OK, I stole that from Andrew Sullivan. He has an almost daily blog post about the hypocrisy of the religious fringe in this country and around the world. I thought the below was pretty interesting. Turns out, Christians tend to be more raciest than the general population. There are plenty of things that you can draw from this, one of the big ones being that Christians tend to associate only with themselves and that includes a break down by denomination, which then includes a breakdown into race. Evangelicals = White Anglo, Protestants = Norwegian / Eastern Europe, Catholics = Latino, Southern Baptist = Black / African American. That’s just skimming of course but association is a big part of who we are as humans and as cultures. So the most interesting quote for me on this was:
“The authors failed to find that racial tolerance arises from humanitarian values, consistent with the idea that religious humanitarianism is largely expressed to in-group members. Only religious agnostics were racially tolerant.”
Here is a link to the PDF of the Study. Sadly you have to be a subscriber to see the whole thing.
I find this relevant because I consider myself a religious agnostic. I’m not quite to the point of Atheism, but science has not yet explained zero to me (the point of origin). Religion just can’t do it because the facts don’t support the theory and I’m not willing to just imagine something as factually wrong as Genesis. As a general rule, I don’t have an issue with the idea of a God or Gods. What I have an issue with are humans who believe THEY are God which stems out of ALL organized religion. I also consider myself to be pretty racially tolerant. I attribute much of that to my upbringing, which, even though it was not hugely diverse, I was able to take away an understanding of different cultures and races. As a child I was exposed to people all over the country as I toured with the American Boychoir and I met and stayed with everyone from Black deep south Evangelicals, to Upper New York State Jews with the stereotypical accents. I’ve sung music from every corner of the globe and not only did I sing it but it was expected that we actually understand where it came from and the language it was to be sung in and the culture it was created in. I spent 10 years of my life with a second generation Armenian American whose father was deeply rooted in the culture of his upbringing. I was able to experience a culture that I had not previously been exposed to and I benefited from that exposure. I think the difference with me is that I’ve not ever limited myself to association with only one type of person or one color of person because beyond that I believe we are all human and all of the same species with the same goals and aspirations. You are not of a different species because you have dark skin and I don’t. You are not a different species because you have blond hair and blue eyes and my hair happens to be brown. You are not a different species because your speak broken English or because you wear a Turban. I think that Christians tend to forget the commonality of humanity. They get so wrapped up in shouting their messages that they forget the common and core message of their faith. That is precisely what bothers me about organized religion and it is precisely why I refuse to attend a church. I’m not going to limit my life and my experiences to a congregation of similar thinking and looking individuals just for the sake of a common belief in God. And I’m certainly not going to associate with individuals who can not accept the idea that skin color is irrelevant to being a human. The year is 2010 and it is inexcusable for any individual of any race, of any creed, of any origin to antagonize people not like themselves simply because of that fact.
Four Christians on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging the recently enacted Hate Crimes Prevention Act, arguing that it seeks to criminalize deeply held religious beliefs that are in opposition to homosexuality.
Read Box Turtle Bulletin’s take on this story here. Find out exactly the only thing these Christians must want.
This shit get’s old, luckily so are the people espousing this bile.
For most of my life I’ve always lived by the mantra that there are no stupid questions. When someone has a question about something or questions a practice, definition, or some other aspect of life, I’ve always maintained that there truly must be a legitimate reason for asking those questions. Then I started working in retail. I’m not going to go into a long spiel here about some of the things I’ve been asked at work but I will say that I am sick and tired of being asked where the bathroom is and why we don’t have one in the back of the store. I DON’T FUCKING KNOW DIP-SHIT, I didn’t build the store, I just work here. Now, turn your lazy ass around and walk up to the front of the store and do what you should have taken care of before you left home.
Alright, that’s the most annoying question I get asked 500 times a day. My rant tonight really has to do with the level of intelligence I see on a daily basis up here in the northwoods. Granted, I’m not highly educated but I do consider the 3rd grade lessons of speaking in complete sentences something that is important in every day life. I do consider my adolescent years training of knowing how to read, understand, and communicate effectively through appropriate body language something that EVERY person should be able to do.
Alright, thats about all I want to say on that for tonight. I don’t like to rant too much about work because I do like my job. It’s just the people I can’t stand.
Most of you know I read a LOT of blogs on line that pretty much span the spectrum of intelligent political discussion to crude humour. I ran across a quote that I thought was interesting on one of the more obscure blogs that I read.
“The so-called Christian nations are the most enlightened and progressive…but in spite of their religion, not because of it. The Church has opposed every innovation and discovery from the day of Galileo down to our own time, when the use of anesthetic in childbirth was regarded as a sin because it avoided the biblical curse pronounced against Eve. And every step in astronomy and geology ever taken has been opposed by bigotry and superstition. The Greeks surpassed us in artistic culture and in architecture five hundred years before Christian religion was born.”
- Mark Twain
Someone said on NPR the other day that Religion today is more important in the lives of people than at any other point in recent history. I always have a lot to say about religion, especially science and religion. It’s nice to know that one of the greatest writers in our history also knew of the asshattery of organized religion.
So now it’s off to bed. Off on Tuesday, hopefully the weather will get better up here. This pic cracks me up.
Time for another post on the battle between science and religion. I found the article below the other day via USA Today online edition and thought that some of the talking points made were pretty telling. America is a very religious country. Fully 95% of Americans believe in some sort of God or supernatural power. This is in contrast to Europe and other countries where that belief structure is not nearly as high. Some facts from the study:
*The survey found 55% say science and religion are often in conflict and 36% say science sometimes conflicts with their own religious beliefs. Among those 36%:
*41% refer specifically to evolution, creationism, Darwinism and debates about the origin of life.
*15% cite differences over the beginning of life, primarily concerns about abortion(12%) but also cloning and birth
More important than the above it appears that the concepts of science and science education and study churn out non-believers at a fairly high rate with 41% of scientists not believing in any sort of supernatural.
While 95% of the public said they believe in God or a higher power, 41% of scientists don’t believe in either. Nearly half of scientists say they’re atheist, agnostic or believe “nothing in particular” but only 17% of the general public is unaffiliated.
As this relates to my own life, I’ve got problems with organized religion in a multitude of ways and it’s not due to any sort of lack of education about religion or the types of religion or about what exactly religious faiths project to believe. My biggest issue is one of proof. Most believers will tell you that you don’t need proof of God to know he exists. I disagree. Saying you don’t need to prove something that might be obvious is a cop out and it’s riddled with what I hate the most: A failure to think for one’s self. Science has always played an important role in my life. Not because nature in general is fascinating but because it was the study of science in school that taught me how to think. Science taught me to look for answers in places you might not expect to find them, it taught me to think critically about the physical world, where we came from, how we got to where we are now, and how we might proceed in the future. Science shapes public policy, it defines medicine, without Science, we might all still believe the Earth is at the center of the Universe.
I view religion as a “gimmie”. Religion promotes a lack of critical thinking that I believe is necessary to survive. It inhibits greatly a thoughtful understanding of the planet we live on, and it creates a culture that survives based only on assumptions which in my mind is extremely fragile. It’s easy for me in this blog to point out the fundamental flaw promoted by evangelicals (most of my disagreements with organized religion are from the fruits of the evangelical or hard core believer set) that the Earth is just 6000 years old when solid scientific evidence states it is significantly older. Certainly not all believers fall into the evangelical trap…there are plenty of people who can indeed marry religion and science and that’s fine. I prefer knowing the difference between fact and fiction and I don’t care to take life for granted. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
What a fantastic movie. Bill Maher is hilarious. If you are a believer (in whatever) I would not suggest watching this film. If you have doubts or you don’t believe, I highly recommend it. Since I am not in the mood to be mean, I will keep my opinion to myself here. You all know what I think about religion. I’ll say Bill and I are on the same page. Just rent it.
News from the Administration out today on restoring what has sadly been missing over the last 8+ years.
That is why today, I am also signing a Presidential Memorandum directing the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to government decision making. To ensure that in this new Administration, we base our public policies on the soundest science; that we appoint scientific advisors based on their credentials and experience, not their politics or ideology; and that we are open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions. That is how we will harness the power of science to achieve our goals – to preserve our environment and protect our national security; to create the jobs of the future, and live longer, healthier lives.
Finally, an administration that will support sound science over religious ideology.
This is all over the GLBT blogs and I figured I would post it here. Al Sharpton tends to be a little on the outspoken side on a whole range of things however he hit the nail on the head with this comments regarding Prop 8 and the overwhelming support of self proclaimed Christians who pushed for it’s passage. If you have not been following, Prop 8 was the referendum in California which rescinded equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians revoking and invalidating the marriages of some 18,000 gay couples.
“It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while he was wearing police handcuffs, nothing to say when the they overturned affirmative action, nothing to say when people were being delegated into poverty, yet they were organizing and mobilizing to stop consenting adults from choosing their life partners. There is something immoral and sick about using all of that power to not end brutality and poverty, but to break into people’s bedrooms and claim that God sent you.”
Right here in Michigan we continue to lose battles not just on the economic front but on the gay rights front as well. This week the Kalamazoo city council rescinded a human rights ordinance that would have prohibited discrimination.
“Last night, the Kalamazoo City Commission repealed an anti-discrimination ordinance that sought to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered residents of the city from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. The Commission voted down the ordinance rather than put it up for a citywide vote after receiving petitions from residents opposing the ordinance.”
The ONLY thing I can say in a positive light about this is that the council, who previously voted 7-0 in FAVOR of this ordinance, refused to allow this issue of basic fairness be put before voters. Rights of this sort should NEVER be subject to a popular vote. End of discussion. They will re-introduce another resolution in the near future hopefully with bigger teeth. Michigan in general lags way behind the nation in regards to so many things, gay rights included. This was a driving force behind getting the hell out of Grand Rapids and never looking back. The rednecks up here however are just as bad, there are just a LOT fewer of them to get in the way. Things like this really make me wonder why I stay in Michigan. Of course there are lots of reasons why I do, I just know that I won’t be able to count on those people who represent me to actually consider the impact their decisions have on my life.
The more that I follow the current political trends the less I am inclined to really believe that significant progress can be made so long as religion continues to interfere and obstruct the lives of so many people. I’ve spent a good deal of my life struggling with the concepts of religion, I’ve exposed myself to nearly every corner of it, studied it, read about it, talked to people about it and I always come back to one thought: How can a religious person justify the pain that they as a collective group inflict upon their neighbors in the name of their God and at the same time sleep peacefully at night? There are plenty of good Christian people (many of whom I know and respect), however as a collective group, their dogma has and continues to interfere with my life in ways that I am not able to interfere in theirs. Religion it seems to me is a crutch for people who fear the unknown and who fear change. Nobody can grow when they are afraid of change. Each day, I read about horrors inflicted upon the GLBT community from religious people and religious leaders from people getting fired from their jobs to people being killed. I just don’t get their justifications for their actions.
I digress. This sort of thing tires me out. How about a little humor.
Wow, it’s getting cool up here in red neck land. I’m finally enjoying a day off from work and getting ready to head out to the parents house for a day on the lake. Not that I’ll be swimming but I know Gavin will be. I decided it was time to mow my lawn this morning. Took me about 10 minutes with this great little electric lawn mower my landlord left me. What a contrast. At my former house, I would have to plan an entire day around doing yard work. It would take a minimum of 4 hours JUST to mow the lawn, then there was trimming and watering and everything else. It was exhausting and HOT. Thank god I no longer have to worry about that. Even better, once it snows, I don’t even have to worry about plowing. It’s going to be done for me! YEH!!!
I had to go to the Secretary of State this morning and renew my drivers license and also change my voter registration. It never ceases to amaze me how busy that office is and how rude the clerks are. I guess when you work for the state you have some sort of license to be a shit head. Oh well, my new license is in the mail and within a couple weeks I’ll have my voter registration back in the mail so I can vote in the election this fall. Without question it will be for Obama. At one time in my life I called myself a conservative but I have never voted for a republican. As I get older, it’s easier to see just how fucked up the world really is, the republican party to me is a party that is terrified of change, espouses hypocritical “family values” (Nice to see that abstinence only education worked wonders with Palen’s daughter…NOT), rules with heavy handed and unnecessary laws, spends uncontrollably, has NO concept what-so-ever of science, and is led by these righteous wing nut theocrats who really believe they are doing the work of Jesus fucking Christ. Sorry folks, JESUS WAS A LIBERAL.
OK enough politics…it makes me crazy. Gonna pack up the camera and the dog now and head out to Leelanau. Maybe another post tonight with some new pictures!
Well, I had intended tonight to write a long dissertation about how religion has corrupted the very core of our society and I know some of you reading this would love to hear about that but I’ll just say this: I went to a wedding this weekend in Grand Rapids, a Catholic one, and while I have no issues really with the significance of weddings (I of course would like to have one but alas the country in which I live does not believe I am worthy of such commitment), I have to say that religion seems to fuck it all up with pomp and circumstance which I think distracts all of us from the reason we were all there in the first place which was to support a young couple in their formal union with each other (hows that for a run-on sentence). I’m just not convinced that God plays a significant enough role in either of their lives (certainly not in mine) to go through all the effort of ritual and rites. Observing religion from the outside really makes you wonder what it is about faith that draws so many people into that type of lifestyle. It’s certainly a very SAFE atmosphere, certainly an atmosphere that absolves people from any sort of responsibility for their own lives. Anyhow enough of that. Like I’ve said before, I just can’t get passionate about things like I used to. Mainly because I just don’t care.
So I’ve come to another conclusion about people in a comparison between Grand Rapids and Traverse City. In Grand Rapids people drive like assholes but they have conviction and at least pretend they have someplace to be. In Traverse City, people just drive like dumb shits, no, like really dumb shit redneck morons who have no place to go and nothing better to do than pretend they have a clue. It’s funny, I hated Grand Rapids because of the abundance of arrogant God fearing religious nutcase people residing there. I hate Traverse City because of the abundance of dip shit, one hand on the rifle in the pickup truck rednecks. One is an urban nightmare, the other a rural nightmare (it’s only in the winter too that I have such a problem). CLEARLY I’m the one with the problem here (and I have no issues admitting that I’m being unfair, incredibly stereotypical, and mean) but JESUS H CHRIST am I really an asshole for believing that people should know what they are doing before they get behind the wheel of a car??????? They apparently don’t think so up here.
Anyhow, I’ve got nothing else tonight. Retail sucks, yada yada, yada. People are stupid.
