The Bible Is Not The Word of God

I'm Actually An Atheist

     In the aftermath of the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma last Monday, the media went into a frenzy. CNN's  Wolf Blitzer was out interviewing victims of the tornado when he came across Rebecca Vitsmun. Wolf asked her if she had thanked the lord for saving her. Rebecca's response was that she was actually an Atheist. This was very brave of her since she lives in one of the most religious states in the U.S. I commend her for speaking out on national television.
     Since the interview, stand up comic Doug Stanhope launched a campaign titled "Atheists Unite" to raise money for Rebecca and her family to rebuild.
     Oklahoma's freethought convention, which is scheduled for June 22, is selling t-shirts on their website to benefit Vitsmun.  The t-shirts read "I'm actually an Atheist".

     It's wonderful to see Atheists support one of their own in a time of need.

Religion Comes To Cougar Town

     Sometimes you just need to relax and give your brain a rest.  The way that I do this is by watching sitcoms on Television.  I just turn it on and for 30 minutes I don't think about world problems or about my business or anything.  One of my favorite shows has been "Cougar Town" which airs on TBS on Tuesday nights. "Cougar Town" stars the lovely Courtney Cox and a witty cast that is normally fun and silly.

     However last Tuesday night I was not laughing.  "The Show" decided to bring religion to Cougar Town.  I don't know who made this decision, but I was not amused.  In one of the first scenes of this episode, Jules(played by Courtney Cox) along with her boyfriend Grayson, her son, and her friend Ellie sit down for dinner.

Jules Cobb: … You know the drill! Family prayer before family food!      Hands? Okay, Dear Lord, thank  you so much for our friends and our family. Thank you for this wonderful food and…

Grayson Ellis: *Deep sigh*

Jules Cobb: What was that?

Grayson Ellis: Hm? Nothing.

Jules Cobb: Do you have a problem with the family prayer?

Grayson Ellis: No, I mean… I don’t love holding hands with Mr. Sweaty Palms or Lady Lizard Skin… I don’t know, I guess I just find it a little — what word won’t offend you — silly?

Jules Cobb: Alright… dinner’s over.

Later, in another scene, they discuss their differences.

Jules Cobb: I can’t believe you’d mock my prayer! My cooking? Sure. The way I use my finger to get food out of the back of my teeth and then use that same finger to stir the gravy? Mock away.

Grayson Ellis: I’m really sorry.

Jules Cobb: Do you even listen to what I’m saying when I do the prayer?

Grayson Ellis: I hear you start… and then I snap back when you say, “Amen.”

Jules Cobb: What about the middle?

Grayson Ellis: Well… that’s my time.

Jules Cobb: I thought we had the same ideas about faith. What do you believe in?

Grayson Ellis: I would say… I don’t believe in anything.

     By the end of the show Grayson pretends to pray to show Jules how much he cares for her.  I was so disgusted.  I hope they drop this nonsense and get back to actual nonsense or I will not be watching this show anymore.

Robertson: Worth it to Pray Away Demons on Clothes, Inanimate Objects

Apparently demons are everywhere. According to Pat Robertson even clothes from Goodwill could contain unwanted spirits. I don't understand how anyone can believe this as I have never witnessed any un-natural or super-natural activities with any inanimate objects. I am reminded however of a time when my brother bought a painting for his home. Our Dad noticed the new painting and after inspecting it he saw that the painting had been printed in Amityville,New York. So in our Dad's crazy religious mind, the painting had to be possessed because it had the word Amityville on it. I guess after seeing the movie "Amityville Horror" he thought anything related to the town must be taken over by demons. He then took the painting outside and burned it.

Arizona Is At It Again

     Republicans in Arizona have proposed a bill that would require students to recite an oath before they can receive their high school diploma.  Apparently all the math, science, and history classes are not enough to prove that these students are qualified to graduate.

     The bill put forth by the Arizona legislature is HB 2467.  According to this bill the students would have say:  I, ________, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge these duties; so help me god.

     There are many things wrong with this oath, but as an Atheist I am most concerned with the last line. When will the Christian-Right finally understand that not everyone believes in their god or any god at all.  The Arizona legislators time could be better spent working on improving education instead of wasting time pushing their bullshit religion.

Robertson: Women Usually to Blame for Troubled Marriages

I do not understand why some women would follow men like this. 

Expose Peter Popoff

     A few nights ago I awoke and turned on the TV.  I was shocked to see an infomercial for Peter Popoff Ministries.  I had not heard that name in awhile.  I thought he was in prison or dead. If you don’t know who Peter Popoff is then let me give you a short history lesson.  He was a televangelist in the 1980’s and a self proclaimed prophet and faith healer who conducted revival meetings.  Skeptics James Randi and Alec Jason secretly video taped  his method of receiving information about revival attendees from his wife via an in-ear receiver.  They then exposed  him on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.  Later that year, 1987, Popoff filed for bankruptcy.
     Popoff is now at it again.  He is now pushing Miracle Spring Water, for a donation of course.  He claims that if you get the water then you will receive “miracle money” from god.  You can see a clip of the infomercial on his website  www.peterpopoff.org . If you watched the clip then you may have noticed that most of the participants were older African-Americans.  Popoff tells them they will receive their miracle money to pay off debts.  He is the worst kind of con artist, preying on the elderly, desperate, and gullible.   Peter Popoff needs to be exposed once more.