Reason Rally

The circus was in town today at Washington DC... well not the circus we're used to seeing, but one of so-called "rationalists."  On March 24, 2012, about 6000 Atheists, Secularists and Agnostics gathered at the mall to hold their "Reason Rally."

Anyone who saw the rally would noticed that it was more of a circus than a convention of intelligent honest people.  The rally had all kinds of people holding ridiculous signs exhibiting theophobia, paranoia, anger and hatred.

It had speakers such as Richard Dawkins, the so called "friendly Atheist" Hemant Mehta, impressionable youth such as Jessica Ahlquist who was given a check for scholarship money in the currency which says "In God we trust.  Videos were even sent in by Bill Maher and others.

Richard Dawkins as usual voiced his hatred toward religious people and called for the crowds to mock and harass them.  Hemant Mehta encouraged the crowd to obtain positions of authority in order to spread the message of Atheism and "Reason."

The rhetoric was clear:  Let us attack everyone with religious beliefs and take those beliefs away by aggressive means and replace them with our beliefs.

The rally had virtually no media coverage and was even mocked by many well known media personalities and rightfully so.  This rally was nothing but a circus of clowns and performers.  It cannot be taken serious, but must be a reminder that hate is still alive and well.

To tell people to bully, mock and harass others because they believe in God is hate.  This is hateful speech that will incite violence against religious people.  There is nothing rational about this.

Dawkins mocked the idea of Transubstantiation but fails to realize that the idea that a human being evolved from an ape is also far fetched based on the lack of solid evidence that this really happen.

All we have is speculation that this might have happened based on observable changes and similarities among all biological life.

The HAR1 gene is a clear indication of this.  This gene is solely found in human beings and its origin is unknown.  It is the gene that allows our brains to be so advanced as opposed to other animals.   The Higgs Boson is another example.  We think it exists but we can't prove it.  So Dawkins' mockery of religious beliefs is not one sided.  Science has its share of strange and irrational ideas as well.      

"Friendly Atheist" Mehta spoke on the premise that religious belief is a myth.  Yet he offers no reason or proof of this.  This is all speculation again.

We cannot call everything we don't agree with a myth unless we have hard concrete evidence to do so.  This is not rational thinking, but mental sloth.

Mehta is a math teacher and knows very well that numbers do not exist.  There is no such thing as a "1,2,3" etc in the physical universe.  This is an abstract concept made by man to describe quantity.

However, just because numbers do not exist does not mean they are a myth.  We see their representation in tangible objects when counted.  

Moreover, Atheists and others may try to obtain positions of power, but America is a country where the majority hold religious beliefs so it will be extremely hard to reach or hold onto any position of power.  Even if they do reach them, who are they to enforce their beliefs of no-god/no-religion on everyone else?  Isn't this what they accuse religious believers of doing?

The whole rally is an epic fail and has no purpose calling itself rational or for-reason.  It was just a congregation of people who have grievances against God and religion and want attention.  It was a prep rally for the ignorant who hide behind the guise of pseudo rationalism in an attempt to avoid the hard questions of teleology, metaphysics, ontology, science and religion.

Dismissing the questions and ideas of life, purpose and existence is not Reason.  It is intellectual cowardice.

Going around in public like this guy in this photo is not rational.  This is childish immature behavior.

Does this guy look like he can engage anyone in an intellectual discourse regarding teleology, metaphysics, ontology, science and religion?

Imagine if the Pope goes around dressed in Atheism garb in an attempt to mock its beliefs.  Would he have the respect and dignity he enjoys?  No, of course not!

This rally is a waste of time and money.  The latter could have been used to assist the poor and those who are out of a job in these though economic times.  Atheism prides itself in being about the human, but never does anything for the human.  

God and religion are not going anywhere despite these rallies.  Pope Benedict XVI, a true intellectual and rational man can gather hundreds of thousands, even millions in the name of Jesus.  This is proof that faith will always be around no matter the course the world may take.  

Atheism, Agnosticism and Secularism don't offer anything but negation, bitterness and irrational ideas presented as rational.  They are a fraud.  The reality is that there is no real reason not to believe in God.  One side says everything came into existence just to come into existence and the other side says it was an absolute being who caused it for a purpose.  Which sounds more rational to you?  Which makes more sense?  Think about it for a moment.   

Rallies like this are no different than the hateful "God hates f*gs" protests orchestrated by the Westboro Baptist sect.   They attract people such as liberals, progressives, ProChoice/Abortion advocates, gays and others who see egoism as the intended end of the human experience.  Rallies like this serve as a reminder that the delusion of man is god is still alive and must be challenged heavily.   

The rally was entertaining to watch and read about in a comic sense, but no one is listening to the message. We are smarter than this.    

           Source:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/reason-rallys-unreasonable-beliefs/2012/03/27/gIQAaVPZeS_blog.html

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2012/03/-atheists-richard-dawkins-reason-rally/1#.T3dx_WEgfyg

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/author/hemant-mehta/

http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=37514

http://www.goddiscussion.com/94848/the-thinking-atheist-asks-why-so-little-news-coverage-of-the-reason-rally/

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/03/24/why-reason-rally-is-unreasonable/

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-q-a-nate-phelps-20120324,0,4407066.story

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-766329?hpt=hp_bn8

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/reason-rally-nonbelievers_n_1368252.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/reason-rally-on-national-mall/2012/03/23/gIQADzl3WS_blog.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/richard-dawkins-on-the-upcoming-reason-rally-338/2012/03/23/gIQANXnPWS_video.html

Evil Bible

On Twitter and outside in the real world, I have been messaged and confronted by many people.  Some say good things, some ask questions, and some are angry and confrontational.  I will focus on the latter.

Those who are confrontational (mostly Atheists, Humanists, Secularists, Pro Abortion/Choice, Homosexuals, Muslims, Agnostics, and random inquirers) message me regarding the Bible.  They question how it can be God's Word if it is full of "evil and hate."  They cite passages claiming they advocate slavery, infanticide, murder, rape, incest, misogyny, hate, and in a word: evil.


I can relate to their concerns too because as an Atheist at first, I did find the Bible a bit too racy and crazy to be the "Word" of a All knowing, All Good, All Present Supreme Being.  However, I did not knock the Book down, so to speak.  I gave it a chance and let it speak to my rational mind before it spoke to my heart and soul.

To claim that the Bible is Evil is an unfair, biased and uneducated opinion.  This is a conclusion based on poor interpretation of particular texts.  When one reads the Bible in light of the time, language, culture, mind frame of the people, and circumstance in which a particular verse was written, it will be more understandable.  One must not fall into Presentism when interpreting the Bible or any other text that is old.

The Bible is not a "Book" per se.  It is a collection of Books.  The word "Bible" means "books."  It is a collection of 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.  Each book was written at different times.  Some chapters within books were also written at different periods.  This is important to know if we are to understand the Bible instead of judging it as hate speech and what not.

We cannot be quick to label people of the past because of how they lived, thought or acted.  Let us take Slavery for example.  In America and other nations, Africans and Indigenous people were used as Slaves.  This was seen as normal.  These people were not people, they were just "livestock."  Even the laws defined them as such.

Take this letter by Trott, S published in 1842 in the Cincinnati Post where Trott is claiming that Slavery is God's will and ending it will harm society and the Slaves themselves.  (http://www.teachushistory.org/second-great-awakening-age-reform/resources/pro-slavery-letter-s-trott)  More info can be found here: http://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/613

One can find many articles, books, and writings of people both well known and common who supported Slavery. Many were outspoken against those who wanted the Slaves free, or the Abolitionists.

Here is an ad warning Citizens of the Abolitionists.  

Here is another inviting people to a meeting to stop the "evil and fanaticism" called Abolitionism. 

As you can see, the movement to free Slaves was seen as dangerous, fanatical and evil.  Many warnings were published.  

If that is not bad enough, here is an ad requesting that a runaway Slave described as "Negro Boy Joel" be found for a reward of 5 Dollars:

Now one who has never heard of this past and is reading it for the first time might say, "what the heck is this??? These people are evil, ignorant, hateful, and racist."  

Others might say, "They published an ad to find a Slave teen boy for a reward of 5 bucks???!??"  

After this culture shock they can take one of two positions:

• This nation is evil, ridiculous, hateful, primitive and must be destroyed.

OR

• This is the past. This is how people saw each other and things.  We cannot judge them for their ignorance at the time or how they interpreted life.

An educated rational person who does research in History will take the latter position.  Yes this was the past.  This was how people saw each other and things in life.  We must interpret their ads, writings and behavior in light of their time, their culture, and circumstance.  

Now, the same must be done with the Bible.  When one reads it in context, then it will not be the "Evil Bible," but the Bible that is the Word of God in the language and experience of Man.