At Risk of Becoming Europe!

One quails at the very idea, doesn’t one? America! At risk of becoming godless Europe! This article, predictably posted on the website of Religious Republicans Now Fox News, quails in fear at the prospect of the decline of Christianity in the United States. Statistics indicate that Christianity is dissolving into a mass of people who “believe in a God,” but have no use for organized religion. The author of the piece, one Bruce Feiler, presents us with a fairly typical portrayal of the “dire times” in which we find ourselves by the Christian standard.

The article begins with what I’m sure Mr. Feiler considered to be an emotion-provoking photograph of Christ’s crucifixion in silhouette. He attempts to jolt his audience to rapt, fearful attention by beginning the article with a single statement, meant to strike terror into the hearts of the religious:

Christianity is plummeting in America, while the number of non-believers is skyrocketing.

Be still, my beating heart! Plummeting was a wonderful choice of words, in my opinion. Mr. Feiler’s obvious dismay at the bottoming number of Christians in the country is truly my delight! Bring on those scary statistics, sir! But, I digress. Next, he proposes something that I’ll have to disagree with.

A shocking new study of Americans’ religious beliefs shows the beginnings of a major realignment in Americans’ relationship with God. The American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) reveals that Protestants now represent half of all Americans, down almost 20 percent in the last twenty years. In the coming months, America will become a minority Protestant nation for the first time since the pilgrims.

[Emphasis mine.]

Is it really all that shocking, Mr. Feiler? I don’t find it surprising at all that Christianity is on the decline. It happens to most major religions at some point or another. Look at popular religions of the ancient world. The Greek pantheon. The Egyptian pantheon. All left on the dusty shelves of history to be examined with back-seat fascination by those inclined to research them, but never blooming into the wide-spread belief of their time. But, here we find a key phrase: “Their time.”

It seems that the age of Christianity may be dwindling. It just doesn’t hold the charm it once did, frankly. How can a modern world reconcile the archaic requirements and ramifications held in the Bible? They can’t, obviously. And so the world begins to edge past Christianity, watching it slowly die with muted interest. But, those still entrenched within the fold are struggling violently to hold onto the last vestiges of their beliefs. The problem is, the more their desperation becomes apparent, the sillier they sound. And, the more we begin to see the cracks in their foundations and the true motivations behind so much of their angst.

It seems most likely, to me, that the Christian railing against the dying prominence of their religion has very little to do with number of souls saved and more to do with loss of religious favoritism. The government in our country has made very little bones about the fact that the Christian religion is generally afforded whatever it is they want. Despite their unfounded claims of “persecution” in this country, they are often handed their wishes on a silver platter. And when the slightest action is taken to even the playing field (see: Christians making a stink over bus ads) a tantrum is promptly thrown. Because, as I have asserted before, the Christians are concerned with control. They have no interest in equality.

I am elated to see the news that Christianity is on he decline. We will be all the better for it. Of course, Feiler finds himself disconcerted by the idea that we could end up like the Godless, uncivilized heathens in Europe:

Today, the rise of disaffection is so powerful that different denominations needs to band together to find a shared language of God that can move beyond the fading divisions of the past and begin moving toward a partnership of different-but-equal traditions.

Or risk becoming Europe, where religion is fast becoming an afterthought.

[Emphasis mine.]

I’m sure Mr. Feiler is not oblivious to the slight, here. He simply didn’t mind insulting an entire country, merely to demonstrate his point. Color me unsurprised. It seems to be a trend, among Christians, to speak first and think…. well, never. This, of course, falls under a guise of what Christians perceive as “blunt honesty” and, therefore, cannot be curtailed. They are not afraid of offending anyone, they proudly proclaim, for they are fighting for the glory of god.

But, I’m getting off track. The decline of Christianity in the United States is fantastic, as far as I am concerned. The best news I’ve heard all year! But, to androids like Mr. Feiler, it will surely be regarded as a sign of the coming end times. In spite of its predictability and the perfect sense of it all, Christians across the country will tremble in fear at the godless nation we are becoming and warn us all of the tragedy soon to befall us.

However, Mr. Feiler did offer his sheep a glimmer of hope!

Finally, Americans’ interest in religion has not always been stable. It dipped following the Revolution and again following Civil War. In both cases it rebounded because religious institutions adapted and found new ways of relating to everyday Americans.

Don’t worry, everyone. This is perfectly normal. We just have to find a different method of indoctrination. It couldn’t have anything to do with our penchant for stifling the civil liberties of other people. Clearly, we just need to update our image! Let’s get to work!

I hate to rain on your god parade, Mr. Feiler, but you know what they say. All good things must come to an end. And that’s just the good things, which means Christianity has well over-extended its time.

The Trouble With “God.”

Often when I criticize the hateful actions of the Christian church, I am met with similar arguments that go something like this:

But, just look at all the good that has come from the faith!  The people that have been helped!  You’re just focusing on the negative and refuse to see anything positive because it suits your agenda!

Well, yes, it does suit my agenda.  But it runs a bit deeper than that.  There are positive things that can come to fruition through tremendous “faith,” however often I feel that the cons far outweigh the pros.  Many people are violently opposed to organized religion, and for some time, I was one of them.  However, the root of the problem is not within just the institution of organized religion itself.  It runs deeper than that.  The problem is with the idea of “God.”

Now, allow me to clarify before I continue.  When I say “God” in this post, I will be referring to the generally accepted definition of God as an intelligent, omniscient being who, in most cases, has direct influence over the events of our lives and has set down a particular set of rules and regulations for us to secure our standing in whatever afterlife a religion may afford us.

This God is a very dangerous concept.  On its surface, God, to the non-believer, can often seem inane and silly.  A sort of throw-away fairytale creature akin to the Fairy Godmother or The Wicked Witch.  It is easy to treat the idea of God with little concern, largely because those who are non-believers can find little reason to fear something that does not exist.  However, the idea of this fictional character is a powerful and dangerous one.  Why does an imaginary man or woman pose a threat to those of us who do exist in the physical realm?  Because it’s what his or her followers do with their intense devotion that has the ability to affect us.

I’m sure I’m not hitting on anything new.  I assume that scholars and writers well before my own time had this same “revelation”, if you will, about the nature of the imaginary God.  And they were correct.  The idea of a God, on a less detrimental scale, gives us a way to never truly take responsibility for our actions.  Difficult decisions are no longer as difficult, because as opposed to deliberating and making them ourselves, we can ask God.  Then, if our decision turns out to be the wrong one, we needn’t despair, for God has a plan, else this would not have happened.

Further, the idea of a God negates our need to think for ourselves, particularly a God who comes with his own supposedly self-written instruction manual to life.  We needn’t search our own hearts for the answer to life’s tough questions, we need only look to our God to lead the way.  We needn’t decide for ourselves if homosexuality is immoral, we need only look to our God.  On this small a scale, the idea of a God is relatively benign.  That is not to say that the hateful actions of those who are opposed to should-be freedoms like gay marriage are not wielding their God’s word as an instrument of hate and hurt – they are.  But, in the grand scheme of things it could be worse.  People could be dying for their blind faith!

Oh, wait.  They are.

The unwavering devotion of a true believer to his or her God is as terrifying a thing as there could be, and is rarely given credit for the potential weapon of destruction that it is.  Not only does God give us an excuse to treat others with hate and derision, God also gives us an excuse to behave in a manner that would otherwise be considered immoral and may give us pause, but will not because we believe that our God has commanded it.

Even a cursory glance at older religious practices demonstrates the supposed exemption from actions that would normally be considered atrocities, but are excusable by way of religious authority to those who practice such rituals.  The Celts, for example, were known for practicing ritual sacrifice for religious purposes.  They were not alone.  Although they were committing murder, in their eyes, this barbaric custom was justified by the demands of their religion and their Gods.

For a more recent example, examine the parents of 11-year-old Madeline Neumann, who died in March of last year (2008) because her parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, thought that they could pray her well.  How many stories in newspapers and magazines have we heard over the years mimicking this situation?  Madeline Neumann needn’t have died.  A trip to the hospital was all it took.  Under normal circumstances, parents who did not take their child to the hospital would be regarded as unfit and cruel.  In fact, I very much believe that had Madeline Neumann’s parents seen a news story of a young girl dying because her parents refused to take her to the hospital as a result of their wanting to stay home and watch Wheel of Fortune, they might have been appalled.

Yet, their God should have healed their little girl, and they believed this so fiercely than they let an 11-year-old child die to try and prove the worth of their faith.  And because what they did was done in “faith,” its failure is merely a result of their lack of faith, not the utter ignorance of refusing to seek medical help for their child.  Instead of feeling utter remorse at the loss of their child (as it was, quite clearly, the parents’ fault) these people will seek their God even more and imagine that Madeline is in “Heaven” with him.  Their God gave them an excuse to neglect their child, which resulted in death, and fell justified in doing so.

This feeling of justification for committing acts that, under any other circumstance, would generally be seen as immoral and repugnant makes the idea of God quite unsettling.  How far can the zealot justify his or her actions through the commandments of their God?  To treat this idea flippantly is to do a disservice to ourselves.  Although belief in a god may seem benign to those unwilling to examine the potential danger of the idea, it is not something to be treated lightly, and certainly worth examining more closely.

It is this idea of God that should, perhaps, be regarded as more harmful than helpful.  Yes, the need to please God can often lead to acts of great courage and fortitude, great charity and love for fellow man.  (Although, one wonders why we must have a mystical force behind our concern for the human condition, and why it cannot simply be something within us, as our own individual creatures, to do good.)  However, the destructive force underlying this pleasant farce is compromising and severely diminishes the good deeds done in the name of God.  Blood drives and donations to the Salvation Army don’t seem to stand up well to the wars and slaughter of innocents in the name of a religion’s God.

So, we must ask ourselves: What seems more logical?  Compassion for our fellow man as a result of our own desire to have compassion bestowed upon us and our own ability, as human beings, to sympathize with unfortunate conditions that we would not want to find ourselves in, or doing good in the name of a higher power, which may also cause us to dictate the lives of those around us who may or may not wish to subscribe themselves to our particular system of belief?  Particularly when this higher power may drive some of us to commit atrocious acts that we feel we can justify as the will of God.  A time has come in human evolution for the idea of the all-knowing, involved God to dissolve into an understanding that we are capable of greatness on our own.  We needn’t look to the Heavens for our inspiration to treat others with kindness.  We need only look within ourselves, and perhaps we will see that the “divine,” as we like to call it, was within us all along.  We merely had to evolve to a point of understanding that we choose to be good or “evil.”  We choose to be kind or cruel.  We need no mystical fairytale to point us in the right direction.  We are capable of finding it all on our own, and in doing so, can circumvent the danger of externalizing greatness and giving up our lives to something that, in all likelihood, may not exist.  At least, not in the way we so commonly choose to perceive it.

But, as always, that’s just my two cents.

The American People Are Christian!

I’d like to declare this shining example of Christian idiocy a troll, but I doubt seriously that it is:

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE CHRISTIAN, SO THE NATION IS CHRISTIAN. that we have some few atheist and morons is normal, especially in a nation that ALLOWS you to be around.

But it is BECAUSE OF US we are the greatest. SPACE RCOKETS, COMPUTERS, PHONES, THE INTERNET, do I need to say more? I dont know of any atheist starting any nice nations SOVIET UNION? CHINA? hahahahahah

live in your dream and deny all the facts but judgement will come and you will cry out and understand your ignorance. The fool said in his heart, there is no god.

This in response to PZ Myers’ post about the Texas decision making it mandatory to offer an elective course teaching the Bible.  I can’t wait to see how this pans out.

Today’s Youth: Waking Up.

I try to steer clear of AiG’s website, I really do, but often I still find myself chuckling (or fuming) over some more of Ken Ham’s delightful pearls of wisdom. Unfortunately, and more often than not, I’ll also stumble across some blithering “article” or another posted by some Christian journalist lamenting their worry with the “way things are” in today’s “secular” world. While perusing this shrine to ignorance, I came across one such “article” and felt most compelled to examine its message. It’s a relatively typical example of the Christian people waxing nostalgic about a time when children grew up entrenched in the faith, no one thought for themselves, and people were content to live their lives cowering in fear of a petulant child-god.

But, the times they are a-changin’ and Shiela Richardson, for one, finds this most upsetting. She reaches out in her article entitled “Today’s Youth: Walking Away from Truth” featured on AiG’s website, but also featured in their magazine: Answers, to explain why the youth in America is straying so far from her god. I’d like to take a small detour, just here, to point out the audacity of naming one’s magazine “Answers,” as if you have some right to claim that you have “Answers” that are even marginally worth listening to. But, I digress.

Sheila has a grave concern for the youth of our nation. Why? Because, they are straying from God, she says. But, who is to blame? Whose fault could it be that these children are maturing into adults who live such sinful lives? Before addressing the heart of this matter, Sheila tells us a little story meant to horrify her Christian readers, then she will soothe the nerves by offering, first the broader problem, then the solution.

A leader in his youth group, Andrew faithfully attended Sunday school every week. He was awarded a scholarship at a well-known university, but by the end of his first year in college, Andrew had renounced his faith.

Sadly, Andrew’s heartbreaking story is not unique. It is repeated in thousands of Christian homes every year.

Note the use of the word “heartbreaking.” Now, to the discerning reader, this would seem less heartbreaking and more practical. Of course it is perfectly sensible that a young person should go to college to expand his or her mind and come away with a wholly different view of life and its intricacies than their parents had set out for them as children. This would seem like the next logical step in intellectual growth. Unless, of course, you are Shiela Richardson, or those like her. Sheila thinks this expansion of thought and ability to harness the power of critical thinking is “heartbreaking,” and I’m sure most of her faith-drunk readers do, as well.

In this medium, Shiela is taking on the role of “pastor” or “guide.” Because Sheila is the journalist behind this article, her readers regard her as some sort of expert on the matter, surely nodding their heads enthusiastically with her assessment of how “heartbreaking” Andrew’s exposure to secular education had been. Her entire first paragraph is a typical example of the Christian need to introduce fear into their teachings. Without fear, Christianity would be an entirely different animal, if an animal at all.

Sheila cleverly starts us out with the tale of Andrew, and is sure to tell us that:

He was awarded a scholarship at a well-known university, but by the end of his first year in college, Andrew had renounced his faith.

And what does that seemingly benign little statement suggest? Clearly, education is the enemy! That is, unless it is Christian education. Otherwise, it is “wordly” and “secular” and is systematically being wielded as a tool of destruction by non-believers! So, we’re barely a paragraph into this nonsense, and already Sheila is releasing the hounds on “secular” (read: higher) education. Already, she is using fear as an instrument to essentially freak parents out who may have college-aged or soon-to-be college-aged children. Watch out for “secular” universities, Christian parents! They’ll have your children renouncing their faith!

WHERE HAVE WE GONE WRONG?

Ah, so we’ve reached the diagnosis stages. Sheila will now attempt to tell “us” precisely what it is “we” have done wrong, because clearly it is “our” faults. You see, Christian parents, were you doing your jobs the way Sheila Richardson thinks you should, this wouldn’t be happening. Andrew wouldn’t be a free-thinking Atheist bastard wearing his tye-dye gay pride shirts and smoking Clove cigarettes while he reads Thus Spoke Zarathustra. No, he would be sitting at rapt attention in the first row of the church, eagerly taking notes about the miracles of Christ’s love. And making sure to hate gay people as hard as he could.

So, what went wrong, she asks? You parents didn’t teach your children to “think Biblically.” Duh.

Basically, we have failed to teach our children to think biblically. In order to survive as believers in our culture, we must all recognize that God rules and speaks about every area of life (e.g., science, philosophy, ethics, history, government, sociology, and education), and not merely about an isolated area designated “religion.”

Right, of course! So, basically, Sheila is a fan of indoctrination. Well, except that it sounds much prettier if she calls it “teaching our children to think biblically.” But, it’s basically the same thing. In fact, and I shit you not, Sheila even goes so far as to say:

After 30 hours in government schools and another 30 hours in front of the TV each week, young people receive only about one hour per week of “reprogramming” at church (most parents leave the “spiritual” training to the church).

[Emphasis mine.]

Reprogramming. Really, Sheila? I have to wonder if Sheila Richardson is new to the field of journalism, or if being a Christian journalist and having absolutely nothing worthwhile to write about merely makes one lackadaisical. It seems to me that the sharp journalist would refrain from using terms like “reprogram” in reference to their own religion. But, for that gaping faux pas, I think you, Sheila. You’ve made my deconstruction of your article far easier by making a point for me.

But, Sheila didn’t mean to point out the need for indoctrination in Christian children in such a less-than-subtle manner. What she meant to do was point out the clear indoctrination children receive in the public education system! How dare those cretins teach science to our impressionable children! And further, how dare they teach children to think! Or use reasoning skills!

While the church teaches about Jesus and salvation, the education system has indoctrinated students to doubt the underlying credibility of the Bible.

Hmm, yes. The underlying credibility of the Bible. You must be awfully limber to be able to stretch all that way, Sheila. The “article” goes on to tell us that churches and parents are not inundating their children with enough god-fables to keep them from realizing what an errant fraud this all is once they’re able to use their reasoning skills. In fact, the drabble after this seems very much as if Sheila wants parents to keep those nasty reasoning skills as far away from their children as possible.

She speaks gravely about children’s detachment from the faith, but says that they will likely continue to participate in youth group activities:

However, [they] will probably continue to participate during [their] teen years because of the “herd mentality” and social activities of most youth groups.

Oh, I love it. “Herd mentality” is precisely what draws the Christian faith together, Sheila! What’s amusing is your ability to detect it in the youth groups (talk about nauseating – ever seen Saved?) but not within your own subset. Herd mentality is the driving force behind the divisiveness of the Christian religion. The irony here is almost too much. But, of course, Sheila means “herd mentality” in a secular way. She’s ignoring the fact that her faith is largely dependent upon it. Instead, the term is being used to demonstrate the way that young people behave, and how their stray from god is entirely dependent upon the secular teachings of the world around them and their own need to follow the herd mentality.

So, Sheila Richardson. Now that your audience is brimming with trepidation at the prospect of sending their children to a secular university and wracked with guilt over their own failures to instill unwavering Christian devotion in them, what is your solution?

TEACH DOCTRINE TO CHILDREN

Now we come to the core of Sheila’s diatribe. The meat, if you will, of our holy Christian sandwich. What do we do to undermine the many evils of critical thinking, Sheila? This section has a list, neat and tidy, detailing the various ways to teach doctrine to children. Her first principle starts out with the often heard and unbelievably arrogant claim that the Bible has the answers to life’s toughest questions: “How did the world get here?” “Who am I?” and so forth. Apparently, Sheila is already working to indoctrinate children in the ways of her faith.

This is one reason that I wrote the It All Begins with Genesis program for middle school. But training needs to begin earlier. For example, with AiG’s Answers for Kids series, you can begin teaching early elementary students the biblical view of history and how to answer many of the questions they face in school.

Be sure to catch them as early as possible, Christian parents. After all, if you allow your children to think for themselves instead of telling them what to think, they might end up like that liberal commie gay-hugging bastard Andrew. Begin the brainwashing process as early as you can! If I were to present this type of thinking in the context of, say, Scientology, it would be laughable. Somehow, to Christians, it’s serious business.

It’s really Principle 4 that I quite literally lol’d at:

Employ Critical Thinking Skills.

The curriculum should examine everything in the light of biblical truth.

For instance, don’t just tell students they must believe the earth is young; rather, help them see it from the text of Scripture. It helps young people to learn what popular thinking says about the earth and then to work through the contrasting biblical and theological truths revealed in Scripture. In the process, they will also learn scientific evidence that confirms these truths.

Our secular school system indoctrinates with memorized “facts” and discourages logical questioning. Students who are never taught to question will fall prey to professors who teach unbiblical views. The curriculum should have time for group discussion and allow the freedom to question.

Where to begin? I’m sure “employ critical thinking skills” is the absolute last heading you would expect to see in an article on AiG’s website. And yet, here it sits – mocking me! Employ critical thinking skills? This is precisely what you are working against, Sheila Richardson. We’ll not share in your delusions. She attempts to make this work by saying that parents should not just tell children that the Earth is young, but demonstrate the truth of this throughout the Bible. Teach them how the science confirms these “facts.” This is not critical thinking, Sheila. This is presupposed conclusions molesting scientific fact, or just making stuff up (see: Ken Ham’s floating isles of vegetation), to further their argument.

Critical thinking in this situation would call for the child in question to say, “But, Mom, why should I believe this book? There’s nothing to prove its truth.” Not, “Oh! Now I can see science from a biblical perspective!” That isn’t critical thinking, that is limiting comprehension skills and crippling a child’s mind to forever rationalize everything through the funnel of god’s existence and the Bible. Thereby causing your child to appear mentally deficient.

Sheila goes on to ramble about the importance of indoctrination in children through family teachings, etc. And, no doubt, there are parents on AiG’s website this very moment – humble housewives taking a break from their soaps to enjoy some quality time with Ken Ham and his Amazing Fundamentalist Circus Assistants. People will take something away from this. People trapped in the small mindset of Christianity will see great sense and wisdom in Sheila Richardson’s crusade for Christian indoctrination in children. People will champion this article to friends as a way to parent their children.

And more of this madness will breed. This is a very dangerous game to play. Limiting your mind to fit the tiny scope of understanding that Christianity affords us is a particular shame. But, people like Sheila Richardson don’t see it that way, and they never will. People like Sheila Richardson will defend their ludicrous belief to the death, and will take nothing away from criticisms of its absurdity but a sense of strength, because they can withstand the “persecution” they face as a result of their great faith.

Frankly, I find the statistics quoted in Sheila’s article the most interesting and encouraging part.

Of those polled, 86% had begun to question the Bible by their high school years. Of those who said they did not believe all the accounts in the Bible are true, 82% cited doubts about the Bible’s authority or its trustworthiness.

I like those statistics. Keep up the free-thinking, youth! Don’t let Sheila Richardson’s backwards teachings keep you from expanding your minds.

I Voted For Obama. I Am God!

Short one, but I stumbled across this over at PZ Myers fantastic blog, pharyngula, and was most amused.

Plus, I just liked the opposable thumbs bumper sticker.

Leave It To Texas.

Sometimes, I find myself surprised at the idiocy that my country will allow to be mandated into law.  I shouldn’t be, but I am.  In typical fashion, yet another faction of the government has buckled its knees to the oppressive power of the Christian Right.  Leave it to Texas to implement a law mandating that the Bible be included in high school curriculum.

“The purpose of a course like this isn’t even really to get kids to believe it per say. It is just to appreciate the profound impact that it has had on our history and on our government,” said [John Keeling, the social studies chair at Whitehouse High School. ]

It’s simply to offer a view of the profound impact that the Bible and Christianity have had on our history and on our government!  Of course, I’m sure we’ll skip over all the unpleasant, minute details, like the derisive whining and flailing the Christians have done to legislate laws against lifestyles and life choices.  We’ll probably also leave out the violent history of Christianity, the derision, hatred, bigotry and fallacy of the Bible.  And since it isn’t that important, we’ll probably just skip over the parts of Christian history that enabled the support of slavery, of racism, or sexism and a host of other -isms that aren’t entirely pleasant to recount, for us.  After all, we shouldn’t teach the kids too much about the true nature of Christianity.  But, don’t get your panties in a twist liberal communist America! It’s not meant to indoctrinate kids, “per se“, we just hope that it will!  Of course, the eager Texans seem to be gobbling up this buffet of governmental pandering as expected.

I think it is a good thing because a lot of kids don’t have that experience, and they already want to take prayer out of school as it is– and you see where our kids are ending up!” said Tyler resident Laura Tucker.

Do we see where your kids are ending up?  And where might that be, Ms. Laura Tucker?  I would so like to hear your assumedly infallible and profound opinion upon where “our kids are ending up” without your great god in the sky dictating every facet of their lives, leaving no room for self thought.  Of course, I suppose if she’s referring to the late night orgies I have at my house during which my husband and I sacrifice virigins and give cocaine out to twelve year olds, well – we can hardly contain ourselves without your lord and savior to tell us which way is up.  How could we possibly think for ourselves?

In spite of some protests on behalf of the sane (” I don’t want anybody teaching their religious beliefs to my child unless they want to send their child to my house and let me teach them my religious views. There is no difference.”), I doubt we’ll hear much more than cheers and sickening adulation from the grand old state of Texas. Further, should an issue be taken with the law on a public stage, be prepared for collective cries of religious persecution from those benefiting from this clever little indoctrination scheme. Although I’m sure it will be vehemently argued that it is only “fair” that the Bible be included in high school curriculum, I very much doubt the Christians would feel the same way, should the Muslim faith, for example, be extended the same courtesy.

But, that’s generally the way with the Christians.  The mindset seems to be entirely focused upon group.  They preach love for their fellow man, but I often find that actions speak louder than words (unless, of course, you’re Shirley Phelps-Roper).  The support for a law like this and the inevitable uproar an identical law mandating that the Qu’Ran, for instance, be introduced into the high school classroom would cause in their tight-knit little community speaks for itself.  I suppose there is always the chance that, should the state of Texas choose to extend its hand of religious generosity to less populated faiths, the Christans could always surprise us and remain silent.  However, observation in prior behavior does not speak favorably for the possiblity.

No, most likely, the Christian community would recoil in collective horror before launching a capaign of protest and hateful bigotry like we’d never seen.  But, fairness has never much seemed to matter to the Religious Right in this country.  And, as demonstrated with faithful repetition, the government has delegated this group as the Chosen Ones, and seek to appease them at all costs, even if it means shoving their sallacious garbage down the throats of unsuspecting (and, perhaps, unwilling!) high school students.  Of course, the details surrounding this decision are scant over at the KLTV website.  So, further investigation was warrented, excuted and met with the fruitful aquisition of the House Bill itself.

In an attempt to make the bill seem less like religious favoritism, it is careful to detail that no religious favor nor disfavor of the Christian religion, nor any other world religions will be tolerated in said classrooms.  The course is further being offered as an elective, and is therefore not required of students to take.   However, the issue of religious descrimination here is poorly veiled.  I have yet to discover any other religious electives required to be offered by Texas state schools.  Where are the classes focusing upon the impact of Hinduism, Islam, Paganism, etc.?  If I come across any, I’ll be sure to update with them.

For the time being however, it seems as if the Christian Right is bullheading its way into academia in the guise of “electives” and being sure to cover their tracks with allusions to “religious neutrality.”  I find it very difficult to believe that this requirement will be religiously maintained, no pun intended.  As an added bonus (and, admittedly, for my own pleasure in pointing out the complete lack of knowledge cursing so many of the Christian community’s mouthpieces), I offer up a delicious little quote courtesy of ABC news in regard to the overall debate concerning religion (read: Christianity) being taught in schools:

“You never read about how the founding fathers were nearly all Christian believers and that it is their biblical world view that shaped the way they thought and achieved what they did,” [Evangelical Minister PeterMarshall] said.

This is a misnomer that many Christians willingly subscribe themselves to because they feel that it somehow strengthens their despicable argument that their religion should be enforced in school curriculum.   However, in the United States treaty with Tripoli, 1796-1797, it was quite clearly stated:

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

And yet, somehow, Christians feel a need to claim that the United States was founded in Christianity and that “most of its founding fathers” were believers.  However, if one examines the writings of both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, they will find more than a few discrepancies in that argument.  James Madison, for example, was quoted as saying:

During almsot fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial.  What has been its fruits?  More or less, in all places, pride an indolence in the clergy; ignorance and sevility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.

Further, Thomas Jefferson made the remark that,

Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man.

And, of course:

To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings.  To say that the human soul, angels, god, are immaterial, is to say they are nothings, or that there is no god, no angels, no soul.  I cannot reason otherwise … without plunging into the fathomless abyss of dreams and phantasms.  I am satisfied, and sufficiantly occupied with the things which are, without tormenting or troubling myself about those with may indeed be, but of which I have no evidence.

John Adams, himself, was quoted as saying:

As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation.  But, how as it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?

Forgive my inundation of founding father quotations, and I do realize that Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin (who humorously said that “Lighthouses are more useful than churches”) do not represent the whole of the founding fathers of the United States.  But, clearly, to assert that this country was “founded in Christianity!” is to do a gross disservice to the men who, quite obviously, felt less the religion less than admirable.  Couple that with the blatant statement in the treaty with Tripoli – I find it difficult to claim, with such rigid certainty, that this country was “founded in Christanity.”

But, I suppose if something incorrect furthers your argument, and you choose to remain ignorant of the true details surrounding your claims, and are not corrected, you might just argue something absurd and incorrect.  Regardless of what ensures in Texas, I am loathe to admit that this may mark a beginning of some hard fighting to be done against the Christians and their insatiable need to drown our country in their fallacious religious beliefs.

Persecution my ass.

Church & State? I Mean, They’re Practically Synonymous.

I doubt it has gone unnoticed by “believers” and “non-believers” alike that the already thin line between the separation of church and state has become painfully more so. I find it very interesting to note the astounding amount of Christians who will claim that their faith is readily “persecuted” in these United States and that they are ostracized so atrociously for their beliefs, and yet they have candidates for Mayor in our country claiming that “god” will be glorified in their city, thanks in large part to a Creationist exhibit that this Bible-thumping (always a nice term) Mayoral hopeful plans to install in the Tulsa zoo.

“Today we are announcing that God will be glorified in this city. He shall not be shunned. Upon our election, we hereby commit to honoring Him in all ways that He has been dishonored,” said Anna Falling.

Anna Falling being the Mayoral candidate for Tulsa, Oklahoma. Am I particularly surprised that this kind of religious idiocy is taking place in Oklahoma? No, not really. However, this moronic display of “we hope for religious favoritism in the government, and more often than not, get it” is something I grow increasingly weary of.

And, the question begs: What right do you have? What is it about Christianity that makes its followers so damned arrogant? Is it our society? In his book The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins briefly discussed the blind deference that society (particularly American society) gives to the Religious Right, cloaked in a disguise of “respecting their faith.” What about religion, any religion (although, for the purposes of this blog I will predominantly focus upon Christianity, as it is the religion with which I am [unfortunately] most familiar), warrants such leaps and bounds of respect? I found Dawkins’ argument most sound.

What, he asks of his audience, makes religion so special that it outgrows the boundaries of common politeness and respect for your fellow man, and creates its own category of respect, which really boils down to: Do what we want and don’t say anything bad about us, or you’re disrespecting our religion? But, I digress – I’m getting off track. The point of that sojourn was the audacity of Christianity in this country. To feel that they have some superior right, nay, obligation to ensure that their religion is sovereign over our nation and is present in every facet of our culture is both disturbing, disgusting and, admittedly, baffling to me.

What’s worse is the government’s bow and scrape accommodation, bustling about to silence what serious protests arise and sloppily attempting to blanket it all with “freedom of religion.” The mere fact that a school was sued over a student’s right to wear hateful, anti-gay speech on his t-shirt, is revolting. What’s more is the fact that his family sued the school under the pretense of a violation of their freedom of religion, not freedom of speech. At least get your loopholes right, Christians!

Loopholes and sympathies are the allies of the poor, “beleaguered” Christians who are so sorely persecuted here. Prime example? Why, sure. Supporters of the Tulsan Mayoral candidate now argue, and I quote, “the zoo includes other religious icons like the Hindu god, Ganeesh, and Christianity should also have a place.” Really? I find Brian Cross with Friends of Religion and Science’s (who fought the display the first time around – apparently, they tried this once, already!) take on the matter interesting, and far more likely an explanation:

“They weren’t put up here at the behest of any particular group in order to advance their agenda. That’s the difference. She wants to promote for her religion. The curators of the zoo want to educate,” said Brian Cross with Friends of Religion and Science.

That’s the difference, Anna Falling. But, you don’t care about the differences, do you? You want us to acquiesce to your ridiculous demands, because otherwise, we’re trampling all over your right to religious freedom! Somehow, I find it very unlikely that, were followers of the Hindu faith to show up at the Tulsa Zoo under Anna Falling’s potential Mayoral appointment, and demand that a display be afforded their people to explain the creation of the universe in their terms, you’d be as eager or obliging. But, throw Jesus in it, and it’s game on!

It is unfortunate and more than a little distressing (read: infuriating) that the Christian community has developed this misguided sense of entitlement. What is more upsetting is our country’s urge to justify it. Our government has fallen into the right-wing sway of Christianity and is, as we speak, drowning in the mire of its backwards, outdated assertions about the “way things should be,” which are no more than mere speculation (which is no more than any man can make, at this juncture) based upon smoke and mirrors and a fuzzy feeling in their gut.

And as a result of this rape of P.C. and societal need to be accepting and, by extension, accommodating, we have developed a breed of modern-day Christians who, by our own making, have come to feel themselves entitled to more than anyone else, simply by way of their malicious, fallacious religion. I do sincerely hope that Ms. Falling is unsuccessful, in both her attempt to install a Creationist display at the Tulsa Zoo and, more importantly, her attempt to become Mayor.

Well, Hello There!

Hello, hello, Word Press world!  I don’t anticipate that FPT is going to generate some great following of bloggers, but it’s going to be my place to bitch, basically.  And I don’t mean bitching about the electric bill or the traffic I drove through on my way home from work.  I mean the things in life that irk me the most.  The things, people and ideas that make me want to scream, or strangle someone.  I’m talking about religion, theism, bigotry, ignorance, prejudice – you name it.  The same crap everyone else blogs about.  I guess I just decided that it was time to jump into the fray.

I’ll be honest – it feels good.  I think there’s a certain sense of importance that comes along with starting up one of these blogs, be it political, social, economical, theological – whatever.  You find yourself feeling a bit more like a contributer than an observer, even if all you’re doing is bitching on the Internet.  It’s a small step, but it’s a step, nonetheless.

My need to complain about the rampant stupidity in my country (the United States, by the by) drove me to create this blog, and by extension, to call it Face Palm Therapy.  Because, for me, that’s what it is.   I’d knock myself unconscious if I allowed myself to facepalm every time some right wing, Fundie nutjob did something that made my blood boil or my brain feel like exploding.  So, rather than give myself a concussion, I decided to blog.  And thus, this blog will be my face palm therapy.

I’ll update about something substantial soon.