I just watched Stevelikes2curse’s video of the same title, and I thought I’d provide my five things I hate about church. Now, while some of you might think that I have no experience to draw from, as an atheist hardened in the cauldrons of Hell, but you would be wrong. I grew up in the church, and as an atheist, wound up in church quite a bit trying to balance things with my then-wife. I mostly sang in the church choir because it was a way for me to not totally hate my time there. I’ve also been to my parents’ church in Lotus Land more times than I can shake a crucifix at. I have been, it turns out, to many churches in many states of my own journey to faithlessness.

#5. Making Christianity Hip
I’m with Steve on this one, church isn’t hip no matter who you are. I get that they think they’re hip with their contemporary music and their youthful pastors with ponytails, but to those of us who don’t buy in, these are the creepiest type of people there are. That was the first massive change I noticed when I went to a more evangelical church, the music was so gross. I admit to having some small amount of warm place in my heart for the classical Christian music in the big red book we used to use in church. It was simplistic, it was generally very lame, and it was right.

Continue reading →

I hear a lot about how God has been forcibly removed from the public schools, that children are not allowed to read the Bible and they are not allowed to pray. I know for a fact that these statements are untrue, but they are regular talking points in the faithy world, lamenting how they have been forced to act like atheists. It goes even further, with emails that circulate about how everything from 9/11 to earthquakes are caused by God unleashing some of that Old Testament wrath on us for not letting the children be faithful in schools.

Well, you’re wrong. And I have a challenge for you. If you want to make these claims, test them. I challenge every faithful public school student to exercise their right to freedom of religion. I am asking them to take their Bibles to school with them and read them during free time. I am asking them to pray in class. If they so desire, they can join or start a prayer group. So long as they follow the rules, that being that they do not seek school endorsement of their faith-based initiatives and they don’t use their faith to make others feel uncomfortable, then I ask that they test the claim.

Continue reading →

I read today on the long ride to work that Pope Palpatine XVI has accepted the miracle of Kateri Tekakwitha, an Iroquois woman who lived in what is now New York and Quebec. Her miracle is truly an amazing one; she beat the piss out of herself over and over again as a devout Jesuit until she died at 24 or 25 I believe, and then her gnarled, pox-and-beating-scarred face turned beautiful. She was so effective a self-harmer that her Jesuit priest colleagues told her to stop. She didn’t. She died.

Most of what I “know” about Kateri Tekakwitha comes from Leonard Cohen’s novel, Beautiful Losers. As a result, I’m hardly an expert on her life and times, but it sounds to me like a truly terrible story. Kateri was converted to the faith and taught how terrible she is as a sinner. She wanted God to love her, so she embraced penance to a horrific level. I understand that she would sleep on thorns to cut her flesh and walk on coals to burn herself, all in an attempt to pay for her sins, which seem to be simply the fact that she was alive. I have always marvelled at the ability for the faithful to crush the spirit of their followers, and Kateri seems to be a fine example of this.

Continue reading →

I was just watching this interview with Maryam Namazie, whom I respect a great deal and strongly hope you will all pay attention to her blog and her message, and it got me thinking about the repression of women in Islam, which led me to the bigger picture, which is the pass that we give to the faithful for bad behavior.

This is hardly isolated to the treatment of women, nor do I intend on discussing all religions and all issues, but it’s as good a place as any to start. We often shake our heads and tut to ourselves at the horendous record that Islam has towards the women in its fold. This behavior starts at birth and continues throughout the lives of the faithful, and it frightens me.

Continue reading →

I am an atheist. I’m an anti-theist, though I’m not really a huge jerk about it. According to Fox News, I should be on the Front Lines of the War On Christmas®, eating babies dressed like saviors and forcing sad children to Never Ever Say Merry Christmas. Fortunately, Fox News is about as ridiculous as it gets, and their War On Christmas® manufactroversy is just that.

I do have Christmas plans. Unfortunately, I can’t spend Christmas with my children, but I will get to have a web chat with them and watch them open their presents at 2400 baud. I will have a bunch of time with The Demon and The Lovely Lady and her nuclear family opening gifts and all that jazz. That night, she and I will slip away to the BDFM house for my buddy Mark’s nineteenth annual (okay, I actually don’t know how many years he’s been doing it) Christmas Party. My buddy Keith and I will be playing a set, and the fine folks at Jack Daniels and Highwood Liquor will be helping make sure that we celebrate in style.

Continue reading →

I’ve learned a lot of lessons in life. I have not, however, had the chance to learn any from a length of pipe liberally applied to my body. I’m happy about this fact. I also choose to not use lengths of pipe to discipline my children, or any weapons, for that matter. I know, spare the rod and you spoil the child, but I’m just weird that way.

Not so lucky is a young boy from Irvine, California, whose story I just read about on Butterflies and Wheels. When his parents found a lighter in his jeans and suspected he was smoking, they did what any good parent would do; they got the local Minister of Savage Beatings from their local church to lay a good old fashioned Christian whupping on the boy.

Continue reading →

What the bloody blue fuck is wrong with some people? I had never heard of the celebration of Ashura, but I saw a post on Maryam Namazie’s blog about it and was treated to one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen. She included this link to photos of the event, and it’s stomach-turning.

The Day of Ashura remembers the death of Husayn ibn Ali, who was grandbaby of Muhammad. I guess Husayn was the third Imam, at least if you’re a Shi’a Muslim. Fine, remember his death, but THIS? If you want to see a few of the reasons why, taken from that above photos link, along with my comments, continue after the fold. But it’s yucky.

Continue reading →