Your Insecure God

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;"
Exodus 20:5, KJV

"For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"
Exodus 34:14, KJV

"For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God."
Deuteronomy 4:24, KJV

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,"
Deuteronomy 5:9, KJV

"(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth."
Deuteronomy 6:15, KJV

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war”, “His eyes were as a flame of fire”, clothed in a vesture dipped in blood“, and “out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Revelation 19:11-15

REAL Emotion

One common selling point for Christianity is the notion that it holds some sort of magical hope, love, and/or joy that the average person cannot grasp without it. I’ve heard Christians say, “yes, you may have love, but do you have Christian love?” or “you don’t know REAL hope until you know Jesus”. These statements may work on the average Joe, but they don’t work on me (anymore).

Love is love. Hope is hope. Joy is joy. Truth is truth. You do not need a special sanction from a celestial being to unlock these "mysteries". They are innate in all human beings. A nonbeliever loves his family just as much a Christian. A nonbeliever finds joy in living just as Christians do (if not more so). And, nonbelievers are hopeful for the future just as Christians. The difference is Christians spend their lives hoping for a second life that will never come and end up wasting the other emotions.

On a side note, these sorts of statements by Christians are typical of those who have been indoctrinated and not unlike something you would hear from a member of the Manson family or someone from Jim Jones’ Peoples’ Temple.

Christians and Morality

I've had ongoing conversations with Christians on Facebook and this blog in recent weeks about the origin of morality. On one hand they criticize society’s perceived moral relativism and the dangers of post-modern thought yet they question truth, facts, reality, rationality, and secular morality in attempts to convince me of their perspective. Either this is a profound paradox or Christians are simple ignorant of the world around them. I am quite certain it is the latter.

They claim the Hebrew god gave law to humanity yet he himself is not subject to it. Throughout the Bible, their god breaks many of the rules he sets forth. For instance, he tells the Israelites not to kill. I’ve heard plenty of preachers interpret this to mean, “Do not kill innocent people.” Yet he tells his people to slaughter innocent people—entire villages including children—throughout the Old Testament. This is the epitome of moral relativism.

Christians believe that the Americanized/Western interpretation of the gospels, Pauline doctrine, and Hebrew texts are the only place to find morality. In other words, to them, one cannot possess innate morality, but must read it in a book written by ancient Near East sheepherders or whoever. If I were to find my morality in the Bible, I would have to believe that I must kill homosexuals and disobedient children and that women must be submissive to men. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew god was jealous and ruthless. In the New Testament, Paul presented a form of morality based mainly on etiquette—what to wear and how to act. Meanwhile, Jesus presented a meek and mild doctrine that shunned violence and embraced the innocent. These three perspectives are clearly inconsistent and offer no practical morality whatsoever.

It is time for Christians to realize that morality is innate. There are numerous moral codes which predate theirs and indicate morality has been around a lot longer than 3,400 years—long before the mythical Moses. Science demonstrates that through natural selection we have developed morality. There is evidence in the animal kingdom that species are altruistic and possess an natural desire to preserve their kind. Over the millennia, natural selection has favored those species that protect and defend related beings in their pack, school, or hive. The Hebrews simply documented a natural phenomenon and cited a divine source.

Rebranding the Hebrew god

Apparently the Old Testament god was too vengeful, ruthless, and egotistical and came across as a bully and insecure school boy. Perhaps his marketing team felt his image needed a facelift. Enter Jesus. He’s the hip and cool new version. He’s good-looking, charismatic, and really knows how to put on a show. I suppose he could be called the “Michael Jackson” of the Bronze Age Near East.

Gone are the days of fireballs from the sky, genocide by Hebrews, rape of virgins, talking donkeys, and schizophrenic prophets/spokesmen. Meet the new and improved Hebrew god and his quick and easy salvation. No more waiting in line to buy a Temple-approved Passover lamb. No more arduous pilgrimages to foreign cities for atonement. You no longer have to suffer under the iron-fist of a terrible god, just believe that Jesus is a magic man from Heaven and BAM, you're in.

Christian Suicide

I posted a note on Facebook asking Christians if they would kill themselves if the Hebrew god requested it of them. All said yes. Now for the real question, if he asked you to strap a bomb to yourself to commit suicide and kill a bunch of “wrong-doers”, would you?

Example of Christian Anti-Intellectualism

Yesterday, I was discussing with a Christian the lineage of Christ as outlined in Scripture. The lineages appear in Matthew 1:1–17 and Luke 3:23–28. If one were to compare Jesus’ bloodline side-by-side, one would see it is completely and utterly inconsistent. However, Christians do not read the Bible in this manner.

Christians normally read the Bible in a devotional manner rather than comparatively and intellectually. They select a passage, read it, and use a dogmatic view instilled by their pastor or other Christian leaders to interpret—essentially justifying anything that might stand out as a contradiction or error.

When I pointed out to this individual that the lineages were inconsistent, he said, “I will go and find a book written by a Christian that discusses this.” I implored him, “No, go to the Bible and look for yourself.” He refused. He plans to read a Christian justification of this contradiction before viewing it for himself.

This is pure anti-intellectualism of the highest degree and demonstrates the depth of indoctrination.

There is No Faith in Atheism

As I argue with Christians, I grow ever more frustrated with them. In my discussions, a Christian will use the word “belief” to describe my atheist position and they say it requires a level of faith to not believe in the Hebrew god. Atheism is not a belief. Atheism claims nothing. Therefore, it does not require faith. It is simply a position based on lack of evidence for the opposing position. You and I both do not believe in the Easter bunny. Would one assert that we require a level of “faith” to disbelieve? No.

Science is the ruler by which we gauge reality. Scientists do not claim to know everything about the universe. They do not claim to have an answer as to what lies beyond the universe. They do not make claims as to whether there may or may not be an afterlife. There is no way to know these things.

I’ve compiled some basic questions and answers to demonstrate the difference between atheists and Christians. The questions will show that atheism does not require faith and is not a system of belief.

Christians:

1) Was the universe and everything in it created? Yes, by the Hebrew god because the Bible tells me so.

2) Is there life after death? Yes, because the Bible tells me so.

3) Are we born evil? Yes, because the Bible tells me a man and woman ate an apple from a tree 6,000 years ago.

4) Why are we here? To serve the Hebrew god.

Atheists:

1) Was the universe and everything in it created? We do not know. All scientific (verifiable) evidence points to the contrary, but we cannot say definitively yes or no.

2) Is there life after death? See previous answer.

3) Are we born evil? There is nothing to indicate that we are. Science demonstrates that humans are born with the desire to survive and are altruistic.

4) Why are we here? It’s a silly question and does not deserve an answer. We are the product of natural selection and essentially serve no purpose other than to survive.

Atheists base their lack of belief on facts—verifiable, scientific evidence. We make no assertions as to the existence of supernatural beings or events. Christians base their beliefs on a book of myths written over a course of two thousand years by undetermined authors. I prefer to build my life on fact and not fiction.

Nazi VBS

Summer is time for fun—swimming, fireworks, family reunions, and trips to Disney World. It’s also primetime for unfettered Christian indoctrination of our youth. Yes, I’m referring to Vacation Bible School (VBS).

One of the most effective ways to convert a person to Christianity is to capture their mind as a child. All religions and totalitarian regimes understand this. Take for instance the Hitler Youth. A ruthless and harsh organization whose goal was to indoctrinate German youths so that, once adults, they would fight faithfully for the Third Reich.

Likewise, Christians have established Vacation Bible School. By contrast, VBS is filled with fun, games, cookies, and harmless child’s play. However, at the beginning of each day, the children are called to congregate to recite Scripture, pledge allegiance to the Bible and Christian flag, and listen to a dogmatic lesson about a nonexistent afterlife and a zombie magician. As a child in VBS, I remember singing “Onward Christian Soldiers”—a blatant homage to the Crusades and song that is still sung today in VBSs across the Western world. VBS is full of war-related overtones.

Christians claim they are loving people who only care about children’s souls, but it is more than that. It is a blind allegiance to a myth that is reinforced daily in their own lives and they feel driven to force it upon their children and the children of others. The following anonymous quote from a Christian parenting website demonstrates the Christian adult’s attitude toward discipline and indoctrination:

“If you don't chasten your children, if you don't use the rod in obedience to God's laws and drive that child's foolishness far from him, if you spoil that child by sparing the rod, you don't love that child or care anything about that child! You hate that child! God cannot stand any kind of unfaithfulness in His army anymore than any other Commander of any other military force can take a chance on security risks and disobedience and failure to follow orders and obey commands.”

Vacation Bible School is nothing more than an annual indoctrination program disguised as a harmless fun time for kids run by the most devoted, dogmatic church members. It is detrimental to the development of a child’s reasoning ability and corrupts his worldview. Christian indoctrination of children is utterly immoral and evil.

The Purpose of Purpose

Burden of Proof

If I had a dollar every time a Christians says, “Well you can’t disprove God,” I’d be a millionaire. The burden of proof lies with the person making the claim. It is a logical fallacy for a person making a claim to demand they be proven wrong. One cannot disprove a universal negative. One cannot disprove the existence of unicorns or the Easter bunny. Likewise, one cannot disprove the existence of a god. However, it is the responsibility of the person making the claim that a particular god exists to provide evidence to support that claim.

When pressed for evidence, a Christian usually resorts to one or more of the following:

1) Well, C.S. Lewis says…
C.S. Lewis was a fine author. I read several of his books in high school and college. Yes, I’ve read Mere Christianity. Twice, actually. However, he says nothing profoundly convincing about the existence of God. If you are a Christian, his words are golden. If you are not, it just sounds like he is advancing a myth. He says what the average Christian says except eloquently. Is that supposed to convince me of the existence of God?!

2) “They” found Noah’s Ark.
First of all, “They” who? I’ve been told this numerous times by Christians, but when pressed they cannot tell me who, where, or when. I’ve been to several museums in Europe and America and have never seen it or even a piece of it on display. Many amateur explorers have claimed that think they have seen what might be the Ark, but nothing has been definitely obtained. Even if the boat is found, what does that prove? It certainly doesn’t prove the existence of a supernatural being.

3) “They” found a chariot wheel at the bottom of the Red Sea.
This is one of my favorites. It was first brought to my attention by a preacher with no formal theological training from a po-dunk, rural, southern town. Apparently, a fork-lift driver from London who masquerades as an amateur archeologist was swimming around the floor of the Red Sea and found what APPEARS to be a chariot wheel from when Moses parted the sea and the water closed in over Pharaoh's army. Did he bring it to the surface for analysis? No. I say we get the pink-haired lady from TBN to raise money for another expedition and let's raise it from the depth of the sea and test it.

4) What about the eye ball? It’s too complex to have evolved.
Ahhhh, the argument of irreducible complexity (reductio ad absurdum). If the claimant does not understand the evolution of the eye, he automatically assumes a supernatural source regardless of the fact that the evolution of the eye has been mapped by scientists. This person essentially says, “My brain can’t comprehend the complexity or origin of this particular object, therefore God made it” or “I have no desire or am too lazy to research and learn about this object, therefore God made it.”

5) The tomb is empty. Duh…
This is one of Lee Stroble's 5 Es which are supposed to convinced brain dead people to convert to Christianity. I ask, which tomb? Where? Tradition tells us where Jesus’ tomb might be, but we do not know for certain if it is his tomb or not. Until we know, we cannot assume it was his and that simply because it’s empty, he rose. This begs the question.

6) What about Josephus?
I say “what about Josephus,” too. He was born seven years after Jesus died. He began writing his book which mentioned Jesus twice when he was about 60. Yes, Jesus lived…and???

This obviously is not a complete list, but you get the point. What is interesting is I have seen Christian "intellectuals", such as William Lane Craig, Ravi Zacharias, Dinesh D’Souza, Josh McDowell, and more, using these same ridiculous arguments or similar arguments in debates. These are not valid arguments and do not get at the ACTUAL claim—that the God of the Bible exists. Try harder you guys!

A Good Christian Wife

Christian men are very insecure. Once they snag a woman, the goal is to convince them to submit. Women must be kept under their thumb at all times. Physical abuse isn’t necessary as emotional, psychological, and religious abuse are usually much more effective.

Below are some methods whereby Christian men accomplish this:

1. Make lots of babies. After all, this is her ONLY purpose in life. Right?
   
2. Make the woman homeschool them.
3. Keep her nice and plump so no other men look at her.
4. Buy her books about being a “Christian” mother.
5. Make her wear frumpy clothes.
6. Encourage her to have a benign hobby like scrapbooking, Pampered Chef, etc.
7. Send her to Beth Moore conferences.
   
8. Demean her. After all, she IS beneath you.
9. Buy her new kitchen appliances so she gets the hint.
10. Break her spirit.

I’m sure there are other methods I’m unaware of, but you get the picture.

Hooray for Church-Sponsored Vacations!

It’s that time of year again! Pack your bags, round up your dusty ole passport, dig up that Hawaiian shirt you love so much (you know, the one that makes you look like Rick Warren), and get your flippy-floppies out—it’s vacation time...er...I mean, mission trip time! Time to go tell some third-world peasants about Jesus, hammer a few nails in a decrepit schoolhouse, and catch some rays!

Good times. I often reminisce about the days when I would travel to some god-forsaken place and tell uneducated, illiterate dark-skinned people about the zombie magic man. They latched on to the story immediately. Is there any wonder 500 people “come to know Christ” during these trips? A tall, well-dressed white man has come to their village to tell them of an invisible man in the sky who can give them anything they want if they just ask. Doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, as long as it makes you feel good. You're a god.

After being in that dusty place for a couple of days, it’s time for the real treat—the beach, shopping, or hitting the bars. My favorite mission trip was to France. I spoke to a group of youth for an hour and attended some dinner parties. Three days in Paris, three in Dijon for "mission work", then back to Paris for three more days. Ahhh…telling people about Jesus has never been so luxurious.

Upon return, it’s great to strut through the church—people patting you on the back for being a good Christian. You told those darkies about your white god. Show some photos of cute, foreign children, pass around a primitive looking headdress you picked from a street vendor, and cry when you describe the old woman you lead to Christ. You’re the man. You’re special. You “feel” like God has “blessed” you. You come home to 21^st century amenities and all the peasants are left with is piles of LifeWay propaganda littering the streets.

Be proud! You're doing the Lord's work!

The Purpose of this Blog

The purpose of this blog is to demonstrate and analyze religious/political indoctrination techniques of Christians, Jews, and Muslims, as well as address religious dogma. What qualifies me to attack these head-on and why am I passionate?
I know the INs-and-OUTs of the Christian publishing industry because I was actively involved in producing Christian propaganda for the world’s largest Protestant denomination for nearly thirteen years. Additionally, I have a graduate degree in Political Communication where my primary focus was political advertising and communication. Religious communication is in many ways nothing more than a form of political communication. Church leaders utilize indoctrination techniques that are common in the political realm.
To demonstrate this, I will provide an example. In 2002 or so, the Southern Baptist organization where I worked was hosting an event for state convention leaders. We invited the communication directors from various other Southern Baptist entities to participate. During a break in between sessions, I was mingling with these individuals. Their work intrigued me. One of the men, a director from the International Mission Board (IMB), divulged some interesting information. He said that they had been examining the communication techniques of the Ayatollah Khomeini during and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution in which the Ayatollah successfully overthrew the secular government and installed a theocratic dictatorship.
I certainly do not judge the IMB for this. It is a perfectly legitimate endeavor. If you are running a large religious organization and your mission is to indoctrinate as many people as possible throughout the world, you learn from the best.
This is but one example of the correlation between religion and politics and indoctrination and propaganda. I will provide more in future posts. I hope this blog is instrumental in causing people to think about what they are taught and how to recognize subtle religious dogma in all formats.

A Letter to All Pastors, Youth Ministers, and SS Teachers

Dear Christian Leader:

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Daniel Brown. I was raised as a Southern Baptist and "saved" when I was five. Both of my grandfathers were preachers. My parents were active in the church, as well. I attended a private Baptist school in Memphis until fifth grade. I was active in my youth group and went on many mission trips at home and abroad. I enrolled at Union University to become a preacher and was a member of the Ministerial Association. Additionally, I worked as a youth minister for four years. Into my third year at Union, I decided to change my major to design communication and moved to middle TN to work for the Tennessee Baptist Convention. I was their graphic designer for almost four years. During this time, I finished up my degree at Belmont.

While working for the TBC, I met a couple of guys from the Cooperative Program Development division of the SBC Executive Committee in 1999 and went to work for them soon after. I was production manager for CP for almost four years. I traveled the country helping to promote CP and interacted with all state conventions and worked at all the annual meetings. All along I was attending church and teaching Sunday school.

From age fifteen, I felt this nagging feeling inside that persisted until I was 30. The Bible seemed ridiculous, but I MUST believe for fear of being disconnected from God and the afterlife. My pursuit of knowledge and desire to understand the origins of Scripture led me to the place where I am today. It is fact that the Bible is simply a hodge-podge of ramblings from a number of unverifiable sources. Because of this fact, the foundation of Judaism and Christianity is critically damaged. Additionally, the wild claims in the Bible, such as raising the dead, a talking donkey, a talking, burning bush, and walking on water are all ridiculous and simply are not true.

I’ve been on a two-year long quest to find preachers, evangelists, and church leaders to engage me in an on-going dialogue about their faith. As of late, I have found no one who can debate on an intellectual level and present solid evidence to support their position. Most of what is presented is cliché and trite. My desire is to appeal to the intellect and beg Christians to reconsider their delusional beliefs and join me in building lives based in reason and pursuit of knowledge rather than obsessing about pleasing a celestial dictator.

I would appreciate a dialogue with you to see the depth of your knowledge of Scripture and Christianity and to present a perspective from someone who has come from a place similar to where you are.

Sincerely,
Daniel Brown

Original Sin—A Lesson in Biblical Contradiction

• Rom. 5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."


• Rom. 5:19, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners"


• 1 Cor. 15:22, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."


• Rom. 3:10, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (Also see 1 John 1:8 and 10, Rom. 3:12)


• Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Although most evangelical protestant denominations preach about original sin, the phrase does not exist in the Bible or Jewish writings. According the evangelical interpretation, the Hebrew god sets up the scenario, watches a talking snake (which is never described as “Satan”) coerce his creation into sinning, punishes Adam and Eve, then tells the world (through humans) that he is loving, caring, and will redeem us.

Paul introduces the concept of original sin and the “inheritance” of sin and teaches it as the heart of his Christian theology. He establishes Jesus as a human/deity sacrifice to atone for the alleged “sin” of Adam. It is interesting to note that while Paul invents a theology of atonement based on the offering of Jesus as a human sacrifice for sin, Jesus does not preach death as atonement. The gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Matt 9:13 and Matt 12:7 NIV). This is an explicit rejection of Paul's teaching.

Further, the concept of Original Sin is unsupported in the Jewish scriptures:

• Deut. 24:16, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin."


• 2 Kings 14:6, But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin."


• Ezek. 18:20 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."


• Ezek.33:20, "Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways."


• Jer. 31:29-30 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge."


• Gen. 7:1 "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."


• Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.


• Job 1:8 "...my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 2:3)


• Luke 1:5-6 "In the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abia: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (RSV)

Why are we responsible for the sins of Adam and Eve? How can a person be “guilty” of ancient sin he did not commit? How can one be morally flawed when he is in the womb? A god who allows people to be punished for something they did not do is not just. A god who is supposedly omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent should simply erase such flaws. Can he? Is he unable or unwilling?

This concept of atonement and redemption are entirely Pauline and are not part of Jesus’ or Jewish doctrine.

Ravi Zacharias--An Apologist with Nothing to Say

Christians love to sing the praises of Ravi Zacharias. I think they like him because he has a "funny" name. Unfortunately, he is not an intellectual. His positions are faulty. In fact, I would say he has no argument whatsoever.

I just finished watching the following clips. There are six. If this is the best apologist Christians have to offer, I’m disappointed. He says absolutely nothing! He simply pokes fun at atheists and never presents solid evidence to support his position. He essentially says that if SOME atheists cannot explain the origin of morality, therefore God is the source. This is an absurd assumption and is typical of Christians. Just because something cannot be fathomed in your small brain, it does not mean there is a supernatural origin. In fact, the evolution of morality has been explained by scientists and is completely rational. He is telling the audience what they want to hear as a form of entertainment.

Poking fun at the opposition is not an argument.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjdjEBmVxGE

My Christian Upbringing--Part I

It’s late on a Saturday night in a tiny church on the outskirts of Covington, Tennessee, in early 1974. My mother, pregnant with me at the time, was sitting in a revival service led by her father, Enlo J. Rickard, a fiery, charismatic preacher with passion for saving the lost. He is a short man with a thunderous voice that transmits “the Lord’s message” from the depth of the pulpit to the expansive church parking lot. He is preaching from the Book of Daniel. His heart is sincere as he pounds the lectern, begging and pleading the lost to open their hearts and ask the Lord to enter in and save them from the pits of hellfire. In his passionate rave, he felt compelled to say that “this world needs more Daniels.”

Daniel was an Old Testament prophet, whose name in Hebrew translated means “judged by God”. We all know the story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den. According to Scripture, Daniel was a Hebrew who was captured by King Nebuchadnezzar’s army and carried off to Babylon. Although the details of the story are disputed by archeologists and historians, the story is very familiar to Jews and Christians alike. Daniel was said to have divine authority and powers to interpret dreams for the King, just as Joseph did in Egypt for the Pharaoh.

Christian preachers often use Daniel as an example of a faithful servant of God and one who epitomizes someone who is zealous and unwavering in his love and commitment to Yahweh. He is a person every Christian should emulate.

That night, my mother and father decided to call me Daniel. It was their goal to train me up to be a faithful servant of the Lord. Their hope was that I would follow in the footsteps of my family and serve as a beacon of the gospel leading people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Throughout my childhood, I struggled with many aspects of the faith. I don’t know exactly when I began to question my faith, but apparently any doubts I had were either extinguished on Sunday morning by the tirade of a well-being pastor or immediately by my own guilt or fear of separation from God. Either way, I didn’t entertain the rebellious thoughts for long.

I suppose my greatest fear was that I would end up separated from God. In this, I believe came my most significant question of the faith—the concept of Hell, which I will address later. Before I questioned hell, I questioned the existence of supernatural beings such as ghosts, UFOs, angels, and demons.

By the age of 15 or so, I was thoroughly indoctrinated in the faith. I knew the fundamentals of Christianity and in particular, Southern Baptist theology. I fully understood the concept of the virgin birth, salvation by grace through faith, and the Trinity. I blindly followed the word and believed the pastor was under the influence of the Holy Spirit and what he spoke was truth. Pastoral authority is central to the Christian faith.

I must say that my father was probably instrumental in my questioning the faith. He always railed against the pastor as arrogant and undeserving of authority. My father was a deacon and questioned every move our pastor made. He confronted him on many occasions during deacons meetings and would come home fuming and describing the earlier events. As I look back, he undermined the authority of the pastor and instilled a distrust of church leaders.

Additionally, my father was highly critical of some family members and their denominational choice. He was highly critical of charismatic beliefs, such as faith-healing, speaking in tongues, shouting and raising hands during worship. My paternal grandfather and grandmother taught a quiet form of Christianity in which a believe is reverent during service and does not disrupt. I remember vividly when I would say, “God is a God of order and not chaos.”

Part II is forthcoming...

Kill Everone Except the Virgins

(Judges 21:10-24 NIV)

10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children.

11 "This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin."

12 They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.

13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.

14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.

15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a gap in the tribes of Israel.

16 And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left?

17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.

18 We can't give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: 'Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.'

19 But look, there is the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh, to the north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of Lebonah."

20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards

21 and watch. When the girls of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, then rush from the vineyards and each of you seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin.

22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, 'Do us a kindness by helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war, and you are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.'"

23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the girls were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.

24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

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Is it just me, or is this twisted?! These sick bastards killed an entire town and raped virgins. How can anyone see this as anything but evil?

My Rejection of Christianity

My ancestors were forced out of Europe for being Protestants. Since then, many have been preachers, deacons, missionaries, teachers, and professors teaching and preaching Christianity. I, myself, attended several Christian schools throughout my life and at one time was a religion major with the intention of being a preacher. Throughout college, I served as a youth minister and taking several mission trips in the US and abroad. I graduated from a Christian university and worked for a prominent evangelical denomination for almost eight years.

Over the past five years, I have thoughtfully examined what I believe. This is the first time I have ever truly taken the time to dig deep and determine what my position on religion is. This is an important step considering my background.

I have come to the conclusion that all religions, particularly the three Abrahamic religions, are fabricated, and are nothing more than folklore and superstition.

My primary issue with Christianity and for that matter Judaism and Islam is these religions are based on the dreams, visions, interpretations of folklore, and/or outright fabrications and manipulation of historical events. The authors of these "holy" books transcribed their thoughts in all cases over 1,400 years ago and in some cases over 3,000 years ago. Am I to base my entire life on the written account of an "angel" appearing to an individual 2,000 years ago? I do not know this individual. I do not know if he or she has a history of schizophrenia, paranoia, or is simply delusional.

Consider this simple argument: It is believed that Moses was born in the 13th century BCE and he wrote the first five books of the Old Testament. He recounted stories passed down from generation to generation through centuries before him. Judaism, Christianity, and much of Islam are based on Mosaic writings--one man recounting oral tradition and recording his personal story while in the wilderness. There is no witness or corroborating evidence to support everything he said. Genesis and Exodus can only be viewed as fiction and Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy can be viewed as Moses' manifesto. While Mosaic law is certainly helpful and has assisted in the advancement of Western civilization, I cannot fully believe every word he or anyone else in the Bible have written.

The only argument contemporary evangelical Christians can provide against my position is that one must have faith that what was written is accurate and true. What sort of argument is that? It is Moses' word against reason and rationalism. I choose the latter.

All three of these religions preach and require faith as the means by which people can interact with God and find salvation. This is understandable as there is no rational basis for any claims in any of these three major religions.

All of these, particularly Christianity, with which I am most familiar, do not make their potential converts aware of the first step of faith required to accept and believe in their God. The first step of faith is to believe what the prophets claim to have seen and been told by God as they are recorded in scripture. There are many books in the Bible where in the author is unknown. In others, a third party writes the stories. You must have faith in the author to have faith in what they tell you. Additionally, one must believe that the translations of these books are sound. This is unverifiable to the average person.

Blind faith and complete abandonment of rationalism and critical thinking are required to follow any of these religions. My rational side has not and will not allow me to accept blind faith any longer. Therefore, I completely reject Christianity and all religions and dismiss them as folklore and superstition.

Jesus Freaks

Friday night in Riverside, California, I was helping a friend promote his new clothing line at a local bar & grill. There was a band playing inside and the crowd was enjoying themselves. No babies being sacrificed and no séances were being performed.

It’s 1:30 AM and I’m standing outside at the booth talking to people as they stand around, when I noticed a crowd gathering a block away. I ask, “So what’s happening down there?” No one knows. Then, the crowd begins to move our direction. They’re chanting, “Jesus, Jesus,” and "Ain't no party like a holy ghost party, 'cause a holy ghost party don't stop. What, what." The cult leader is chanting common Christian clichés through a megaphone, “God loves you. Receive the Holy Spirit.” Nothing new here.

The crowd of about 100 Jesus freaks stops directly in front of the bar & grill. They continue to chant loudly. Several people begin convulsing and fall to the ground. A portion of the crowd gathers around them. A truck pulls up with a hot tub in back for baptizing. I suppose they planned on some people getting saved or something. All along the crowd at the restaurant is chanting back, “Get the fuck out of here! Fuck your god!” There were all sorts of hand/mouth gestures coming from our side of the fence. Two of the bikini models open up their tops to reveal pasties. They jiggled their breasts toward the crowd. Several of the male Christians enjoyed this as I saw their eyes light up. Obviously, the people at the restaurant were provoked by these mind-numb, indoctrinated zombies. Otherwise, none of the restaurant patrons would have acted in such a manner.

As the crowd finally began to disperse, I confronted a group of young girls (18-20) at the back. “What did you accomplish here tonight,” I asked. They didn’t have anything to say. They just continued to chant, “Jesus, Jesus.” One older cult leader butts in and I ask him, “What did you accomplish here tonight?” He said, “We did the Lord’s work.” I said, “Looks to me like all you did is reinforce non-belief.” He responds, “Didn’t you see two people receive the Holy Spirit?” I answered, “I saw two people convulsing on the ground. It was an act. It accomplished nothing.” “God revealed himself tonight,” he said. All “he” did was reveal how ignorant and easily manipulated his people are. I asked him if he had ever seen God. He said no. I asked if had ever heard God. He said yes. I said, “You’re delusional and you easily manipulated by flowery words about hell and a non-existent after life.” He turns and continues chanting along with the crowd, “Jesus, Jesus.”

Now, I know you Christians reading this will conveniently say, “Well…that’s not representative of what I believe.” I say it is. All it is a slightly more confrontational version of what many of you believe. Every Christian believes in a zombie magic man, a celestial dictator, and a book written by Bronze Age tribesmen. There is no irrefutable evidence for anything you believe. Your religion is propagated through classic indoctrination methods—dumbing-down the followers, employing fear and moral superiority, weekly indoctrination sessions, claims of miracles, and mantras and clichés. All of this was on display last night in Riverside, California.

To me, most Christians suffer from psychosis stemming from a prolonged, intense indoctrination. Religion alters behavior through delusions of moral superiority and illusions of interaction with a supernatural being. The person is unable to function properly in society. Others are simply pathological and have convinced themselves to believe something they know contradicts reality, yet they adhere because it gives them a sense of authority within a group of less intelligent people.