As a high school Senior, I am taking a one semester Mythology class for my English credit. My teacher is a bigot, but I give the man credit...he's almost certainly a Freethinker (i.e. Atheist or Agnostic). He is always talking about how it's ridiculous that people actually believe the Judeo-Christian mythologies, which are not supposed to be taken literally, while everyone clearly knows that the Greek myths are fiction. He also says things like, "Don't be ashamed to talk, everyone. How many of you were raised Catholic? Well, the idea of shame is not new to you."
I burst out laughing. Now I point out how futile it is to take myths literally solely due to tradition whenever possible.
25 September 2008
02 September 2008
Abstinence-Only Sex Ed=Bristol Palin
Was anyone else here secretly glad to hear about Sarah Palin's daughter's unwanted teen pregnancy. I hope so, it will help me feel less guilty. I'm seventeen and a Senior in high school, like Bristol. But, luckily for me, I actually learned about condoms in sex ed. But seriously, I'm hoping that the really god-fearin' right-wingers will just not vote this election, since they obviously won't vote Obama.
I know the goal of abstinence-only sex ed is to prevent any and all sexual contact, but it's obviously not working. Preventing pregnancy and the spread of STI's is probably more important than preposterous religious convictions that brand birth control as immoral. But, then, the people who think that birth control is immoral probably aren't very bright. After all, they believe that an invisible man who lives in the sky cares about whether or not they want to procreate. Apparently deities can't just mind their own damned business.
I know the goal of abstinence-only sex ed is to prevent any and all sexual contact, but it's obviously not working. Preventing pregnancy and the spread of STI's is probably more important than preposterous religious convictions that brand birth control as immoral. But, then, the people who think that birth control is immoral probably aren't very bright. After all, they believe that an invisible man who lives in the sky cares about whether or not they want to procreate. Apparently deities can't just mind their own damned business.
26 August 2008
A Small Victory in "Coming Out"
Well, last night I enjoyed a small victory in the aggravating process of emerging from the religious closet. My mildly religious grandfather said that he doesn't blame me for my atheism because all religions say different things and it's impossible to tell who's right and who's wrong. This is encouraging. Also, he agreed that I should continue to donate blood and that I should become a bone marrow donor when I turn eighteen. Overall, I am happy with this progress.
17 August 2008
Infant Dies Because of Religious Idiocy
Here's yet another tragic story of a child being killed by religious nutjobs:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4511910.ece
I can't believe that some people are trying to excuse the mother in the death of this child, saying that she was "brainwashed." Um, she's 21, an adult who chose to join this religious group, and she's responsible for herself and her child. If she got sucked into the cult "hook, line, and sinker," that is her problem. Her child starved to death while legally under her care, and she played the main part in killing him. Her attorney claims that other people were "calling the shots," but we learned long ago from the Nuremberg War Crime trials after WWII that simply "following orders" is not a good enough excuse for committing murder. Nazis who killed Jews because others told them to still had to make a conscious decision to kill. If they refused, I am sure that they would have been punished, but that is still better than murdering innocent people for no reason. That child was killed and his mother could have stopped it. She could have called the police. She could have fled with the child. She should have laid down her life for that baby, and did not. Therefore, she is a murderer.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4511910.ece
I can't believe that some people are trying to excuse the mother in the death of this child, saying that she was "brainwashed." Um, she's 21, an adult who chose to join this religious group, and she's responsible for herself and her child. If she got sucked into the cult "hook, line, and sinker," that is her problem. Her child starved to death while legally under her care, and she played the main part in killing him. Her attorney claims that other people were "calling the shots," but we learned long ago from the Nuremberg War Crime trials after WWII that simply "following orders" is not a good enough excuse for committing murder. Nazis who killed Jews because others told them to still had to make a conscious decision to kill. If they refused, I am sure that they would have been punished, but that is still better than murdering innocent people for no reason. That child was killed and his mother could have stopped it. She could have called the police. She could have fled with the child. She should have laid down her life for that baby, and did not. Therefore, she is a murderer.
"Cadaver" Organ Donation
The Catholic grandmother and I got into another tiff the other day, this time concerning organ donation. She looked utterly disgusted as she told me, "Dey take-a dem before you died!"
Um, yeah! If doctors removed your organs three days after your body has totally shut down, then the organs would have started to decay already. I tried to explain to granny dearest that organs are harvested after the brain has ceased to function, with the exception of the brain stem, but to no avail.
She had a canary when I told her that I chose to be an organ donor when I got my driver's license earlier this year. She had a cow when I told her that I wanted to join the Nation Bone Marrow Registry when I turn 18. But that's hardly surprising; she was angry when I chose to give blood back in May. It doesn't really matter, though, since I'll be eighteen in January and no one can exactly stop me.
I hate people like my grandmother. If anyone in our family needed blood tomorrow, as my late mother did so many times, my grandmother would expect it to be readily available. When my mother died waiting for a kidney, my grandmother was angry that one wasn't instantly available. You cannot walk the Earth and expect such things to be given to you for nothing. If no one contributed to blood banks, donated their organs, or gave their bone marrow, then none of these things would be available to those in need of them. One cannot take more than one can give.
Um, yeah! If doctors removed your organs three days after your body has totally shut down, then the organs would have started to decay already. I tried to explain to granny dearest that organs are harvested after the brain has ceased to function, with the exception of the brain stem, but to no avail.
She had a canary when I told her that I chose to be an organ donor when I got my driver's license earlier this year. She had a cow when I told her that I wanted to join the Nation Bone Marrow Registry when I turn 18. But that's hardly surprising; she was angry when I chose to give blood back in May. It doesn't really matter, though, since I'll be eighteen in January and no one can exactly stop me.
I hate people like my grandmother. If anyone in our family needed blood tomorrow, as my late mother did so many times, my grandmother would expect it to be readily available. When my mother died waiting for a kidney, my grandmother was angry that one wasn't instantly available. You cannot walk the Earth and expect such things to be given to you for nothing. If no one contributed to blood banks, donated their organs, or gave their bone marrow, then none of these things would be available to those in need of them. One cannot take more than one can give.
10 August 2008
This one made me laugh
Sorry for the week without posts; I was in Washington, DC to look at colleges. More on that later.
Anyway, right before I left, I was browsing the interwebs and ran into this little gem of a quote from a particularly dimwitted fundie. View: "Atheists are so evil! I am glad that atheists don't rule any major countries in the world!" (That's after I fixed the grammar, so it's not verbatim.)
It's too bad, really; we atheists love to rule over things with our cute little scepters and crowns. And I love the lack of historical knowledge, since apparently Russia and China are not "major" countries. But don't tell them, it'll hurt their feelings. Which leads me to ask what exactly a "minor" country is. I propose that we impose a size restriction on all countries desiring to join the UN. That'll show 'em!
Anyway, right before I left, I was browsing the interwebs and ran into this little gem of a quote from a particularly dimwitted fundie. View: "Atheists are so evil! I am glad that atheists don't rule any major countries in the world!" (That's after I fixed the grammar, so it's not verbatim.)
It's too bad, really; we atheists love to rule over things with our cute little scepters and crowns. And I love the lack of historical knowledge, since apparently Russia and China are not "major" countries. But don't tell them, it'll hurt their feelings. Which leads me to ask what exactly a "minor" country is. I propose that we impose a size restriction on all countries desiring to join the UN. That'll show 'em!
03 August 2008
The Pope says I'm a Cardboard Box
Yay! I am a cardboard box, according to www.insidecatholic.com! Screw trying to accomplish anything in life, I'm just a faceless, nameless baby incubator! View:
And people wonder why I'm not Catholic anymore.
And people wonder why I'm not Catholic anymore.
Birth Control
I'm pretty sure that most people think that the use of birth control is reasonable. You have to thump that bible pretty hard to actually think that some invisible man up in the sky should determine how many times sperm meets egg, even though you're the one determining how many times they'll have a chance to meet. Nevertheless, my grandma (I live with my grandparents, so this is an issue) thinks that birth control is immoral. Naturally, she also loathes abortion. Here's her English-challenged response to my statement that I intend to use birth control starting next year at college:
"You think e nice a say dis?"
Yeah, that statement is probably indicative of the intelligence level of anyone who actually thinks birth control is immoral. It's "not nice" to prevent yourself from having 10 kids if you don't want them? Well, I guess I'll just have to side with Eleanor Roosevelt and say that well-behaved women rarely make history.
"You think e nice a say dis?"
Yeah, that statement is probably indicative of the intelligence level of anyone who actually thinks birth control is immoral. It's "not nice" to prevent yourself from having 10 kids if you don't want them? Well, I guess I'll just have to side with Eleanor Roosevelt and say that well-behaved women rarely make history.
02 August 2008
Calculate your God Delusion Index
Just so long as I'm perusing Youtube, I'll post this video by Edward Current. It's hilarious, and Edward is great; he has a bunch of satirical vids on Youtube. I know a few people who are, doubtless, "batshit crazy."
Ninety-Nine Balloons
I was doing random medical research online (yeah, I'm a nerd), researching trisomy disorders, and I came across this video on youtube, 99 Balloons.
(I hope that embedded properly.)
In the video, a couple learns that they are expecting a child with Trisomy 18. A normal person has 23 pairs of chromosomes (coils of DNA, essentially), making 46 chromosomes in all. Their son, Eliot, has 47 chromosomes because he has 3 copies of chromosome pair number 18. This genetic abnormality is considered to be generally incompatible with life and very few children live more than a few days with it. Little Eliot lived for 99 days.
Although I admire the love and courage that the parents showed for their baby, I have to add this family to my list of religious nuts who pray for a miracle to heal a genetic abnormality that was literally decided at conception. Either Eliot's mother or father contributed an extra chromosome via sperm or egg, through no fault of their own. But, they obviously didn't understand this, and chose to carry the baby to term. They received the diagnosis at 30 weeks, so I guess it was a bit late for an abortion, not that they would get one. (That is why expectant mothers should get an amniocentesis during the fourth month!) And they took care of the poor child who had a feeding tube and an oxygen tank attached to him for three months. I'm sorry that he had to suffer.
Oh, now to my point: the parents claim that "the living God proclaim(ed) himself through this boy who never uttered a word." I'm not really sure what message they heard.
"Next time, get an amnio?"
"Selective abortion is wrong?"
They probably wanted to hear "every life is worth bringing into the world, because Jesus loves all the little children, animals, and molecules." While I certainly don't share those convictions, I admire their tenacity in taking care of their son, since he was past the age of viability.
(I hope that embedded properly.)
In the video, a couple learns that they are expecting a child with Trisomy 18. A normal person has 23 pairs of chromosomes (coils of DNA, essentially), making 46 chromosomes in all. Their son, Eliot, has 47 chromosomes because he has 3 copies of chromosome pair number 18. This genetic abnormality is considered to be generally incompatible with life and very few children live more than a few days with it. Little Eliot lived for 99 days.
Although I admire the love and courage that the parents showed for their baby, I have to add this family to my list of religious nuts who pray for a miracle to heal a genetic abnormality that was literally decided at conception. Either Eliot's mother or father contributed an extra chromosome via sperm or egg, through no fault of their own. But, they obviously didn't understand this, and chose to carry the baby to term. They received the diagnosis at 30 weeks, so I guess it was a bit late for an abortion, not that they would get one. (That is why expectant mothers should get an amniocentesis during the fourth month!) And they took care of the poor child who had a feeding tube and an oxygen tank attached to him for three months. I'm sorry that he had to suffer.
Oh, now to my point: the parents claim that "the living God proclaim(ed) himself through this boy who never uttered a word." I'm not really sure what message they heard.
"Next time, get an amnio?"
"Selective abortion is wrong?"
They probably wanted to hear "every life is worth bringing into the world, because Jesus loves all the little children, animals, and molecules." While I certainly don't share those convictions, I admire their tenacity in taking care of their son, since he was past the age of viability.
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