Shit that Pissed me off This Week – 3/22
MegaChurch Pastor Told his Teenaged Girlfriend That Jesus Wanted them to be Together
Jack Schaap has pled guilty to taking a minor across state lines for the purpose of having sex. He’s not the first middle-aged guy who has shacked up with a teenager who looked up to him.
But I’m sure he’s been preaching about the abomination of homosexuality and possibly fornication and then he seems powerless to control his own lust. He even went so far as to tell his young lover that Jesus wanted them to be together.
Go ahead and do her, buddy! I’m behind you 100%! You don’t mind if I watch, do you?
I’m sure he’ll blame his behavior on the devil rather than himself. What will never occur to him (or his flock) is to question how a man so in tune with God could succumb to the same base lusts he condemns in other people. I’m sure he prayed to god for the strength to stop cheating on his wife with a child. Why didn’t god stop him? Why did he instead decide that god wanted him to do it?
It’s like the god he believed in didn’t really exist.
Geeks Without God tackles Alcoholism, part 1
We took a different approach to the next couple of episodes of Geeks Without God. We have two friends who are both recovering alcoholics and we wanted to talk to them about their experience. See, AA includes a lot of talk about giving yourself over to god to fight your addiction and how do you deal with that if you are an atheist/agnostic? Rather that the two of them separately, we recorded each podcast with one of them as the “primary” guest and the other one listening in. That allowed for both of them to contribute to a particular conversation.
It was a really good way to approach the topic, I think. Listen to this week’s episode and decide for yourself!
Geeks Without God Explore a Creationist Science Fair
This week’s episode features newly “out” atheist Rob Callhan, who recently visited a creationist science fair. While we’d hoped for stories of truly horrifying science, there was unfortunately very little to be discovered. Instead, Rob told us about the organization that organizes the fair and their scary rules for the kids to follow. Rob also shares his experience when he came out as an atheist to write this article. It is rather elightening to listen to him talk about his experience because while it is typical, it is not what most might expect.
Rob is another great guest and we were very pleased to have him. Thanks, Rob!
Shit that Pissed me Off this Week – 3/8
Video Showing Income Disparity in America
I don’t talk a lot about income disparity and tax structure in America because frankly the argument bores me. There seems to be this idea that we all have a right to get rich and therefore the system is fair and us liberals should shut up about it.
But look, the system is not fair. It is designed to ensure that people with money will have an amazingly easy time making more of it while people without money will have a nearly impossible time doing the same. Hard work alone does not get you “ahead.”
Not only that, we need janitors and teachers and police officers and firefighters and none of those people are getting paid well. And they never will. The people with the wealth are not the people doing the jobs that absolutely have to get done. I’m tired of the idea that anyone can get ahead in this country.
I’ll wager that this guy is not actually one of the top 1%
The solution is not as simple as just taxing the 1% that controls the vast majority of the wealth in this country because they will still control the vast majority of the wealth in this country. I’m not saying I know the solution.
But I can sure as fuck recognize a problem.
Geeks Without God Explores Another Movie
So this week, we decided to watch “Religulous;” Bill Maher’s film about religion, and record a podcast about it. Molly took copious notes on the movie and, I have to say, made me look like a complete douche because I didn’t actually take any notes at all. I just watched the movie like a freaking amateur. I think that for all of us, the movie represented something of a turning point in our rejection of the god hypothesis.
For me, the movie represented the first time I really understood the stakes of failing to say that I was an atheist. Every time I chose not to simply be up front about who I was and what I believed, I was making it that much harder for the next person who felt the same way. Maher wasn’t afraid to say that he rejected religion and it made it easier for me to say the same thing.
So this week’s podcast is about our thoughts about the film. Enjoy!
Shit that Pissed me Off – 3/1
North Carolina Student Could be Expelled for “Intimidating” her Rapist
What is happening here is a young woman was sexually abused by her ex-boyfriend. She has been speaking out about it and calling on UNC to improve how they deal with students who have been sexually assaulted. The University has responded by telling her that her speech is “intimidating” her rapist.
Well first off, who gives a fuck if a rapist is being intimidated? Fuck him. If he didn’t want the negative publicity that comes from raping someone, he shouldn’t have done it.
I’m so afraid that I’d get caught again!
I can understand that there would be some concern for this young rapist if she was calling him out by name everywhere but she isn’t. She isn’t naming him at all. She’s just pointed out that some guy was sexually abusive and the University has done dick about it. If he’s being intimidated, it is because she’s trying to make it harder for him to rape again.
Well, I can see why that would scare him. It makes perfect sense that the University would need to protect him.
Geeks Without God is Extra Geeky this Week
Our friend Matt Savelkoul joined us for this week’s podcast and after some talk about how he came to atheism, we got down and dirty with Dr. Who. We talked about all the ways the show is presented as existing in a secular universe. The whole conversation gets pretty geeky. That, of course, is the whole concept behind the podcast so I think we were pretty successful. Even if you aren’t a Who fan, it is a great conversation about secularism in popular media. And Dr. Who. We do talk about Dr. Who. Quite a bit.
Shit that Pissed me off this Week – 2/15
Georgia Lawmaker Wants to Make it Illegal to make Fun of People (Specifically Him) on the Internet
Whether or not making mean-spirited jokes about people is wrong, it isn’t illegal. And it shouldn’t be.
Because honestly, who’s to judge which statements are worth fining and which are not?
Right. A Judge. OK. I knew that.
Like this guy.
You know, the thing that bugs me about people who choose to engage in public service is how surprised some of them are when people make fun of them. Sometimes they deserve it. Sometimes they don’t.
In a country as ideologically divided as we are, however, it is going to happen. Constantly.
You have two choices. You can grow thicker skin or you can introduce laws designed to ensure people will make even more fun of you.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many people do the latter.
Alphabetical Movie – Left Behind
Left Behind requires no suspension of disbelief because it expects that you already believe. There can be no other explanation for the film. If you haven’t already been brainwashed into accepting the kooky concept of rapture, this movie is not going to convince you that it is anything but kooky.
The god of the rapture is a dick. I would enjoy having a debate with anyone who thinks otherwise and I would use this movie as an example.
Let’s look at a few examples taken right out of Left Behind, shall we?
On The differences between Satire and Bigotry
.jpg)
Yesterday, I posted a satirical post about the Pope. I was happy with it. I thought it was pretty silly. I was especially pleased when I called him “Benedict the Cumberbatch.” Comedy genius, I tell ya!
I knew that it might upset a few Catholics if they read it and that was totally OK. That’s what happens when you write a blog post that is critical of the Papacy – even if it is primarily written as a joke. If someone doesn’t like the joke, the intent is not relevant.
Well, a friend of mine shared the post and then a friend of hers got pretty upset about it and we had a conversation. He kept saying he didn’t want to have a conversation but he actions suggested otherwise. I guess he was obsessed with someone being wrong on the internet. I get that. I’ve been there.
No sarcasm. I’ve been this guy. Thanks, XKCD!
Grail Diary 