Thursday, February 28, 2013
Former lives?
Listening to a podcast today on the existence of angels; everyone always wants to talk to people who've already died. How come nobody ever speaks to people who haven't been born yet? If we're eternal, surely we're somewhere/thing before this existence, no?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Our indescribably large universe
http://youtu.be/Vz52N_SZvL0
The visible universe is incredibly large. Only recently have we had the experimental tools and observational data to truly get a grasp on the numbers, and the numbers are astounding. They are so large that even when we come up with analogies to describe them, as in the above video, they still are hard to absorb. The number of stars and galaxies are beyond astronomical (see what I did there?). And those are just the ones that we can see.
As big as these numbers are, they are nothing next to eternity or infinity. Those are some truly absurd concepts (outside of mathematics, where infinity serves very useful purposes). Christianity and other religions bandy about terms like 'eternal' and 'infinite' with amazing (and I would say alarming) frequency and nonchalance. It's as though to think about spending an unending amount of time doing, well, whatever one thinks one does in heaven, were analagous to a weekend vacation to the beach. Yet clearly it's not. And what's worse, we are charged with coming to believe an impossible story about an unknown and unproven afterlife, with the promise of unending pleasure, or the pain of unending torture. Aint that grand!?
The visible universe is incredibly large. Only recently have we had the experimental tools and observational data to truly get a grasp on the numbers, and the numbers are astounding. They are so large that even when we come up with analogies to describe them, as in the above video, they still are hard to absorb. The number of stars and galaxies are beyond astronomical (see what I did there?). And those are just the ones that we can see.
As big as these numbers are, they are nothing next to eternity or infinity. Those are some truly absurd concepts (outside of mathematics, where infinity serves very useful purposes). Christianity and other religions bandy about terms like 'eternal' and 'infinite' with amazing (and I would say alarming) frequency and nonchalance. It's as though to think about spending an unending amount of time doing, well, whatever one thinks one does in heaven, were analagous to a weekend vacation to the beach. Yet clearly it's not. And what's worse, we are charged with coming to believe an impossible story about an unknown and unproven afterlife, with the promise of unending pleasure, or the pain of unending torture. Aint that grand!?
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Musings on religion
Isn't it interesting that we never hear of expeditions to undiscovered tribes or populated islands where the people there had been out of contact with the rest of the world, and a King James bible was found in the indigenous language, and the people there knew all about Jesus and the Good News. Wouldn't that be something!? Instead, what do we get? We have missionaries who are charged with bringing 'The Word' to all the world, ensuring that many millions will be killed, suffer disease and injury, etc. Sounds rather inefficient for an omnipotent god.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Natalie - Midnight Sun
Had an absolute blast shooting with Natalie! We started in the afternoon and went into the early evening, we were having so much fun, it was hard to stop!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Monday, January 09, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Kids say the darndest things...episode 4
Overheard as my daughter is talking to my wife on the phone...
"Mommy I want to be a teacher when I grow up."
"That's great sweetie."
"But do they have to call me Ms. Bonaparte??"
"Mommy I want to be a teacher when I grow up."
"That's great sweetie."
"But do they have to call me Ms. Bonaparte??"
Monday, September 19, 2011
Kids say the darndest things...episode 3
So my girls were watching a Spanish language DVD, and they were talking about step-mothers. I had to explain to them what step-parents were, and of course, we went over divorce as well. Basically, I said that sometimes mommies and daddies don't want to live together any more. And my eldest thought for a moment and solemnly said, "Well I hope you and mommy don't get divorced." I said I didn't think that would ever happen, we love each other very much. :)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
What was the sacrifice?
If Jesus was the son of god before, during and after his execution, what, exactly, did he sacrifice by 'dying'?
Friday, June 10, 2011
Moderately religious?
I saw that phrase again today, moderately religious. I wonder what that means.
'Yeah, I believe in Jesus 'n Stuff™, but I only pay attention to him on Sundays and holidays.'
'Sure, the salvation of my eternal soul rests on the decisions I make in this fragile mortal life, but I don't like to make a big deal about it.'
'Well, I could be tortured forever in unfathomable agony if I do this, but those 8 seconds of pleasure will be well worth it.'
So, do the fanatics have it right? Because they seem to be the only ones who come close to truly understanding the choices and tasks that theists are charged with making and performing. I submit that if I believed that there were such a thing as an eternal soul or endless, excruciating pain, I would be doing everything I could to become saved, escape hell, etc. It wouldn't just be an important thing to do, another chore to check off my list. It wouldn't be the most important thing to do in life. It would be the ONLY thing to do. But that's just me...
'Yeah, I believe in Jesus 'n Stuff™, but I only pay attention to him on Sundays and holidays.'
'Sure, the salvation of my eternal soul rests on the decisions I make in this fragile mortal life, but I don't like to make a big deal about it.'
'Well, I could be tortured forever in unfathomable agony if I do this, but those 8 seconds of pleasure will be well worth it.'
So, do the fanatics have it right? Because they seem to be the only ones who come close to truly understanding the choices and tasks that theists are charged with making and performing. I submit that if I believed that there were such a thing as an eternal soul or endless, excruciating pain, I would be doing everything I could to become saved, escape hell, etc. It wouldn't just be an important thing to do, another chore to check off my list. It wouldn't be the most important thing to do in life. It would be the ONLY thing to do. But that's just me...
Friday, June 03, 2011
SC Aquarium!
Went to Charleston to see Dad and Mom Joan on Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately Kia had to work, so threw the kids in the car and we drove down the road. We stayed an extra day and on Tuesday we went to the SC Aquarium. We all had a blast!
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Happy Birthday Stevie
AKA Stefon, AKA my one and only big brother. Hope things are going a bit better for you than they have in the recent past. Wish you would give us a call so we could talk to you and know you're ok.
Osama bin Laden dead
So Osama bin Laden was reportedly killed in a firefight when US troops raided a mansion hideout last week. First there was impromptu celebration and cheering (which still doesn't seem quite right to me), then there was the inevitable political analysis about how it would affect President Obama's ratings, and now we have the cover stories and posts about how Osama is undoubtedly in hell at the moment.
I truly don't understand religious people. If Osama is in hell, is Truman there as well for dropping bombs on Japan? How about Valhalla, maybe he's there? Or maybe he's in Muslim heaven? The simple fact is that there's absolutely no reason to believe that Osama is anywhere other than the watery grave where he was buried at sea.
I truly don't understand religious people. If Osama is in hell, is Truman there as well for dropping bombs on Japan? How about Valhalla, maybe he's there? Or maybe he's in Muslim heaven? The simple fact is that there's absolutely no reason to believe that Osama is anywhere other than the watery grave where he was buried at sea.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
The End is Nigh!
Well they're at it again. Harold Camping and company at Family Radio Network are predicting the end of the world on May 21, 2011, around 6pm. They say about 2% of the population will be raptured, while the rest will go straight to the hot place. Harold had the wrong date before, when he predicted the end of the world, but he's had a lot more time to study the bible and now he's REALLY sure. I wonder if Family Radio will give away their $120M to help feed and protect the poor, like maybe Jesus would do? Nahhhhhh.
Will let ya know how it turns out on May 22. If you don't hear from me, then I guess his math was right.
Will let ya know how it turns out on May 22. If you don't hear from me, then I guess his math was right.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Kids say the darndest things...episode 2
So I'm playing the go fast game with the kids in the van...you know, where you punch the accelerator for a second so the engine revs, and the kids shriek with joy and say 'too fast, daddy!'. Well, we enjoyed a few rounds of this on the way home, and as I pull into the driveway, I give it a little kick going into the garage. Four year old: 'Don't go fast in the garage, daddy, or you will go through the wall!'. Six year old chimes in: 'Yeah, and that will cost a lottttt of money to fix!'. Ah, they're learning so quickly...:)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Kids say the darndest things...episode 1
My six year old daughter after coming in from school and setting her bookbag down: "Daddy, are you going to die when you get old? I don't want you to die because I will miss you."
Talk about heartbreaking. She said this with much emotion and sincerity. As I went about making her snack, I told her that people have to die in order to make room for new people. If people didn't die, there'd be a hundred billion-jillion people on Earth, and there'd be 100 people in every house. Her eyes got wide as she declared, "That's too many people!". I agreed, and we both shared how it's very sad when people die that we love, but then we get new people to love as well, like her future children. She reiterated to me how she plans on having four kids and she's going to live in a pink house with Bryce C (her future husband, now in kindergarten). I said that sounded great, and she went to watch her tv shows with a smile.
Talk about heartbreaking. She said this with much emotion and sincerity. As I went about making her snack, I told her that people have to die in order to make room for new people. If people didn't die, there'd be a hundred billion-jillion people on Earth, and there'd be 100 people in every house. Her eyes got wide as she declared, "That's too many people!". I agreed, and we both shared how it's very sad when people die that we love, but then we get new people to love as well, like her future children. She reiterated to me how she plans on having four kids and she's going to live in a pink house with Bryce C (her future husband, now in kindergarten). I said that sounded great, and she went to watch her tv shows with a smile.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Pray for earthquake victims?
A few days ago, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, possibly the strongest one they've ever experienced. The death toll is in the thousands and rising, along with so many displaced and injured people who no longer have homes.
Lots of people around the world are praying for the people of Japan. I have to ask, aren't you praying to the same omnimax creature that designed, planned and executed this natural disaster? And what would you be praying for? For it to go back in time and magically save all those people? For the people who died to go to heaven and not to hell?
Lots of people around the world are praying for the people of Japan. I have to ask, aren't you praying to the same omnimax creature that designed, planned and executed this natural disaster? And what would you be praying for? For it to go back in time and magically save all those people? For the people who died to go to heaven and not to hell?
Monday, February 14, 2011
A response to the open letter from Rabbi Adam Jacobs
This is a response to the letter in the link below:
Open Letter from Rabbi Jacobs to Atheists
1. Am I wrong, or did the rabbi spend the first half of his letter telling us how there are no true atheists, then starts the second half by saying that he's spent a sizable portion of his life as an atheist??? WTF? Having been so studied in the fields of belief and atheism, surely the author knows that an insignificant number of people would define atheism as he has. That can't have escaped his attention. Every atheist that I know of understands that a-theism means lack of BELIEF in god. This is still not clear to the rabbi after all that study? Jeez.
2. Appeals to authorities dismissed. What do I care if Antony Flew wishes to now call himself some kind of deist. Has absolutely no bearing on whether or not a god exists. Same could be said for Dawkins and Hawking...they don't know either.
3. I'm going to assume that you live in the US, and as such, you must either be pretending or seriously, seriously obtuse not to recognize the powerful influence that religion and those who claim to know/speak for/love/be on a mission for god have on social and political matters affecting ALL citizens.
4. Hitler, Stalin, etc. This AGAIN!!?? Are we pretending that those loathsome individuals were responsible for the deaths of millions of people? Are we going to pretend that the vast majority of those doing the actual killing were believers of one stripe or another? Puh-leeze.
5. 'The faith to which I ascribe has brought substantial light and unique meaning to the world.' Like what? Fear of hell? Body issues and being ashamed to be human? What has the faith to which you ascribe brought to the world that could not have been done through reasoned discourse, education, freedom of thought/action, etc.? My answer: nothing. On the contrary, I'd argue that we are worse off rather than having been bettered by faith.
6. "...you ask us to accept that it's the result of undetectable organizational forces..." NO! What most atheists reject is the supposition that there is some ultimate Truth out there that you and people like you have discovered. Instead of saying, 'I don't know, let's work together to grow, learn, and discover things about the universe', you say 'I have the Truth, and not only is it true for me, it is true for EVERYONE.' That certainty, that unmovable position, that FAITH that you have, is the single biggest objection that most atheists would probably have against the idea of faith. I think that the religious need to learn those three powerful words...'I don't know!'.
Open Letter from Rabbi Jacobs to Atheists
1. Am I wrong, or did the rabbi spend the first half of his letter telling us how there are no true atheists, then starts the second half by saying that he's spent a sizable portion of his life as an atheist??? WTF? Having been so studied in the fields of belief and atheism, surely the author knows that an insignificant number of people would define atheism as he has. That can't have escaped his attention. Every atheist that I know of understands that a-theism means lack of BELIEF in god. This is still not clear to the rabbi after all that study? Jeez.
2. Appeals to authorities dismissed. What do I care if Antony Flew wishes to now call himself some kind of deist. Has absolutely no bearing on whether or not a god exists. Same could be said for Dawkins and Hawking...they don't know either.
3. I'm going to assume that you live in the US, and as such, you must either be pretending or seriously, seriously obtuse not to recognize the powerful influence that religion and those who claim to know/speak for/love/be on a mission for god have on social and political matters affecting ALL citizens.
4. Hitler, Stalin, etc. This AGAIN!!?? Are we pretending that those loathsome individuals were responsible for the deaths of millions of people? Are we going to pretend that the vast majority of those doing the actual killing were believers of one stripe or another? Puh-leeze.
5. 'The faith to which I ascribe has brought substantial light and unique meaning to the world.' Like what? Fear of hell? Body issues and being ashamed to be human? What has the faith to which you ascribe brought to the world that could not have been done through reasoned discourse, education, freedom of thought/action, etc.? My answer: nothing. On the contrary, I'd argue that we are worse off rather than having been bettered by faith.
6. "...you ask us to accept that it's the result of undetectable organizational forces..." NO! What most atheists reject is the supposition that there is some ultimate Truth out there that you and people like you have discovered. Instead of saying, 'I don't know, let's work together to grow, learn, and discover things about the universe', you say 'I have the Truth, and not only is it true for me, it is true for EVERYONE.' That certainty, that unmovable position, that FAITH that you have, is the single biggest objection that most atheists would probably have against the idea of faith. I think that the religious need to learn those three powerful words...'I don't know!'.
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