Facebook Faith #34 If It Walks Like A Duck

And I support A&E's right to let go of
employees who say dumb things
publicly

If you were on Facebook today, your newsfeed probably blew up with posts about Mr. Duck. I had many lengthy conversations.  Here are a couple things I noticed:

• There are a hell of a lot of people who do not understand what the Constitution has to say about free speech
• Many people believe all opinions have equal validity
• Folks LOVE when someone speaks their mind (on a subject they agree with)
• Sarcasm and condescension only work in the mind of the person using the tactic
• Those who dish it out can rarely take it
• Blaming the victim is really popular
• Some of my Facebook friends are adept at "Palining" (ignore the question and just keep repeating your talking point)
• Defending homosexuals makes you anti-Christian
• Christianity is all over the map on the issue of Homosexuality
• If you don't cherry pick scripture the way I cherry pick scripture, then you are not a real Christian
• You are a bigot if you don't tolerate bigotry
• Homophobes HATE being called Homophobes

Facebook Faith #33 - Deconverting From The Demonic

When this drifted through my newsfeed last night I sighed and smiled. It is so true. As a believer, I could never have imagined or dreamed how freeing it would feel to be released from a world infested with angels and demons.

It takes a while to be free from this world. Even when I realised I was no longer a Christian, no longer a believer, I was not yet free.

Deconversion is not merely an intellectual exercise. I had made the mental shift, but disconnecting the emotions and untangling the superstitions from my thoughts was a longer process. Though the heavy work seems to be now finished, I still occasionally find tokens of my former thinking hidden away in drawers.

I spent most of my 45 years in a Christian culture where angels, demons, and deities were hidden behind every corner and influencing every event. People were always telling stories about how they were "under attack by the evil one" or "going through a trial orchestrated by God". If you got the job you wanted, it was a gift of God; if you didn't, He simply has something better in mind. Every good fortune and every tragic circumstance, had its origins in the hand of some unseen force. If you are an intuitive person with a gift for words, you can become quite popular by assigning spiritual meanings to these life events.

Looking in life's rearview mirror, I can see now the toll that all of this superstitious tea leaf reading has on the psyche. It is a heavy juggling act of performance and appearance. The believer is involved in a wide array of emotional and mental gymnastics to give these events divine meaning, while interpreting them in a way that is acceptable to the community.

The release from that pressure is freedom. Things are what they are. The same amount of good and bad circumstances befall me as ever have.... there were never any unseen forces at work. Now that I know that, life is better because I now deal with reality... as reality.

I occasionally have believers tell me that they are praying for me. They are sure my rejection of religion is the result of my being angry with god, or being disappointed with other believers. Once I "get over that", they are confident I will be back into the faith better than ever.

"I know Jehovah God is real. I feel him and his presence in my life daily. ...I see him moving everywhere I look. ... I am going to pray that God will reveal himself to you. You won't be able to escape it. I can't wait to hear your testimony one day. "

No. There is no one moving. There is no one to reveal. There is nothing to escape. I am simply being invited to put on, once more, the mental chains I have cast aside. Though perhaps offered with kindness and good intent, there simply could not be anything less appealing. To quote CS Lewis from his book The Great Divorce:

"If a corpse already liquid with decay had arisen from the coffin, smeared its gums with lipstick, and attempted a flirtation, the result could not be more appalling. "

I am in a world of freedom and (again to quote Lewis from the same book) "out of it I will not go!"

The Heart of God

We are probably all familiar with the scene from the Matrix where Neo is waiting for the Oracle. He meets a mystic boy  who is bending spoons with his mind. The boy offers a spoon to Neo.

Boy:  Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.

Neo:  What truth?

Boy:  There is no spoon.

Neo:  There is no spoon?

Boy:  Then you’ll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

I was a Christian for about 30 years.  During that time, my Christianity moved from Hell-fire certainty to Universal brotherhood.  In all those years I heard countless people telling me what the heart of God is... words upon words.  Then one day, I had a conversation with that mystic boy.

Boy:  Do not try to find the heart of God. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.

Me:  What truth?

Boy:  There is no God.

Me:  There is no God?

Boy:  Then you’ll see, that it is not the heart of God that you are discovering, it is only yourself.

I came to realize that my shift from believing in a God who could send his children to Hell, to no longer believing that was even remotely possible, had nothing to do with a change in God. It was a change in me.  With that insight, came the realization that everyone's view of God is merely a reflection of their own heart. That pastor, or rabbi, or priest, or believer who is telling you about God is really only telling you about their own heart. They know nothing of any deity.

None of us do.

Facebook Faith # 32 - Why I Speak Out

There are plenty of kind, well meaning religious people. They do lots of great things and have angst toward no one. These people come to mind when I consider going easier on the religious critiques.

But then another bunch of religious garbage plugs my reader feed and I remember that those folks are the religious outliers and not the religious norm.  The following is an example of why Atheists need to speak out - even if it at times creates some tension.

Recently a young man named Ronnie Smith was murdered in Libya. He was there as a teacher with an international school. He leaves behind a wife and son.

He was also a Christian. I don't know to what extent he was using his position as a wedge to proselytize in the culture. To be honest, I don't care to know. It does not change the tragedy.

However, conservative evangelical pastor John Piper seems to think his reason for being there was to bring people to the Christian faith.  As such, Piper views Smith's death as a small price to pay when weighed against the souls Smith saved from "something worse than death".  Piper goes on:

"I call thousands of you to take Ronnie’s place. They will not kill us fast enough. Let the replacements flood the world."

Piper is not calling on people to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, or teach the uneducated. To Piper, and much of Christendom, the call to harm's way is about the after-life. This life is nothing but a preparation for the next. Choose wrongly, and you will be assigned to a never-ending horror show - by a god who loves you.  Piper wants to get you on the right team before you die.

Religious people like Piper set culture against culture. They create soldiers to fight an imagined and contrived war.  They encourage people to waste time and resources in battles that do nothing for humanity. Worse, in cases like this, they celebrate tragedy; confident it is another score for their team.

Beyond that, they go on to encourage others to sacrifice their precious lives for these mythical errands.

The power of these horrible, life-draining myths are becoming weaker with each passing day. Let us speed their end.

Franklin Graham: Name Dropper

Franklin Graham is a tool.

Just needed to clear the air of any biases up front.

I have written about his shenanigans, both when I was a believer and as an Atheist.

To be honest, I do not know enough about his father to offer any real commentary - except to say this: When I was a conservative republican Christian, I never thought Billy was on my side. Later, when I was a liberal universalist Christian, I never thought Billy was on my side. Billy was an Evangelist; and as such, had a motivation that transcended mere team play.

Franklin has no such ecumenicism. He has chosen a side, and fights vigorously for that side. If he needs to partake in hyperbole, slander, misrepresentation - or dragging his dad out for photo ops to buttress against his lack of recognition - he will do it.

Really, I can't adequately describe how low I think Franklin is without the use of some choice cuss words.

Defending Black Friday

My Black Friday shopping in the past few years has been minimal. Nowadays I try to snag a few deals online (which I have this year) and call it a day.

But years ago, I used to get together with my brother-in-law on Thanksgiving and we would grab the ads and chart out our items for the next day. We would meet up early the next morning with some friends and see what we could get. We would never show up hours before, camping out was not for us, but we would be there when the doors opened. Sometimes we got some deals, and sometimes we didn't.  Then we would all head over to breakfast at Denny's.  It was fun. We had a good time.

It has become chic in the past few years to blast Black Friday. We gripe about consumerism. We blanche at stories of people tackling old ladies in order to get the latest video game.

All valid.

However, I remember having good conversations with cheery people while waiting in line. I remember helping people get their deals, and others helping me get mine. There was always a lot of laughter at Denny's, and it wasn't just coming from our table.

In addition, Black Friday put items that would not normally be considered, in range.  I know a mom who gets up early every year to snag the Lego deals for her boys. The big sets are typically out of her price range, but on Black Friday those items become possible.

So, I can't join in the anti-Black Friday pile-on. I understand the concerns (though at times the delivery of those concerns smells a little like self-righteousness), but I can't apologize for my many outings with friends and family during Black Fridays past.  We enjoyed ourselves.

On this Black Friday, my wife and I sit here in our pajamas drinking coffee; while we wait for the latest lightning deal at Amazon for the nieces and nephews.

Modern TV Writers Have a Tough Job

This morning I was frying eggs and sausage, getting them ready to be placed on the bread sizzling in the adjacent pan.  While cooking, I was watching Dr. Who, Season 3 Episode 10 (marvelous stuff).  I love the Doctor's view of humanity.

As I cooked and watched TV on my MS Surface, it occurred to me that the modern television writer faces a dual disadvantage that no previous writer in their profession has had to contend with.  Thirty-five years ago, there were really only 3 network stations creating story content.  Then came along cable, and throughout the 90's, more and more stations began creating original shows.  The competition for consumer viewing time spiked.

However, consider what writers face today.  There are not only the myriad of channels providing new content.... thanks to Netflix, the present writer must also contend with his or her predecessors.

I have many seasons of Dr. Who left to watch.  After that, Breaking Bad will probably be next. "Old" shows take up a great portion of the viewing time I have available.

I am even consciously avoiding shows like Game of Thrones and Once Upon A Time until the shows end - that way I can watch them straight through uninterrupted.  As one of my friends quipped on Facebook this morning.

On a side note, Netflix has also started to release its own original content... but unlike shows of the past, they have abandoned the week to week model and release a "season's" worth of shows at once.

We are living in interesting entertainment times....

Where do you think we are headed?

Facebook Faith #31 It Says So Right Here On This Napkin

I had another eventful day on Facebook (it had been quiet for so long).  Our discussions had a good beginning, but it wasn't long before it started to get a bit circular.  One of my friends began to use the bible as justification for what the bible says.

It is a frustrating, swirling tangent that can enter in to a conversation about religion.  The frustration starts because the believer truly does not see the circular path they are walking.  They have a thick set of filters, but because they grew up with them, and live in a society that supports them, they are not even aware of their presence - the fish has no concept of being wet.

The believer cannot see their perspective as one among many.  In their mind, they have THE perspective... and everyone outside of their perspective needs to get with the program.  So conversations tend to sound like this:

Believer:  What a glorious shade of blue our God has colored the world in!  Don't you love the blue he has made it?

Non-believer:  Actually, I don't see it in blue.  You see it in blue because you are wearing blue glasses.

Believer:  How can you say that?  Everything around us is clearly blue!  Look for yourself!

Non-believer: I am looking, and I am telling you that you are seeing blue BECAUSE you are wearing blue glasses.  See that guy over there?  I was talking to him a moment ago and he sees everything in red because he is wearing red glasses... and that lady over there is seeing emerald because of her green glasses.  You are all seeing different colors because you are wearing different colored glasses.

Believer (speaking in patient tones):  Friend... you can choose to live in denial of what is clear all around us... but denying the truth does not change the truth.  Blue surrounds us!

Non-believer:  I do not deny that you are seeing blue, but you must see that ...... hmmmm... let's try something. Will you do me a favor and take the glasses off?

Believer:  What glasses?

 At this point, one has to consider how long to keep spinning in this circle....

Facebook Faith #30: You Gotta Have Faith-a-Faith-a-Faith!

I was involved in a number of protracted Facebook conversations yesterday on the topic of FAITH.  Faith, by believers, is often presented and articulated as a virtue.  Faith takes bravery!  Faith takes courage!

Whereas non-belief is portrayed as a weak and limp position.  Belief in... well anything... is better than belief in nothing.  Here are two quotes from one of those conversations:

"It takes a whole lot of guts to have faith in something. All it takes to believe in nothing is...well...nothing. I'll take faith, thank you."

and

"When something is a proven fact, then it's not believing, it's knowing. Knowing, in my opinion, doesn't take as much balls as believing."

As I have stated in times past, these assertions are very disingenuous. Faith and Belief are only stated in such universal terms when the believer is confronting an atheist.  When the believer is speaking to someone of another faith, the "other" faith is usually of little value, if not downright dangerous.

As many of you know, I was a Christian for nearly 30 years.  For the past 10 years, I have lived in Salt Lake City - the heart of Mormon country.  If faith is of value, then Mormons must be getting a lot of respect and admiration from their fellow believers of different traditions because they are a VERY faithful people.

But no... When I traveled in Christian circles, I rarely heard Mormons spoken of in positive terms.  In Bible studies, the Mormon scriptures were laughed at.  From the pulpit, pastors would warn their congregations of Mormon practices.  Classes would be given about how to confront Mormon doctrine.  Parents would worry about their children being surrounded by so many Mormons.

My wife and I sat through a bible study once as one woman told the group how she was witnessing to a Mormon neighbor about Jesus.  "Her husband is not happy about her questioning her faith, but she is slowly coming around!"

When my wife and I questioned whether her efforts were causing harm to the marriage and the children, she looked taken aback.  She explained that if the friend had to choose between her family and Jesus... the choice was clear.  So much for faith being a good thing - the folks of my faith were willing to destroy a family to "rescue" this woman from her faith.

Billy Graham's website had to be scrubbed last year when Franklin put his support behind Mitt Romney for president.  It seems their ministry had plenty of disparaging things to say about Mormons prior to having need of one politically.  Faith's value is negotiable.

In truth, most believers have no more respect for faith than I do.  They find the faith of the "other" to be problematic, wrong, harmful, or silly.  Faith is only ballsy and gutsy when it is their own.

Unless, like Franklin Graham, they have a temporary need of that other... then they will scrub their language and attitudes for the moment.  When they speak to me, they will speak of faith as if it were one big happy monolith that I, unfortunately, am not taking part in.  When I leave, things go back to normal.  They will stand against - or roll their eyes at - the Catholic, the Muslim, the Hindu, the Mormon.

 - while being offended that I will not give their faith the respect they believe it deserves.

Welcome Pizza Hut!

I am very happy and satisfied right now. I just had some Pizza Hut pizza. It is one of the better pizzas, and I have a theory about why this is so.  I am pretty sure that they place a stick of butter in the pan, then let it melt in the oven, before putting in the dough. I am not exactly sure that this what they do, but it tastes like it, and that is what I fantasize while eating it.

Salt Lake City does not have a lot of Pizza Huts. In fact, I think there was only two when I moved into the valley 10 years ago. Yes, they were there, but I rarely drive out of my way to get anything. If a restaurant isn’t located on my way to or from work, I probably won’t be visiting it.

Ten years ago, my house was on the edge of nowhere… literally. A four lane road ended in the middle of a hill just past my house. From that ending to the Oquirrh Mountains, there was nothing.

I was impressed by the ending of that road. It was nearly three times as wide as any of the roads near my home back in Michigan… and those roads were bursting with subdivisions. Here was this massively wide road that just, ended. It told me these Utahns planned ahead.

That once dead-end road now leads in to one of the largest home developments in America. Our house was on the edge of civilization- now we are in the middle of one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the country.

Along with that reality comes all of the shopping and restaurants one could wish for… except, it seemed, on my corner.  As the store fronts were being built, I found my enthusiasm waning as each new marquee went up: insurance, UPS, paint store, nail salon, dentist.  Could my options be any more boring?

When a new set of stores started rising a few months ago, I didn’t even get my hopes up… it would probably just be a damn florist or daycare center. Fortunately, I was wrong. One of the first signs to go up was a hiring notice for Pizza Hut!  Joy!

So this evening I dined on that delectable greasy crust.  Pizza Hut sausage make me question my asserted position on deities. The dinner pak my wife picked up included wings… I now have another reason to make that a regular stop.

Ahh Pizza Hut!  Welcome to my neck of the woods….