you’re misrepresenting skeptics and honest scholarship.

On a related note, did you know it’s possible to be a strong Christian without being a Biblical literalist and without rejecting the truth about the construction of the Bible? It may be a variety of Christianity you’re uncomfortable with, but I found it a lot more morally and intellectually satisfying when I passed through that stage.

Faith-Healing Parents Sentenced to Six Years

helvetebrann:

An Oregon judge on Monday (Oct. 31) sentenced two members of a faith-healing church to more than six years in prison, saying the death of their newborn son was easily avoidable.

A jury in September unanimously found Dale and Shannon Hickman guilty of second-degree manslaughter after their son, David Hickman, died after less than nine hours. The boy was born approximately two months premature and weighed less than four pounds.

Close to 100 people packed Judge Robert Herndon’s courtroom for the sentencing, nearly all of them fellow members of the Followers of Christ church, an Oregon City congregation that shuns medicine in favor of faith-healing.

Herndon gave the couple 75 months in prison, the mandatory minimum under state sentencing guidelines. The sentence also has three years of probation.

“As the evidence enfolded and the witnesses testified, it became evidence to me and certainly to the jury … that this death just simply did not need to occur,” Herndon said.

Before the sentencing, both parents tearfully asked Herndon for mercy, specifically for their 7-year-old child and new baby. Shannon Hickman mentioned she spent “24 hours a day” with her children, and Dale Hickman asked the court to specifically have mercy for his wife.

“These generally are good, decent, law-abiding folks, except in this one narrow area of their lives,” Regan said. “One (area) where they have told us stubbornly — and arrogantly, if I may — that ‘We are not going to change.’”

“The law of civil society demands that they change,” Regan continued. “It demands that we sent a message to all of them that whether you believe this or not in Oregon, you cannot act upon that belief.”

Dale Hickmans’ defense attorney, Mark Cogan, pushed for probation, saying the Hickmans would be compliant with any court orders for medical care. The couple has already taken their two children — a seven-year-old and a new baby — to see a pediatrician, Cogan noted.

This is an update to the story originally reported here.

What do you think of the sentence?

Not nearly long enough. These sentences need to be long enough to dissuade other faith “healers” from skipping doctors when children are involved.

It aggravates me to hell,

annalisee:

vaishino:

navithefairy:

when athiests say they hate how religious people try and shove their religion down other peoples throats, but it’s okay for atheists to openly be rude to people for believing what they believe. Hypocrites. The lot of you.

Why don’t you all shut the fuck up and believe what you wanna believe in your own mind, I think that none of you have the right to tell someone that their beliefs are “wrong”

This goes for believers of ANY religion.

If you believe that the Earth is 6000 years old, you are wrong.

If you believe that abstinance-only sex-ed works, you are wrong.

If you believe that gay marriage is bad for society as a whole, you are wrong.

Harmful beliefs are harmful, and I am well within my rights to call them out as baseless and without merit. And there’s a whole load of difference between showing up on someone’s doorstep to convert them, and putting your opinions out there for those who are interested to find.

And if I challenge someone’s beliefs? I consider that a good thing, because at least then they’ll think about it. The critical evaluation of what you hold to be true is an important and woefully undervalued exercise that everybody, and I mean everybody can benefit from. It’s not just about religious beliefs either. Truthers, birthirs and moon-landing deniers are just a few examples of harmful beliefs that can be easily dispelled with a little research and a little thought.

However religious beliefs are the only category of beliefs that are considered to be beyond criticism, and I take issue with that given how influential religion can be on the masses.

Source: navithefairy

Year Anniversary of Spinal Surgery

helvetebrann:

Last year on this day, I was admitting myself to the hospital at 4AM to receive a full disc replacement for a severely damaged L5-S1 spinal disc.  Today marks the one year anniversary of receiving an artificial spinal disc and reclaiming my life.

In May of 2009, I was in a severe car accident.  I had been driving on the freeway when the traffic in front of me came to a full and complete stop.  While I was able to stop, the car behind me was not, and I was rear-ended by a car going 45mph.  Both cars were totaled and had to be towed from the scene.

While I did not know it at the time, I had received a serious disc injury that caused my disc to herniate and leak fluid.  After seeking medical and legal aid, I discovered the injury in August of 2009.

It took a year and a half of medical care and legal aid to finally receive my badly needed disc replacement.  The month before my surgery, I was essentially bedridden due to chronic, debilitating pain.  I was unable to do much of anything, including the outdoor sports that I adore.  I couldn’t even clean the house.  I was unable to work and unable to function.  High doses of morphine made the pain somewhat bearable, but transformed my personality making me extremely irritable and angry.

A year ago today, surgeons, surgery assistants, nurses, my lawyer, and my lawyer’s assistants helped me regain my life.  Medical advancements that made life-long disc replacements possible helped me regain my life.

I now have a nifty artificial disc that will last me a lifetime and has allowed me to regain the ability to do the things I love.  I can wakeboard, dirt bike, and do just about anything that my heart desires. 

The only scar I have is about three inches long on my stomach.  (In order to do a disc replacement, they must come in through the front.)

Some would thank god.  I thank the countless individuals who helped make this process a reality.  I thank the countless individuals who helped me through the chronic pain process.  I thank the skilled medical staff who performed a flawless surgery.

I don’t know that I will ever be able to express the depth of my gratitude to them.  Gods had nothing to do with this amazing process; humans did.  I am so grateful to the humans who restored my life.

Thoughts: Christian Privilege

helvetebrann:

Yesterday, I posted a story about a woman who was receiving conservative support for refusing to do her job.  She refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples because she felt that it violated her religion.

As I thought about the issue more and more, I realized that this woman truly feels that she is being persecuted for her beliefs.  How incredibly sad.  And not in the, wow-it-sucks-to-be-her way, but in the, wow-I-can’t-believe-that-you-honestly-believe-that kind of way.

The idea of Christian persecution in the United States is becoming more frequently voiced and I find the whole debacle to be entirely trite.  It reminds me of an only child gaining a new sibling and being outraged that they now have to share.

In this country, Christians are extremely privileged.  They are the vast majority and yet, any instance where they are expected to be tolerant of other beliefs or allow for non-discrimination policies, they claim that they are being persecuted.  How absolutely absurd.  I doubt that most US Christians would even know what persecution was if it stared them in the face.

Being expected to maintain a secular country isn’t Christian persecution, it’s following the Constitution and the wishes of our Founding Fathers.  Being expected to treat everyone fairly isn’t Christian persecution, it’s the law.  Being held to the same laws and legislation as every other citizen isn’t Christian persecution, it’s equality.

So please Christians, before you start claiming that you’re being persecuted for your beliefs, take a look at your own privilege.  Making such outlandish statements will just embarrass you and make you look incredibly ignorant.

Personal: One of MY Students Wrote About Being Afraid of Hell

helvetebrann:

If you don’t already know it by now, I’m a 7th grade English teacher at a Northern California public charter school.  Our grade is having serious bullying issues this year, so I decided to address the issues head-on.  I also asked each student to write me a check-in, where they had the opportunity to express anything to me that they wanted me to know. 

Some of the notes were heartbreaking.  I have a meeting to discuss all of my concern students with the counselor on Monday.

One of my students, in particular, wrote a two page note full of several different concerns ranging from friends to life goals.  However, in the middle of the note was something that absolutely broke my heart.

Ms. Stark I’m scared that my religion isn’t real and that what does death feel like.  I don’t want to die there is so much stuff to do.  I can die right know.  I just want to make life real and go to heaven.  What if the devil tricks me and I got to Hell when my family is in heaven.  Please respond.

This, THIS right here is one of the many reasons that I am an anti-theist.  No child should be terrified of being tricked by an imaginary creature.  No child should be terrified that they will be eternally tortured and separated from their family.  No child should be scared to question their religion.

Teaching your children about hell should be considered child abuse.  Scaring a child into thinking that there is a place of eternal torture that they can go to for just questioning religion is WRONG.

Agreed a million times over.

Teaching the doctrine of eternal damnation to children is child abuse.

A Reminder In Honor of Columbus Day

doubtingmarcus:

No I’m not honoring Columbus himself but a day in his name is a good reminder of the dangers of disease and the triumph that are modern vaccines.

I’d like to remind everyone to get your flu-shots if you haven’t already done so. Remember the flu-shot protects more than just you but helps to create herd immunity to the virus and helps to prevent others, specifically the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, from contracting the flu.

The U.S. government actually has a pretty good article on the common flu myths and covers the basics of why these claims are indeed myths with some links to research which supporting the effectiveness of the flu vaccine.

That is all.

Oh, I mean to talk about this the other day. Not Columbus because he was an ass.

My workplace was offering vaccines for people in my category for $5. So, I totally got my flu vaccine. After living through H1N1 Novel, I did not want a repeat. Vaccination is great if you can afford it. $25 is a bit too much for me to spend on it, but there was a chance to get it for $5 so I did.

If anyone has any hints on how to get the vaccine for cheap without using a time machine and becoming my co-worker, share it and I’ll reblog.

tl;dr: get vaccinated if you can.

9/11 Really Was A Conspiracy… But Not Like That: New York

doubtingmarcus:

The Twin Towers

“Controlled demolition” are the words of choice for many who don’t believe the damage done by the planes crashing into the buildings and the ensuing fires were enough to bring down the towers. Is this claim supported the evidence? In order to know we’ll have to consider a few basic facts. Though there were some initial rumblings in the initial 9/11 truth crowd about what actually hit the towers on September 11, 2001 few now disagree that a Boeing 767 hit each one of the Twin Towers which had a steel frame. Steel melts at 2732° Fahrenheit (1500°C) and despite being started by jet fuel the fires couldn’t have reached these temperatures say some doubters[1]. They claim without temperatures of near this level being reached the steel would have maintained structural integrity despite the structural damage indisputably done by the planes that crashed into the towers.

Well the first part is actually agreed upon, the fires didn’t reach temperatures required to melt steel, but they wouldn’t have to in order to bring down the building. What would need to happen to bring down the building from the fire and initial structural damage is the steel frame be sufficiently weakened to expand causing the trusses to sag before that compromise would bow the columns inward causing collapse. After the collapse began a process known as pancaking would begin cause the floors above to slam into those below with progressively more weight leading to what some have seen as giving the impression of a demolition [2]. Official estimates suggest the fires rose as high as 1800°F (1000°C) a temperature well above which the steel columns would have lost most of their strength and at which the heat would deform materials putting additional pressure on the already weakened strained support columns supporting additional weight because of the damage done by the initial collision[3]. Even if you argue it never made it near 1800°F you can literally see that this process of steel weakening leading to floors sagging in pictures like the one below so it’s very difficult to argue this process was not happening.

Sagging floors

Read More

Doubting Marcus: Amazing.

Q:I believe in evolution..... not creationism

philothesis

What’s your point?

Skeptical inquiry applies to all areas of reality. Yes, I accept scientific consensus on evolution and apparently you accept some part of that too.

It doesn’t change the fact that this is a false statement:

The only reason to be skeptical is because there is something to believe in.