New evidence that the biblical tale of Moses was neither historical nor written by him, as is widely believed, comes in the form of a small tablet found in northern Israel at the site of Hazor. This tablet dating to the 17th-18th centuries BCE and written in Akkadian appears to be similar to the famous Code of Hammurabi...
Hurrah! Here is a new Pat Condell video in which he discusses the Christ myth and the sun worship of the ancients! Unfortunately, he doesn't name my book The Christ Conspiracy, which I know he read and which he told me was "excellent." But he does link to the video my friend Vega/Spaceagebachelor/Allan Jones made about my work called "Sun of God." Thank you, Pat!
It should be noted that my "Origins of Christianity" article concerning all this information, from which my book Christ Con was created and which has been updated, has been online since 1995.
Much-loved ancient tales from the Indian sacred text the Mahabharata demonstrate some important motifs found within Christianity as well. As part of this discussion of comparative religion and mythology, it has often been argued that the Indian god Krishna's mother was not a virgin but only a "chaste" maiden who had previously given birth to seven others. In this regard, I have discussed the general subject of a pre-Christian and non-Christian virgin mother in depth in my books, especially Suns of God and Christ in Egypt, and I have also published an article and lengthy forum post specifically about whether or not Krishna's mother, Devaki, could be considered a "virgin." Included in the counter-argument on this subject is the impression that it is absurd to even consider the concept of a virgin birth and virgin mother in any other religion or mythology than Christianity.
As it turns out - and as can be seen from numerous links in the forum post "Was Krishna's Mother a Virgin?" - Indian religion and mythology very much possess the notions of a virgin-born hero and virgin mother, found in the very texts in which Krishna is made famous. Indeed, the writer of the Mahabharata, himself named Krishna, was said to have been virgin born! In consideration of the fact that the Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE to c. 4th cent. AD/CE) was begun several centuries before the Christian era, if the oldest strata included this tale of their purported author being named Krishna and being virgin born, then we have in this legend a Krishna with a virgin mother centuries before Christ allegedly existed.
Moreover, the subject of the story discussed below, the virgin Kunti - whose sacred name is passed down to us in the ancient and venerable word "cunt" - is the aunt of Krishna's mother. Furthermore, Devaki herself is depicted as having been impregnated as an unwed - and therefore presumably virginal - teenager after eating a piece of fruit. In consideration of these factors - including the others highlighted in my writings, such as that Devaki is clearly not a real person but a mythical figure with the attributes of a dawn goddess - it is not unreasonable or unscientific to label Krishna's mother a "virgin" as well, as many have done.
One morning, finding that their stock of water is over, Kunti takes a pot and goes to fetch water. There she bathes in the lake, removing her outer clothes and wearing just her undergarments and after her bath bows to the sun covering herself in a thin shawl. The sun [Surya] is enamored by her beauty and she is struck by his arrows of rays. The rays enter her belly and Kunti conceives. The pregnancy grows instantly and soon the child comes out breaking open her skull. Kunti takes the baby and kissing him, tells him that she had no right to give birth to him since she is a virgin and now she can’' take him to the dhooni for that will taint the holy place....
...It is the blood of such mighty emperors that runs through Kunti's veins. And as Shoorasena's daughter, she is Vasudeva's sister and Krishna's maternal aunt....
...The Bharata empire, at the end of the Mahabharata, through Kunti, goes to the Yadava blood [so named from the ancestor Yadu]....
...soon after her marriage, she discovered that her young husband, the handsome scion of the Bharatas, was impotent in bed. As she would admit later when he lay dead before her, he could never make love to her....
The Mahabharata itself, in what definitely a much later interpolation, says in a chapter...that Kunti is an incarnation of the goddess Siddhi....
...A kaneena son is the one born to one's wife when she was a kanya, that is, before her marriage. This is exactly what had happened to Kunti – Karna was her kaneena son....
In Vyasa's epic, Karna's birth and the incidents leading to it are narrated twice....
...The Mahabharata here mentions clearly that Soorya [Surya] did not have sex with her, but impregnated her through his yogic power so that her maidenhood remained undamaged....
Thus in the first narration of the story Karna is the result of actual sex between Kunti and Soorya, in the second Kunti and Soorya do not have sex and the consummation of the invocation is through a yogic process, leaving Kunti's virginity intact, making Karna's birth an 'immaculate' one and Kunti a virgin mother in the most inclusive meaning of the term.
In addition to the virgin-born hero theme, this Kunti-Karna story from the Mahabharata also contains the motif of the newborn baby being placed in a box or boat and set adrift on a river, much the same as in the story of Moses:
Vyasa's Mahabharata gives us an unforgettably touching picture of how the young woman takes her newborn child to the Ashwa river and floats him in it. As soon as he is born, Kunti talks to her dhatri and gets a box. She spreads soft clothes inside it, and then covers all the joints with wax so that no water enters it. After this is done, she places the sleeping child in it and taking it to the river Ashwa near midnight, floats him in it....
And then Kunti wails again, bemoaning her lot, saying that his father the sun god is blessed indeed since he can watch with his divine eyes his son as he is carried forward by the river, and that blessed is the woman who would bring him up as her son, suckling him when he cries for milk....
As we can see, there is good reason to be skeptical of supernatural stories in the Bible, as these turn out to be patently mythical motifs found in the religion and mythology of other cultures as well. More about these fascinating aspects of comparative religion and mythology can be found in my books, ebooks and articles at StellarHousePublishing.com and TruthBeKnown.com.
(Note I did not write the caption on the image here.)
"You people believe that there is re-birth. If the person does good karma, he will get a better birth and if he commits sin he will get a worse birth – right?"
So enquired the wife of a pastor of a church of me.I answered in the affirmative. She shot back, "Then tell me how a small ant can do any good or bad karma and get a better or worse birth next time?"
In 2002, I visited Toronto in Canada on a work assignment. Toronto happens to be the nearest city to the famed Niagara Falls from Canadian side. I took a conducted tour to Niagara Falls. As it happened, there was a world-wide convention of churches (not all but of one branch), and I went on the conducted tour on which the delegates from that convention were booked. It was on this tour the pastor's wife caught me off guard. Off guard, because I was a computer programmer and not an evangelist of Hinduism even though I was of 51 years of age.
Hindu philosophy states that all people born on this earth are certain to die and equally certain is the fact that all the dead would be reborn. This concept is enunciated in 27th Sloka (couplet) of the second chapter of Bhagavad Gita, the sacred book of Hindus. They believe that there is a soul (Atman) in every live being, and that it goes through the cycle of birth-death-rebirth and ultimately merges with the universe (Brahman). The second chapter of Bhagavad Gita (Slokas 17, 20, 23, 24 and 25) states that the Atman cannot be hurt, burnt or destroyed.
In Christianity, there is no antonym for "sin." You can commit "sin," but can you commit what is opposite of "sin." Hindus believe that a person is capable of committing not only sin but also "punya" ("u" to be pronounced as in "put" – "put it down"). Punya is currently being translated as "good karma" by some astrologers in the western world.
"Karma," by the way, means "duty." There is nothing good or bad about it, just as "duty" has neither bad nor good connotation to it. We will discuss about "Karma" in another article.
Why do souls go through cycles?
Why does the Atman (soul) go through the cycle? It is because of the debts (obligations) it acquires during life. Every time we perform a favor for some one (it need not be to people alone but could be to animals, society, air, water or to the environment), we receive an IOU. Whenever we receive a favor from any one, we execute an IOU. We steal something and may escape getting caught. All the same, we signed the IOU. As we live from day to day and year to year, we execute so many IOUs some in our favor and the rest in others' favor. Now, who keeps an account of all IOUs of all persons? Hindus believe that there is one God in charge of it – namely "Chitra Gupta," the celestial accountant.
Now you may be laughing. "Impossible," you say, "how many terabytes are needed to keep the score?"
Let me state the other incredible belief that is common to Islam, Christianity and Judaism: They believe that there is going to be total destruction and a day of reckoning on which every person has to answer the God for their actions on earth. Now, for the last 6,000 years, no such day has taken place. Supposing today total destruction takes place and the day of reckoning is scheduled for tomorrow, how many people would be in queue? Billions, if not tens of billions – right? OK, so all three religions claim that that their adherents would be first in the queue without much evidence to attest to the claim except their holy books. Now, where do the souls of the dead reside till the Day of Judgment? Don't tell me that they do not believe in souls! The phrase "RIP" - the full form of which is, "May his/her soul rest in peace till the day of judgment" - attests that they do believe in souls.
In Hinduism, one's actions are accounted for immediately upon death. A person's reward (positive or negative), as well as the next birth, is decided, and the Atman is sent back to another birth to enjoy/suffer the reward. The individual's account is deleted. This action reduces the workload drastically. The judgment can be automated fully. As it is on a daily basis, the workload is distributed more or less evenly. The workload is not postponed and stacked to a single day somewhere in future.
That concept is why the Bhagavad Gita and advanced concepts of Hinduism state that God is none other than Brahman (the universe) itself!
What determines the place of our next rebirth?
Where does the next birth take place? Hindu scriptures state that there are 14 Bhuvanas (earth-like worlds) in this universe with seven above us and the rest below us. The birth can be at any place. Heaven and hell are part of these fourteen. Heaven is supposed to be above us and hell below us. The next birth can be either in heaven (the best place) or hell (the worst place) or in any of the remaining 12 Bhuvanas. The form of birth would be directly proportional to the IOUs we executed. Please note that the positive and negative IOUs do not cancel out each other! All the IOUs have to be either repaid or collected. You can't even write them off! If you have more positive IOUs, you will get human form. If negative IOUs are more than positive IOUs, the form would not be human.
"Taking what nature gives and giving back to nature what it needs is the only way to get out of the cycle of birth and death."
Now, how can the soul get out of this cycle? Easy – become debt-free in a life! Collect all the IOUs owed to you and pay all the IOUs you woe and do not execute any fresh IOUs to become debt-free. Buddhists call this state "Nirvana." But everyday living demands favors from us and to us. That is why Hindus clamor to become Rishis who dwell in forests and live as one with the nature. Rishis do not pluck fruits from trees. They eat only the fallen fruits. Taking what nature gives and giving back to nature what it needs is the only way to get out of the cycle of birth and death.
Now, what about animals, birds, insects and other non-human life? How will they escape the cycle? Any non-human form of life is akin to a jail term. Any form of life other than human form is a punishment for the Atman. The Atman suffers the punishment and reverts to the human form similar in circumstance in which it was before taking on non-human form. This is the answer I gave to the pastor's wife in 2002. I told her that even in jail, the term is extended or reduced based on the good/bad behavior of the inmate. When the environment is tightly controlled by people of absolute authority, how can inmates still behave badly? Or, where is the opportunity to exhibit good behavior when they are consigned to a cell most of the time? An animal or an insect is akin to a person in a jail. The same opportunity is available to the non-human life as is available to a jail inmate.
I was not sure if I convinced her on that day but she did not ask any further religious questions of me.
In response to the threatened boycott by some 2.5 million Muslims irate over the alleged deletion of four Islamic pages, Facebook has announced that it will release a new version of its networking site for Muslim women only. The new version - which is expected to be most popular in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan - will be called "Nofacebook" and will be available only when the women are accompanied by a male relative.
A company spokesman said that Nofacebook should be available by the start of Ramadan so that "Muslim women can find a place to share burqa patterns and niqab fabrics." Facebook promised to shut the site down immediately upon request by the women's husbands and hoped that its move would appease Islamists "so no one would be bombed."
A comment is being circulated on Facebook claiming that the site has not only allowed Islam-critical pages like "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" to thrive but has also removed four major Muslim Facebook pages with a total of about 2.5 million members. In other words, this "chain email" is claiming that Facebook has taken a dramatic anti-Islam stance, and the comment is further demanding that the site restore the Islamic pages, make it illegal to criticize Islam, and remove all FB pages that are critical of Islam. In other words, it is demanding that Facebook follow Islamic or sharia law....
"Rave reviews greet Imani's latest parody. In this work of fiction, Amil probes the minds of Obama and Ahmadinejad with the skills of a brain surgeon, and shares their exchanges with the humor of a stand-up comedian. An amazing and astonishing engagement follows, in which the two presidential prizefighters hit each other with their best shots, in a meaty and oft-comical altercation that involves tossing out virtually every real or rumored misdeed of both men, with a number of stunning propositions and shocking developments along the way. This international sparring match runs the gamut of flashy moves and shady deals. Who will win this wild and brutal battle of wits between these two political heavyweights? The destiny of the world may depend on it."
'Obama meets Ahmadinejad' is outrageous! Review by D.M. Murdock/Acharya S
Having become intimately involved with this book, I can attest it combines the fiercest of intellects with the wickedly humorous. Obama meets Ahmadinejad presents seriously - even direly - important information about our world today, in the context of a raucous display of hilarity the likes of which has rarely been seen outside of "Animal House" or, possibly Animal Farm.
Amil's alter ego takes the reader on a wild romp through the political hay that enthralls, inspires and leaves him or her wanting for more. He - they - treat the reader to an entertaining exposé of germane and newsworthy events that have shaped our world - such as rigged and fraudulent elections, surprising ancestry, and countless "misdeeds real or rumored" that have nevertheless made their way into popular consciousness. Controversial and hazardous subjects such as the "Birther Movement," Iran's nuclear program, Islam's treatment of women and the Gulf oil disaster - none of these is off-limits in this witty wrecking ball of a ride.
What would such a meeting between Obama and Ahmadinejad produce and portend? How will each man respond to the other throwing up in his face the worst criticisms and calumny we hear about them both? What will be the joint solution of these two influential leaders to the numerous worldly - and even otherworldly - issues pressing us today? The future of the world may indeed depend on it.
Here is one example of the fascinating exchanges between these two men in this hard-to-put-down parody...
THE FASCIST
Speaking of oil, America is incurably addicted to it - although you are doing your best to give the United States an alternative energy plan, specifically to keep your money out of our terrorist hands. That is something which must not happen, of course, because Iran has the world's third largest reserves - envious? Yes, we know you are after our oil. After all, even if you are an internationalist, you do not want your chosen homeland to fall apart, do you? We have the oil - now you are going to have to beg to get at it. Oh, especially since that national disaster in the Mexican Gulf - how will you recover from that without our help? We had a feeling that if that really happened, your country would start to go down -
THE FRAUD
Wait just a minute - "if that really happened?!" What are you talking about? Did you just confess to sabotaging the oil rig in the Gulf? Talking heads say that it could cost us the country. You're saying you're behind it? I should strangle you with my own hands.
THE FASCIST
Well, your American Jews at Goldman Sachs were very useful - they did promise much of their gains for shorting the Gulf of Mexico rig on the stock market the day before the disaster. But do not lump us in with those Zionist criminals just yet, as we are not admitting our guilt or complicity in anything. And, I must say that those are no longer your hands. They belong to us.
-----------
More amazing dynamics follow, as the reader is bounced between the two politicos in a masterful manner, not sure where each is going to wind up - the ending will undoubtedly surprise you!
This powerful book, "Obama meets Ahmadinejad," is funny and light at points but its overall message is a story of corruption and redemption - but who reflects which and to what extent? And how DOES it all end? In this regard, this small tome is also a sobering cautionary tale that seeks to educate about potentials that may not be terribly pleasant, if we don't stop them.
Amil clearly put his heart and soul into this work, as part of a lifelong mission to help better the world through his writing, by courageously critiquing dangerous and frightening ideologies and actions that oppress significant numbers of people globally and threaten true human civilization. Imani's a patriotic American in the truest sense of the word - and as an ex-Muslim Persian escapee of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he knows only too well what that regime represents and what freedom is all about. As a refugee from oppression into the welcoming arms of the American Constitution, Amil is one of many immigrants who value their adopted homeland for its liberties and opportunities.
For the love of freedom, peace and humanity, read this book!
I hope you're having a terrific summer. I wanted to share with you some great reviews of Barbara G. Walker's new book Man Made God. As you may recall, I published this magnificent and enlightening work, editing it with great care and adding a bibliography, index, dozens of chapter subtitles and over 140 hand-picked images, as well as creating the cover and writing the "Foreword." You can be assured that between Barbara's marvelous writing and my diligence in polishing its every facet, this literary diamond is one of a kind in quality all around.
An American icon, Barbara G. Walker is the author of the classic bestseller The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, which has been used widely in comparative religion and women's spirituality studies for almost three decades. Barbara is also a prominent female voice within the humanist and freethought community for many years as well, appearing in publications and radio shows for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, as one important example.
Barbara has also been a tremendous source of inspiration for me since the early 1990s, serving as a muse and mentor for my own books over the years. In this regard, you will not want to miss my "Foreword" to her new tome.
Please join me in wishing Barbara a very happy 80th birthday on July 2nd and show your support for this great woman by examining her work in this latest fabulous book, Man Made God. Barbara tells me that she still rides her bicycle several miles a day--talk about an inspiration!
Please enjoy these inspiring and wonderful reviews of Man Made God as well!
"According to the Calvinist/Presbyterian doctrine of predestination, God is even responsible for human evil. As creator of every individual, he knows in advance how each person will behave in life, and he knows in advance who will be saved and who will be damned. To say that God doesn't know these things is to deny his omniscience; but to say that he does know them is to deny his goodness and mercy....
"...It has been said that a heavenly father who creates a hell for his children should be the first to be burned in it." (pp. 250-1)
"Mesopotamia before 4000 BCE was largely matrist and peaceful. The Mother Goddess religion prevailed, and women had high-status positions as priestesses, scribes, diviners, healers, judges and acknowledged masters of various crafts, such as fiber arts, weaving, pottery, food preparation and agriculture. In Crete and pre-Hellenic Greece also, the primary deity was the Great Goddess, whose temples were tended by women, and gender equality was the rule." (p. 257)
I finished reading Man Made God a few weeks ago and found it powerfully helpful in understanding how human behavior fundamentally transitions from a mother-child-focused culture based on cooperation and kindness to a male-focused culture based on competition and fear. This collection of essays provides valuable insight on how ancient observation of natural events as well as their practices, symbols, languages, and rituals are reformed or suppressed through time....
Anyone seriously interested in repairing our relationships with ourselves, who genuinely cares about all others with whom we share this planet, who has an honest reverence for all living things in cooperation with our environment, or who intends to actually help move our species toward preserving our future existence, should consider viewing this work and honestly think about the current path we are all on, especially before we nuke ourselves to dust simply because a man needs to show off he has a bigger missile than his fellow man, sanctioned by his bigger god.
Barbara Walker is absolutely thorough in her research before she starts writing. When you read this fantastic expose of how women have been put down and suppressed by religion, you will be impressed forever. Our male dominated world is really screwed up. Wars, debt, hate and division--all because of religions dominated by men. My mother was a woman, and I would not let anyone put her down. I admire the courage, insight and honesty of Barbara G. Walker. If you want the truth about this world, buy and read this book.
Excellent Provocative Book!!!!
by Armand Herpe
Barbara Walker's book is an extraordinary, revealing, insightful and penetrating expose into the ominous and dark history of religion. Barbara Walker shows that everything we've been taught as truth and divine is actually man-made beliefs to subjugate the human race. The most despicable and shocking information in the book is about the inquisitions carried out by the Church, which murdered over 2 million human beings simply because they didn't go along with the Church's doctrine. Man indeed made God in his own image, a God of fear, hatred, jealousy, murder, bigotry and retribution!! Highly recommended read. I thank Barbara G. Walker for writing such an extraordinary and powerful book. Read it with an inquisitive and open mind, not with a preconceived blind-belief notion. Only then will the human race be free of religious dogma, subjugation and slavery. It surely freed my mind even further!
Here are some more thumbs up for this fantastic book!
Dr. Dave F.: "Well worth the money. I couldn't put it down."
Larry B.: "An excellent book. I found myself nodding in agreement and then shaking my head because I couldn't believe that I used to believe what I'd been raised to believe."
Joan d'Arc, Paranoia magazine: "A mind-blowing book--so fantastic. This book is stellar! I love it."
My friend Minas Papageorgiou has passed along the news of his "Mythicism Conference" held in Athens, Greece. Looks like it was a great success. Congrats, Minas, and keep up the good work - μια χαρά!
This is a short reportage from the first Mythicism event here in Greece which took part on January 23, 2010, here in Athens.
The "Ektativolos" hall quickly got crowded yesterday by people gathered to hear the speech about the "Problem of the historic existence of Jesus/The problem of the true history of Jesus". The 70-80 seats did not prove to be enough for the number of attendants, so some of them had to stay stand during the whole event.
They all gathered to take part in the first speech organised in our country about a subject currently being characterised as "hot potato" throughout Europe and America - a conclusion easily reached if someone takes into account the number of books published, conventions held and television and radio shows being broadcast yearly about the same subject around the world.
During the first part of the event, Minas Papeorgiou and Tasos Xalios stood behind the podium and introduced and analysed the subject through 4 distinct presentations:
1) Introduction to the subject of the "Problem of the historic existence of Jesus/The problem of the true history of Jesus" and why the research around this field is especially important today. (by Tasos Chalios)
2) A travel back in time, from 1780 up to today, through a presentation about the works and throughts of top apademics, scientists and theologists who doupted the historical Jesus. (by Minas Papageorgiou) Minas Papageorgiou also made a thorough presentation on the works of modern writers such as Acharya (D.M Murdock), Robert Price, Kenneth Humphreys, Earl Doherty, Frascesco Carotta, Lena Einhorn etc.
3) The quest for the Historical Jesus: Search for testimonies and references to Jesus during the first post-Christianic years. Notes on the forgery of epistles and bible passages by the first christian apologists concerning the historical presence of Jesus on earth. Archetipes and archetypal elements of Pagan legends found in the Jesus as described in the Gospels.
Comparison of Jesus as presented by Paul against the Jesus as presented in the Gospels. A walkthrough on the artistic representation of Jesus throughout time. How the Gregorian - B.C. and A.C. - calendar system affects our perception regarding to the historical Jesus (by Minas Papageorgiou)
4) Objects used by the Christians in order to certify the historic existence of Jesus. Stories about the Mandilion,the Holy Cross, the Holy Grail, the Shroud of Turino etc. (by Tasos Chalios)
During the second part of the event the attendants had the chance to watch "The God who wasn't there" on Greek subtitles. A documentary presented to the greek audience for the first time.
A brand-new review of Barbara G. Walker's book Man Made God, which I edited and published - don't miss it! Oh yes, and I also created the cover and added 140+ illustrations!
"Man Made God untangles a great deal of confusion for those asking how an all-powerful god could allow such sadistic behavior towards innocent woman and children through the ages. These essays expose a sobering reminder of just how stuck in the shadows we still are...."
Here is my new video on the Mythicist Position or Mythicism. Freethinkaluva and Vega (Allan Jones) helped me put this together, so many thanks to them!
In the early 1990s, my attention was drawn to the popular Indian guru and godman Satya Sai Baba. For a period, I spent much time watching every video and reading every book I could find about the man. My study occurred before the internet was popular, and there was not much debunking material around. But, there was enough, and I soon discovered the Indian Rationalists' video "Guru Busters" showing Baba doing typical magician's tricks. I also discovered much worse, especially after I finally went online.
God on Earth?
I had read many books by devotees and others who were impressed by the seemingly endless stream of divine miracles by Sai Baba, including his purported manifestations of artifacts such as watches, statues, lingams, ash and so on. The enthusiasm and conviction with which these alleged miracles were recounted were infectious, and I would have loved to believe they were true. How exciting that would have been! Here on Earth in our day and age supposedly had appeared a man who was clearly God because he could manifest an amazing array of miracles! What fun! I really wanted to go visit him at his ashram in Brindavan because it looked like such a great time. Who doesn't want God to be real and walking among us, to love us and shower us with blessings?
One of the clues as to Baba's conjurer nature was immediately obvious: He was raised in a traveling circus where he learned magic from his uncle! How that fact could be overlooked by so many of millions shows the deluding effect of blind belief in supernatural events and beings. In this tragic tale, this blind belief led to so much pain and grief that one is motivated to expose it thoroughly. In addition to the scams and sexual abuse come also allegations of murder to cover up these crimes, including killings in Sai Baba's own bedroom, while he cowered in the bathroom unable to stop them, even though he is supposedly omnipotent. The murdered boys possibly had been sexually abused by Baba.
Sai Baba is getting old, and he will not be able to pull off the greatest purported miracle of God, which is immortality. Hence, he will be gone soon, but his destructive legacy will linger on, as more godmen of his ilk continue to pop up in places where gullibility reigns, along with its abuse. Naturally, Baba's other legacy of building schools, hospitals and other important infrastructure - using million$ from rich followers - will leave many in India with a happy feeling about him. But, of course, one needs to ask, if Baba is God, why does he need the million$ of others to build hospitals and water-distribution systems? Why not materialize gold bars to pay for it all? Or, even better, why not just snap your all-powerful fingers and make the diseases and water shortages disappear?
Moreover, the complicity of Indian politicians in this patent hoax to defraud people is reprehensible. But, hey, Baba brings in million$ in tourist money every year, not to mention all the rich followers tossing money at him for these projects. It is no wonder, then, that ex-Baba followers have been threatened and intimidated into silence.
The story of Sai Baba is but one piece of evidence demonstrating how blind belief and faith are not just matters of "personal choice" that should be left alone in all instances: Blind belief and faith can be very destructive and damaging to individuals and humanity as a whole. The various priesthoods worldwide hammering blind belief and fear into people are guilty of exploitation of innocence and gullibility - a major cause of immense suffering globally.
In a move sure to infuriate people of common sense, the Prince of Wales has just sold humanity (and the earth) down the river with his recent remarks about Islam leading the way in the Green Movement, as reported in the Daily Mail UK:
Prince Charles yesterday urged the world to follow Islamic 'spiritual principles' in order to protect the environment.
In an hour-long speech, the heir to the throne argued that man's destruction of the world was contrary to the scriptures of all religions - but particularly those of Islam.
He said the current 'division' between man and nature had been caused not just by industrialisation, but also by our attitude to the environment - which goes against the grain of 'sacred traditions'....
He added: 'The inconvenient truth is that we share this planet with the rest of creation for a very good reason - and that is, we cannot exist on our own without the intricately balanced web of life around us.
'Islam has always taught this and to ignore that lesson is to default on our contract with creation.'
The bonehead Prince Charlie made his pro-Islam comments during a speech at Oxford's Centre for Islamic Studies, in which he so blatantly sucked up to his hosts/sponsors that the audience appeared to be completely disgruntled to the point of revulsion.
How does any of this hateful rubbish constitute Islamic respect for the "intricately balanced web of life around us?" Have you ever seen the practices of Islamic animal slaughter or read the derogatory Islamist remarks about dogs and other animals? While the West can barely get a handle on animal abuse, at least it tries, but you can bet animal abuse is far more rampant in many if not most Muslim countries.
And associating environmentalism with Islam is another disgrace that will completely turn off millions of people from joining the Green Movement. From the looks of things - such as the proposed London mega-mosque, which was planned to have sand all around it - if Muslim fanatics were left to their own, they would turn the entire planet into one big desert. Yep, that's a fine environmental principle.
Where is the great environmental record of rabid Islamists, Charles, who are busy blowing things up, cranking polluting oil out of the ground and reproducing at world-destroying rates? (Yes, yes, there is room for vast improvement in all these areas in the non-Muslim world as well, but at least we are not making any absurd pretenses here about great "spiritual values" where there are none - and at least we acknowledge the problem and try to work on it, rather than lying about the situation, as Charles is doing here.)
Thanks, Charles, for selling one-half of humanity down the road to slavery. (And the other half as well, as you men will all need to get down on your knees and stick your arses in the air five times a day in a nonsensical and time-consuming ritual that will surely spell the end to productivity in the civilized world.)
Charles, if free women (and men) become enslaved under Islamic domination, you and your other politico-buddy sellouts and dhimwits will be largely to blame. Shame on you for now and forever!
It all seems so simple - quit mutilating girls and women's genitals! Just stop doing it, m'kay? This horrible procedure, which varies in degree of pathology from place to place, is completely unnecessary and is NOT ordained by any god person. It does not serve any social purpose except to prevent women from feeling sexual pleasure and to make them into unfeeling sex toys for men, who basically own them.
In order to appease the barbaric cultures that practice this disgusting battery against young girls and women, the American Academy of Pediatrics decided at first that it would try to "lessen the evil," so to speak, by allowing a small nick to be performed by medical doctors in the U.S. Better than sending their girls abroad for the full-on butchery, they reasoned.
Well, golly, how about just prosecuting the parents for battery on a minor? If anyone else in the country decided to take a butcher knife to their children and start cutting off body parts, they would be arrested. The special "minorities" - soon to outnumber everyone else because of their reproductive rates - are allowed to commit heinous crimes against children, apparently. Fortunately, the AAP was shamed by public outcry to retract their position, stating:
Dr. Judith S. Palfrey, president of the academy, said: "We're saying don't do it. Do everything that you can to support that family in this tough time, but don’t be pulled into the procedure."
The idiotic bending over backward to accommodate these cultures - many of which are Muslim - who mutilate girls and women is a sign of social depravity and degeneration, not a step towards an enlightened, pluralistic society. No mutilation of children, including boys being "circumcised" for no medical reason, would be present in a truly enlightened society. If after all these thousands of years your culture can't handle human sexuality, then it isn't worth shite, frankly.
Over the past several millennia, many cultures have lost significant traits through being compelled to adhere to different traditions and norms. Some of these losses were quite quick and devastating, but they occurred. And this is one tradition that we do not need to keep around any longer for any reason. Just get rid of it, abruptly and forever.
In other words, stop mutilating the genitals of girls and women - right now! And certainly do not let your currently non-mutilating country allow this foul pestilence to invade and fester in any way, shape or form.
I just can't imagine why people wouldn't have their children vaccinated! And everyone should be charged with child abuse who doesn't stick into the arm of a infant 20 needles full of heavy metals, toxic chemicals and the blood and pus products of other humans and other species, all before the baby is a year old.
(<==Sarcasm based on comments I've actually read - including directed at me.)
(NaturalNews) Influenza vaccines have sent 57 children into life-threatening convulsions, reports The Age out of Australia. These influenza vaccines were being give to children under five to "protect" them from seasonal flu, but after receiving the shots, these children started going into convulsions.
An investigation has revealed that there is no quality control problem with any particular batch of influenza vaccines. They all pass quality control, in other words, so the convulsions are being caused by what is intentionally put into the vaccines, not by some mistaken chemical contaminant.
This, of course, baffles conventional doctors who have all been told that vaccines are perfectly safe and could never harm anyone. So rather than pausing to consider what might be contained in the vaccines that's causing children to go into convulsions, they charge ahead with the recommendation that even more people should get vaccines....
Seasonal flu vaccinations across Australia for children under five have been suspended after 23 children in Western Australia were admitted to hospital with convulsions following their injections.
One child, aged 1, remains in a coma in a Perth hospital....
More than 60 children around the state may have had adverse reactions to the vaccine, including fevers, vomiting and febrile convulsions - a type of fit brought on by a high fever.
One child remains in a critical condition in hospital after being given the vaccine. Dr Weeramanthri said he had few details on the child's condition but they were "seriously ill"....
A 1992 study published in The American Journal of Epidemiology shows that children die at a rate 8 times greater than normal within three days after getting a DPT vaccination.
A preliminary study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found children who received the HiB vaccine ... were found to be 5 times more likely to contract the disease than children who had not received the vaccine.
In the New England Journal of Medicine July 1994 issue a study found that over 80% of children under 5 years of age who had contracted whooping cough had been fully vaccinated.
In 1977 Dr Jonas Salk (inventor of the Salk polio vaccine) testified with other scientists that 87% of the polio cases which occurred in the US since 1970 were the by-product of the polio vaccine.
The Sabin oral polio vaccine (OPV) is the only known cause of polio in the us today. The February 1981 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 90% of obstetricians and 66% of pediatricians refused to take the rubella vaccine. ...
A very strange development this one is, indeed. But we are besieged by the bizarre these days, including the Ground Zero mosque, which some are suggesting is a "flag of conquest."
Anyway, a thoroughly modern American institution has now been handed to an individual with some particularly odd idiosyncrasies, including having a Muslim background that somehow also allowed her to wear a skin-exposing evening gown and bikini! According to "Detroitistan" resident Debbie Schlussel, this Lebanese-born beauty Rima Fakih also has Hezbollah connections up the wazoo, while her bid for the Miss USA Pageant itself was funded in part by an "ex- Muslim terrorist," Imad Hamad.
In this regard, MSNBC reports that Ms. Fakih is a member of a "very powerful Shiite family" but asserts that they are not "radicals" and that Rima herself was raised in a very liberal background that taught respect for different faiths. Yet, MSNBC also validates that some of her relatives are Hezbollah members:
As is common among Lebanon's Shiites, Fakih comes from a large, extended clan that includes everything from supporters of the Islamic militant groups Hezbollah and Amal to secular Shiites and even communists.
The funding by Imad Hamad is confirmed by another writer, Niraj Warikoo, who relates:
For previous pageants, Fakih sought -- and received -- support from Arab-American leaders in Dearborn, including Imad Hamad, head of the Michigan branch of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. His group helped once support Fakih financially, despite opposition from some who felt pageants are "not something they wish to see," Hamad said.
In 2002, it was reported that Hamad was fighting deportation charges, citing his "membership in an organization prejudicial to the interests of the United States."
So, many WTFs are in order here, such as also the disclosure of the lovely lady's previous pole-dancing experience, which included receiving money in her cleavage.
Oh my! How very un-Islamic. Unless you're from the Middle East and have become accustomed to the centuries-long practice of belly dancing, of course. This, all the while OTHER women can't show their faces in public because of some purported religious idiocy. Crazy world full of neuroses and psychoses.
Honestly, looking at the images of her pole-dancing, I'd have to say she's just a girl having some fun. Who is also evidently (merely?) a pawn in a very serious game.
If this pretty young woman is innocently achieving this notoriety through "average American" means, then she could serve as a very effective good-will ambassador in a number of ways, including basically destroying the Muslim-woman stereotype so prevalent these days because of the fanatics. Under such a scenario, I wish her all the best.
No special treatment here: "Oh, and there’s something else funded by Canadian taxpayers: Harems! Hundreds of GTA (Greater Toronto Area) Muslim men in polygamous marriages are receiving welfare and social benefits for each of their spouses."
Al-Jazeera is called the "CNN of the Muslim World," so it is not considered "radical" or, rather, classically Islamic, as Islam is practiced in Saudi Arabia, for one example - the most important.
It should be noted that the "radicals" within Islam - i.e., the fundamentalists, who follow Islam to the letter - appear to be becoming more numerous than the so-called moderates, wherever they may be in the first place. Sharia law is already quickly becoming fashionable in Canada, as it has become in Europe. With our porous borders and lax laws, America is not far behind.
There is a word to describe a planned invasion and occupation of Dar al-Harb, the Lands of the Infidels: jihad. Canada is catering to jihadis, and we are the next target - as we have been for many years:
"The process of settlement is a 'Civilization-Jihadist Proecess' [sic] with all the word means. The Ikhwan must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions. Without this level of understanding, we are not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim's destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who chose to slack."
Not long ago, the United States successfully prosecuted fundamentalist Mormon cult leader Warren Jeffs for "arranging extralegal marriages," among assorted other sexist and misogynistic behavior such as sex with minors. Will the U.S. have the guts to take on the Islamists? Or will it allow increased lawlessness, but only for the "tiny minority?"
Many of us in the field of comparative religion and mythology may never have guessed we would see the day when official organizations such as the police in Great Britain recognized the validity of Pagan celebrations that have their roots in antiquity. But it appears that we will see this development, which is not only interesting but also refreshing and encouraging.
A groundswell of people dumping the old, violent women-hating cults such as Christianity and Islam would be equally refreshing and encouraging. Let us hope that these "Pagans" are aware of the true meaning of their holidays - e.g., the astrotheological aspects - so they will be creating something genuinely grounded in reality, rather than just another culturally biased and bigoted cult of fabulous fairytales based on alleged founders who turn out to be mythical or sociopathic.
Indeed, with proper education, the Pagan movement could provide a very effective means of keeping at bay the plotted global domination under the monotheistic slave-cults. The following article, however, highlights some drawbacks already in the movement that will create ridicule and distance, obviously. Focusing on the scientific information behind the myths of ancient Paganism - such as the archaeoastronomical recording of planetary movements, seasons, etc. - would be far better than depicting Paganism as contacting the dead, casting spells and cavorting naked.
When the astrotheological origins of the Pagan holidays are factored in, there is nothing "oddball" about them, as the following article suggests. Indeed, they are natural and logical extensions of human perception dating many thousands of years. What is "oddball" is the contrived worship and reverence of fictional or quasi-fictional individuals of a particular culture or ethnicity that we find in "mainstream" religious cults.
A PAGAN police support group which gives cops the right to take EIGHT oddball holidays each year has been launched today.
The Pagan Police Association (PPA) was proudly announced by co-founder PC Andy Pardy of Hertfordshire Constabulary after Home Office chiefs officially sanctioned the group last week.
PC Pardy — who is a heathen worshipper of Norse gods, including hammer-wielding Thor — said Pagan cops could now take off a string of religious holidays.
By allowing Pagans to set up their own organisation, the Home Office has officially sanctioned a string of Wicca and Pagan-related holidays, which include leaving food out for the dead, 'unabashed sexual promiscuity' and going on long country walks...
Pagans — including druids, witches and shamans — will have to take the days as holiday days, but each day is given the same respect as Christmas for Christians, Ramadan for Muslims and Passover for Jews.
Pagan cops are also allowed to swear upon their own religion in court now, pledging to tell the truth not before God but by what 'they hold sacred'.
PC Pardy said that now that Paganism was a 'valid religion', officers — of which around 500 are believed to be Pagan in the UK — can officially apply for religious holidays...
From the same site comes a list of the eight major Pagan holidays, which are essentially astrotheological - this meaning should be emphasized, rather than the occultic aspects of Neo-Paganism, which are unnecessary and create misunderstandings. I discuss these holidays and many more in my Astrotheology Calendar.
Pagan holidays
The eight main festivals include;
* Samhain - On Halloween (October 31), Pagans celebrate the 'dark winter half of the year' by leaving food outside for the 'wandering dead', dressing up as ghosts and casting spells.
* Imbolc - The 'festival of the lactating sheep' held on February 2 every year. During this time, Pagans pile stones on top of each other and made 'priapic wands' to celebrate fertility.
* Beltane - on April 30/May 1, Pagan and Wicca worshippers celebrate the sun God with 'unabashed sexuality and promiscuity' in which married couples 'can remove their wedding rings' for the night.
* Lammas - On July 31, Pagans celebrate harvest time and are encouraged to go on 'country walks' through 'fields, orchards, springs, creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes'.
* Yule - Celebrated on December 21, Pagans go door-to-door singing and burn a yule log to honour Kriss Kringle, the Germanic Pagan God of Yule.
* Ostra - On March 21, also known as Lady Day, is when Pagans celebrate Spring and heap praise on the Sun God and the Great Mother.
* Litha - or Summer Soltice. Pagans worship the longest day of the year on June 21. Members down honey mead and dance naked in the sun to celebrate the upcoming harvest.
* Mabon - Pagans, on September 21, celebrate the Autumn Equinox by dressing up in their 'finery' and holding a massive dinner party outdoors to celebrate the end of the summer.
My friend Miguel/Abraxas has a very special radio show playing all this weekend, May 8th and 9th. On this program, Miguel interviews the fabulous Barbara G. Walker, who discusses her wondrous life's work as found in her new book, Man Made God.
Here is where you can listen in to the show on May 8th and 9th:
Click on the musical note ♫ on the Stickam box to bring up the menu with Barbara's who, then click on the show. It should start playing.
Here's what Miguel says about the show on Aeon Byte:
For thousands of years, the Patriarchal Gods and their minions have ruled most civilizations, either with an iron first or a subconscious lullaby. It has given the world ages of constant warfare, suppression of minorities and iron-fist dogmas. Yet the Information Age has not only given rise to humanism, it has also renewed the reverence for the seemingly-lost Divine Female Principle through the blossoming interest in Neo-Paganism, Kabbalah, Marian Catholicism, Gnosticism and other esoteric traditions. We explore how the once-balanced Divine lost half of its aspect and how it can fully regain it despite a time when the old Patriarchal systems fight even harder to keep their solar dominance. We take look at the perils and opportunities of the return of the Goddess, as well as expose the deep scars the unchecked males deities have left on the human psyche (and whether they can be healed). All this through the lenses of one of the groundbreaking scholars of our modern age in the fields of mythology, comparative religion and feminist studies, who will also relate her journey from fundamentalism to humanism.
Astral Guest: Barbara G. Walker, author of Man Made God, The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets and Restoring the Goddess.
Topics Discussed:
Barbara's personal journey from a theist to a humanist.
Why it's not possible to be a woman with full humanity as long as any Biblical worldview is held on to.
How the patriarchal gods overcame the matriarchal societies and the era of the goddess, culminating with their extreme extinction during the rise of Christianity.
Understanding the primeval roles and identities of various ancient goddesses, including the real origins of Eve and Lilith.
The core reasons Christianity disdains the feminine so much.
Insightful secrets behind such universal myths as the Creation Narrative, the time of giants, the Underworld, the Witch & the Cauldron, and many more.
An overview of various atrocities committed against women and other minorities in the name of religion (and the warped theologies behind them).
Is the return of the goddess really happening and will it make a difference in the end?
And much more!!!
Here is where you can listen in to the show on May 8th and 9th:
Man Made God is available now through Amazon U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany and Austria. You can also download a Kindle edition and perform a search inside the book on Amazon.
An exchange on my Freethought Examiner article "Pope further damages Church reputation with Shroud claim" brought up a recurring issue regarding religion and culture: To wit, what is "your" religion and/or culture? Is it really "yours?" Did you create it? Or was it put upon you from the outside?
In the latest incident to remind me of this semantic debate, an angry ranter repeatedly posted remarks that, by my disbelief in fabulous biblical and Christian fairytales such as the Shroud, I was somehow hurting "his" faith and making him hate "his" culture. Among other less polite remarks, including disparaging Jews, he raged, "I am fed up with constant spitting on my culture."
I asked him:
Why is it "your" culture? What were your ancestors before Christianity was forced upon them? And who forced Christianity upon them? Who created Christianity? Are you sure you know? Even the New Testament claims Christianity was created by those very same "Israelites" upon whom you are casting aspersions.
Indeed, what is "our" culture? Is it that of an invader religion that decimated our ancestors, to the tune of some 250 million worldwide over the period of nearly 2,000 years? My genetic heritage is mostly Swedish, Scottish and English, all of which were at one point pre-Christian but were converted largely at the end of a sword, fanatic followers of Christianity slaughtering thousands upon thousands while compelling them to worship the god and godman of a completely foreign culture.
Although I was born and raised a Christian - in a very mild form of Protestantism, but coming from a Puritan family that had arrived in America in 1630 - I relate to the pre-Christian cultures of my genetic ancestors and consider Christianity an invader cult that destroyed my religion and culture, and massacred thousands of my peeps.
If anyone should be angry, it is not those who blindly follow an intruder religion but those whose ancestors were slaughtered in droves at the hand of that same, violent faith.
Whenever you angrily bring up "your" culture while defending Christianity, please keep in mind that "your" religion is responsible for the murders of millions of people from my culture and that of many others, including your own ancestors as well.
The state of Arizona is standing alone to prevent itself - and the rest of the country - from being destroyed by a foreign invasion. Yet, instead of receiving praise and support for its governor's courage and concern, Arizona's very existence is being threatened by a boycott.
Ever since Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed bill 1070 into law addressing Arizona's illegal immigration crisis all I've seen in the media appears to be talking points from every special interest group and lobbyist in support of illegal immigration. When is the media going to start sharing the facts about the damage due to the very serious illegal immigration crisis in this country? I disagree with Republicans most of the time. However, when it comes to the illegal immigration issue, I very strongly disagree with pro-amnesty Democrats.
I usually enjoy news shows like Countdown’s Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and Democracy Now. However, one thing they all have in common is an utter failure to provide the facts about the devastation caused by rampant illegal immigration. Listening to some of the guests on these shows would lead you to believe that if we don't give amnesty to illegals, America will collapse. What a transparent house of cards that is!
Those news shows also fail miserably on the issue of Islam. They consistently fail to provide any facts that may put immigration or Islam in a bad light, even if it's the truth. Nobody can answer the question of how many radical Muslims have entered illegally into the United States. People need to be aware that these shows cannot be trusted on these two issues. I don't watch Fox - it's the "Jerry Springer" of news to me - so I don't know what their take is. But I've heard all the talking points from the pro-amnesty special interest groups and lobbyists supporting illegals breaking American law. Rev. Jim Wallis bringing up Jesus is the last straw for me on this issue. Now, it's time to hear the facts about the damage caused by illegal immigration since 1986, when amnesty was last granted. Such as the millions of undocumented people who have have "clogged our courts and prisons with criminals, overloaded our social services agencies" and help "put countless hospitals out of business with unpaid emergency room bills."
Also, how quickly people forget that, were it not for Lou Dobbs, two border patrol agents named Ramos and Compean would still be in a federal prison merely for doing their job! Olbermann and Maddow repeatedly misrepresented Dobbs until he walked away from CNN. Now who's discussing the facts about illegal immigration? Nobody.
I'm tired of the falsehoods and threats such as the boycott against Arizona. Those calling for boycotts on any state for enforcing immigration laws are the misguided ones. They need to understand why immigration laws exist in the first place. The root of the problem is the utter dereliction of duty by the Federal gov't to enforce immigration laws - that dereliction of duty is what ought to be boycotted.
"Racial profiling?"
Supporters of illegal immigration try to claim that "reasonable suspicion" means cops will be approaching everybody on the streets and demanding to see their papers. Not true at all. Every American citizen already knows that whenever you're pulled over in your car the first thing cops ask for is your ID and registration. That was never considered "racial profiling and discrimination" until it was applied to illegals in the new AZ bill. Prior to that, cops were not allowed to ask suspected illegals about their immigration status. What is our gov't thinking? Should these folks really be telling us what their rights are when they are not even citizens and therefore don't have any?
Americans were promised that we'd never have to deal with border security and illegal immigration again in 1986:
"This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this." - Senator Ted Kennedy, 1986
What a joke. Instead, what we got was an opening of the floodgates ever since. As Ron Paul said: "You subsidize illegal immigration, you get more of it." Now we have around 12 million illegals. The argument most heard is that they should get amnesty because there are too many to deport. That is essentially an illegal immigrant BAILOUT. Check your Illegal Immigrant Deportation History and you'll find out that the U.S. has rounded up illegal immigrants and deported them at least twice before, once in the 20's/30's and again in the mid 1950's.
The point is America has deported illegals before and we can do it again. Especially at a time when our country is still dealing with severe unemployment and an economic crisis. There are probably plenty of Americans out of work that would be more than happy to help with that new job!
Businesses that took advantage of illegals should be prosecuted. And this problem could easily be taken care of by permanently implementing E-Verify.
"Give me your tired, your poor...homeless..."
Here, I'll say it since everybody else seems afraid: We don't need anymore tired, poor or homeless immigrants coming the America. We have too many tired, poor and homeless AMERICANS already dealing with high unemployment, Americans who are losing their homes due to incompetence by Wall St. and Congress, and so on. And, it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon.
As this video demonstrates, America cannot be the welfare state for the rest of the world -
Now that Arizona finally steps up to the plate to deal with the very serious ILLEGAL immigration crisis, everybody wants to give all the illegals a bail out. Actions speak louder than words, and this action demonstrates that legal American citizens are last on the Federal government's list when it comes to doing what's right for the American middle class. I will never forget that one.
"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." - Theodore Roosevelt, 1907
Since politicians seem far more interested in illegal voters rather than American voters, I will make one promise: I definitely will never vote for any politician who supports amnesty for illegal immigrants. I will only vote for those who are tough on port and border security and illegal immigration. If you feel the same, then speak out, protest and petition the gov't to stop the rampant illegal immigration invasion (into the ONLY country I can call home). Polls show that 60% to 70% of Americans (including legal immigrants) want immigration abuses stopped. The time has come for all immigration abuses to end.
Here's how:
1. Enforce all immigration laws already on the books. See the Constitutional charter of the Guard, including Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. See the Presidential Oath of Office. 2. Secure our borders and ports. 3. No more amnesty for illegals. 4. Clarify the 14th Amendment as it was originally intended, in order to end "anchor-baby" abuse 5. New, serious penalties for businesses who hire illegal immigrants 6. Vote for candidates, at every level of government, who will make the above a priority.
The reasons for doubting this alleged discovery are many, including the plethora of previous purported "arks" dating back centuries, a fact that immediately causes one to turn a jaundiced eye toward this one as well. There are also various scientific arguments against a global or even local flood and the subsequent dispersion of all human and animal life from Mt. Ararat. Moreover, the Bible itself doesn't really state that the ark landed upon Mt. Ararat per se but only that it rested in the "mountains of Ararat." (Gen 8:4) Nor does it indicate where "Ararat" was at the time, so it may not have been in Turkey. Also, the current structure in question has been pointed out to look quite modern in its appearance, so freshly preserved that it could have been created in the past couple of centuries....
Most Americans - the bottom 95%, anyway - feel that Wall Street businesses which played a role in the economic crisis should not have been giving out any bonuses whatsoever for such epic failures. If the individuals running those businesses had any conscience at all, they would never have needed this fact to be explained to them via the media. It is unacceptable to reward such egregious behavior with bonuses that in many cases represent more money than many Americans earn in a year.
So, why do we give Congress similar treatment as those same Wall St. businesses? Congress has been doing a piss-poor job of working for the American middle class for how many decades now? While American middle class wages have been stagnant, Congress has consistently voted for its own pay raises, along with gov't benefits like taxpayer-funded healthcare, while running the country into the ground.
I say it's time to put an end to that entitlement completely: Gov't and Congress, like Wall St., should be rewarded according to how well the country is doing. Why should taxpayers continue to pay congressmen close to $200k (and rising) for such shoddy work? Maybe all political leaders in America should work on an incentive basis? I'd like to see an independent panel decide if Congress deserves any sort of pay raise, and a pay cut should always be on the table.
Reward for competence, not failure
The better a politician's city or state is doing, the higher his or her reward. When their district, city or state is failing, political leaders should be penalized accordingly. That payscale is precisely the way most Americans feel it ought to be with Wall Street. So, why not Congress as well? After all, middle class Americans have always been held to that standard. When a business isn't doing well, Americans get a pay cut or lose their jobs altogether. Not so with Congress or the government. This is a disconnect. Wall St., Congress and gov't big wigs don't have any clue what it's like to have to take a number and stand in line at the unemployment office. If they did, they would have a better understanding of what middle class America is going through.
America needs more accountability in Congress and across the political realm. Maybe then, our country will be number 1 again. Until then, it's blatantly obvious that big business, special interests and lobbyists are running the country. That sorry fact certainly does not inspire me to respect the way my country is being run or the leaders running it. Nor big business running it into the ground.
"The Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited special-interest intervention into our elections made a broken political system much worse. Only one bill currently under consideration is strong enough to restore public trust in Congress. No other reform could be as important right now as passing the Fair Elections Now Act."
Good news from a region that has seen its share of troubles, largely because of religious strife. Few people over the age of 40 can forget all the years of trauma endured by the ancient city of Beirut, once revered as the "Paris of the Middle East." After years of war instigated by Islamists, Beirut was largely left in ruins. In the 20 years since the civil war ended, life has sprung back with a new generation sick and tired of religious battling and calling for "separation between religion and politics" or, as Americans might call it, "separation of church and state."
This past weekend, a "Secular Pride" demonstration was held in Beirut, with several thousand people turning out due to publicity generated through Facebook and other internet sites. Once again, we can thank the power of FREE SPEECH for helping individuals overcome oppression. Let us cheer on those courageous souls rallying for secularism in their governing bodies.
As many as 5,000 people turn out in a grass-roots effort to demand the separation of religion from politics.
They had no blessing from the government. No politician in a big black SUV bankrolled them. None of the television stations controlled by political parties publicized their efforts.
And no cleric preached their cause at the pulpit.
Yet on Sunday morning, thousands of Lebanese, drawn by a largely informal campaign on Facebook and other Internet sites, marched through the heart of Beirut to demand that religion be excised from politics, a rare assertion of secularism in a region increasingly defined by religious identity.
"I don't believe religion and politics should be mixed," said Amer Saidi, 28, a student of political science at Lebanese American University, who joined as many as 5,000 people beneath a gleaming blue sky for what many considered the nation's first "secular pride" demonstration. "Religion should not be used as a political tool."
Saidi said he was born a Shiite Muslim but considers himself agnostic. He vowed to strike his religion from his national identity card, an option recently permitted by Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, a champion of nonprofit organizations and other civil groups that organized the march....
Over the years, certain knuckledraggers have attempted to thwart my criticism of heinous ideologies by calling me a "racist." The foolish tossing out of this absurd epithet has mainly occurred when I have addressed the numerous atrocities committed in the name of Islam, a long list indeed that needs to be harshly criticized. Yet, individuals who are apparently a bit daft simply cannot understand that Islam is not a race. Like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism, Islam is an ideology. Hence, criticizing Islam is not "racist."
There are Muslims of practically every culture and race - although admittedly I haven't heard of any Muslim Eskimos, yet. There are Arab Muslims, Persian Muslims, Chinese Muslims, Indian Muslims, African Muslims, Caucasian Muslims and even Mexican Muslims. Obviously, Islam has nothing whatsoever to do with race, so shrieking "racism" whenever Islam-inspired horrors are discussed represents the behavior of an ignoramus.
Here is a list of just some of these Islamic atrocities that we are not allowed to criticize or else we are "racists":
Hatred of and calls to murder or enslave nonbelievers
The oppression of women, including forcing them to live under dark-colored tents, depriving them of sunlight and air, and subjecting them to intense heat
child "marriage," i.e., rape
female genital mutilation - a "cultural" tradition that often goes hand in hand in Muslim countries and that is understood by many Muslim women to be an Islamic doctrine
bombings, beheadings, beatings, stonings, hangings, limb amputations and so on, ad nauseam.
animal abuse - Muslims are often taught to hate dogs, for example
Not to criticize these heinous human-rights and animal abuses represents the epitome of immorality; yet, according to reprobates, to point them out makes one a "racist." Obviously, such an epithet is utterly false, but that fact won't stop ignoramuses from trying to use it whenever they have no real ground to stand on.
I have many religious friends who are clearly not mentally ill. They like to fool themselves into acceptance of their religion by denial that their religion promotes unethical and at times horrific actions, not to mention the acceptance of supernatural occurrences without a smidgen of evidence.
There is a wide range of this self delusional behavior. Some claim secularism yet support the authenticity of their holy book. My Muslim friend claims that the Qu'ran is a book of high moral and intellectual instruction, as long as we can ignore the horrors that it teaches. I instruct him continuously; I think he's coming around.
My strongly religious Christian friends and family members simply refuse to discuss the horrible immoral teachings and examples contained in the Bible and practiced by their adherents. I've always wondered, at what point does this attitude become mental illness? I recently came across this article written in 1997 by Jason R. Tippet, "Religious Fundamentalism As Mental Illness." I certainly don't agree with everything he writes, but that's okay. The point is obvious. There is a certain point where the religious cross the line into mental illness.
To close, I'd like to share with you a Humpty Dumpty prayer. Everyone hold hands...or something:
From The Humpty Dumpty Gospel: "The Hump's Spell"
Holey Holey Hole in the bread I sat on a wall and now I am dead Holey Holey Hole in the bread
The Big Hump on the wall his days numbered three they didn't let him down not even to pee - Holey Holey Hole in the bread I sat on the wall and now I am dead Holey Holey Hole in the bread.
Browns passed by and scolded The Great Egg on high shouting death to your white death to your good for quite soon for the worms you'll be food (pronounced "fud" in days of yore). Holey Holey Hole in the bread I sat on the wall and now I am dead. Holey Holey Hole in the bread.
The Fall was foretold by the Father; oh Great Cock in the sky and kitchen: "whence he shall rise as the one and true and divinely tasty Spring Chicken." - Holey Holey Hole in the bread I sat on the wall and now I am dead. Holey Holey Hole in the bread.
To answer the obvious question that follows: No, I don't do drugs.
What people are saying about Acharya S/D.M. Murdock
"Your scholarship is relentless! ...the research conducted by D.M. Murdock concerning the myth of Jesus Christ is certainly both valuable and worthy of consideration." —Dr. Kenneth L. Feder, Professor of Archaeology, Central Connecticut State University, Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience In Archaeology
"I find myself in full agreement with Acharya S/D.M. Murdock... I find it undeniable that...many, many of the epic heroes and ancient patriarchs and matriarchs of the Old Testament were personified stars, planets, and constellations..."—Dr. Robert M. Price, The Pre-Nicene New Testament
"I can recommend your work whole-heartedly!"—Dr. Robert Eisenman, James the Brother of Jesus and The New Testament Code, RobertEisenman.com
"Acharya S deserves to be recognized as a leading researcher and an expert in the field of comparative mythology, on a par with James Frazer or Robert Graves—indeed, superior to those forerunners in the frankness of her conclusions and the volume of her evidence." —Barbara Walker, The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets and Man Made God
"I've known people with triple Ph.D's who haven't come close to the scholarship in Who Was Jesus?" —Pastor David Bruce, M.Div, North Park Seminary, Chicago, HollywoodJesus.com
"Thirty years ago, when in divinity school, I might have had second thoughts about becoming an Episcopal priest if a book like D. M. Murdock's Who Was Jesus? had been available to me." —Bob Semes, Retired university professor of History and Religion, Founder and Executive Director of The Jefferson Center
"Ms. Murdock is one of only a tiny number of scholars with the richly diverse academic background (and the necessary courage) to adequately address the question of whether Jesus Christ truly existed as a walking-talking figure in first-century Palestine." —David Mills, Atheist Universe
"Thank you, Acharya, for the important work you are doing. Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of the Christ just might be the best short introduction to Biblical scholarship yet." —David Bergland, 1984 Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate, Libertarianism In One Lesson
"...I have found her scholarship, research, knowledge of the original languages, and creative linkages to be breathtaking and highly stimulating." —Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham, Pastor, Presbyterian Church, Houston, TX
"Acharya S has done a superb job in bringing together the rich panoply of ancient world mythology and culture, and presenting it in a comprehensive and compelling fashion." —Earl Doherty, The Jesus Puzzle
"The Christ Conspiracy—very, very scholarly and wholly researched—is a book for today..." Rev. B. Strauss, ex-Catholic Priest, Chicago, IL
"Amidst the global chaos of George Bush's War on Terror, largely founded on religious intolerance and simplistic notions of good and evil, Acharya S is the voice of reason." —Joan D'Arc, Paranoia
"D.M. Murdock could well be the most brilliant, insightful and rigorous theologian writing today." —Robert Tulip
"Acharya S is the ranking religious philosopher of our era." —John K.
"Acharya S/Murdock deserves an award for her hard work and courage. She is the Galileo of our day!"—Charles Johnson
Much-loved ancient tales from the Indian sacred text the Mahabharata demonstrate some important motifs found within Christianity as well. As part of this discussion of comparative religion and mythology, it has often been argued that the Indian god Krishna's mother was not a virgin but only a "chaste" maiden who had previously given birth to seven others. In this regard, I have discussed the general subject of a pre-Christian and non-Christian virgin mother in depth in my books, especially 
"You people believe that there is re-birth. If the person does good karma, he will get a better birth and if he commits sin he will get a worse birth – right?"
In response to the threatened boycott by some 2.5 million Muslims irate over the alleged deletion of four Islamic pages, Facebook has announced that it will release a new version of its networking site for Muslim women only. The new version - which is expected to be most popular in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan - will be called "Nofacebook" and will be available only when the women are accompanied by a male relative.
A comment is being circulated on Facebook claiming that the site has not only allowed Islam-critical pages like "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" to thrive but has also removed four major Muslim Facebook pages with a total of about 2.5 million members. In other words, this "chain email" is claiming that Facebook has taken a dramatic anti-Islam stance, and the comment is further demanding that the site restore the Islamic pages, make it illegal to criticize Islam, and remove all FB pages that are critical of Islam. In other words, it is demanding that Facebook follow Islamic or sharia law....
Hi there!
An American icon, Barbara G. Walker is the author of the classic bestseller The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, which has been used widely in comparative religion and women's spirituality studies for almost three decades. Barbara is also a prominent female voice within the humanist and freethought community for many years as well, appearing in publications and radio shows for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, as one important example.
My friend Minas Papageorgiou has passed along the news of his "Mythicism Conference" held in Athens, Greece. Looks like it was a great success. Congrats, Minas, and keep up the good work - 
In the early 1990s, my attention was drawn to the popular Indian guru and godman Satya Sai Baba. For a period, I spent much time watching every video and reading every book I could find about the man. My study occurred before the internet was popular, and there was not much debunking material around. But, there was enough, and I soon discovered the Indian Rationalists' video "Guru Busters" showing Baba doing typical magician's tricks. I also discovered much worse, especially after I finally went online.
Many of us in the field of comparative religion and mythology may never have guessed we would see the day when official organizations such as the police in Great Britain recognized the validity of Pagan celebrations that have their roots in antiquity. But it appears that we will see this development, which is not only interesting but also refreshing and encouraging.
In case you somehow missed my latest Freethought Examiner article, here it is! Please read, enjoy the comments - phew! - and leave a few yourself.
Most Americans - the bottom 95%, anyway - feel that Wall Street businesses which played a role in the economic crisis should not have been giving out any bonuses whatsoever for such epic failures. If the individuals running those businesses had any conscience at all, they would never have needed this fact to be explained to them via the media. It is unacceptable to reward such egregious behavior with bonuses that in many cases represent more money than many Americans earn in a year. 
Over the years, certain knuckledraggers have attempted to thwart my criticism of heinous ideologies by calling me a "racist." The foolish tossing out of this absurd epithet has mainly occurred when I have addressed the numerous atrocities committed in the name of Islam, a long list indeed that needs to be harshly criticized. Yet, individuals who are apparently a bit daft simply cannot understand that Islam is not a race. Like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism, Islam is an ideology. Hence, criticizing Islam is not "racist."
I have many religious friends who are clearly not mentally ill. They like to fool themselves into acceptance of their religion by denial that their religion promotes unethical and at times horrific actions, not to mention the acceptance of supernatural occurrences without a smidgen of evidence.
