Salman Rushdie is not the problem. Muslims are.

Salman Rushdie is not the problem. Muslims are. An interesting read from a muslim unwilling to let others steal his religion out from under him.

Above all, I am offended that so many other Muslims are not offended enough to demonstrate widely against God’s self-appointed ambassadors. We complain to the world that Islam is being exploited by fundamentalists, yet when reckoning with the opportunity to resist their clamour en masse, we fall curiously silent. In a battle between flaming fundamentalists and mute moderates, who do you think is going to win?

Of course, you know my take on this: Muslims are not the problem, either. Religion is.

The Dangers of Christian Extremism

Rippin' into Rosie

I hate Rosie. She says something that's correct: radical Christians are just as dangerous as radical Muslims, but then she can't explain why in a cogent fashion. She sputters and argues and, by making a fool of herself, she discredits a correctly drawn conclusion based on observing what radical Christians are doing.

Clash of Mentalities Debated on Arab TV

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Watch clash of mentalities @ YouTube

Arab Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan: There is No Clash of Civilizations but a Clash between the Mentality of the Middle Ages and That of the 21st Century. This hard-line Muslim cleric goes off on her, yelling at her and throwing his arms around. Completely medieval, and, ironically, proving her point for her.

The Power of Faith

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The Power of Faith

This could be remade with footage from Jesus Camp, now.

The Root of All Evil - all parts, in order - Richard Dawkins

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The above is part 1-1. Because of the hodge-podge way they're broken up, uploaded, and indexed, they never seem to be listed in the right order. Below are links to all the videos in the correct order, so that you can watch the whole online.

Part 1-1: http://www.youtube.com/?v=CPaD6D54L4o
Part 1-2: http://www.youtube.com/?v=TUy-Uq3WuhA
Part 1-3: http://www.youtube.com/?v=8GgD3lgspQE
Part 2-1: http://www.youtube.com/?v=_kcKInudkq4
Part 2-2: http://www.youtube.com/?v=T27Ef_xvYMs
Part 2-3: http://www.youtube.com/?v=qPBdz-TXlaI
Part 2-4: http://www.youtube.com/?v=dTKLM09FeNM
Part 2-5: http://www.youtube.com/?v=RwD9HOrjLRw
Part 2-6: http://www.youtube.com/?v=mGLPViVW5ms

He probably didn't mean it to be this way, but one of the most entertaining aspects of this work is watching Dawkins frown grimly and disapprovingly as he sits and squirms through what must be torturous evangelical services.

Sell Everything You Have and Follow Me

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me. ~ Mat 19:21

One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. ~ Mar 10:21

Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. ~ Luk 18:22

Does God Want Us to be Rich?

Um... no. But I guess that's a little beside the point now, isn't it? I find it extremely curious that none of the verses above appeared at all in the Time article. How is such an oversight possible in an article concerning the Bible's take on wealth? Prosperity Lite seems to me to be proof that religion (and by extension, God) is a creation of people. Funny how this new religion reflects the consumerist culture from which it sprang.

These megachurches preaching Prosperity Lite are, to me, a frightening product. Just as radical Islam takes advantage of our own freedom of religion to plot harm to us, under the guise of the same we are looking at nothing less than the rise of a new powerbase in America. They are using freedom of religion as an avenue to political power. This looks to me like the rise of a new class in America: the religious wealthy. Yes, we have had wealthy religious people before, but I can't help feeling there's something fundamentally (sorry, had to!) different about this new batch of praise-singers.

And yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Might makes right. Religious power is political power. These people will soon be running for office across the land, and they will win. Theocracy will have arrived at last. Dominionism will have its day. A new Dark Age will begin, but the majority of the people will not recognize it or even care, because a theocracy is what they wanted. Even if it isn't, moderate Christians will not speak out against it. You think I exaggerate? Time will tell. I would love to be wrong about this.

There is a counter-movement living closer to the ideal expressed in the verses above, but it will change nothing for obvious reasons: they have no money and power on earth. I actually kind of admire the new monastics. If I were a believer, I would be attracted to this ideal. One thing it doesn't do is overtake the government or impose itself on me. But unless they actively fight Prosperity Lite, they will be in the unfortunate position of benefiting from the actions of the evangelicals without having to do any of the work.

The church at the center of this "faith of prosperity" is the Lakewood church, linked above. You can watch what services are like here or below:

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This isn't church—it's a broadway spectacle. Notice how there is no real learning or lessons, only entertainment and empty emotional appeals. The shared groupthink of the audience carries itself along on an emotional high mistaken for a spiritual experience.

What frightens me the most is how everybody holds up their right hand.

Why Be Openly Atheist?

Why be openly atheist? Why not just live my life and not get involved in what may be the world's most insoluble problem? I would prefer not to have to identify myself as an atheist at all, because to me it's self-evident as to why nobody should ever believe in any god or follow any religion.

For many years, I have stayed out of the debate but fumed quietly from the sidelines. I raised my stepkids as godless and with the faculties to think critically, and I felt that was the most important thing I could do to change the world (they are wonderful kids and I'm very proud of them).

Raising my children the way I think best isn't enough, because I have good cause to fear for their future safety and freedom, as well as my own. America is in danger of destroying itself from within. If the fundamentalist right has their way, our destruction is assured, and it will only be a matter of time. Radical Islam will still want to destroy us from within as well as without. Under the oppression of christofascism, America will not even be worth living in (although it would make a great setting for a social science fiction story).

I used to joke that I wasn't an activist... I was a deactivist. That little joke was good for a wry chuckle now and then among my family and friends. But I no longer think that. I perceive that the freedoms we in America hold dear are under threat, not just by Muslim extremism but by dominionist Christian extremism. Exposing this frightening doctrine is one of the reasons why I write this blog.

I suppose I could support the cause of freedom quietly, while outwardly do and say nothing to make theists think I am any different from them, but then I would be living a lie, and I can't do that. I do not believe the ends justify the means: that is the way of the cheater, the liar. That is how people convince themselves to commit atrocities. I believe the means justify the ends, and if I am to speak out against lies then I cannot live a lie. I will not sit by and hope other people do what I could be doing. I can leave my country or I can fight for it. I choose to fight for it (many years ago, I chose to fight for it another way by enlisting in the Marines, but that is a different story I'll tell later), and my first move is to declare myself openly an atheist.

If you have found yourself growing concerned over the the future of this country and the rise of the irrational religious right (both Islam and Christianity), you may have wondered if there is anything you can or should do about it.

There certainly are specific things you can do, but only you can decide if you should openly declare yourself as a person on the side of reason and rationality. There are many places online to begin learning if these ideas are entirely new to you. The links to the right or the book The End of Faith, by Sam Harris are good places to start.

We may be in the minority, but we could stand to have a stronger voice than we currently do. The song will be stronger if you add your voice to the choir (uh oh! church metaphors! look out!). One way to add your voice is to start your own blog. Chronicle your own observations of a world gone mad or your own personal journey into your outlook and philosophy. To show solidarity, to show that you are indeed part of a group that stands for freedom and for reason, you can link to other atheist and secularist blogs and websites. You can post links to social bookmarking sites. You can rejoin ridiculous comments left by ignorant fundies. I'm sure many atheists are wary of appearing to take on the same outward conventions as religion, and I understand that, but humans are social animals after all. We can band together for protection, strength, and friendship.

Somewhere out there, a young teenager may be just starting to think for herself. Who will she find when she types in her query at a search engine? Maybe it will be you, maybe it will be me. The more of us there are, the better, and that is why I am openly atheist. That is why I implore you to become more active if you've been holding back or, if you're unsure, to learn more. Know yourself. Be true to yourself. Being true to yourself can be surprisingly difficult, but it is worth it. For me, being true to myself means being openly atheist.

Phony Muslim Faith Healer deals with Freak-Out on Muslim TV

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This is a show broadcast on Egyptian television in 2005. The guests are a man who professes to be able to tell the difference between fakery and true jinn posssession (demon or spirit possession) and a sheikh who seems to be claiming people can be healed with just the Koran and honey.

A third guest freaks out and starts rolling around on the floor, twitching, whooping & hollering, and throwing papers everywhre. The guests debate what's wrong with him in an oddly calm way. Quackery, hucksterism, and phony healers are certainly not the exclusive domain of christian fundamentalists.

Why I Profess Atheism and Actively Disparage Religion

It seems our world is increasingly polarized by religion: Muslim vs Jew, Muslim vs Christian, Muslim vs Hindu (are you sensing a trend, here?). Global communications have placed religion in an untenable position. Globalization has shrunk the world to the point where the world's religions are running out of room to believe they are each the only one. Religions are mutually exclusive: My God cannot possibly have created the world and set down its laws if yours did. Your heaven and my heaven cannot coexist. Therefore, you will go to my religion's Hell or I will go to yours, and both of us will do our damndest to see the other off.

We are dealing with some very primitive, downright laughable beliefs which are bringing humanity closer and closer to destruction with each passing year. If there is ever to be a World War III, it will be a war of conflicting religions. The beliefs, words, and deeds of these ignorant, superstitious people cannot go unnoticed and unquestioned. They deserve every arrow of ridicule and scorn launched their way, because somebody has to call "bullshit."

My future, my childrens' future, and my grandchildrens' future is, I feel, in jeopardy. I will not sit by and pretend to tolerate the socially-sanctioned mass insanity that is Islam, Judiaism, Christianity, or any other myth believed as historical fact. To me, there is no such thing as a moderate, only a lazy person who hasn't thought things through thoroughly enough. To tolerate other religions means you don't believe in your own, because they cannot all be true at the same time. Whether you are a fundamentalist or a moderate, the basis of your strong or weak delusion is still a lie. I do not tolerate or show respect for lies. I do not believe in fairy tales. I am an atheist. I am left out of the polarization of civilization. It isn't that I think your religion in particular is false—I think they all are.

I realize I am quite in the minority. I'm sure there are many "closet atheists" out there who fear what their families would say or some other type of retribution if they "came out." But generally, the number of people who live full, rich, meaningful, ethical lives without any god or religion is miniscule compared to the number of those who need to delude themselves with magical, invisible deities. And since religious morality is hardly anything more than a variation on might makes right, it's easy to see why some people who know perfectly well that religion is a ludicrous lie do not profess it.

But without each single voice there is no choir. The smaller the choir, the greater it is improved with the addition of even one more voice. I have decided to add my voice. I feel like I am standing above the fray and joining in the chorus that sings of another way. A way without superstitious mumbo-jumbo.

But people don't listen unless you can get their attention, and even then they tune you out as soon as they realize you are challenging their worldview. If I calmly sit here and type words of reason and logic nobody would notice or care. So I write in an inflammatory style, designed to get attention through controversy. Once I have jolted you and got your attention, then if the grip on your delusion is weak, perhaps you will let it go.

My vitriol is not an act, however: it is very real and heartfelt. I am exasperated to no end with religious ignorance and idiocy, and my tongue is sharp. I will belittle, disparage, and scorn religion and the actions of its followers because that is what gets attention. And attention must be paid to where humanity is taking itself, because there is a very steep cliff up ahead called World War III.