tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69449471747095670792024-03-13T19:12:11.947+02:00OH MY GOD!!!(Or lack therereof)Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-72591470523928960382014-04-06T22:42:00.001+02:002014-04-06T22:51:12.491+02:00Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g6fVhg9Rod0/U0G-KzlLluI/AAAAAAAAAFU/e5nS2v0JAsg/s1600/Untitled15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g6fVhg9Rod0/U0G-KzlLluI/AAAAAAAAAFU/e5nS2v0JAsg/s1600/Untitled15.png" height="163" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-ZW">Season 4 of Game of Thrones begins in a
few hours. Being in a country where I don’t receive HBO, I think I’m one of the
few cases where piracy really is justified. If I had the money and the availability,
I would pay for the privilege, promise. I cannot wait for 4.30AM local time,
when the episode lands upon the shores of a certain Bay in Sweden. I have my
alarm set. I’ve read all the books now- I finished A Dance with Dragons a few
weeks back(Also pirated, but I swear if I had the money I would buy them. Pinkie
promise!). Not only that, I’ve read the preview chapters of The Winds of
Winter, so I can’t wait for 2015 either. All this anticipation has got me
thinking: for ten weeks starting April 6<sup>th</sup>, the only thing occupying
my mind will be Game of Thrones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Counting
actual screen time, only during 10 of those hours will I be face to face with a
cinematic imagining of Westeros and the Known World. Ten hours that will stick
with me for the rest of my life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-ZW">Of my nearly 22 years of life, I’ve
spent a total of about 160 hours (ridiculously generous estimate) reading the A
Song of Ice and Fire series. Adding time spent thus far watching Game of
Thrones (30 hours first-run, 10 hours rewatching season 1 when I “got” the
scale and detail of the world I’d invested in and maybe another 5 watching and
rewatching the Red Wedding scene) makes 205 hours. If I count time spent
reading supplementary material, surfing wikis, reading/watching the theories of
fans crazier than myself all over the internettubes and perusing maps and the
like (which, it might surprise you, accounts for almost half my supplementary
time) it comes up to maybe 250, max. 250 hours, out of approximately 191,544.5 (accurate to withing a couple of minutes as of posting this) of my life thus far. Yet those 250 hours have gone on to become a part
of me, to define who I am. When faced with a situation, one of the first
questions I will ask myself is “What would Jon Snow do?” I look at episodes of
my life, situations I find myself in, and I immediately compare them to
something that happened in Westeros. Gee whiz, that news story plays out rather
like the Florent/Tyrell tensions. So, money rules our world, right? Just like
gold rules Westeros? That treacherous bastard. He must have some Bolton blood
in him. Yet none of those places, none of those people, none of those
situations are real! They’re all just figments of the imagination of some guy
who lives in Arizona whom I’ve never even met!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-ZW">And all this is just with one fictional
Universe that’s relatively new to me – I first got into it when I watched
season 1 of Game of Thrones around mid-2012. Imagine what it must be like with
universes and franchises I’ve been invested in for far longer and have consumed
much more material from? Star Trek, Doctor Who, the Foundation series, heck,
the granddaddy of them all, Warhammer 40,000! I have spent so much time: physically
through the page, virtually on the computer screen, for 60 brief minutes
multiplied more times than I can count in a feature film and in the scapes of
my imagination, I’ve lived more in the worlds of Warhammer than <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN" target="_blank">far too many human beings</a> do in our physical universe. At times I feel like Warhammer is my life, a
metaphor which extends itself into reality by the fact that the handle I use
for most of my Internet presence – Enter_<a href="http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Skitarii" target="_blank">Skitarii</a> – is itself based off
something in 40k. And being the recluse that I am, it’s obvious that I live
most of my life on the Internet.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-ZW">It always blows my mind, the influence
that fiction has on our lives. Yet it shouldn’t, really. Our propensity for
fiction is just an extension of our love of stories. All through human existence,
our primary mode of gaining first experience of something has been through the
telling of tales. Folk tales, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inganekwane</i>
in my native Ndebele, told by the fireside have been the primary mode of
instilling wonder and curiosity at the world for thousands of generations. The
stories brought by the visitor from three villages over have been the primary
method of gaining knowledge of the world at large since time immemorial. The
tales of the old, grizzled and scarred hunter or warrior have been the source
of inspiration, as well as the warning of the dangers of the trade to those who
wished to follow in his footsteps.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-ZW">Looking earlier still at our
evolutionary history, looking even at our cousins who haven’t quite found it in
themselves to leave the cosy, warm jungles, heck, looking at nearly every
species on earth, we can see why (causatory why, not epistemological why) the
desire for stories was coded into our genes. Other primates have their calls, elephants
have subsonic rumbles transmitted through their feet and the ground, bees have
the little jig they do. One creature passing information to another has been one
of the things that have allowed species to survive, by creatures sharing with
each other information about the whereabouts of food, the presence of predators
and other factors that could affect their survival.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-ZW">As we learn more and more about the
nature of memory, we learn that we actually really don’t remember things <a href="http://www.earwolf.com/episode/flashbulb-memories/%E2%80%8E" target="_blank">as objectively as we think</a>. Our perceptions and prejudices colour our memories, things
get added on and altered as other memories jostle for position. We add elements
from our own imagination in an effort to make the story more interesting or
impressive and, if we tell the story to others and ourselves enough, we become
unable to tell the interlocution from reality. Hell, I took a few liberties
with this post to make it more interesting, and I can feel one or two of those
starting to insinuate their way into my memories. I notice this most clearly
when I rewatch movies that were iconic in my childhood. They’re often wildly
different from what is contained in my memory. I used to think this was an
effect of things I’d experienced as a child. But when I recently reread <a href="http://www.blacklibrary.com/horus-heresy/Horus-Rising.html" target="_blank">HorusRising</a> (WHICH I BOUGHT WITH MY OWN MONEY BECAUSE IT WAS AVAILABLE AND I
COULD!!!) after about a year and a half I found several elements of the story
that were different from what I remembered. Given half a decade, I can see how
it could be quite considerably different.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-ZW">It’s not just with made-up stories, but
with things that have happened directly to me, to which I was a first-hand
witness as well. Totally sober experiences with my friends will come out
differently when told individually by each of us. Not just emphasis, but
details, what someone was wearing, what they said , what they did, which
direction they ran when the grumpy old man finally caught us, whether he had a
gun or his penis half-visible through the robe he was or maybe was not wearing.
Different as they are, each of those stories is true.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-ZW">So this makes me think: if personal
experience can be so subjective and prone to deviation from what actually
happened, is it really any different from fiction? The stories we weave, both
from things that have happened to us and from the infinite reaches of our
imagination are, qualitatively, not that different. They are all equally valuable.
Stories are the true currency of human experience, and there is no false coin.</span></div>
Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-69194416011701804462014-02-25T12:43:00.000+02:002014-02-25T12:43:06.775+02:00In which I mumble and grumble about Windows 8Everyone knows I'm the ultimate skeptic, right? I'm all about taking a calm, measured look at things before forming an opinion. I like to take my time and wait to see if that opinion is supportable before I make it public. So I hope with that in mind, the integrity of the following statement will be greatly heightened: fuck Windows 8 with sewage-coated woodrasp.<br />
<br />
I honestly thought I'd have gotten over my hatred for Win8 by now.<br />
<br />
Of course, my (and everyone's) biggest peeve with Windows 8 is being forced to use the Start screen, and the lack of a Start menu. There are three phases of attitude toward the Start screen. The first is the wtf?? Stage. You have no idea what the hell you're supposed to do with it, but you shut your mouth out of fear of being seen as the idiot who can't figure out new technological advances, even though in reality it's a cosmetic feature that's only managed to reduce the ease of use of your non-touchscreen device. You doggedly press on, pinning programs you use often and forcing yourself to open them from the start screen. You begin to develop a sort of Stockholm syndrome. I'm using this feature everyday now, I must actually like it, you tell yourself. This leads to the second stage. You finally realise just how awesome and cool the Start screen really is! You pin ALL your programs to it, organise them into groups according to type and frequency of use. You're happy and productive, now that you've figured it out. This stage lasts about twelve minutes. Windows releases an update which allows you to boot straight to the desktop and you never use the Start screen again.<br />
<br />
Speaking of that update, what an absolute piece of crap that was. Microsoft hyped it up as the update that would fix everything, that would turn everything back the way it was before by giving us back our Start button. Well, they did that alright and... nothing more. Like the <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LiteralGenie" target="_blank">Literal Genie</a>, they technically delivered on what they said they were going to deliver but didn't give us what we actually wanted: the Start <b><u>MENU</u></b>, not just the Start Button. I bet Microsoft knew exactly what shit they were pulling... <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/06/28" target="_blank">Penny Arcade </a>expresses what this was best.<br />
<br />
You will not believe just how annoying that shit is. The old Start menu system wasn't broke. Why fix it? I mean, I got my laptop on my birthday last year, nearly 9 months ago. Let that
sink in: if I wasn't a pathetic beta and had gotten some (unprotected)
birthday sex last year, my fucking baby (triplets, with my luck) would be due right about now. And you know what? I STILL press the Windows key when I want to call up the task bar while using an application (I <b>REFUSE</b> to call them "apps") that overlaps the bottom of the screen (lookin' at you, iTunes...).<br />
<br />
Bottom line is, the Start screen is beyond useless if you don't have a touchscreen. Hauling the mouse over and over again to get to the other end of the screen is annoying as fuck. Most Modern Apps also either have better desktop rivals, or have much better, more functional desktop or web-based versions. So Windows, as you can see, I've tried to like your new thing. I've worked my hardest to appreciate and make use of it. I still don't like it. Now I know you guys value my opinion and will listen to me when millions of others have failed to convince you: please, bring back our fucking Start menu.Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-61946928728496603052013-09-21T22:28:00.000+02:002013-09-21T22:30:59.164+02:00Doctor Dray designs some kinda decent earphones<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bought a pair of TDK earbuds apparently designed by some
fellow with a doctorate in earbud design (I assume. He’s called Doctor Dray or
something like that. I surmise he’s some distinguished English audiophile who
could tell the difference in quality from leads made with slightly different
alloys) mostly because they were the most decent sounding pieces I could find.
I’d bought a pair of generic, unbranded ones a week earlier and they’d sounded
like someone shitting straight into my ear.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well it turns out this particular pair the doctor must have
made for that hippity hoppity stuff or something because the low end is
stupidly powerful, so much so that it drowns out any kind of proper singing or
progressive/solo guitar work, which makes up the vast majority of my music. As
a result, I’m forced to switch my iPod 6<sup>th</sup> gen Nano (which I got for
20 bucks from a friend who “got it from his cousin”)’s <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EQ to Treble Booster in order to get decent
sound sound definition. I’ll admit that with this setting<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s pretty good, better than most generic
brands I’ve used though not quite as full bodied as my old Samsung pair which I
foolishly left in my track jacket pocket when I put it in the wash. Also,
<a href="http://tesseractband.co.uk/" target="_blank">TessaracT</a>’s music sounds quite oddly muted, though it sounded very normal in my
Samsungs. It doesn’t do this with any other artist’s stuff, or even any other
djent songs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another, upshot of this is that treble boost consumes
battery power like crazy! I just discovered this after barely four hours of
play, right as I’m psyching myself up to listen to the latest episode of The
Cracked Podcast (which became my favorite podcast with its first episode. Go
check it out now, the back catalogue’s still just five episodes thick, so
there’s not much catching up to do) when the ‘Pod (does anyone call it that? Or
will I have a mob of angry malophiles kicking down my door soon?) tells me I
need to plug in. For comparison, I’ve been on 18 hour bus trips listening to
back-to-back podcasts and audiobooks and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>to loud, techy death metal while I catch some approximation of sleep (I
can’t sleep when I can hear the drone of an engine), and never once got that
message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To make things worse, it’s a typical evening in Zimbabwe right now,
meaning we have no power, so I’m reduced to the ridiculous situation of
powering up my laptop just to charge the ‘Pod (dear Jobs forgive me if I have
taken the name of thy product in vain), and writing this post in Word to pass
the time and it has just<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*</span> occurred to me that I could have been listening to the
podcast using iTunes (‘Tunes?) all this time. This post really has no point
anymore, so I guess the moral of the story is that anything worth doing is
worth a hand in the bush.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To make this worth your while, here’s my favorite TessaracT
song. Enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They cut the second best part of the song – the chilled out
trail after the super techy bridge – out for this video. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUerQWJl6V8" target="_blank">Here’s a full version</a>. In fact, check out the full <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Bk8EDD_xI" target="_blank">Concealing Fate</a> if you're up for an excellent 25 minutes. It's absolutely beautiful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*P.S. Honesty compels me to tell you that I didn’t *just*
realise this. I realized it somewhere around the beginning of the second paragraph.</span></span></div>
Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-36896562891339134692013-02-17T21:39:00.001+02:002013-02-17T21:41:41.591+02:00Sabbath School 16/02/13 - Up the ButtThe fellow holding the afternoon program yesterday (which was about who the ‘boss’ is in the home – guess who they concluded it is) alerted us to one of the greatest tragedies of our time – newlywed young Christian women who are coerced by their new husband into giving anal and oral secks using the rhetoric that he is the head of the marriage and should be obeyed. But the tragic part for him wasn’t the coercion part of it or the stupid, harmful rhetoric used to justify it, but the fact that the young maidens are being made to perform “unbiblical” acts. What’s happening here is indeed a tragedy, buy not nearly for the reason the clueless fool gave.<br />
<br />
A woman in this situation is doubly the victim, and the perpetrator is not only the husband forcing her to do something she does not want, but the system that has so narrowed her sexual horizons in this manner. The type of upbringing that Adventists receive and the sex education (or abject lack thereof) they receive completely fails to convey the beauty and adventure of the act, instead filling anything that does not fit into their narrow view of what is acceptable (heterosexual intercourse in the missionary position, preferably for the purposes of procreation, the sick, sick bastards) being filled with shame. There’s a lot of blabber about sex between two married people being a beautiful thing without showing any real appreciation of that beauty, or of the fact that sex, in any paradigm in which you prefer to exclusively or non-exclusively define it, can be just plain fun. <br />
<br />
To top it off, they close off some of the most amazing sexual experience. “Congress of the mouth” as it is known in the Kama sutra is a wonderful thing for both giver and recipient, and who the hell isn’t up for a little buttsecks every once in a while? And besides, despite what the old fogeys would most fervently like to believe, some of the best hea- no, I think I’ll hold that thought to myself (hint: it involves the very same mouths from which such marvellous melodies are produced during song service every Sabbath. I do not disapprove – quite the opposite. You’re all champions in my eyes, girls ;)<br />
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On top of this, I believe the young gent is also a victim in all of this (please bear with me; I’m not making an apologism for rape). Sex is at its best when it is a union between equals (or play-acting dominant and submissive roles). It is a congress of mutual, communal pleasure. It becomes an ugly thing when one party is doing something against their will, is under coercion or duress, is not enjoying themselves to the greatest capacity or is in physical pain (unwanted pain: that distinction is important ;). When such is the case, that one enters the relations with an obvious superiority complex, they prevent themselves from experiencing the full beauty and glory of the act. So the ultimate perpetrator, the one which deserves most of the blame, is the edifice, the structure within which all this brainwashing and the terrible lessons and psychologies it perpetuates. The victims are the precious young minds that have been mentally crucified upon the cross of the previous generation’s ignorance.<br />
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(That being said, the folks at this new church know how to put on one hell of a potluck. Numerous side dishes, meat (including god-damned AMANGQINA!!(cow shins & hooves, a local delicacy) and one hell of a dessert to top it off – that has to have been the best potluck of my life thus far!)<br />
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[P.S. God damn! It's been more than a year since I last posted here! Well, in that time I've gone through some downs, and more recently a few ups. I was in the doldrums for quite a while, since before I started this blog, in fact. It really intensified last year, and I frankly couldn't find the old creative spark that burned for so short a while. I may not fully be out yet, let's just wait and see. I'm going to be using this blog from now on as a bit of self-therapy. I've put aside the dreams of becoming some black atheist Moses who will bring the Children of Africa out of the darkness of religion. I'll be happy enough just to put my thoughts down in print and out to the world, and maybe discover who I am again. Oh, and also share some of the awesome metal I've got myself acquainted with ;P]</div>
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[P.P.S. Update on my personal life: I'm still in the closet. I'm also back home in Zimbabwe, since last year in fact, though I moved to another city this year. University keeps being pushed further back; hopefully I'll be going next year. In the meantime, I'm doing a computer engineering diploma course in the equivalent of an American community college.]</div>
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Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-85506521053321649672012-02-01T15:22:00.000+02:002012-02-01T17:12:47.514+02:00Sabbathh School 28/01/12 - Wishing ain't gonna make it soSo my parents were playing last week's audio Sabbath School lesson last Friday. It could not be avoided - I had to stick around and listen as well. The title for the lesson was "<a href="http://ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/12a/less04.html" target="_blank">The God of Grace and Judgment</a>", and it had so many things wrong with it I simply could not pass it up. They did creation/evolution two weeks ago, but they said the same old doo-doo they always say about it. <a href="http://zomgorlackthereof.blogspot.com/2011/03/sabbath-school-260211-its-devils-work.html" target="_blank">I've covered that before</a>, and I don't want to sound like a broken record criticising the same crap over and over again.<br />
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Anyway, the lesson began with an illustration which went thus:<br />
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A soldier stood next to an old man about to be executed. He was guilty of being the “wrong” race and religion, nothing more. As the soldier raised his gun, his victim said, “Do you know that there is a God in heaven who sees all this, and who will one day judge you for your actions?” </blockquote>
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The soldier then shot the old man dead.</blockquote>
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This is, in many ways, a prime example of a secular society. Not a secular government (a government that does not promote one religion over another), but a secular society, one in which there is no higher standard than the rules of the society itself. It’s a society with no sense of transcendence, no sense of a higher authority, no sense of God or of a moral standard greater than anything human. It’s a society where humans take the place of God, a society where the only judgment one faces is the judgment of one’s peers or of one’s own conscience (whatever’s left of it, anyway).</blockquote>
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According to the Bible, however, the old man was right: there is a God in heaven, and He knows all things and He, indeed, will bring everything into judgment.</blockquote>
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I don't know about you, but I was personally offended when I heard this. I do not see how a person shooting another person who said there is a god is in any way illustrative of a secular society. What if the shooter was serving his own - wait, that is the crux of my argument against this idiotic, piece of crap illustration, I'll get to it later. Let me pick on this first:<br />
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It’s a society with no sense of transcendence, no sense of a higher authority, no sense of God or of a moral standard greater than anything human. It’s a society where humans take the place of God, a society where the only judgment one faces is the judgment of one’s peers or of one’s own conscience (whatever’s left of it, anyway).
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Well, I suppose anyone who's read this blog before should know where I stand on this - no, there is no transcendence, no higher authority and no god! There is no evidence for any such thing, and sincerely wishing for them will not make them true. That "humans take the place of god" line is a meaningless cheapshot, and the fact is that the only judgement we can ever face is that which society hands down upon us.<br />
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I understand why one would wish for more. Some may find
it impossible to face each day without the assurance that the injustices of
this world are ultimately going to be repaid in kind. Human beings can’t see
everything, and not every wrong done is going to be revealed and punished, and
it’s tempting to want to believe there is some entity that exists outside the
timeflow that notices everything and will mete out the punishment mortals were
unable to. But no matter how hard one may wish for it, no matter how hard one
may clap their hands, there facts of this reality will still remain. Instead of
throwing your hands up in the air and running to the insubstantial comfort of
imaginary entities, why not resolve to stand with your fellow human beings and
resolve to work together to root out the injustices and bring the collective
judgement of society down upon them. If you are not part of the solution, you
are part of the problem, standing in the way of the progression towards a more
just society.</div>
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The sort of “only God can judge” mentality fostered by the
mindset shown in the above excerpt (note: I am not saying that that is what is
directly espoused in the excerpt, only that it is a natural progression of it,
one which is followed all too many times) has some directly harmful
consequences too. <a href="http://mojoey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Deep Thoughts</a> catalogues <a href="http://mojoey.blogspot.com/p/bad-pastors.html" target="_blank">numerous cases</a> every week of sexual
abuse by so-called holy men: pastors, youth leaders and the like. Nearly
always, the most damning thing about these cases is the reaction of the
churches these criminal excuses for human beings led. Instead of co-operating
with authorities, condemning the offenders’ behaviour or even simply
apologising to the victims, they most often choose to maintain total silence,
sometimes even expressing their outright support for the offender and wilfully
hindering the authorities. And this isn’t just the already very well-known and
widely publicised Catholic clergy scandals and subsequent coverups I’m talking about: most of the cases
Mojoey covers are mainline protestant denominations(including <a href="http://mojoey.blogspot.com/2011/10/pastor-birger-draget-arrested.html" target="_blank">Seventh-Day Adventists</a>. Read the comments section of that link). But it’s
all good, hey? God is going to judge them, so what does it matter if they
escape Earthly retribution?</div>
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Now comes my real sticking point over this particular
illustration. The author gives the story of the old man being shot for being
“the wrong race and wrong religion” as an example of a secular society.
Question: in which secular society has this ever happened? Each and every time
in history people have been killed for being the “wrong race and wrong
religion” it has been at the hands of another group of religious people who
themselves believed they were doing the bidding of their god. More
particularly, the most prominent example of this which has happened during the
time since firearms were invented is most obviously the Holocaust perpetrated
by the Nazis. Even if it was not the example the writer wished to put forward,
the Holocaust no doubt sprang to the fore of most peoples’ minds due to the
<a href="http://nobeliefs.com/hitler-myths.htm" target="_blank">widely spread misconception</a> people seem to have that the Nazis’ philosophies
were atheistic. And yet, as most skeptics and anyone who has properly studied
the history of Nazi Germany will tell you, the Nazis and Hitler himself were,
if not <a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/john_murphy/religionofhitler.html" target="_blank">directly religiously motivated</a>, <a href="http://nobeliefs.com/nazis.htm" target="_blank">made use of religious propaganda and the churches</a> to <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/09/list_of_hitler_quotes_in_honor.php" target="_blank">stir up hatred for the Jews</a>, the Roma and other “undesirable” minorities.</div>
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The fact that the Sabbath School Study Guide’s writer,
Cliff Goldstein is himself Jewish only serves to exacerbate the scale of this
example’s error. It sounds to me very unlikely that Goldstein was unaware of
the facts of what happened during the Holocaust, or of the obvious link to it
people would draw regardless of whether or not he was directly referring to it.
Whichever way one cuts it, this example is, consciously or unconsciously,
slanderously dishonest.</div>
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The second issue I have a problem with comes in the study
section for Thursday. In this section, we see this being said:</div>
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Looking around at the world, we shouldn’t have a problem
understanding the idea of judgment and condemnation. One doesn’t have to be a
believing Christian to realize that something is radically wrong with humanity.
Who can’t see what a royal mess, even disaster, we’ve made of things? Maybe we
cry so hard at birth because, instinctively, we know what’s coming. “I cried
when I was born and every day shows why,” a poet wrote. Who can’t relate? Who hasn’t
himself or herself been the victim of just how greedy, selfish, and mean people
can be? Or who hasn’t at some point been the greedy, selfish, and mean one?</blockquote>
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You know, all sorts of people, from friends to strangers,
Christians, Muslims, so-called “agnostics” and less strident atheists ask me
all the time why I’m so vocal in opposing religion. Simply put, it’s attitudes
as expressed in this excerpt, and various overtones laid throughout the lesson.
The vibe you get from reading it is one of defeatism, of ultimate unfaith in
one’s fellow human beings, the feeling that society is in a downward spiral
from which it can never pull up. Well, first of all, this view of humanity is
factually wrong. Humanity is now as it has ever been: capable of both good and
evil. The decay envisioned by many religious conservatives is in equal parts
imagined and the consequence of greater connectivity and communication. News
travels fast nowadays, and shocking news is by far the most popular and
therefore we tend to hear more about it. We think murder, rape, violence and
sundry other crimes are increasing in frequency because the frequency of which
we hear about them is increasing. And yet, per head, there are fewer people dying
violently today than in previous eras.</div>
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The media’s sensationalism is causing
the rise in alarmism,...yet I welcome it. I welcome that we get to hear about
the crimes which were so studiously hidden and never spoken about in ages past.
I welcome it, because it brings them to the light, gives us reason to be
outraged by them. I welcome it because it enables us to see our enemy, so that
we can work to defeat it and to change our circumstances.</div>
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And yet, that excerpt tells us that we cannot change
them. It forces on us a spirit of defeatism and complacency, for if only God
can change us, what reason do we have to even try? Why should we work for
global peace and unity if some magic man in the sky is going to wiggle his
fingers and do it for us? That is my greatest gripe with religion, that it
breeds malignant mistrust in those it infects, and that it turns them into the
biggest stumbling block to ever changing the situation we find ourselves in.
I’m not saying that once religion dies the path will be clear, no. Other
sources of herd-mentality intolerance and alarmism will remain, as well as humanity's own capacity for both good and evil, which we probably will never be able to fully banish. But the
mountain in our path will have been worn down and we will be able to glimpse
the brighter future that lies ahead of us.</div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-50046782182144665492012-01-08T13:53:00.000+02:002012-01-08T13:57:03.868+02:00Happy new year!Alright, I know I'm over a week behind the curve, but I have a good excuse, which I will choose to keep to myself. Be still and know that I am Joe.<br />
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I had a very eventful last week of 2011 - I attended a youth camp in Durban, South Africa organised by the Botswana Union of the Seventh Day Adventist church. I was initially reticent about the prospect of going when Mother first asked me about it, but I later figured "fuck it, it's Durban, why the hell not?" In the end asides from all the Jesus-ness, the horrible rooms we were staying in and the all-veg diet, it really wasn't so bad. I got to see the sea for the first time, managed to buy a few books I've been yearning for while there and generally got to relax, unwind and refresh.<br />
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As for the content of the camp...well, it was your usual revival seminar fare. There were daily sermons and prayer sessions, as well as a few workshops scattered here and there. The workshop I chose to attend was "Destined for excellence", which was chock-full of meaningless slogans, catchy mnemonics and sweet, inspirational nothings. In other words, it was just like every other motivational routine in existence, only with a lot more biblical references and perhaps more uniquely, quotes from Ellen White's works, "Spirit of Prophesy". The workshop presenter was as cute as a button, though, so not all was lost.<br />
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There was one young preacher there about whom I found myself thinking that phrase so many of us freethinkers have heard applied to us at some time or other: "what a waste". He was one of the most eloquent and entertaining speakers I have heard in a long time. His anecdotes and analogies in particular, which dealt with things almost everyone in the audience could relate with, were absolutely priceless, and had me chuckling regardless of whether I agreed with his point or not. I found myself thinking about how far the cause of freethought and even science literacy would advance if we had just one speaker like him here in Africa and an organised platform for him to use. And it got me thinking even further: if it were not for his religious upbringing, would he have turned out to be such a good speaker? For a lot of us - many, perhaps even most (myself included), our first and sometimes only experience of speaking in front of a crowd was in church. Adventists in particular will relate - holding Sabbath School, preaching on children's day - these were a big part of our growing up. The same goes for music - it is no mere coincidence that many of the most successful secular musicians of our day testify to having started singing in church.<br />
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Now, I'm not about to say religion is all good and wonderful and we should all appreciate it because it gives kids such confidence and nurtures their skills, I am simply acknowledging this fact - this is one of the few things a lot of us have to thank outr religious upbringing for. But, like with all of religion's positive points, there is a better way. The area of discovering and nurturing talent in these areas is one where I believe schools should take a major role. Right from the beginning of Primary education, children should be given opportunities to speak, sing or play instruments in public, in front of a supportive audience. School recitals and talent shows should take the place of church worship programs. The cultivation of talents in an environment where the mind is also learning about the world around it is the best possible environment for producing brilliant, well-informed speakers and artists.<br />
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Phew! Good to get that off my chest. Anyway, I survived the whole thing without having a stupid outburst over something blindingly inaccurate or obviously unconscionable that was said (of which there were many), mainly thanks to the patient ear of my one theist friend to whom I am able to talk freely about my worldview regardless of whether we agree - yes, you, buddy. You know yourself. Being able to air my views is a therapeutic experience, without which I would long have snapped. I saw the new year in while in a que for snacks and a terrible looking fruit salad at the so-called "banquet" on the last night of the camp, followed soon afterward by a desultory fireworks show at which I am surprised no one was killed.<br />
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So, that's it. That's my recounting of the final week of my 2011. Now, we look to the future. This year, I am refraining from publishing my resolutions thanks to the disaster I made of them last year. Only I know what they are, which will save me some embarrassment. All I can tell you is tat they are a lot more specific, realistiic and within my control than last year's were, so hopefully I will prevail. I'll only tell you what they were if and when I succeed.<br />
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Thanks to you all for reading this long ramble, and I wish you all an awesome 2012. I leave you with the awesome music I was listening to all throught the week before last - most particularly I want to highlight Technical Death Metal band <a href="http://www.realmofobscura.com/" target="_blank">Obscura</a>'s album <i>Omnivium.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.deadthrone.com/" target="_blank">Everyone's Favorite Christian Metalcore Band</a>, from their latest album Dead Throne:<br />
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French Deathgrind band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/brutalbenighted" target="_blank">Benighted</a>, from their album Asylum Cave<br />
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And last but not least, some Obscura. Every single track from this album was a masterpiece. I can credit this band as the one that got me to love the sound of the guitar.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R6Cb001n2s8" width="480"></iframe>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-83424906809366255262011-11-27T12:17:00.004+02:002011-11-27T12:58:24.379+02:00National Day of Theocracy, more likeI was in the room while my parents were watching the <a href="http://hopetv.org">Hope Channel</a> yesterday evening when a show called <a href="http://www.globalfaithandfreedom.org/">Global Faith and Freedom</a>, which discusses issues of religious liberty came on. The topic of discussion was the issue of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_day_of_prayer">National Day of Prayer</a> in the United States. It was really more of a circle jerk than a debate, with the host and all three guests masturbating over how awesome and good and totally not unconstitutional the Day of Prayer is, which left me thinking "what's the point of all of this, anyway?"<br /><br />I wasn't listening much while I was in the room, and wound up having to leave because every word I did hear was really just driving me mad, but I do believe there was some side issue they were discussing, more about the exclusion of certain religious groups from official proceedings at the White House or Pentagon or wherever raising concern about the neutrality of the government. I think this discussion completely missed the point - separation of church and state is not simply about not supporting one faith group above all others, or hindering one against all others, and is definitely not about supporting all religions equally. The state should have nothing at all to do with supporting religion. The issue has been raised before about such events excluding a significant and ever growing segment of the population - those who have no religion - not to mention that it draws unnecessary time and resources.<br /><br />I was a bit surprised at the stance the program took on the issue. Such ecumenical "uniting of faiths" is just the sort of thing I would have expected Seventh-Day Adventists to be dead set against, what with the fact that the end will be brought about by the Antichrist forming just such a union of religions. I wonder, is this apparent cognitive dissonance brought about by the usual Christian priviledge, or is it out of some gleeful subconscious desire to accelerate the "end times".Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-47489145392684843732011-11-10T19:29:00.007+02:002011-11-10T21:15:47.528+02:00About a speckI was doing some gardening earlier this evening, admiring the full moon and Jupiter in the Eastern sky when I noticed a bright speck moving in from the North. The speck was moving quite fast, headed right for Jupiter, and from my vantage point passed less than a finger's breadth from the big guy. I continued to track the speck until it disappeared behind a stand of trees - my <a href="http://www.stellarium.org/">Stellarium</a> tells me that if I'd had a clear horizon, I'd have been able to see the speck until it set further South. What's so special about this speck, one may ask. What's so different about it compared to all the other specks in the sky, both those that are relatively stationary from our perception and others like it that move perceptibly. Well, the special thing about that speck is that it had people on it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UImWu8JsLO4/TrwgPMRVWHI/AAAAAAAAADI/eQDbjbEJkxI/s1600/earth2_cassini_big.jpeg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--v1C_LHmioE/TrwfcY-MBsI/AAAAAAAAAC8/YcVmlMxllMc/s1600/iss025e010457.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--v1C_LHmioE/TrwfcY-MBsI/AAAAAAAAAC8/YcVmlMxllMc/s400/iss025e010457.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673444203180066498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=35241">spaceref.com</a></span></div></div><br />The speck was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station">International Space Statio</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station">n</a>, hurtling four hundred kilometers above the Earth, carrying a crew of American, Russian and Japanese astronauts. It's been all of humanity's shot at having a permanent space presence for over 11 years now. I used to get out and take a look at the Station whenever I could but haven't done so in a long time, so that, coupled with the chance alignment with Jupiter, made this time particularly poignant for me. To think that there are human beings "up there", doing research and looking down upon the curve of the Earth, is a magnificent thought. It boggles the mind to think that there are people living, breathing and working on that little speck. And yet we know that if you go out far enough, even the Earth itself, the hub of all human activity, where we work, share, love and live out our entire existence, looks like a bright speck.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UImWu8JsLO4/TrwgPMRVWHI/AAAAAAAAADI/eQDbjbEJkxI/s1600/earth2_cassini_big.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UImWu8JsLO4/TrwgPMRVWHI/AAAAAAAAADI/eQDbjbEJkxI/s400/earth2_cassini_big.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673445075944036466" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">My favorite picture of that speck. Saturn always makes everything more beautiful.</span><br /></div><br />It is my fervent hope that even if I may not be able to view Earth from such a position, one day my descendents will, and they will remember the intrepid men and women who pioneered it all, even though they only went but a stone's throw from their planet.<br /><br />I'll leave you with the immortal words of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan">Carl Sagan</a> (who would have been 77 yesterday):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wupToqz1e2g" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-28382068637073308532011-11-06T10:37:00.005+02:002011-11-06T11:54:46.455+02:00Sabbath School 05/11/11 - I'm no masochistThe natives were fasting yesterday, then went on to have an all-night prayer to sprinkle some Jesus Magic on an upcoming crusade they're holding over the next two weeks (not<i> that</i> kind of crusade. They don't do those anymore - it's just a two week long preach fest, though one has to question the taste of calling them after such a violent era). Needless to say, I participated in neither - I had three full, healthy meals and went on to double-break the Sabbath by splitting a takeout with a buddy, then went home, watched the new Pirates movie (which was terrible) and had a good night's sleep.<div><br /></div><div>The whole affair - the fasting and sleep deprivation, as well as the greater blanket issue of asceticism, smacks of masochism. Dictionary.com defines <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/masochism">masochism</a> thusly:</div><div><br /></div><div><h2 class="me" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.25em; display: inline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">mas·och·ism</h2><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "></span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "></span><span class="pronset" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/d/g/speaker.swf" width="17" height="15" id="speaker" align="texttop" quality="high" loop="false" menu="false" salign="t" flashvars="soundUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fsp.dictionary.com%2Fdictstatic%2Fdictionary%2Faudio%2Fluna%2FM01%2FM0188000.mp3&clkLogProxyUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.reference.com%2Fwhatzup.html&t=a&d=d&s=di&c=a&ti=1&ai=51359&l=dir&o=0&sv=00000000&ip=2957b20c&u=audio" wmode="transparent" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></embed> <span class="show_spellpr" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; "><span class="prondelim" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">[</span><span class="pron" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; "><span class="boldface" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: 700; ">mas</span>-<span class="ital-inline" style="font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; font-style: italic; ">uh</span>-kiz-<span class="ital-inline" style="font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; font-style: italic; ">uh</span><img class="luna-Img" border="0" src="http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/dictionary/graphics/luna/thinsp.png" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: text-top; background-image: url(http://sp.dictionary.com/en/i/dictionary/newserp/Sprite_Serp.png); background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: -491px -482px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; " />m</span><span class="pron" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; ">,</span> <span class="pron" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; "><span class="boldface" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: 700; ">maz</span>-</span><span class="prondelim" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">]</span></span></span></div><div><span class="pronset" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="show_spellpr" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; "><span class="prondelim" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 187); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; ">noun</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="pronset" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="show_spellpr" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; "><span class="prondelim" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 187); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="pronset" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="show_spellpr" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; "><span class="prondelim" style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 187); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; ">2. </span></span></span></span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">gratification</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">gained</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">from</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">pain,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">deprivation,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">degradation,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">etc.,</span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">inflicted</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">or</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">imposed</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">on</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">oneself,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">either</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">as</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">result</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">one's</span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">own</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">actions</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">or</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">actions</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">others,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">especially</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">the</span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">tendency</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">seek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">this</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">form</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span><span class="hwc" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); cursor: default; ">gratification.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I do believe strongly religious people gain some gratification from their pain, just as much as the more fanatical auto-flagellants do, the difference being that religiously motivated masochists have developed a rationale behind their actions. Those who fast tell me that it gets them closer to god, that they can feel a stronger connection being forged and that their prayers are being heard. Of course, I'd argue that it's more likely the lack of food affecting their brain, but that's just me. Among Adventists (at least locally, anyway) such self-denialist streaks run even deeper than the occasional fast. Especially around older folks, you get the feeling that simply having any sort of fun is wrong. Last Sunday, I was at a friend's birthday party, and the amount of supplication that went on just dazzled me. Before anything had begun, there were pleas for god to forgive everyone in advance for any sins they may commit and a blessing for everyone to enjoy themselves, "but not too much" in case they sinned, then after it all, another prayer for god to forgive everyone's sins, both those they committed "knowingly" and "unknowingly". Frankly, this brings images of an abusive relationship, where one partner is so afraid of angering the abusive partner that they are constantly begging for forgiveness and limiting their activities in order to avoid arousing their ire.</div><div><br /></div><div>All this is simply another way religion poisons peoples' minds, limiting their view of the world and their enjoyment of life.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">**</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >If this piece seemed a little disjointed, forgive me. I actually watched considerably more than the Pirates movie last night.</span></div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-6681477638004704502011-11-03T13:48:00.005+02:002011-11-03T14:47:03.615+02:00Sabbath School 29/10/11 - FictionIn our local Adventist churches, there is always a story told for the children before the main sermon every Sabbath. Usually, these take the form of morality tales that reinforce simple values like kindness and honesty, or retell Bible stories in the form of modern allegories. Occasionally, though, you'll get the miracle stories. Many are innocent enough - "answered prayers" wierd coincidences that are attributed to God and such, but sometimes there'll be truly fantastical ones, which tend for some reason to always be the ones set in rural Africa. The one we ahd last week was one of the former type. It was about a couple of kids who were lost in the bush when they came across a lion. One of them remembers that their mother had told them that they should sing if ever they're cornered by a lion, so they start singing one of the well known hymns and the lion leaves them be. A short while later, some villagers who'd been looking for them arrive at the scene. They remark that they'd been led there when they heard a multitude of voices singing, the implication being that angels had joined the kids and scared the lion away.<div><br /></div><div>"Well, it's just a story," some might say. What's wrong with that? Well, I have no problem with stories. I do have a problem, however, when they're being peddled to children in order to reinforce superstition. We can almost be certain that no such event has ever happened, but a child has no way of knowing that. To a child, everything you tell them is true. Every word is laden with vivid fact and they find it hard to tell what is true, what is allegory and what is pure imagination. Fairy tales also deliver to kids the same type of feeling, one of wonder at things which are not 100% true. Unlike fairytales, however, stories told in a religious setting are reinforced and never revealed outright to be simply imagination conveying a message. In the same breath, children are also told similarly fantastic stories from the Bible, which they are told are 100% infallible truth. Such stories wind up being a tool for crushing minds to better take in religious indoctrination - the child grows up with a stunted ability to tell the difference between fact and fiction, ripe for inculcating with all sorts of superstition, stories of miracles and the like.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow, I will talk about the admissibility of stories as evidence, with particular attention paid to miracle stories.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">***</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.avengedsevenfold.com/">Avenged Sevenfold</a> - Fiction</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aNZwMG_QUGs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-11079999727436398402011-10-26T08:18:00.005+02:002011-10-26T10:41:06.462+02:00The death-knell for institutionalised homophobia in Zimbabwe?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rdT_J6-6loc/TqfEJT_aUQI/AAAAAAAAACw/15-KrCS14jk/s1600/304126_2223800552434_1170331258_31988331_493536101_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rdT_J6-6loc/TqfEJT_aUQI/AAAAAAAAACw/15-KrCS14jk/s400/304126_2223800552434_1170331258_31988331_493536101_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667714320333164802" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>In <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15431142">a recent interview with the BBC</a>, Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe expressed his wish to see gay rights protected in the a new constitution, a message completely different from views he expressed a year ago, when he supported President Robert Mugabe's sentiment that gays were "worse than pigs and dogs". There has been some speculation as to the reasons for this dramatic change of heart, with some saying it is to "appease his Western masters" and similar allegations. Without a doubt the incumbent is going to try to use this to sway people's vote come the next election, but at least its a step in the right direction. Hopefully, if he's really serious about this and doesn't go changing his mind later down the line and the memory of the suffering of previous years will be enough to override peoples' prejudices, we may see the basic right to love legally protected in Zimbabwe come the next election.<div><br /></div><div>Still, the very fact that taking this liberal stance may jeopardise Tsvangirai's position in the upcoming elections is unacceptable. I've heard it expressed by people that the reason Mugabe has retained power for so long is that God placed him there because of his strong homophobic stance, so that legislation protecting gay rights could not be passed in Zimbabwe. So what this means basically is that God, in all his mercy would rather see thousands brutally assaulted and killed and millions more suffering under the yoke of oppression than allow gays the rights to live their lives in peace and without fear of legally backed hatred. Not only is that morally reprehensible, it is despicable, and no loving god would ever do such a thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>But of course, God is simply people's projection of such people's own psyche, possessing their prejudices, and such moral paradoxes are the simple proof of this fact. If people could look beyond such dogma, superstition and close-mindedness and base their morality on a common respect and compassion for their fellow man the world would be a much sweeter place for all.</div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-88360480611805956682011-10-20T10:43:00.002+02:002011-10-20T10:50:08.149+02:00Why I Am an Atheist<div>Got round to penning my story in response to PZ Myers' call to submit our reasons for being atheists. A more detailed account is still in the works. I haven't blogged much about my brush - oh, hell it was a goddamn scrub-down - with von Danikenism and it occurs to me that I should. Consider a series examining the Ancient Astronaut hypothesis in the works.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div><br /></div><div>Growing up in Zimbabwe presented many challenges. Calling anyone "middle class" was a joke - you were either filthy rich, struggled to make ends meet or were so poor words could not begin to describe it. My family was part of that second group - we lived comfortably, but only just. I'm an ex-fourth generation Seventh-day Adventist, which, considering that Adventism has been in Zimbabwe for about four generations is really something. One thing I can truly thank my parents for is that they never compromised on my education. My brothers and I always went to private school, even if it meant we had to cut back on a few luxuries to do so. I was also always very inquisitive, very much a nerd and had a deep love for science that my mother encouraged. I read a lot of books, particularly about physics, astronomy and dinosaurs so questions were inevitable. I was an introspective child, though, so I tended to keep those questions to myself and try to figure things out on my own.</div><div><br /></div><div>At twelve I was baptised into the church. I think this was the turning point at which I began to come to terms with reality, because it forced me to examine what I believed and why I believed it, where previously I could just drift along and pretend there was no conflict between my faith and my aspirations to be a scientist. It wasn't an easy journey, but less than eight months later, I came to the conclusion that God as envisioned by any Earthly religion does not exist. I still thought a higher being of some kind was possible, and so became somewhat of an agnostic.</div><div><br /></div><div>The biggest problem I had at this stage of my life was that I had nothing concrete to fill the gap my faith left behind. One practical upshot of my country and my family's financial state was that I had no access to the solid facts I needed - I had no access to the internet and what little I did know came from the now too vague books I could access from the kids' section of the library. I was growing ever more hungry for knowledge, and would gobble up any little morsel I could get, regardless of quality. In time, this led me to a brush with pseudoscience no better than the faith I had recently forsaken.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rifling through some old books at my grandmother's house, I found a bunch by a certain fellow called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_Däniken">Erich von Daniken</a>. They had the words "stars" and "space" in them , so reading was a no-brainer. What I read had me instantly hooked. Soon, I was proclaiming to all my friends how aliens had visited us in ages past and imparted us with intelligence. I was rattling off every single piece of "evidence" E vD presented - the Piri Reis map, the Ica stones, the Nasca lines, Puma Punku - with the utmost confidence that I'd finally found the truth. E vD did an excellent job of pretending to have that which I had been looking for all along - good, solid facts. His book "Miracles of the Gods" also fit in with the pseudo-mystical approach I had taken, and this led into a brief but retrospectively embarrassing flirtation with the Law of Attraction.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was this phase, in which I wholeheartedly accepted such nonsense as is contained in "The Secret" and "What the Bleep Do We Know" that led to me taking another deep look at my beliefs. I noticed that all my "positive thinking" and meditating on the things I desired was getting me nowhere, and I started really thinking about how this actually worked. I realised that all this talk of "qantum-this" and "quantum-that" was simply a different term for the magic I used to believe in when I was still Christian. It did not take long for the rest of my belief in the supernatural to disappear, and eventually any concession of the possibility of the existence of a deity went down the drain as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember the first time I ever referred to myself as an atheist. I had just moved to a new school in Botswana. We were in a class Guidance and Counselling session and the counsellor asked me what religion I belonged to. Right there and then, I realised - much as I had once reviled those who were so "close-minded" as to outright deny the existence of a god, I had become one of them. With newfound conviction in my voice, I proudly answered, "I'm atheist." This was early in 2009, and I was 16, going on 17.</div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps not very oddly enough, I still lent some credence to Erich von Daniken's hypotheses. I would think to myself, "Okay, maybe he got the metaphysics wrong, but some of his facts must be right." I was also very critical of vocal atheists, even once writing a letter bashing Richard Dawkins over his hope that creating a cross between a human and chimp would end religion to the South African edition of Popular Mechanics. The Internet changed both these things, however. The<a href="http://skepdic.com/"> Skeptic's Dictionary</a> in particular demolished von Daniken's hypotheses, while reading of all the abuses to freedom that religion continues to perpetrate underscored the importance of activism to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I take a pragmatic view of the circuitous route I took to becoming rational: if it weren't for it I wouldn't be who I am today. I wouldn't have experienced first hand how harmful and limiting believing in lies can be, and wouldn't be so passionate about eliminating them. It's not my lack of belief in gods that I count as my most important trait, though. I value being a rationalist because I choose to think, a skeptic because I choose to question, a humanist because I have compassion for my fellow man and have an unbridled love for the cosmos that drives me to achieve my dream of becoming an astrophysicist. It is from this dream that I draw the deepest meaning for my life: that of discovery, and questing to understand the universe we live in.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jabu M</div><div>Botswana</div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-32946067761952826382011-10-18T09:24:00.004+02:002011-10-18T11:19:02.065+02:00The Laws of Creatodynamics<span class="Apple-style-span">I'm not a very consistent blogger now, am I? I actually have quite a few ideas floating around my head, but hey, I'm a lazy bastard and just couldn't be arsed to commit them to words. Guess I'll never make it big in the bloggosphere, then.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Anyway, inspired by PZ Myers' recent <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/10/17/suffer-earthlings/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freethoughtblogs%2Fpharyngula+%28FTB%3A+Pharyngula%29">commentary</a> on the latest <a href="http://www.drdino.com/did-a-giant-asteroid-kill-off-the-dinosaurs-are-there-aliens-and-ufos-transcript/">bit of brain poop</a> to drop out of the Hovindverse, I give you the Laws of Creatodynamics, expressing the interplay between intelligence and stupidity in the Creatoverse (adapted from the real <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics">laws of thermodynamics</a>).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span">Zeroth Law: When two individuals are as stupid as a third individual, they are as stupid as each other. (E.g. Eric Hovind is as stupid as Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron is as stupid as Ray Comfort, therefore Eric Hovind is as stupid as Kirk Cameron).</span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span">First Law: Intelligence can never be created, but is perpetually being destroyed. Similarly, Stupidity can never be destroyed but is perpetually being created. The reason for this situation is that as the Creationist movement is being assailed by ever increasing amounts of fact it is being driven to greater levels of absurdity to rationalise its position. The simple upshot of this is that Creationism is fast heading for the Stupidity Singularity, the point at which there is absolutely no intelligence left and pure, undiluted stupidity is all that remains. No one knows what will happen when this point is reached. Perhaps the movement will simply implode, leaving the rest of humanity to mop up and discard whatever is left of it. Perhaps the concentration of raw stupidity will strain the fabric of the universe, <a href="http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Fall_of_the_Eldar#.Tp05UKC5N5I">birth a god</a> of unbridled stupidity in <a href="http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/The_warp#.Tp05hqC5N5I">the immaterium</a> while tearing reality <a href="http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Eye_of_terror#.Tp05taC5N5I">a new asshole</a> in the process.</span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span">Second Law: Intelligence cannot move from a stupider body to a more intelligent body.Makes sense, doesn't it? And it's also an observable effect: creationism has never produced anything of value to the scientific world, and it never will. Somewhat confusingly, the converse is also true: intelligence cannot move from a more intelligent body to a stupider body. Take a look at creationism in the 1900s and creationism today. There is practically no difference whatsoever between them. Pretty much the same arguments are still being used, no matter how often they have been addressed and debunked. The creationist movement learns nothing from the ever changing, ever expanding world of scientific knowledge. It only just keeps getting worse.</span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span">Third Law: Absolute zero intelligence is attainable. Take a look at what Hovind says again. 'Nuff said.</span></li></ul></div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-76028282903088691382011-10-07T09:36:00.003+02:002011-10-07T12:00:38.997+02:00Breaking Out, Breaking DownSo, I've got my internet back, and after a few solid weeks of leaching from the great blood vessel of knowledge I think it's time I seeded from the contents of my rich and beautiful mind. But first, let me catch you up on what's been going on in my life.<div><br /></div><div>About a month ago I had a bit of a crisis because of which I came pretty damn close to coming out of the closet. Ours is a really small church, so it's impossible to hide behind other members - everyone is expected to pull their weight, be a part of running things and occasionally show their face up front. <a href="http://zomgorlackthereof.blogspot.com/2011/03/sabbath-school-120311-satan-takes.html">I've done so before</a> without much of a problem, but things were different then. I was quite depressed at the time - things hadn't been going well in my life, I was hard at work self tutoring for my frickin A Levels and I didn't want to add to the stress by having to deal with the fallout of refusing to do it and possibly having to come out, so I sucked it up and did it, and managed to fake a smile while I was at it. Things had changed a month ago. I was feeling much better with myself, I'd been too late to register for exams this November and so will be writing next June, so a whole load of stress had been lifted off my shoulders. So when my mother told me I was supposed to be preaching the next Saturday I was just kind of like, "bleh". I really wasn't under any pressure and didn't care much.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was the Friday before the big day that I started to freak out. I realised just how little I gave a damn, how I seriously couldn't be bothered to even pull something random out of my ass like I usually did when in this situation, and realised the implications of it. I was going to have to come out, tell everyone just why I couldn't stand up and defecate out of my mouth anymore. Looking for some assistance and support, I turned to the group <a href="http://www.atheistnexus.org/group/exSDA">Ex-Adventists and Seventh-day Atheists</a> on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/atheistnexus.org">Atheist Nexus</a>. The conversation is on the comment wall. So thanks to advice from Dustin Williams (creator of the group and author of the great blog <a href="http://dwnomad.com/">dwnomad</a>) I decided to pull some stock sermon from the internet on a subject of basic morality and give that. I settled on <a href="http://www.apibs.org/sermons/sglcc960206.htm">this sermon</a>, emphasising on how even the godless are moral folk and cutting out that downright libellous second paragraph. I'd then proceed to out myself that evening while everyone was having cake.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, things didn't quite go as planned. I discovered the next morning that I had been rescheduled - one of the church elders was taking that day and I would be preaching the next week. This kind of robbed me of my momentum. I decided not to do it that day and deliberate whether I would go for it sometime during the week. Other doubts began to crop up in my head - how would my parents react to my being atheist? Would they take away my allowance and computer privileges? Would I be forced to attend until the day I left home? My parents are pretty hard to read sometimes. At times I think they might be accepting and treat me like an adult. Then they say or do something that convinces me never, ever to say a thing. In the end I decided not to do it, but just do the sermon which was really about something every moral person ought to agree with. I ended up not having to give the sermon anyway - a visiting pastor was around and took over that week's activities.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other than that, my life's been peachy. We just moved to a new neighbourhood and will probably be switching churches as well since our old one is now almost 30 minutes' dive away. The church we'll probably be moving to is much bigger than our old one, so I can blend in and keep a low profile. I promise I'll be a lot more active on the blogging front - I came to an epiphany a short while ago. Being an undercover atheist does have its advantages. Listening to all the kookoo things the religious people around me say gives me great ammo for my blog and allows me a glimpse into the psyche of the religious mind. So at the very least you can expect a weekly "Sabbath School" post about something I heard at church, as well as a few miscellaneous random things that kind of pop into my head. I'm also working on a series of essays detailing my journey to godlessness so that I can have a handy resource to point anyone wondering how I got where I am today and who wants to understand the reasoning behind the decisions I've made. I think they'll come invaluable when I finally do come out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, metal!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s0Svhqzy9D8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-62103239915310270052011-09-26T10:41:00.002+02:002011-09-26T10:44:39.913+02:00Sabbath School 24/09/11 - An alternative interpretation of Matthew 24:24<div><span >As I was entering church this past Saturday (late as usual), someone was reading Matthew 24:24. I was immediately struck by a new interpretation of it I haven't heard before, and I'm wondering if any serious theologian/pastor has shat it out before. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2024:24&version=KJV">Matthew 24:24</a> reads:</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span ><blockquote>For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.</blockquote></span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >And this got me thinking: the false prophets aren't literally prophets. The signs and wonders are things we're already taking for granted every day: the healing of diseases, increased longevity, technology. I mean, we all know the cause of disease is demonic - the only force outside of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that can cast out demons is the master of those demonic powers themselves. Only the devil can extend the life of a human being beyond the three score years and ten our Heavenly Father hath allotted us, and the only thing outside of prayer that can allow instantaneous communication? Surely you agree with me - it has to be demonic. Those pictures you see on the television? Demons. You are inviting demonic forces into your house the moment you turn on that infernal device.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >The coup de grace of the demonic deception is yet to come (for what prophet of doom worth his salt doesn't make up his own predictions?), in the form of a cure for cancer, HIV and all other of ailments God has poured out as a curse upon the sinners, satanic agents and homos (especially the homos) of this world, brought forth by the ritual demonic sacrifice of unborn children known as embryonic stem cell research and, worst of all (cue dramatic organ music), evolution.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >The point of all of this will be to divert the sight of the world from the Lord and get them trusting in their own devices and their new god science. Undoubtedly, science is the greatest force driving skepticism and atheism today and has been driven from its very foundation by a diabolical agenda. You have been warned: do not partake of the forbidden fruits of science, lest you be deceived and pulled into its web as well.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >And that also means my favourite reason for rejecting claims of gods, holy books and the supernatural - that science has done just fine without them and gone a long way towards disproving them - is all part of the satanic ploy...</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span >---</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >P.S. - My official Back to Blogging post is coming later today or possibly tomorrow.</span></div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-47499789890213398522011-06-10T17:30:00.006+02:002011-06-12T16:48:46.184+02:00Hiatus...and To Hell With God<p>Just want to say that my internet is down, so to any followers - I won't be posting much for quite a while.</p><p><br /></p><p><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_shqElApCJs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p>This track somehow found its way onto my playlist. It isn't the greatest composition ever, nor is it the paragon of lyrical genius, but hell, I just love the title.</p>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-71091599506279035092011-05-03T07:44:00.004+02:002011-05-03T08:38:44.543+02:00What do Al Qaeda and William Lane Craig have in common?The same justification for religiously sanctioned evil actions.<br /><br />Over the weekend I read WLC's <a href="http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5767">post</a> justifying the genocide of the Canaanites recorded in the Old Testament. He says:<br /><br /><blockquote>Moreover, if we believe, as I do, that God’s grace is extended to those who die in infancy or as small children, the death of these children was actually their salvation. We are so wedded to an earthly, naturalistic perspective that we forget that those who die are happy to quit this earth for heaven’s incomparable joy. Therefore, God does these children no wrong in taking their lives.</blockquote><br />And<br /><br /><blockquote>So whom does God wrong in commanding the destruction of the Canaanites? Not the Canaanite adults, for they were corrupt and deserving of judgement. Not the children, for they inherit eternal life.</blockquote>Then the death of Osama bin Laden prompted me to read a little of his history, and I read <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osama_bin_Laden#Early_attacks_and_aid_for_attacks">this</a> on Wikipedia:<br /><br /><blockquote>It was after this bombing that al-Qaeda was reported to have developed its justification for the killing of innocent people. According to a fatwa issued by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamdouh_Mahmud_Salim">Mamdouh Mahmud Salim</a>, the killing of someone standing near the enemy is justified because any innocent bystander will find their proper reward in death, going to <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jannah">Jannah</a></i> (Paradise) if they were good Muslims and to <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahannam">Jahannam</a></i> (hell) if they were bad or non-believers.<sup id="cite_ref-80" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osama_bin_Laden#cite_note-80"><span>[</span>81<span>]</span></a></sup> The fatwa was issued to al-Qaeda members but not the general public.</blockquote>Sounds nigh-on identical, doesn't it? In his article, Craig also attempts to differentiate his philosophy from that of the Jihadists. Frankly, I don't see how the supposed reason for the genocide (maintaining purity) and that of the Jihadis differ. Aren't they also "protecting" their religion from contamination and apostacy? And I don't buy the whole "our god loves everyone" schtick. The god depicted in the Old Testament is definitely partisan, favoring his worshippers over everyone else. The whole love angle came far later with Christianity, which interjected it from pagan sources.Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-89749555119877861412011-04-15T13:03:00.006+02:002011-04-15T14:31:17.243+02:00Asking Alexandria - Final Episode...OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJn98DS2Lzg/TagyCYS8VZI/AAAAAAAAACk/FL06jVL72wg/s1600/Asking%252BAlexandria.jpg"><br /></a><br />Following my last two music posts, here's something at the very least refreshingly secular...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bJroU3jwatA" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /></div><br />From their debut album, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_Up_and_Scream">Stand Up and Scream</a>. Lyrics:<br /><br /><blockquote>Oh my God.<br />Oh my God.<br />If only he knew,<br />If only he knew,<br />If only he knew about the world without the bullshit and the lies,<br />We could have saved him.<br />They could have saved me.<br />But instead I'm here drowning in my own fucking mind,<br />And I'll be damned if you're the death of me.<br /><br />Blood and ink stain the walls.<br />Silently with bloodied knuckles, I carry on<br />Hoping it's not too wrong.<br />You said the nights were far too long.<br />'Honey, it's just the start of it.'<br /><br />Oh my God.<br />If only he knew.<br />Oh my God.<br />If only he knew.<br />If only he knew!<br />If only he knew.<br /><br />Just stand up and scream.<br />The tainted clock is counting down.<br />(Faster and fast!)<br />You gave in to me.<br />Would you say the nights are far too long now?<br />(Faster, faster and fast!)<br /><br />Oh my God!<br />Oh my fucking God!<br /><br />The tears that stain my cheek must make me look weak!<br />I wear them proudly!<br />I wear them proud!<br /><span style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size:0.75em;" ></span><br /><br />Just stand up and scream.<br />The tainted clock is counting down.<br />(Faster and fast!)<br />You gave in to me.<br />Would you say the nights are far too long now?<br />(Faster, faster and fast!)<br /><br />Your knife,<br />My back!<br />My gun,<br />Your head!<br />[x2]<br /><br />You need a doctor baby,<br />You scared?<br />You need a doctor baby,<br />You scared?<br />You need a doctor baby,<br />You scared?<br />You need a doctor baby,<br />You scared,<br />You scared,<br />You scared!<br />Yeah!<br />You need a doctor baby,<br />You scared!<br />You need a doctor baby,<br />You scared!<br />You need a doctor baby!<br />You need a doctor baby!<br />You scared!</blockquote><br /><br />OH MY FUCKING GOD this is a great song. I think I'm making it this blog's unofficial anthem :)<br /><br />Just to squeeze some anti-stupidity sentiment from it, does anyone else hear this line:<br /><br /><blockquote>If only he knew about the world without the bullshit and the lies</blockquote>...and just find themselves thinking "creotards..."?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/askingalexandria"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJn98DS2Lzg/TagyCYS8VZI/AAAAAAAAACk/FL06jVL72wg/s400/Asking%252BAlexandria.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595777553470870930" border="0" /></a>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-19742605208935927822011-04-12T15:01:00.008+02:002011-04-13T07:57:08.226+02:00Sabbath School 9/04/11 - P.C. JesusHeard someone try to give a defense of Original Sin last Sabbath. It went something like:<br /><blockquote>Imagine you catch a thief in the act of breaking into a car. The thief runs away and you remain guarding the car. When the police arrive, would they not be justified in holding you under suspicion? It would be up to you to prove your innocence.</blockquote>That won't work for one reason in particular: God is meant to be omnipotent, no? The two characters being equated here, the police and the supposedly all-knowing, all seeing, ever just deity, do not possess the same qualities. Given this, we are still left with the image of a vengeful, malicious, short-sighted god.<br /><br />Original sin is, without a doubt, one of the most repulsive doctrines of Xianity. I have heard it argued by very ordinary, average Christians, that a child born to sinful parents who died at birth or young age would be judged according to its parents' sins and burn, with justification given by the <a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/23/messages/847.html">numerous passages</a> in the Old Testament that state that the sins of the fathers are visited upon down to the third and fourth generations. To top it off, I remember once a little debate I had with a lady friend over the morality of God wiping out the entire population of Sodom and Gomorrah. I said that even ascribing to the bigoted view you have ascribed to God that homosexuality is the worst sin imaginable and that the women of Sodom were equally as evil as the men, you simply cannot justify punishing the children as well. Know what she said? The children were evil as well.<br /><br />And this was a normal, fun loving, otherwise caring and empathetic young woman! She couldn't see beyond the narrow-minded view she had been fed her entire life and see the utter objectionability of what she had just said. This is the same kind of reasoning that causes much emotional suffering and, I believe, permanent scarring to young children who are told that they are essentially evil, and that justifies the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/dec/09/tracymcveigh.theobserver">abuse and murder of children</a> in Nigeria because they are "witches". This is one of the reasons I am so vehemently against religion and indoctrination.Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-3640267034864390542011-04-11T09:35:00.003+02:002011-04-11T09:59:19.329+02:00Comment cross-post - Sadventists, badventists(Pharyngula)Cross-posted from <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/04/sadventists_badventists.php">http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/04/sadventists_badventists.php</a>, comment #65<br /><br /><blockquote>Just want to say, even here in Africa, the Adventist church has had a propensity for producing all sorts of kookery. A few years ago in my home country, Zimbabwe, there was a breakaway movement labelled the "Fugamists" after the Shona "fugama"(to kneel) because one of their core identifying beliefs was that people should kneel every time they pray. They'd go from door to door proselytising people (I think they targeted other mainstream Adventists specifically - they probably gathered intell by lurking around neighbourhoods on Saturday mornings and noting those who left as families all immaculately dressed like), using Ellen White's writings to back themselves up.<br /><br />They also believed Jesus was coming sometime in 2005 (I think) and pulled their kids from school. Needless to say, this got them in trouble with the authorities plenty times. Eventually, the date of their rapture came and they all went to some remote wilderness spot to wait. And wait. And wait. Eventually, they ran out of food and water and had the authorities had to intervene.<br /><br />Something similar is brewing in Botswana (where I'm currently based) with some fellows calling themselves the "Present Truth" movement. They're a bit more extreme and ultra-conservative, even boycotting services led by women, in the spirit of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%2014:34-35&version=NIV">1 Corinthians 14:34-35</a>.<br /><br />By the way, I'm an apostate 4th generation SDA (still in the closet, though). My great grandfather on my mother's side was quite an Adventist trailblazer, establishing churches wherever he settled. My dad's uncle was an Adventist pastor who established his own ultra-conservative sect (though it did stay within the fold - they were more concerned with morality issues).</blockquote>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-36584481766167783702011-04-08T18:19:00.005+02:002011-04-08T20:12:43.791+02:00Adventist Review - La Sierra University Granted Window to Show its Faithfulness to Church’s Creation BeliefThree days ago, <a href="http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=4284">this article</a> appeared on the site for the Adventist Review, "The flagship journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Church". Some may remember the <a href="http://pandasthumb.org/archives/2009/11/seventh-day-adv.html">fracas</a> over La Sierra University science faculty teaching science instead of church-endorsed myth that got a lot of people <a href="http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=3227">all</a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.educatetruth.com">heated </a>up and ready to burn those evilutionist professors at the stake. Well, the university finally <a href="http://news.adventist.org/2010/05/la-sierra-addressing.html">bowed to pressure </a>and announced it would comply with the church's demands. The article I've linked to reports that the university has been given until the second quarter of next year to show its compliance with church dogma by the Adventist Accrediting Association.<br /><br />I find it kind of ironic that people who clamor for science curricula to "teach the controversy" are so close minded themsselves when it comes to a scientific theory that has been studied, ratified and approved by the majority of biological scientists in the world. Church heads should never have the right to dictate what science professors teach in their lecture halls. Outside of church-affiliated organisations, I doubt La Sierra graduates are able to get a job anywhere.Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-90283905486381242222011-04-08T17:36:00.004+02:002011-04-22T20:18:16.405+02:00Heidevolk - Ostara<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Today's little ditty comes from Dutch folk metal band Heidevolk...<br /></div><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pVLbimcJ_LM" allowfullscreen="" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">From their album Uit Oude Grond.<br /><br />Lyrics (Dutch):<br /><br /><blockquote>In het veld gehuld, in mist en kou<br />Schijnt een glinstering, in de dauw<br />Als de hemel kleurt van zwart naart blauw<br />Ostara<br />In het oosten waar de nacht begon<br />Ontwaakt het licht der morgenzon<br />Haar ochtend zegent onze bron<br />Ostara<br /><br />In de vroegte, als de dag begint<br />En de zon het sterrenveld verblindt<br />Als de lente winter overwint<br />Ostara<br />Bij de dageraad, door ans aanschouwd<br />Baant zonlicht zich een pad von goud<br />Door de kille nevels in het woud<br />Ostara<br /><br />Nacht en dag bereiken evenwicht<br />Langverwachte terugkeer van het licht<br />Als de zon herrijst en kou verdwijnt<br />En het levenslicht het land beschijnt<br />Voel de warmte in de morgenstond<br />Weelderig groen ontspruit uit koude grond<br />Als het Saksisch volk de zon begroet<br />Op de heuvels badend in haar gloed</blockquote>Lyrics (English):<br /><blockquote><br />in the field covered, in fog and cold<br />shines a sparkle, in the dew<br />when heaven colors from black to blue<br />Ostara (spring)<br />in the east where the night began<br />wakes the light of morningsun<br />her morning blesses our well<br />Ostara<br /><br />early in the morning, when the day begins<br />and when the sun blinds the starfield<br />when spring conquers winter<br />Ostara<br />at dawn, seen by us<br />opens sunlight a path of gold<br />through the chilly fog in the woods<br />Ostara<br /><br />night and day reaches balance<br />long expected return of the light<br />when the sun returns and cold vanishes<br />and the light of life shines on the soil<br />feel the warmth in the morning<br />abundant green shoots from cold soil<br />when the Saxon people greets the sun<br />on the hills bathing in her glow</blockquote><br />As many may know, according to the sources the fictional Jewish Zombie's death occured around the time of the Jewish <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover">Passover</a>. Now, all know the Catholic church's method of converting the pagan cultures consisted of a mixture of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization">brute-force coercion and cultural assimilation</a>, so the chronological equivalent they found to their Zombie Master's death and resurrection was the Spring fertility celebration, Ostara - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%92ostre">Ēostre</a> in the Anglo-Saxon dialect. And thus <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#English_and_German">Easter</a> was born.<br /><br />So, always remember...<br /><br /><blockquote>Nacht en dag bereiken evenwicht,</blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote>night and day reaches balance</blockquote><br /><br />...is the real reason for the Easter season.<br /></div></div>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-90697692330501586942011-04-06T14:09:00.008+02:002011-04-07T19:02:41.466+02:00Reading HercolubusAs I said earlier, I've been reading Hercolubus or Red Planet by <a href="http://www.hercolubus.net/english/author.htm">V.M. Rabolu</a>. I'd have finished it in less than an hour had I tried but I just had to take a long break to avoid bursting my sides with laughter. The book is just full of the most ludicrous and absurd New Agey and anti-science woo-woo man has ever seen. Or I've ever seen. I've kept my interaction with stupidity to a minimum since I became a skeptic.<br /><br />Rabolu obviously has(or had - he's dead) something against "those we falsely call scientists" - and it shows: he has absolutely no scientific knowledge whatsoever. Take the section "Nuclear Tests And The Ocean". He talks about the sea being in contact with "the fire within the Earth" and causing cyclones and earthquakes. The consequence of this will be the Earth sinking into its ocean. How a planet sinks into its own ocean is beyond me. Maybe he's a flat-earther too? Somehow, getting cooked isn't the worst consequence of the boiling of the oceans, but darkness and planes not being able to fly is. Yah. And the sea is also apparently a living organism that breathes and contaminates our air.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rVz64IizjuY/TZ3jtCNx3eI/AAAAAAAAABw/3HydK9J0mkY/s1600/250px-Blinky.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 172px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rVz64IizjuY/TZ3jtCNx3eI/AAAAAAAAABw/3HydK9J0mkY/s320/250px-Blinky.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592876675092307426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Rabolu's description of the consequences of undersea nuclear testing (which was banned in 1996, by the way) sounds like he learnt it from The Simpsons... you know, the three eyed fish, laser vision squirrels and tentacled trees that live in Springfield? Apparently, something like that is happening in our own oceans. And Rabolu's sea monsters can't be destroyed by mere bullets. They "developed from atomic energy", therefore they are "atomic".<br /><br />The real laughbucket of the book is the section on extraterrestrials. He apparently thinks sci-fi movies are in fact polemic documentaries produced by the despicable North Americans. He obviously knows better of course - he's actually been to Venus and Mars.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f-YfN1barF0/TZ3mYyvlHgI/AAAAAAAAAB4/7nrZoFPuCfE/s1600/marvin_the_martian.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f-YfN1barF0/TZ3mYyvlHgI/AAAAAAAAAB4/7nrZoFPuCfE/s320/marvin_the_martian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592879625876610562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For some reason, the picture of physical perfection the Venusians possess sounds a lot like miniature versions of Hitler's Aryan race - blonde hair and blue eyes, only 1.3-1.4 metres tall. Rabolu's description of ET life contains some of the oddest, most useless details, from belts that flash like lighthouses to the fact that they grow trees on their house roofs. He also seems to think fish are not meat - take this quote about the Venusians' dietary habits:<br /><br /><blockquote>From there, they go to machines, where the fish are pulverised and more natural vitamins are added <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">[as opposed to artificial ones?]</span>. This is another of their foods. The same is done with vegetables. <span style="font-weight: bold;">No one eats any kind of meat there.</span></blockquote><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dwezNVlw_us/TZ3sika8gcI/AAAAAAAAACA/spMF0aFNaMo/s1600/620d15f7-118d-40cf-8277-d5de607fc02e.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dwezNVlw_us/TZ3sika8gcI/AAAAAAAAACA/spMF0aFNaMo/s320/620d15f7-118d-40cf-8277-d5de607fc02e.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592886390900425154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After this graphic description of the fishes' evisceration, we are told they do not eat meat of any kind? Lol.<br /><br />The Venusians can also control weather with their thoughts. I'm wondering - everyone has different tastes of the weather, so how do they sort each other out? Do they take turns?<br /><br />I guess what is meant to be the most important part of the book is the esoterica on death and astral projection that comes at the end. That's where the mantras come in, and Rabolu instructs us on how we can do what he can too, and see Mars and Venus and the alien spaceships and the Red Planet itself. The cornerstone of his projection techniques are the mantras: La Ra S and Fa Ra On. I'm a bit surprised there were no drugs involved.<br /><br /><br />I did not at all take Hercolubus seriously - it's very difficult to, many may agree. Especially when I'm rhyming like I'm under an apple tree. The sad thing is that some people buy this stuff - obviously very rich people too, who are financing the whole free book thing (small wonder they don't ask for peoples' money like others of their ilk - they've already snagged some pretty big fish). In a few years, the whole 2012 catastrophism thing will have blown over and its sheep will have moved on to whatever new woo will be fashionable at the time. Unfortunately, the damage will already have been done and some well-meaning, philanthropical soul will already have had his money blown on some stupid piece of stupidity instead of giving their money to real world causes. I hope someone investigates the Alcione organisation, which is perpetuating all this nonsense and exposes them for the frauds they really are.<br /><br />EDIT: You can still order the book for free from <a href="http://www.hercolubus.tv">www.hercolubus.tv</a>.Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-17503867595962838642011-03-31T09:27:00.003+02:002011-03-31T09:46:00.302+02:00Hercolubus or Red PlanetGot my copy in the mail yesterday evening.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s782.photobucket.com/albums/yy101/Enter_Skitarii/?action=view&current=DSC00421.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy101/Enter_Skitarii/DSC00421.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's a short book, and I'm already half way through it. What a lollercoster those chapters I've read have been. I'll post what I think about it when I'm done.<br /><br />You can request a copy of the book <a href="http://www.hercolubus.tv/">here</a>. It's free, so why not?Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944947174709567079.post-8181335949359733272011-03-24T16:19:00.007+02:002011-03-26T22:07:43.817+02:00Behemoth - No Sympathy For FoolsI feel I must, after <a href="http://zomgorlackthereof.blogspot.com/2011/03/devil-wears-prada-html-rulez-d00d.html">last week's secrilege</a>, atone for my sin against Athe. Therefore:<p><br /></p><p align="center"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a7BvyPpxyU0" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="510"></iframe><br /></p><p>From their album <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zos_Kia_Cultus_%28Here_and_Beyond%29">Zos Kia Cultus</a></p><p>Lrics:<br /></p><p></p><blockquote>FOOLS! I cast you all aside!<br />Your bullets harm me not<br />I am heresy, blazing hell<br />The embodiment ov all you fear<br />I am all which you can never be<br />A truth revealing hate machine<br />No longer will I tolerate<br />Lies from a kingdom built on dread<br />Yet what if naught exists above?<br />No shining glory and no god<br />You question not, blindly believe<br />Upon your ignorance I shall feast<br />Damn higher virtues, divine love<br />Your wooden idols and your law<br />Kneel before your god yet do not see<br />He doth feel you lies<br /><br />[ From: <a href="http://www.metrolyrics.com/no-sympathy-for-fools-lyrics-behemoth.html">http://www.metrolyrics.com/no-sympathy-for-fools-lyrics-behemoth.html </a>]<br /><br />Blinds you with fear<br />Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth<br />Your hearts I shall tear<br />With paws ov truth<br />With slashing jaws I rape<br />Your feeble womb<br />No god exists to save you from thy doom<br /><br />You will never see the light!<br />Bound to always live by lies!</blockquote><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>This is what I listen too when I'm kind of both pissed of and bewildered by the antics of the religious folk surrounding me. The lyrics, </p><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Fools!</p><p>I cast you all aside!</p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>also convey a sense of <em>I am not one of them, </em>which is something I find myself thinking a lot when I'm out with them in public or on their "community outreach" drives.<br /></p><p>As some may know,Behemoth is a Blackened Death Metal band that extensively uses Satanic and Thelemic themes in their music, so it isn't quite the paragon of atheisticness either. However, just like with The Devil Wears Prada I can find elements in their music which I can identify with (though I may not exactly wish to perform certain of the acts in the song).</p><p>I have found myself gravitating towards heavier music of late, particularly Death Metal and Black Metal acts, many of which, like Dimmu Borgir, Hellhammer and Venom to name but a few, use occult themes. Many, though, have identified themselves a s atheists or simply anti-religionists who use Satanism because of its popularity, its use as a conduit for their anti-religious lyrics or simply for its shock value (which is why most people, myself included, listen to those bands. There is nothing more hilarious than the look on the face of a hitchhiker you've picked up in your car when you start playing Death Metal on the radio while dressed up all black, in a band T-shirt and some skull jewellery. Try it sometime). And I like listening to any music that trashes the highly opressive middle eastern religions that are so popular today (and so does <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=578842232">Diego Lecca</a> of <a href="http://sunombreenvano.blogspot.com/">Su Nombre en Vano</a> - some time ago, he posted <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu2bgwcv43o">a pagan metal song</a> on Facebook with an awesome cross chopping scene at the end).</p><p>So, I'd like to know, what do other atheists think about this? Do you think it's OK to listen to pagan and satanic songs and cite them publicly as representing your own anti- or a-theistic views? Is it OK to listen to any religious music? For those who cannot identify with my metal addiction, I'm sure you are aware of some classical music written with a religious agenda (Handel's Messiah is one of my personal favorites) or may enjoy the odd carol during Christmas. What are your views on this?<br /></p><p>I've set up a poll in the right margin of the blog. Please do vote, and comment to tell me your views. I know, though, that the beauty of atheism is that there is no central dogmatic authority that tells others what to do, so whatever you have to say will have no bearing whatsoever on any decision I make (:P). I'd just like to hear your opinion on it, is all.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.behemoth.pl/"><img src="http://www.miloco.co.uk/clients/recent_clients/behemoth.jpg" alt="Behemoth"" /></a><br /></p>Boneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497276832865025769noreply@blogger.com4