Humanism

Went to a Humanist Naming Ceremony at the weekend, and heard the woman overseeing the ceremony say something along the lines of "Humanism encompasses atheism and agnosticism ‑ but is an active and ethical philosophy far greater than these negative responses to religion." That's an actual quote from the British Humanist site here

I'm an atheist not as a negative response to religion, I just don't believe in any God. I don't see me believing that the Universe was created by something I don't understand (but wasn't by a mystical being) as being negative. Nor do I actively attempt to stop other people from having their religious beliefs. If they need religion to explain the wonderful chaos of life, then fine. I don't. As long as they don't attempt to convert me to their point of view, then they can go and kill each other over which one of them has the best invisible magic friend.

The fact that the Humanist Society seem to be taking previous Pagan ceremonies as being proof of the long standing existence of Humanism (on their site, where they explain that they're not planning on abolishing Christmas) irritates me, especially as they seem so determined to show that they're not religious in any way shape or form. They even have, in a list of their beliefs, one that says they don't believe in any sacred texts. Which strikes me as ironic.

But that's not my main beef with Humanism as 'practised' in the UK, oh dear me no. Nor the most ironic thing they've ever done.

The thing that seems to grate the most is that the British Humanists seem to have Polly Toynbee as their president. Polly Toynbee, for the uninitiated is a Guardian columnist. She's also a spectacular liar (as shown rather often by the wonderful Factchecking Pollyanna website - now sadly defunct) and was made to look a complete tit on Question Time quite recently by Richard Littlejohn.

Polly Toynbee is one of the Socialist preacher types. Expects other people to do as she says, as she knows best. But she doesn't follow her own rules. Her kids went to private school while she advocates the state school system. She has a holiday villa in Italy while she advocates we travel less to save the planet from Global Warming. You know the type. She was also a massive supporter of Gordon Brown until it became readily apparent to her that he was completely barking mad and not capable of running the country. It took Polly quite a bit longer than it took the rest of us to notice, so blinded was she by her devotion to Gordon.

Which isn't very Humanist. Or perhaps it is. Who cares?

Bible Is Bullshit

From the rather wonderful Penn & Teller, an expert dissection of the Bible.



Once again, I am proved to not exist. Dammit.

Peanut Butter, The Atheist's Nightmare

Continuing a theme against the Creationist nut-jobs I am delighted to bring you not only the nuttiest, but also the butteriest.

From B3ta possibly the weirdest anti-Evolution video ever. For those of you who can't be bothered to watch, this bloke argues that Evolution CANNOT occur because he has never opened a jar of peanut butter and discovered new life in it. I swear, that's his argument!



B3ta were kinda convinced this was actually an anti-Creationist video, designed to look like it was anti-Evolutionist as it's so shite. How this man can actually be saying those words and believe them is astonishing.

Not About Football

Drav posted this on Facebook and I'm passing this on: a fantastic site listing the top 100 "greatest" quotes from Fundamentalist Christian Chatrooms (and many other places besides)

There are oh so many pearls of wisdom on here but I shall share a couple for those of you who can't be bothered on clicking links.

"I often debate with evolutionists because I believe that they are narrow mindedly and dogmatically accepting evolution without questioning it. I don't really care how God did what He did. I know He did it."

"Everyone knows scientists insist on using complex terminology to make it harder for True Christians to refute their claims.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid, for example... sounds impressive, right? But have you ever seen what happens if you put something in acid? It dissolves! If we had all this acid in our cells, we'd all dissolve! So much for the Theory of Evolution, Check MATE!"

And my personal favourite;

"How can anyone beleive we evolved from monkeys heres a few questions for people who beleive that

1.If we did evolve from monkeys then how come babies arent born monkeys

2.Even Darwin said his theories were wrong before he died so why do you still believe them

3.do you really not believe the bible it says we were created in seven days not millions of years

4.how come we cant speak monkey"

Saudi Arabia

Despite it's recent push to look and feel more Western - possibly to attract tourists and other investment - Saudi Arabia is still medieval and barbaric in its treatment of women.

This story from the BBC's website saddened me. It should have shocked me, but it just didn't. I can imagine there'll be apologists for Muslims telling me why this sort of thing is acceptable and that I don't understand their culture.

Whipping the victim of gang rape isn't something I ever really want to understand.

That God, He's A Cunt Isn't He?

I've been reading the stunningly well-argued "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. Now, I realise that he's obviously cherry-picked his arguments in much the same way as the religious fundamentalists do, but there are some fabulous examples from the bible of god's lack of, well, niceness.

For example; Genesis 19: 7-8 where Lot is spared for being the only "good" man in Sodom. Lot extols "I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two young daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you and you do ye to them as is good in your eyes" (and remember, these are Sodomites), and god spares him? That's nice, isn't it? You offer your daughters up for gang rape/buggery and you're *spared*?

Worse yet is to befall Lot's somewhat put upon daughters, when - after the death of their mother for having the temerity to watch the city of Sodom being destroyed - they live with him in a cave. And being denied access to any other men (the raping of Sodom obviously not enough for them) they get their father drunk so that he doesn't recognise them and get pregnant by him (Genesis 19: 31-36).

And this is the family god *saves* from Sodom? Wow. Doesn't really say a lot about the other residents, does it? Or indeed, god's moral compass in matters of bringing up a 'normal' family.

I shall return to this book soon.