Everyone who really knows me knows how much I truly hate organized religion.  I believe there’s nothing more vile and evil on this earth, but that’s me.  This particular girl’s story upsets me though, because I (and some of the others) can see that she’s in no place to make these kinds of decisions at this stage.  She can’t think rationally at all, and these fine representatives are using that against her.  It sickens me, actually, but my question to all of you, faithful readers, is why should I care?  It’s none of my business, and none of my concern if she finds some kind of solace in religion.  Why does it affect me so?

Am I any better than these church representatives in expressing my opinions to this girl?  Obviously, the advice we’ve given her is to think for herself, and understand that every situation has two sides.  We’ve implored her to read and do research, and not take anything they say as literal truth until she understands all of the angles.  I’ve been a little more blunt, actually, in telling her that these representatives are only telling her what they’ve been told themselves to teach, and they most likely don’t even know the whole truth about which they speak.  She’s confused between the information they’ve given her, and the information we (on the board) are giving her. 

Am I too biased and opinionated to keep this conversation?  Am I in any way even qualified?  I’m pretty strong about my hatred for religion.  Does this color my perception too much?  Will I do more harm than good in this situation?

I really feel like I can help this person find the correct path.  But is it the correct path for her?

Here’s the first one.  I’ll italicize my initial words, and boldface his reaction.

The passing of Prop 8 has taken away those rights for a select group of people for no other reason than ignorance and hate. This is also a simple fact.
What is the evidence for this “fact”?

The evidence is in the fact that Prop 8 passed, and the reason it passed was, in part, because of the attitudes of those who voted for it.  These attitudes stem from ignorance about the issue, to outright hate of gay people because of what these people have been taught during their lives.  The fact is, the measure was passed primarily by people who have been brought to believe that homosexuality is a sin, and because of that, anything even remotely connected to homosexuality must be bad, therefore any way of countering it must be the right thing to do.  These people got this impression from listening to their pastors or their priests, their bigoted family or friends, or the lies spread by some of the supporting institutions.  If they actually had open minds and open hearts, they would have different perspectives because they would be thinking for themselves, and not just following their programming.  The only reason people think homosexuality is wrong is because they’ve been told to believe that.  That belief has no basis in fact, only judgmental ideals.

I will tell you right now that the religious majority is the reason that Prop 8 passed.  The second biggest reason is that a good number of the people who voted for it didn’t really understand the issue, or care about it.

I don’t care what your religion, tradition, or personal beliefs are. Discrimination is WRONG. People who voted yes on this should be ashamed of themselves, and really need to take stock of their values. Are you saying this based on your personal beliefs? Why should we consider your admonition given your own carelessness regarding the beliefs of others? …simplistic definition is based on outdated religious beliefs and pointless tradition, and is in no way applicable to modern times. You said that the definition is based on “outdated religious beliefs and pointless tradition” but these are just your opinions, and it seems your stance is that someone’s beliefs shouldn’t determine law…but you think your beliefs are correct…and should be made law…

Short answer:  Yes.  Yes, I believe my beliefs are correct, and yes, this is my opinion.

Long answer:  This is my blog.  I own the domain, the space on the server, and the content within.  I think that’s a good place to state my opinions, don’t you?  Of course, not everyone will agree with my opinion.  A couple of my best friends are almost always on the opposite side of my opinion, to be honest.  That’s ok, because that’s what makes this country great.  Everyone can have an opinion, and whether you wish to believe it or not, I do indeed care about the beliefs of others.  If I find them to be agreeable, I’ll incorporate them into my own.  If not, I’ll dismiss them.

You know what else makes this country great?  Equal rights.  Of course, we don’t really have equal rights, because there are those who don’t believe in such.  Oh, they may think they do, but when it comes to a vote, their superstitions or their programming will kick in and equal rights will go right out the window.  Two of the big groups who swayed Prop 8 in favor of the “yes” position were the Latino population and the black population.  These are two groups who should KNOW BETTER, yet instead of remembering or sympathizing, they let others do their thinking for them, and in turn, made the wrong decisions.  The biggest group however, was the older population, who have a lifetime of habits and traditional perceptions.  It’s the baby boomers who ruined it for everyone.

So am I right?  Well, I believe so.  So do millions upon millions of other people.  Time will tell, of course.  But if history proves anything, we know how that’s gonna turn out, now don’t we?  The FACT is that It’s not about religion or homosexuality or my opinion or your opinion, it’s about equality and the rights of the people.  It’s just a matter of time.

“I wasn’t here 2 million years ago,” Fanti said. “If evolution is so slow, why don’t we see anything evolving now?”

One would think that Mr. Fanti would be an educated person.  If he’s at a school board meeting, one would also assume he’s a parent.  In my opinion, he is qualified to be neither.  The sad thing is, Mr. Fanti was allowed to speak past his allotted time, and he ended his swan dive into stupidity with cheers from the audience.  Mr. Fanti must be proud that everyone else is apparently as stupid as he is.

Now the school board of Brunswick county, which, by the way, struggles with low test scores, poor graduation rates, and a history of inappropriate conduct, is trying to pass a measure instituting the teaching of Creationism within its schools.  They claim that it is unfair to teach Evolution as fact, because it’s a “theory” that can’t be proved.  Huh?

the·o·ry

Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural the·o·ries
Etymology:
Late Latin theoria, from Greek the?ria, from the?rein
Date:
1592
1: the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another

Evidently, the school board of Brunswick county, North Carolina needs to find a dictionary and learn the meaning of the word “theory.”

Here’s the article if you want to read it for yourself.

I’m not going to go into the whole Creationism vs. Evolution debate here.  Chances are, you’ve made up your mind (as you should) about this yourself, and nothing I say will (or should) change it, but I do want to bottom line it.

Evolution is science.  Period, end of discussion.  There should be no argument about what Evolution is, what Evolution does, and the fact that Evolution is real.  There is NO ARGUMENT.  This needs to be taught to our kids so that they can grow up to be sensible, educated and intelligent beings who exist on this planet in this age.  A theory is NOT a guess, is is a scientifically-proved fact, understood to the best of our knowledge, but subject to change if proved different.

Creationism is religion.  Religion is NOT science, and should NOT be taught as such to our children in Science class.  Creationism should be taught to our children in Religious Studies class, or Church.  Not only that, but know that there are lots of different creation stories.  Our children should have the opportunity to learn them all.  This is called “knowledge”, and this “knowledge” is hopefully what keeps our children from becoming brain-dead cretins like the school board of Brunswick county, North Carolina.

And if that wasn’t definite enough, the Constitution of the United States of America says that there is a Separation of Church and State, which in this case, in simplified terms, means that it is ILLEGAL to teach religion to our kids in a public institution.  PERIOD.

Why does this argument persist?

Everyone knows who George Carlin was.  Not everyone liked his particular brand of humor, which was always sharp and punctuated with crisp four-letter words and divergent thoughts, but to me it wasn’t always about his humor.  What I liked about Carlin was how razor sharp his mind could be.  How he took everyday topics and shone a light down upon them, making them brighter and more defined, and forced you to look at them in ways you never thought about.  He was a master of logic and thought, and never let even the small details go unnoticed.  No one was safe.  Nothing was safe.  Everything and everybody was fair game.

And he was right. 

I’ll repeat that:  He was right.

No one pushed the envelope more than George.  No one had more balls.  The greatest comedian in my lifetime.  One of the greatest thinkers ever.  An inspiration to me most definitely, and many millions of others.  One of the smartest people who ever lived.  Ever.

The whole world is dimmer somehow…

Carlin on language.

Carlin on environmentalism.

Carlin on religion:

Carlin on voting:

Carlin on intelligence and fat people:

There are so many more moments.  Do yourself a favor and watch them all.

Bye George.  We miss you already.

No, I’m not Mormon.  As far as I know, there’s not a single bit of Mormon history anywhere in my family.  I will admit I didn’t even know what a Mormon really was before I moved here.  Sure, I’ve seen the TV commercials when I was a kid.  I remember them vaguely, having something to do with happy families or responsibility or lying. They were always bright and happy, and each one ended with a voiceover saying “from the Mormons! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” Beyond this, I had no ideas.

I’ve also had people ask, “Are you going to become a Mormon?” I think that’s an interesting question too, and the inflection is different depending on who is asking. If someone from outside the state asks, it’s usually with distain. They say “Mormon” like it’s a curse. If it’s someone from Utah, and especially if it’s a member of the Church, it’s spoken more from disbelief, as if joining the church is simply a given, and they can’t understand why I wouldn’t want to. The way the question is asked says a lot.

I can tell you one of the reasons I’m not a Mormon though, and it’s a simple answer. I’m not from around here. I didn’t grow up with that culture. I’m sure if I had hailed from Utah or Idaho or even Nevada, there would have been that possibility. However, where I’m from, Mormons are simply unheard of.

Thinking back, I did know some Mormons growing up. It never occurred to me then, and they didn’t advertise themselves in any way. I remember thinking it odd that this family had six or seven kids, and every couple of years a new one would arrive, but I suppose I just shrugged it off as a big family. To each their own.

When I lived in an apartment in Columbus, Ohio, a nice young couple moved in across the breezeway from me. The woman was about 22ish, and her husband was maybe 24-25 at the most. I thought they were way young, but they were cool. What struck me most about them was how friendly they always seemed. I remember them taking a blanket out into the yard in front of the apartment on occasion and sitting together, reading out of a book which I assumed was a bible or something. They were spiritual and joyful, and really good people. Roughly six or so months later, they had a cute little baby and a whole new round of excitement and joy spread through the building. Again, thinking back, they were obviously LDS. I didn’t see it though, and even the BYU license plate bracket on their car didn’t tip me off. I was that naive. They moved away shortly thereafter and I never really got a chance to know them all that well.

I’m not relating all of this to be judgmental. I have nothing against other people’s beliefs, and I’m not patronizing anyone.  I’m simply saying that I believe religion is as much cultural as anything else. Where you grow up and what the people around you believe has a big impact on what you believe. It’s tough to break away from something when it’s all you’ve known your whole life. I was raised pretty much non-denominational, although the church I regularly attended was Methodist. I grew up with these principles and never really questioned them until later. To me, that’s simply how things were. Since I was surrounded by like-minded people, I simply assumed that other religions were wrong. Everything I knew what right, and if you believed otherwise, you were simply misinformed. It’s very cultural.

These days I’m not religious at all. I received my own personal revelation some years back, and I have a very strong faith that it’s the correct way to think. Namely, that God (or whatever Deity you believe in) doesn’t care what religion you follow. I was made to understand that earthly religions were important only so far as that people need structure to believe. All the rules set forth by scripture or revelation is nothing more than mans feeble attempt to put human structure and interpretation into something he can barely comprehend. It’s all made-up. God wants simply for you to be a good person, to the best of your abilities. None of that other stuff is even slightly important. In fact, the impression that I got is that God’s take on organized religion was pure amusement. I don’t know… I think it’s important to believe in something bigger than yourself, and to have faith that you can make the right decisions and do the right things, but I don’t need an organization or a church to tell me what to do or wear or say or think. Yes. I believe that’s it. I managed to make it personal, and ignore the cultural pressure. I made the right choice.

Anyway, that’s why I don’t subscribe. I may live in Utah, but I’m not a part of the culture. I’ll never be a part of the culture, because I’ve been able to break away and find my own spiritual path. I don’t need a structure and I don’t need a culture to tell me what’s right and what’s wrong. Some people do.  In fact, I’d say that most people do.  For me however, I can find it within myself.

Of course, there are the opposing views. Let me share a couple from an internet forum:

“Once again the Bible’s teachings have been thrown under the bus. We will all be held accountable one day for all we have done.”

Fine. Everyone can have their say. That’s what makes us unique as individuals, but this guy is damning the whole race because of something he doesn’t agree with. Kinda harsh.

“It is unconscionable that the CA Supreme Court could ignore the overwhelmng will of the people when they passed Prop. 22, specifically designating marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Next it will be legal to marry my dog. California has become an embarrassment.”

Interesting point about Prop. 22, but it’s old news. When he says “the will of the people”, he means people that think the way he does. Kinda presumptuous to lump everybody in that category, when some of the “people” have a different will.

“If there is anyt issue that will revive talk about a secession from the union, this is it. Governor Schwarzenegger and McCain need to rethink there constitutional amendment stances.”

I find it funny when people try to phrase things in an intellectual sense, and then fail to proofread what they just wrote. Maybe it’s passion talking, but if you want to appear intelligent, fix your grammar and spelling. Otherwise, your argument (to me at least) is irrelevant. If you aren’t smart enough to know the difference between “there” and “their”, how can I believe you’re smart enough to back your position?

This whole thing doesn’t necessarily effect me personally, at least on the most basic level. For the record, I’m straight. Guys don’t do it for me, sorry, but I support this whole-heartedly for this reason: I think equal rights are important, and I think this is a step in the right direction. I think it’s time that people stop living in the past or letting their personal thoughts be dictated by a religion or a tradition. Open your minds, good things will come of it.

I promise.

Vegans

I get it.  You don’t eat meat.  You don’t eat anything that’s ever had anything to do with an animal of any kind because you feel some moral obligation toward the creature.  No meat, eggs, milk, nothing.  I get it, I really do because I personally don’t eat vegetables.  None at all.  So I kinda know where you’re coming from, and a little bit of how you feel.  I’m not opposed to vegetables, and I know they’re a great source of all kinds of good stuff, I simply don’t like them. 

I recognize the health issues I face by not eating veggies.  But do you realize the health issues you face by not eating meat or dairy?  I know you know the excuses, but do you know the reasons?    The human body has evolved to eat and process meat and dairy along with vegetables and fruit.  That’s how it’s built.  Meat and dairy products are very healthy and provide proteins and carbohydrates and vitamins that your body needs to function.  Some of these cannot be had by fruits or vegetables, or even by supplements.  By forcing your body to live without these nutrients, you are malnourishing yourself.

I know that I sound hypocritical, but there’s a difference.  I can, have, and will eat a vegetable.  I’m not opposed to them for any other reason than I simply don’t like them.  I know meat used to be a living creature, but then again so did a vegetable.  I can understand not liking something because of texture or taste, but not eating meat or dairy and depriving yourself of essential nutrients because of some strange ethical belief?  I don’t get it.

Gas Prices

This is one of those things that has just got to stop.  There is simply no reason why gasoline should cost as much as it does.  Not only is it severely over priced, but the price keeps going up, all for no reason.

I read an article recently that some expert somewhere was quoted as saying that gas prices were rising because of “market speculation”.  Translating this, it means gas prices are going up because investors think gas prices are going to go up.  Am I the only one confused here?  This is ridiculous. 

I have a friend who used to work the oil platforms down in Houston, Texas.  He spent many years doing this, and is intimately educated on the process of oil and oil refinement as it pertains to gasoline.  He also keeps up on political issues and is intelligent and well educated.  I asked him not long ago how much a gallon of gasoline should cost, factoring in refinement costs and realistic profits for oil companies.  His answer, “about a buck.”

The real reason is simply greed.  Every American know that though, and no amount of horseshit shoveled by politicians and oil company executives and foreign leaders and everybody else is going to change that understanding.  Oil companies, backed by a statement from the President, have said point-blankly that price-gouging is not the reason.  Yet the oil companies have produced record profits continually, and the President is a heavy investor in oil.  We aren’t that stupid people. 

And despite what the wacky environmentalists say, there is no oil shortage.  None whatsoever.  There’s more oil in Alaska than all the entire Middle Eastern countries combined. 

It’s greed, pure and simple.  Too many people make too much money from the price-gouging, the artificial “shortages”, and the over-inflated value of oil for the price to ever be reasonable.  Most of those people are not you or me, and we get stuck with the check.

Advanced Algebra

No, I don’t understand it.  I hate hate hate Algebra.  I hate all Math, really, but I hate advanced Algebra with a passion.  Just give me the damn number already, and stop screwing around with all the letters.  X=Y is NOT an answer or solution to a calculation of any kind, no matter what you say.  AARRGGHH!

I’ve been at war with Algebra ever since I failed it in High School.  Twice.  It just doesn’t make any artistic sense.  I told my teacher repeatedly that I had no use, and will never have any use for it.  She said I was wrong, and that I’d find out after school what a valuable subject it was.

Guess what?  20 freaking years after High School I have yet to EVER use advanced Algebra even once!  HA!  In fact, I never intend to use it.  If there ever is any need for whatever reason why I would need advanced Algebra for anything, I’ll simply enlist a Math Nerd.  That’s what they’re for.  I’ll be over here being artistic, and you can keep your pointless letter/number combination game.

Creationists

Seems I can do nothing but sigh in this case.  This is the 21st century last I checked, yet some people still cling to beliefs that were outdated centuries ago.

Religion is a different topic for a different time.  There’s simply too much to say about it for now, so I won’t go into it.  I’ll say this though:  Isn’t it about time to put away the superstitious nonsense once and for all?  I’m not talking about faith or belief or any of that.  Worship all the gods you like in whatever fashion you see fit, but understand a few things too.  There is zero, and I mean ZERO evidence in creationism and mysticism, and OVERWHELMING evidence in evolution and science.  The answer is all around you.  You have but to open your eyes (and your mind) and look.  This isn’t about faith, it’s about fact.  Creationists, I don’t understand you.

The “Green” Movement

This will be my last topic, because this post is getting a little long.  I have to start watching that.

The Earth is billions of years old.  Yes Creationists, I said billions.  Deal with it.  In that time, she has gone through all kinds of situations.  Floods, fires, volcanoes, tsunamis, ice ages, warming, meteor impacts, plagues, infestations, populations, extinctions, rebirths, continental drift, sunspots, shifting magnetic poles, radiation baths, ozone depletion, poison atmospheric conditions (oxygen),  earthquakes, hurricanes… the list is endless.  Almost all of these situations are violent to some degree, yet the earth is still here.  You could also argue that these situations are also normal and beneficial in their own rights.  But beyond that, the earth is just fine.  Doing pretty well, thank you.  You see, the earth is a vast organism in its own right, constantly changing and adapting and evolving (Creationists, I’m glaring at you).  It’s a very organic process, and it’s very balanced.  For all the bad things that happen, good things happen too.  That’s how it is.

The earth goes through periods of warming.  It also has periods of cooling.  This again is normal behavior for a complex organism in a state of balance.  It has to be.  Right now, for example, we are evidently going through one of those warming periods.  It could last a while too.  Maybe hundreds of years.  The earth doesn’t care, she deals with this all the time.  Many times, in fact. 

We humans, in our ignorance and our arrogance, seem to think we are causing  it.  Well, there’s an off chance that we may be exacerbating it by an infinitesimally small fraction of a percentage, but our impact is quite negligible to the earth itself.  The earth has been through far worse than us, more times than we can possibly fathom.  The earth laughs at our carbon emissions and spits them back in our faces.

There are crazy people that think we’re destroying the planet.  These crazy people are stating that we need to be “green” and protect our environment, otherwise the planet is in severe jeopardy from our SUVs and our discarded McDonald’s cups.  “The planet is slowly dying” say the crazy people, and as proof of their ideas, they make up horrible fatalistic scenarios like “global warming” and “ozone depletion”.  The earth doesn’t give a shit about these things, believe me.  She’s seen them all before.

Global warming is a natural condition of the cycle of the earth.  We just happen to be here to see it.  There is a likelihood that we won’t be here to see the end of it, however.  Not unless we learn to adapt to it.  If the earth wants to heat up and melt all the icebergs and flood the oceans, there isn’t much we can do about it except learn how to deal with it.  Our trivial technology isn’t causing it.  The best we can do is learn to adapt our technology to live with it.  We cannot destroy this planet.  Not with any technology we have now, or have ever had in the past.  To think that is the embodiment of arrogance, and it’s that arrogance that’s the real danger. 

Protect the environment.  Sure, why not?  Do it for us though, and not the planet.  Do it the right way too, not with politics or propaganda or rock concerts.  We could probably do with fewer giant SUVs hogging the road, and it’s a good idea to discard your trash in the proper and provided receptacle.  Still, quit freaking out about it.  Quit telling me I’m not “green” and look after yourself.  Quit making up doomsday scenarios that you can’t even give justification for in any scientific sense.  And stop giving credence to all these Chicken Littles crying out about how the sky is falling.  If the earth wants to crush us with falling sky, she will, regardless of however many Toyota Priuses we drive.

Earth doesn’t care.  If we wipe ourselves out, she’ll simply seed another life form to take our place.  Don’t think so?  She’s done it before.