During our early religious indoctrination, most of us were told stories from the Bible about Satan. He was an evil, demon-man, a fallen angel lording over the underworld of Hell while causing mischief in the upper world, patiently awaiting sinners, backsliders, and non-believers so he could torture their souls forever. And God, being omnipotent and…
As children, we all “learned” in school about the adventures and exploits of Christopher Columbus: the brave explorer who set out on a perilous mission to discover the New World. He was sold to us as a folk hero, a man to be admired. Banks would close, and we would get a day off from…
…you have to get paid for it or else you’re going to be locked up.” ~ Hunter S. Thompson (July 18, 1937 – Feb 20, 2005) Today, on what would have been his 76th birthday, I wanted to post something about my favorite journalist/author, Hunter Stockton Thompson. But as I thought about what to write,…
“Interestingly enough, I have found that the prayers I offer to the sun and the prayers I formerly offered to God are all answered at about the same 50% rate.” ~ George Carlin I was talking to a friend today who told me a story about answered prayers. Their only car broke down, and they…
“I’m proud we are standing up for religious freedom in our state. Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion.” ~ Rick Perry 13 June 2013 Rick Perry, who has been the governor of Texas for what feels like an eternity, signed the “Merry Christmas Bill” into law today. The bill—HB 308—authored by Rep. Dwayne…
“Man is kind enough when he is not excited by religion.” ~ Mark Twain “If you are really bothered by gay people getting married, you’re an asshole. End of fucking story.” ~ Joe Rogan I served as a squad leader in the U.S. Army Infantry, including a combat tour during the early stages of the…
It’s time once again for Fun with Biblical Interpretation! In this installment, we dive into the second chapter of the second book of Kings, specifically verses 23–24—everyone’s favorite tale of heavenly vengeance and wild animal attacks! 2 Kings 2:23–24 (KJV) 23 And he (Elisha) went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up…
“It was true that I didn’t have much ambition, but there ought to be a place for people without ambition, I mean a better place than the one usually reserved. How in the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 6:30 a.m. by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss,…
Time for some fun with biblical interpretation! The Bible is a weird, psychedelic collection of books. Take, for example, Ezekiel Chapter 1, Verses 4-24. Is the author employing a parable or analogy to describe some event of great importance? Is he using the limited vocabulary of his time to describe an extraterrestrial spaceship landing in…
“I don’t know if God exists, but it would be better for His reputation if He didn’t.”~ Jules Renard “All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.”~ Thomas Paine Just because I don’t…
For years, adherents of Christian fundamentalism have insisted that “the gays” should not be allowed to marry, as it is clearly forbidden in the Bible. It is a great sin, they say. God has declared that homosexuality is wrong, and you shall surely burn in Hell. The passage most often cited to support this rhetoric…
Structure is what we dream of. We create governments, write laws, invent organized religions, arrange ourselves into neat little family units, and go about our lives assuming that everything is in order, just as we wish it to be. We are Homo sapiens, and we feel that our large brains and opposable thumbs set us…
Approximately 8 billion years from now, our great star will become a red giant, doubling in size, engulfing the Earth, and life as we know it will cease to exist. Of course, we don’t have to worry about that. In the next billion years, long before it burns out, our star will continue to grow…
Chaos challenges our need for control and order, but ancient philosophies and modern science suggest it’s integral to growth.
the chaos section 